(WACO) – Alex Barron remembers the anticipation he had when he went to his first Korean pop concert when he was a teenager.

Barron, 21, grew up in West Point in Fayette County and convinced his father to drive him to Houston to see the Wonder Girls at the House of Blues. Barron did not have a driver’s license, but he and a cousin went to the show while his father visited a relative.

“It was amazing,” Barron said. “I was hit by a wave of surprise.”

Barron is just as excited again because he is about to graduate from Texas State Technical College in Waco.

He will receive an Associate of Applied Science degree in Web Design and Development Technology at TSTC’s Spring 2017 Commencement at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 1, at the Waco Convention Center.

The Web Design and Development Technology program has about 45 students. Students in the five-semester program learn about digital imaging, advanced web programming, web authoring and other topics. Barron said he is a visual learner and grasped coursework quickly.

“The web design field is always changing,” Barron said. “You want to build a site that looks pretty and is not a mess to control.”

Matt Blansit, an instructor in TSTC’s Web Design and Development Technology program, said Barron is a sparkling example of what he wants to see his students become.

“He’s a very motivated student,” Blansit said. “He goes over and beyond what he needs to do. We will miss his laughter.”

Barron was raised in West Point, a town he described as quiet and rural.

“It’s a great place to grow up with your family,” he said.

Barron graduated in 2014 from La Grange High School, where he took as many technology classes as possible.

TSTC did not factor into his post-high school plans until late his senior year.

“My cousin Eric Barron came here,” he said. “He told me about the college and the hands-on training. I looked it up and they had computer programs, and the tuition was not annoying and overbearing. I applied first and then visited before I started in the fall of 2014.”

Traveling to Waco for college was a culture shock, Barron said. But he grew to enjoy exploring Cameron Park and downtown Waco.

“When I came here I didn’t know anybody,” he said. “Now I have made my group of friends and that’s all I need.”

When he is not going to classes or studying, Barron listens to some of his favorite K-pop groups and learns their choreography.

“I first found K-pop when a friend showed me an online video when I was in high school,” he said. “I listen online using music streaming services. I also collect albums and buy online. I have 64 albums.”

Barron will put his web design skills to good use as he represents Texas in SkillsUSA’s National Leadership and Skills Conference in June in Louisville, Kentucky. After his trip there, Barron wants to search for web design jobs in the Austin area and pick up freelance work. And in the future, Barron wants to travel to South Korea, Italy, Spain and Japan.

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

(WACO) – People driving on Morrow Avenue in Waco can see a new “sign” of progress.

The Opportunity Center, a day center for adults with autism, has a new steel and solar-powered sign made by three Texas State Technical College students. Welding Technology majors Andrew Hatton, 20, of Round Rock, Joshua Beck, 38, of Lewisville and Nick Kanak, 22, of McDade recently installed the sign.

“For me, the sign means we are here and are in the community,” said Brandy Abel-Clark, the center’s director. “The standard of the sign will hopefully show the standard of our service.”

Hatton, 20, has done volunteer work at the center and is popular with its students.

“They are so nice and fun to be around,” he said.

Hatton wanted to put his hands-on skills to good use and thought of creating the sign as a TSTC American Welding Society student chapter project. Hatton got support for the project last summer from the chapter’s members.

Beck and Kanak worked on specific parts of the sign, and TSTC instructors from the Welding Technology, Auto Collision Technology and Solar Energy Technology programs provided technical expertise during its production.

“I think it turned out great,” said Beck, a 1997 graduate of Lewisville High School and a U.S. Navy veteran. “It’s a little more real-world than being in the classroom. This is the first time I have ordered metal from the yard and gotten materials from a steel mill. Andrew was the one pushing everything. I was doing the logistics and motivating.”

The more than six-foot-long sign’s final design is a depiction of the cover of The Opportunity Center’s pamphlet. The puzzle pieces attached to the sign are lit by solar power.

“It ended up being cool,” said Hatton, who attended the University of Texas – University Charter School on the campus of Methodist Children’s Home in Waco. “I’m pretty happy with it.”

The Opportunity Center hosts people ages 18 and up who can have their senses invigorated with regimented sessions of exercise, outdoor lessons about the environment, pottery, sewing, arts and technology. The center has a calming sensory room and a work space for one of the students to create beadwork to build entrepreneurial skills. The center is open three days a week but will expand to five days a week in June.

“Visiting the center was an experience for me seeing the different options for people and their reactions to Andrew,” Beck said. “In talking to Brandy, I could see she is enthusiastic and she cares.”

Center staff have future goals of increasing their web and social media presence, developing a community herb garden and improving visibility in McLennan County.

