(WACO) – Bobby Horner, Craig Johnson and Edward Hernandez attended Texas State Technical College in different decades but are united through their majors and work helping Waco grow responsibly.

The men all graduated from TSTC with what were then Associate of Applied Science degrees in Architectural Drafting and Design. Horner received his degree in 1978, Johnson graduated in 1981 and Hernandez walked across the stage for his degree in 1998.

Today, Horner is an inspection supervisor, Johnson is a plans examiner and Hernandez is a building inspector – all for the city of Waco.

“All of us have either had our own business with design and drafting or worked with architects and smaller projects,” Horner said. “We have the training of design and drafting to pull from.”

The three have roles, along with their co-workers, in the planning and construction of structures in the city. And Waco is seeing a lot of development, from the eight-story Marriott Springhill Suites planned for South Jack Kultgen Expressway to apartment development on Bagby Avenue near the Central Texas Marketplace.

“I don’t see a lot of letup, personally,” Horner said. “It’s exciting to me.”

Johnson sits in on weekly municipal predevelopment meetings to discuss several facets of proposed projects, from easements to fire, health and safety matters. The meetings are times to ask questions and develop solutions to make the permit process and construction flow.

Hernandez said the use of modern business materials, such as cardboard siding, has kept himself and his co-workers learning about new construction techniques.

“My background in drafting and design helped me transition into being a plans examiner,” Hernandez said. “Because I knew how plans were put together, I know what to look for.”

Horner said people interested in pursuing drafting and design should have an understanding of construction materials and terminology.

Hernandez said drafting and design graduates can work for companies who will teach them the specific software being used.

The men are members of the Bluebonnet Chapter of the International Code Council encompassing Central Texas. They can earn continuing education credits to keep organization certifications updated.

Horner, 59, grew up in Hamilton and graduated from Hamilton High School in 1976. He said TSTC was his top option because he enjoyed drawing and worked with a builder when he was in high school. Both his grandfathers worked in construction and he also had friends who worked in roofing.

Horner fondly remembers technical college life.

“My dorm room was one of the officers’ barracks,” he said.

Johnson, 56, graduated in 1979 from Midway High School in Woodway. Johnson said he went while growing up to the Lake Air Drive-In where Richland Mall is now located.

Johnson’s interest in drafting and design was piqued as a child while riding his bicycle and exploring Woodway.

“There were a lot of homes being built,” he said. “It fascinated me how the homes were put together. When we moved to Woodway, the western part from Poage Drive was not built.”

Hernandez, 54, grew up in San Antonio and graduated from Antonian College Preparatory High School. He served in the U.S. Navy for six years as a firefighting instructor. He worked in the construction industry before starting classes at TSTC when he was 35. He also taught for nine years at TSTC.

TSTC offers associate degrees in Architectural/Civil Drafting Technology and Mechanical/Electrical Drafting Technology.

TSTC is having summer Registration Rally events for prospective students to finalize plans to attend the fall semester. For more information, go to tstc.edu/rally.

For information on the TSTC Alumni Network, go to tstc.edu/tstcfoundation/alumni.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College’s Building Construction Technology program hosted students from Belton and Mansfield this week for a SkillsUSA construction boot camp.

Four students from Belton High School and one student from the Mansfield Independent School District worked on carpentry and building skills to prepare for SkillsUSA’s 53rd annual National Leadership and Skills Conference taking place June 19-23 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Students from TSTC who will compete in the conference’s collegiate division also perfected their skills and bonded with the high school students.

Michael Carrillo, a TSTC Building Construction Technology program instructor, used past SkillsUSA exercises to simulate timed competitions the students will encounter.

“Sure, we compete under the same roof as the college team, but our kids can communicate with one another,” said Craig Sullivan, a construction technology teacher at Belton High School. “We want Texas represented well. We are rooting for TSTC just like they are rooting for us.”

Sullivan said this was his fourth building construction squad to have won the Texas SkillsUSA high school construction contest in the spring, enabling them to go to the nationwide competition.

Andres Zapata, 19, a 2017 graduate of Belton High School and future TSTC Building Construction Technology major, said framing was his strength on the building team.

“It’s an honor to work with these technical college students,” Zapata said. “It prepares us as well to see teams compete against us. This will make us better.”

Matt Peeler, 27, a TSTC Building Construction Technology major from Belton, did not have the opportunity to take construction technology when he attended Belton High School. But he said if he had the chance to go back to high school to do it, he would.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to work alongside the students,” Peeler said. “It’s a great experience and lets us know where we stand and where they stand.”

Carrillo said the program has hosted SkillsUSA high school students for three years to allow them to work with TSTC students.

“So far it’s going well because it’s pretty much them against a different team,” he said. “They can gauge efficiency, time and coordinating with team members.”

