Category Archives: Sweetwater

TSTC Nursing graduate sets sights on RN degree

(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) – Jesse Mendez is not taking any time off.

After graduating from Texas State Technical College’s Vocational Nursing program this fall, Mendez will begin studying for his Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing (ADN) at the Sweetwater campus next semester.

“My goal is to work in a metro area,” he said of the reason to obtain his nursing degree.

Mendez has always wanted to help others and has a passion for studying human physiology. His sister inspired him to go into the nursing profession.

“The beauty is I have always liked to help people,” he said. “I have always tried to be a Christian, and the best thing about being a Christian is you want to serve others.”

TSTC Nursing instructor Marchelle Taylor said Mendez remained focused during class.

His dedication and focus has set a perfect example for classmates and future students to follow,” she said. “I look forward to seeing his accomplishments in the nursing field as he moves forward to the ADN program and beyond. He sets his standards high and will be a great addition to the nursing field.

In nursing, Mendez said his Christian attitude will pay off on a daily basis.

“I know I will have to put others above myself. That is what we have to do to help others,” he said. “I know I have a long way to go because I have only scratched the surface of helping others.”

It took Mendez some time to get started on his nursing path, but he is not looking back.

“I had a few hiccups in my life. I did not like the job I was at and decided to pursue nursing,” he said. “I knew I needed to have a job that was meaningful to me.”

He was led to TSTC because he lived near the Abilene campus and saw it on a daily basis. He also knew the nursing program was only an hour away in Breckenridge.

“One of the guys who took classes at TSTC told me about the program. He said I should give it a shot,” Mendez said. “I took his advice and have not regretted that decision.”

He has been able to experience different areas of hospitals for clinical sessions.

“Working clinicals in the ICU was my favorite part,” he said. “To see doctors and nurses working to save people was inspirational.”

Mendez said he has also seen a change in himself over the past year.

“One of the highlights for me is to see where I was as a person in January to now,” he said. “I have seen how much I have grown not only as a student, but as a person.”

For more information on TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

Spicer motivated to complete TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Richard Spicer did not have to look far to find his motivation.

“I wanted to provide a better life for my daughter,” said Spicer, who just received an Associate of Applied Science degree from Texas State Technical College in Diesel Equipment Technology.

Spicer said his daughter was by his side when he was completing class assignments on his computer, as well as during the recent fall semester virtual graduation ceremony.

“I think she was trying to learn what I was having to learn right next to me,” he said. “She was my whole inspiration for going to school and earning a degree.”

Spicer said his wife also helped him during school.

“She always kept me going anytime I was down,” he said.

Spicer has already begun his career as a mechanic for Crane Service in Sweetwater. Crane Service provides crane and other equipment for the wind industry in West Texas.

It is common for TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology graduates to find jobs in West Texas either in the wind sector or oil field, according to instructor Shannon Weir.

“People trust our graduates,” Weir said.

Spicer has been using the knowledge he gained at TSTC in his hometown, something he wanted to do for his family.

“I am glad I found a job in my hometown,” he said. “I wanted to be able to work in Sweetwater so my family could be close.”

Spicer previously had worked for Love’s Travel Stop as a mechanic and wanted to expand his knowledge of engines.

“I always liked working on things,” he said. “Working on mechanical things at Love’s was a good way to start my career.”

Spicer was drawn to TSTC because of its hands-on approach.

“That gives you more a feeling of what you are doing,” he said. “It actually helped me out a lot. Attending TSTC was the best experience I have had in my life. TSTC is definitely a great school and with great instructors. They helped me reach my goal of graduating and providing my daughter with a better life.”

He knows his daughter has seen him doing his best, which has had a positive effect on her.

“She loves going to school,” he said. “The message I wanted to give her is that it is good to go to school and reach your goals.”

For more information on TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC student reaches goal of completing Nursing program

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Gabrianna Pena had her goal in sight, only it took longer than she expected to reach it.

The 2014 graduate of Winter High School is a candidate for graduation from Texas State Technical College’s Nursing program. She expects to receive a certificate in vocational nursing this month.

“After I graduated high school, I did not go straight to college,” she said. “I had to work in order to pay for my classes.”

After starting a nursing program, Pena hit another roadblock.

“I got discouraged when I failed. I knew that at some point I would go back to school,” she said. “I didn’t want to be able to tell myself that I did not succeed.”

In 2019, a friend offered Pena some advice and an application packet for TSTC’s nursing program. That was two days prior to the registration deadline. Pena scrambled to complete the paperwork and was accepted into the program.

“I was iffy if I really wanted to go back to school. Having to choose between going to school and working to pay the bills was a hard decision,” she said. “I got the acceptance letter and started classes.”

Pena said attending TSTC allowed her to continue to work at a nursing home. That helped pay the bills, and her family helped by watching her daughter while she was in school.