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

(WACO) – Josef Sammet, 27, of Maypearl is an Automotive Technology major at Texas State Technical College in Waco. He is scheduled to graduate in May with an associate degree and will work this summer on an Enhanced Skills Certificate in Automotive Technology – Advanced Vehicle Fuel Systems at the technical college. The Ellis County student is a 2008 graduate of Maypearl High School.

What got you interested in automotive technology? “I have always had a passion for cars. I have grown up around them with my father and older brother. My brother would work on and upgrade his Mustang. Automobiles seemed to be a more natural thing for me.”

How did you learn about TSTC? “When recruiters would go to my high school, a TSTC recruiter would be there. I didn’t want to go to a typical four-year university. I wanted some hands-on work.”

What have you enjoyed about your classes? “My knowledge has greatly expanded from what I had known. I’ve learned theories and have seen how these can be applied. I learn a lot more efficiently when I’m hands-on. Once I see how things need to be and I’m physically touching (engines and tools), that’s when things start clicking for me. When there are major issues going on, we try to diagnose them ahead of time and get a response and a fix for it.”

What made you decide to pursue an enhanced certificate this summer? “The way the industry is changing, we are seeing new advancements for hydrogen, electrical and alternative fuel vehicles. When the time comes, I will have that knowledge. Just understanding the hybrids and how they work and how to safely work on them is huge. It opens up more doors for me.”

What advice would you give to students considering the automotive industry as a career? “As long as they have an open mind and drive, it is a lot to learn to be able to apply the theories in the real world.”

Texas had at least 46,800 automotive technicians and mechanics in 2015, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Woodlands-Houston-Sugar Land area had at least 11,200 workers and the Dallas-Plano-Irving area had more than 7,100 employees, with both areas having the largest employment concentrations in the state.

For more information on Automotive Technology and other technical programs, go to tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program commemorated on Tuesday, March 28, a $5,000 grant received from the Nationwide Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Ohio-based Nationwide Insurance. Some of the new equipment the program received include three solid rivet kits, three hydraulic pumps, an electronic torque wrench and pliers. Pictured left to right are Kevon Kleibrink, lead instructor for the Auto Collision and Management Technology program in Waco; Clint Campbell, statewide Auto Collision and Management Technology chair, and Matt Pietrowicz, a materials damage technical office business consultant for Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, Ohio.

(WACO) – More than 700 Texas State Technical College students attended Thursday’s Industry Career Day to learn about careers in instrumentation, welding technology, diesel equipment maintenance and other fields.

The event included companies from throughout Texas and as far away as the U.S. Virgin Islands convening to talk to students who could be future employees.

“The companies are here to talk and hire the students,” said Kacey Darnell, executive director of TSTC’s Career Services/Talent Management in Waco.

In one case, it was students talking to students.

Cody Smith, 19, of Graham and Clay Barnett, 19, of Boyd are cousins and Electrical Power and Controls majors. They take classes at TSTC during the week and work part time at Shermco Industries in Irving on weekends. They worked at Shermco’s information table at the event.

Smith and Barnett test and maintain breakers and transformers throughout North Texas.

“It is long hours and hard work but it’s worth it,” Smith said. “The flexible work schedule works for us.”

Luz Zuniga, a human resources assistant at Shermco, said the company has more than 600 employees. The company has service centers in Angleton, Cedar Park, Irving, San Antonio and Sweetwater, along with six other states and two Canadian provinces.

“We look for somebody who cares who they work for,” Zuniga said. “The more you help the company, the more the employees help you.”

Nathaniel Perez, an on-site manager at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, Inc. in San Antonio, said he was interested in talking to students studying Electrical Power and Controls and Electronics Technology. Perez said the company, which produces Toyota Tundra and Tacoma pickup trucks, has hired Tool and Die Technology graduates in the past from TSTC in Harlingen.

“We specifically know the curriculum the college is teaching, so we know where to find quality applicants,” Perez said.

Some companies returned to the event after having success in the past hiring TSTC students.

Flint Hill Resources, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, specializes in oil and gas manufacturing and refining. The company has petrochemical plants in Corpus Christi and Port Arthur and a fuels terminal in Waco.

Kristi Truitt, a company recruiter, said interview candidates are looked at for their integrity, humility and work skills.

True North Marine in Kemah was represented for the first time at Industry Career Day. Owner and General Manager Patrick McAndrew said the business needed diesel equipment technicians and electronics technicians. The 35-employee business in Galveston County specializes in the designing, troubleshooting and repairing of yachts, along with plumbing, steering, air conditioning and electronics.