The Belton High School SkillsUSA construction contest group is made up of Chloe Bush, 18; Allan Harlow, 19; Joseph Hermann, 19; and Zapata.

Jacob Dawson, 17, a senior at Mansfield’s Legacy High School who also attended the Ben Barber Innovation Academy, will compete for Texas in the individual carpentry competition. He spent three days on the Waco campus working on blueprint reading, wood framing and other skills, along with meeting program faculty.

“Practicing has made it easier to get a feel for what I am doing,” said Dawson.

Besides Peeler, TSTC’s Teamworks group for SkillsUSA is made up of Building Construction Technology majors Jack Chance, 19, of Waxahachie and Edgar Cuellar, 26, and Jose Perez, 19, both of Waco.

TSTC Building Construction Technology major Larry Johnson of Mount Pleasant will compete in the individual carpentry contest at SkillsUSA. He and Dawson did their own simulation competition to practice for the Louisville contest.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Students in the Precision Machining Technology program at Texas State Technical College are working with four new Haas Mini Mill machines installed in May.

Third-semester students studying Advanced Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) Machining are some of the first using the machines to create such things as small cannons and tape dispensers as class projects. The students use written plans and theories to personalize their own creations, said George Love, an instructor in the Precision Machining Technology program.

The new machines contain robotic components, industrial computers and the ability to connect to smartphones and the Internet. The machines can cut aluminum, brass and steel.

“The first thing to know is how to set the lathe manually before letting the computer do the work,” said Fernando Ortiz, 38, a Precision Machining Technology major from Temple scheduled to graduate in December from TSTC.

Nick Huffman, 18, a Machining certificate student from Houston who is scheduled to graduate in August, said he has noticed that manual machines make deeper cuts than automated mills.

He said knowing how the Mini Mills work could help him in his job search after he graduates.

“I want to stay in the Houston area,” Huffman said. “Machinists are needed everywhere, but definitely in Houston.”

The Precision Machining Technology program already had two larger milling machines that students had to take turns to work on.

“The students, hands-on time has now quadrupled (with the new machines),” Love said.

The machines are worth a total of $90,000 and were made possible with a grant from the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006.

“That (recommended purchase) comes from the Precision Machining Technology program’s advisory board,” Love said. “The advisory board wants the students to have more CNC time.”

TSTC’s Precision Machining Technology program in Waco is accredited by the National Institute for Metalworking Skills Inc.

TSTC in Waco will host summer Registration Rally events from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 23, July 14 and Aug. 11. For more information, go to tstc.edu/rally.

For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Riley Cauthen, 19, of Benbrook is a Precision Machining Technology major at Texas State Technical College in Waco and is scheduled to graduate in December.

Cauthen, a 2016 graduate of Western Hills High School in Benbrook, was involved in robotics and earned his Eagle rank when he was 17 in the Boy Scouts of America’s Longhorn Council.

What did you do in Boy Scouts? “I started when I was a Tiger scout. I went to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico for two weeks one summer. Being in the Boy Scouts was great. I earned about 25 merit badges, including the metalworking badge. I think being in Boy Scouts helped build character and much-needed life skills. I would not be who I am today without it.”

What did you do with robotics in high school? “I was mostly on the fabrication side. There was a size and height limit for the robots. I would drive (the robots) sometimes at competitions, depending on our team’s schedule.”

Did you take dual credit classes in high school? “I took dual credit classes in Tarrant County and had about 18 hours when I came to TSTC. The opportunity was there and I figured I would get some classes out of the way.”

What got you interested in TSTC? “When I was in high school I was always interested in engineering, but on the manufacturing side. My uncle actually went here. He was the one who recommended TSTC to me.”

Were you busy before the summer semester started? “I did an internship at Martin Sprocket & Gear Inc. in Arlington the week after TSTC’s spring semester ended and before summer semester began. They mostly passed me through departments. During my last day, I followed one of our TSTC graduates who is working there. It was pretty educational and was my first experience in a professional manufacturing environment.”

What are your plans right now after graduation? “I would like to end up in the Dallas-Fort Worth or Austin areas.”

Students studying Precision Machining Technology learn to develop programs that control machining or processing of metal or plastic parts by automatic machine tools, equipment or systems. This prepares them for jobs in manufacturing areas such as metalworking machinery, aerospace products, and architectural and structural metals.

TSTC will host Registration Rally events for prospective students interested in taking classes for the fall semester on June 23, July 14 and Aug. 11.

For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Area building and construction representatives emphasized Thursday the importance of the work some Texas State Technical College Building Construction Technology students recently completed.

About 30 students were the first in the state to earn certification from the International Code Council (ICC) Training Program using the 2015 International Residential Code. The students took the program’s Building Codes and Inspections course in the spring to work toward the certification. They were honored during a ceremony on campus.