“Going to TSTC really worked well with my schedule,” she said.

Pena’s goal was to work in a field where she could help others.

“My mom worked as a CNA (certified nursing assistant) for a long time,” she said. “I always was interested in what she was doing. I wanted to help others.”

In 2012, Pena’s grandfather needed medical attention, and Pena and her mother helped watch him and take him to doctor’s appointments.

“Having to take my grandfather to the doctor each week, I was able to see the nurses working with him,” she said. “That gave me the motivation to help people. My grandfather was my inspiration for going into the health care field.”

Pena has also seen the effects of COVID-19 while working in the nursing home.

“All the residents see on a daily basis is you. There is no visitation,” she said. “I like working there because you may not feel that what you are doing is important, but you are making a big difference to the residents.”

Pena said she is proud of her journey in becoming a licensed vocational nurse, but it may not end there.

“I do have plans to someday go back and study to become a registered nurse,” she said. “It takes a lot for people to go through bad situations, but you eventually bounce back. I want to show people they do not need to give up on their dreams.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas leads the country in the number of LVNs employed, with more than 70,000. Of that total, more than 1,600 are employed in the West Texas region.

For more information on TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

Supervisor encourages TSTC student to complete RN program

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – It took encouragement by her supervisor for Melissa Rice to go back to college.

Rice, a longtime licensed vocational nurse at Lake Granbury Medical Center, is a candidate to graduate from Texas State Technical College this fall with an associate of applied science degree in nursing.

“I have always had a deep drive to help people,” she said of her decision to enter the nursing profession.

After becoming an LVN, Rice began her career in Tyler and later moved to Granbury. She took the time between becoming an LVN in 1982 and completing the registered nursing program at TSTC to start a family.

Her supervisor at Lake Granbury Medical Center suggested that she return to school to become an RN.

“She told me that I was doing what an RN does and I needed to get paid for it,” Rice said. “A friend of mine recommended TSTC, and I applied.”

Rice was not accepted the first time she applied, but that did not deter her. She was accepted on her second application, knowing the hard work was about to begin.

Rice said balancing her career and school was made easier by her supervisor and the TSTC instructors.

“My supervisor was more than happy to accommodate my hours so I could go to school,” she said. “The instructors kept us motivated. They were right there in the trenches with us.”

Instructor Charlene Rice, no relation to Melissa Rice, said Rice had the right attitude for nursing.

“Melissa is a bright and intelligent student. She is always ready to learn and help her fellow students,” she said. “She shows great integrity with her patients, fellow students and instructors. Melissa has one of the kindest hearts that is full of compassion.”

At Lake Granbury Medical Center, Rice works in the delivery room. She said that is the best place for a nurse to work.

“I love newborn babies,” she said. “Being there during the birth of a child is a miracle. It never gets old.”

Rice cares for the babies immediately after their birth.

“I am the person that takes care of the baby right after they are born,” she said. “We lay the baby on the mother’s chest, and then I am there to take care of him or her. That has been the highlight of my career.”

Once Rice passes her state board exam, she will be eligible to assist mothers during labor.

“This will be a wonderful transition for my career,” she said.

Rice had to commute from Granbury to Sweetwater for clinicals, saying it was the support of her family that helped her complete the program.

“My husband and family have been very supportive,” she said. “He told me so many times that I could do this. The biggest thing he did was help me when I lost papers on the computer. He was always there to comfort me.”

Her classmates were also a source of inspiration.

“I could not have done this without my classmates,” Rice said. “We were always communicating with each other, even though we did not see each other as often as we would have liked.”

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Automotive Technology Program Receives $30,000 from San Antonio Organization

(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s statewide Automotive Technology program will be revving up stronger than ever, thanks to a generous contribution from a Texas-based automotive organization. 

The Community of Automotive Professionals recently gave $30,000 for TSTC’s Automotive Technology programs in Harlingen, Sweetwater and Waco. The money will give a financial boost to TSTC’s ability to provide scholarships and improve equipment for use in labs and classes.

“(TSTC supports) all our core values, and we are partners moving forward,” said Mark Colaw, board chairman of the Community of Automotive Professionals, the 501(c)(3) organization that produces CarFest each spring in San Antonio. “They have a reach across Texas. That is what is important and impresses me.”

Michael Smith, senior field development officer for The TSTC Foundation, said the organization has consistently supported TSTC in recent years. It has given $160,000 in gifts to TSTC since 2015.

“We just have a phenomenal advocate in Mark (Colaw),” Smith said. “He sees the needs in the automotive industry and recognizes the quality of students that come out of TSTC.”

Miguel Zoleta, lead instructor in TSTC’s Automotive Technology program in Harlingen, said some of the organization’s financial gifts have gone toward student uniforms and lockers.