“We recently hired a graduate from TSTC,” McAndrew said. “We offer a broad range of services. Mechanics are hard to find. It’s about finding people with the proper training.”

Jerry Solis, 26, of Hewitt attended his first Industry Career Day. The Architectural/Civil Drafting Technology student said he liked the face-to-face interaction with business representatives so they could see how he and other students express themselves.

“I’d like to start out with designing residential floor and house plans and move to civil architecture and become an engineer or architect,” Solis said.

Students were encouraged to bring resumes and have questions ready to ask attendees. Some company tables had free goodies such as stress toys, pens and car chargers.

TSTC’s Career Services/Talent Management will soon begin planning an Industry Career Day for students this fall.

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

(WACO) – Several of Texas State Technical College’s flight instructors are graduates of the college’s Aircraft Pilot Training Technology program.

Hiring graduates to teach and earn flight hours shows students that they can make it through the rigorous program, which includes technical tracks for airplane and helicopter piloting.

“We try to hire our own after they graduate,” said Angel Newhart, TSTC’s statewide Aerospace Division chair. “We tell them to treat their academic work like a two-year job interview.”

Ryan Schneider, 25, of Leander was hired in October as a flight instructor. He is also making technical college history in Waco. He was among the first graduates who received the Associate of Applied Science degree in Aircraft Pilot Training Technology – Helicopter Specialization in 2016. The helicopter component of the degree began in 2014.

Schneider instructs students in the classroom and in the sky about piloting a helicopter while earning flight hours to advance in the industry. Since October, he has logged about 200 hours of flying time.

Teaching, he said, has been a new challenge.

“It’s definitely something I have to practice a lot,” Schneider said. “There are multiple ways of explaining things and everyone learns differently.”

Eventually he wants to fly workers to and from offshore platforms for the oil and gas industry and later fly for emergency medical services.

“Whenever I see a bigger and more advanced ‘bird,’ it motivates me to want to do more and do my best,” he said.

Schneider said that at a young age he was amazed at how helicopters could soar across the sky.

He graduated in 2010 from Leander High School. He studied to be a firefighter and an emergency medical technician but did not feel those careers were right for him.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do,” he said. “I didn’t figure out what I wanted to do until I was 20.”

Schneider decided he wanted to be a helicopter pilot and searched online for the program right for him. He said he did not visit TSTC until the semester before he was going to enroll for classes.

TSTC’s helicopter program currently has 30 students renting and using four leased helicopters parked at the TSTC Waco Airport. Students earn at least 200 flight hours and pilot ratings by the time they graduate.

Students who can be successful in the aircraft program should have a strong desire to be a pilot, mental strength and good physical training, said Newhart.

(WACO) – Logan Moore, 20, of Boyd is a Culinary Arts major at Texas State Technical College and president of Texas SkillsUSA’s postsecondary division. Moore is scheduled to graduate with an associate degree in May. The Wise County resident was home-schooled.

What got you interested in Culinary Arts? “My family raised goats and we had a garden. I knew I wanted to go into culinary arts when I was in 4-H and did food and nutrition for 10 years. Both my parents like to cook. I started baking goods at the county fair when I was 8. I was going to show pigs, but they were 100 pounds overweight. I didn’t know they had a weight limit.”

Who are some of the people who inspire you? “I learned my work ethic from my dad. I can say my dad is my hero. I also look to Alton Brown on the Food Network’s “Good Eats.” I have my faith in Christ and it’s His plan for me to go into this field.”

How did you learn about TSTC? “I planned to go to college in San Antonio, but someone told me about TSTC and I started doing research. I found it was closer to home. I toured the campus in summer 2015. Chef (Mark) Schneider (statewide lead in TSTC’s Culinary Arts Division) did the tour and explained why everything is the way it was in the Culinary Arts facility. I have absolutely loved it here.”

What were some of your favorite classes? “The classes I learned the most in were American Regional Cuisine and International Cuisine. This is when we started production cooking for the first time. You go from making two servings to 20 servings. There is a lot of mathematics involved and learning quickly.”

What are your plans after graduation? “I want to try to get a job in Waco. I also want to go to McLennan Community College in Waco to study business management. Most of the chefs here recommend getting a business degree and culinary arts degree so you can know accounting and keeping books.”

Texas had more than 8,100 chefs and head cooks as of 2015, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest concentration of chefs and lead cooks in Texas was in The Woodlands-Houston-Sugar Land area with about 2,650 workers. The Beaumont-Port Arthur area had some of the highest salaries in the nation in 2015, according to the labor bureau.

Culinary Arts is offered at TSTC’s campuses in Abilene, Harlingen, Waco and Williamson County.