“General contractors and subcontractors are doing a happy dance,” said Bobby Horner, a city of Waco inspection supervisor and 1978 graduate of TSTC in Architectural Drafting and Design Technology. “They are asking where qualified people are.”

There were more than 94,000 construction and building inspectors, with a majority working in municipal governments, as of spring 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas had at least 7,440 construction and building inspectors earning an average median wage of $55,550. The Woodlands-Houston-Sugar Land area and the Dallas-Plano-Irving area had some of the highest concentrations of the workers in the state.

Matthew Peeler, 27, a Building Construction Technology major from Belton, is scheduled to graduate in December. He already has his eye on working in the Austin or Temple areas.

“The certification is necessary to make sure you are following the best practices,” Peeler said. “I love building things with my hands. When you build something, you say ‘I made it.’”

The Building Codes and Inspections course has been in the curriculum for the Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology – Project Management Inspection Specialization, but the spring semester was the first time students took it with revamped lessons backed by the ICC, said Michael Carrillo, a program instructor. Students gained an understanding of mathematics calculations, vocabulary, geography, flooding, topographical effects and other topics.

“You are starting a trend to put Waco on the map that will spread,” Horner told the honorees. “Keep learning – that will make you that much more marketable.”

TSTC will host Registration Rally events for prospective students to register for the fall. The events will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 23, July 14 and Aug. 11.

For more information on Texas State Technical College and fall registration, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – DeMarcus Mason, a spring graduate of La Vega High School, is ready to turn the mixer on high starting this fall.

Mason, 18, plans to study Culinary Arts at Texas State Technical College.

“I love to cook a lot,” he said. “It’s inspiring to show others how to make something beyond noodles in a microwave. My favorite dish to cook is chicken Alfredo casserole.”

Mason and several other La Vega students took part in Prosper Waco’s Project Link, a partnership between the nonprofit organization, TSTC, McLennan Community College, the La Vega Independent School District and the Waco Independent School District to promote a college-going culture among the city’s high school students and their families.

This year’s 198 Project Link seniors at La Vega, University and Waco high schools made up Project Link’s second cohort.

“Ultimately, I feel like the second year was 10 times easier because it was the second year,” said Project Link Coordinator Natalie James of McLennan Community College. “We had a year behind our backs. We were able to look over the summer at what worked and didn’t work and what to do to make the program better for year two.”

More than 40 graduating Project Link seniors plan to attend TSTC this fall. The figure is an increase from the more than 20 students who graduated in 2016 and started at TSTC last fall.

“Some of our students are telling their teachers more about TSTC, so we can tell our Project Link outreach is helping,” TSTC Project Link Outreach Specialist Brandon Chappell said. “We want to encourage more people to visit and tour TSTC.”

Erick Carrillo, 18, a La Vega graduating senior in Project Link, plans to study Electrical Lineworker Technology at TSTC this fall.

“I want to do hands-on work,” he said.

Not all students in Project Link have to go to college in Waco.

Sierra Jackson, 18, a graduating senior from Waco High School, plans to attend Texas Southern University this fall to study psychology.

“Project Link was helpful,” she said. “The program made you care about going to college. Once you get to know Mr. (Cory) Gropp, he will make it easier for you. College was in the plans, but he gave me the push to apply.”

Gropp, the Waco High School Project Link liaison, said more than 50 of his seniors are committed to going to college and one student plans to join the military.

“If you are genuine with the kids, I believe they will do anything for you,” Gropp said.

The Project Link graduates from the three high schools wore black and white cords with their graduation gowns.

Project Link began in fall 2015 at La Vega and University high schools, with Waco High School being added for the 2016-17 academic year. The initiative is supported with a grant from the Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation in Waco. More than 180 seniors were in the first cohort for the 2015-16 academic year.

For more information on Prosper Waco’s Project Link, go to prosperwaco.org/project-link.

For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College in Waco will have three Registration Rally events this summer at the Student Services Center on Campus Drive.

The activities will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 23, July 14; and Aug. 11.

The events are part of an effort to make the registration process as easy as possible for incoming students planning to take classes in the fall semester.

“The Registration Rally is a great opportunity for students to get all of their paperwork complete in one place before classes begin,” TSTC Provost Adam Hutchison said. “We’re setting aside some of the routine business of the day to concentrate our efforts on helping new students enroll more quickly and easily.”

Visitors can take campus tours and talk to faculty members about the more than 40 technical programs offered at TSTC, including Aircraft Pilot Training Technology, Architectural/Civil Drafting Technology, Database Administration Programming, Robotics Technology and Welding Technology.

People interested in enrolling should bring a copy of their driver’s license, high school transcript or GED, any college transcripts, proof of bacterial meningitis vaccination, housing application and TSI scores.

TSTC is having registration events at its 10 campuses throughout the state this summer. For information on the closest Registration Rally, log on to tstc.edu/rally.

For more information, contact TSTC in Waco at 254-799-3611.