“We have also awarded students scholarships so they could purchase tools they need for our program,” he said.

Zoleta said the program has been fortunate to receive engines and a transmission from Jasper Engines and Transmissions through CarFest that students use in some of their courses.

Rudy Cervantez, TSTC’s statewide chair of the Automotive Technology department, said Automotive Technology students in Waco who bought a shirt at the campus store were given a second shirt free because of the financial gift. Students were also able to use new lockers to store tools.

“We wanted to help the students out,” he said.

Cervantez said Automotive Technology students statewide who have good referrals from program instructors and meet a grade-point average requirement are eligible for a $500 scholarship.

Cervantez said some money was used to help members of the first cohort of Tesla’s START training program at TSTC earlier this year. That program is taught at the Kultgen Automotive Center on the Waco campus.

CarFest is planned for April 9-11, 2021, at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio. However, the organization is working on contingency plans for the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are working on a Plan A and a Plan B,” Colaw said. “We improve our event every year. We are working on the new improvements as part of the plans. We are staying conscious that we need to pivot.”

For more information on the Community of Automotive Professionals, go to capjoin.org.

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

TSTC alumna named Sweetwater ISD’s coordinator of health services

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Kimberly Dean, a 2018 graduate of Texas State Technical College’s registered nursing program, was recently named coordinator of health services at Sweetwater Independent School District.

Dean, who is originally from California, has always been intrigued by medicine. She started her career as a certified nursing assistant and later became a licensed vocational nurse. She is now a registered nurse overseeing a group of nurses at each school in the district.

“I always thought it was amazing what the body can do,” Dean said. “I knew straight out of high school I wanted to study medicine.”

Dean is adjusting to her new role as a supervisor but is excited to be part of the school district.

“This is a little different than acute care,” she said, referring to her former job as a nurse at Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital in Sweetwater. “I am more in charge of managing students’ chronic conditions and helping to keep everyone healthy at school.”

Sweetwater ISD Superintendent Drew Howard said Dean’s role will be necessary to students, faculty and staff members.

“This position will help us provide additional support to our campus nurses, as well as focus on one of our district goals: to increase the number of SISD Social and Emotional Learning and wellness checks,” he said.

Dean’s responsibilities include developing goals, objectives and priorities of the program, in conjunction with the district’s nurses and other district staff members. She will also be tasked with recommending policies related to health and safety, and provide advice on matters impacting students, staff and the community.

Dean said she will have to maneuver through a learning curve as supervisor.

“We have a good group of nurses. They are excellent at what they do,” she said. “I know that they do all the work, and we will make sure our students are safe.”

It was a tough decision for Dean to leave Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital, but she is pleased with her decision.

“These new hours of work are great for me and my family,” she said. “It was a bittersweet decision to leave Rolling Plains, but I am excited about this new adventure.”

TSTC Nursing instructor Lisa Van Cleave said Dean will excel in her new role.

“I know Kimberly to demonstrate compassion for her patients and families and to give excellent care,” she said. “We are fortunate to have Kimberly’s service and input into our nursing program.”

Dean, who serves on the college’s Associate Degree Nursing advisory board, will continue to promote TSTC’s program.

“I would love to see some of our students get into nursing. I hope to help direct them to TSTC,” she said. “There are excellent instructors at TSTC, and I have a lot of respect for them.”

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Automotive Technology student grew up building things

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Daniel Gainer, of Mason, has been building things his entire life.

He found a love of working on different vehicles in his father’s shop at a young age. He is preparing to enter the workforce after he graduates from Texas State Technical College’s Automotive Technology program this fall.

“I have had a lot of job offers the past few months. That is all thanks to TSTC,” Gainer said.

After touring TSTC in high school, Gainer said the choice to attend college was simple.

“I have always liked to make sure things ran correctly,” he said. “I also like the hands-on style of learning available at TSTC. You need to get in there and do the work.”

Gainer said instructor Mike Myers made learning easy and also exposed him to the way things will be done in the workplace.

“Mike will sit down in front of me and explain to me what I am looking for. I will sit down after that and do it correctly,” he said.

Even if he did something wrong, Gainer said Myers would be right there to offer input like a shop supervisor.

“Sometimes when we do not know what is wrong, he will ask us to look at it a different way,” he said. “That helps me think differently and look for a solution.”

Another aspect of the program Gainer appreciated was working with his classmates.

“We have basically become a family here,” he said. “We plan on staying in contact with each other after graduation.”

Gainer said that will be important to him because he knows they can help him if he encounters a problem.

“I know that if I do not have the right answer for a problem, they might. We will be a text message away from helping each other,” he said. “If that doesn’t work, we all know Mike will give us his input, but not the answer.”

Gainer’s favorite aspect of the program is working on diesel engines. Having worked on his father’s equipment led him to focus on the diesel side of mechanics.

“I go home, and all of my buddies have their minds blown with everything I have learned about working on diesel engines,” he said.

While not his favorite, Gainer said he picked up what he needed to do to repair a gasoline engine by watching Myers and his classmates.

“If you show me how to do something one time, it is stored in my mind,” he said. “I know then that I can do what needs to be done.”

Gainer said TSTC offers programs for different people, but one thing is the same.

“TSTC will teach you a good work ethic and get you set for the future,” he said. “The instructors will work hard to prepare you for where you want to go in life. This has been the best experience of my life.” 

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Nursing students have access to Nurse Anne Simulators

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Texas State Technical College Nursing students in Harlingen and Sweetwater will be able to use simulators that will help them in the future.

TSTC was recently awarded Nursing Innovation Grant Program grants totaling $153,205. The program is facilitated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and is funded through the Texas Tobacco Lawsuit Settlement.

The Harlingen program was awarded a $75,000 grant, while Sweetwater was awarded a $78,205 grant. The programs will use the funds to improve simulation curriculum, scenarios and equipment, including the purchase of Nurse Anne Simulators. 

The faculty will be provided professional development to better comprehend and incorporate the simulation training into nursing practicums.

Mark Hampton, TSTC’s resource development specialist in Sweetwater, said the grant will allow students to work on skills in a controlled environment.

In the past, nursing students completed practicums in hospital wards or nursing home facilities. Over time, regulations changed, and the amount of time that students could spend in a medical facility decreased.

“Each of the practicums offered our students a little hands-on knowledge,” Hampton said. “It would have been the first time they did a real blood pressure check on a patient.”

With the new simulator, students will be able to complete half of their practicum requirements on campus and the remainder in the field, he said.

“These Nurse Anne Simulators will increase the realism of our simulations on campus,” Hampton said. “It will offer students real-life and real-job situations as best we can.”

The simulators may be programmed for any age group or condition, as well as a male or female patient. Hampton said instructors could ask students to perform a blood pressure check on a five-year-old child or find out what is wrong with a 70-year-old man.

“It has all kinds of changing parts,” he said. “Instructors can program the simulator for any situation, from an emergency room to a nursing home.”

Hampton said instructors will be able to watch a student examine, diagnose and treat the patient and then grade their work.

Instructors have been working to revise the curriculum to include the Nurse Anne Simulator. Software upgrades will also be made with grant funding, Hampton said.

TSTC was awarded the two-year grant and then began working to implement it into the curriculum. During the first year, instructors will revise the curriculum as needed, Hampton said, and implement the simulator.

“During the second year of the grant, we will perform an in-depth analysis and make sure everything is working to continue the simulations,” Hampton said.

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

Longtime employee knows importance of TSTC

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Joni Coons knows how important Texas State Technical College is to West Texas and beyond.

Coons was recently honored for 30 years of service to TSTC, but her time with the college goes back even further.

While serving as a secretary for an ambulance company in Ballinger, Coons was asked to help on a call.

“I knew after that first ambulance run I wanted to do this for a living,” she said.

In order to become a paramedic, Coons knew that college would be in her future. She enrolled in the Emergency Medical Services program that was offered at TSTC in Sweetwater. She served as a lab assistant, and after graduating she became an instructor in the program. 

She later served as the EMS program chair for the West Texas campuses, and when the program transitioned to Abilene, Coons worked as the Sweetwater campus nurse.

Eventually Coons became coordinator of intramural programs at TSTC’s Student Center.

“Every one of my positions was a stepping stone to the next,” she said. “I knew I would do better in my next position.”

In addition to working at TSTC, Coons is an American Heart Association licensed first aid and CPR instructor.

Coons said her biggest accomplishment was helping TSTC become one of the first colleges to own a fully operational ambulance for the EMS department in the mid-1990s.

“Our program chair at the time, C.L. Meeks, told me to go for it. So I wrote up the proposal, and we got it,” she said.

Coons is most proud of her time as an instructor and helping students succeed.

“I am proud of what TSTC stands for and all of the students we have helped through the years,” she said.

She stays in contact with many of her former students, including a single mother who was in an abusive relationship.

“Everything was going against her. We got her into counseling and helped with expenses for child care,” Coons said. “We even helped her get food stamps.”

Coons said the student worked hard to achieve her goal of graduating and getting a job.

“She came in at the end of her final semester and said, ‘I have something for you,’” Coons said. “She slid her food stamp to me and said, ‘This is the last one of these I want to see.’ I still hear from her today, and she is a successful EMT.”

Coons said some TSTC students have played important roles outside of Texas. One of her former students helped victims at the Alfred P. Murrah Building explosion in Oklahoma City, and another graduate helped counsel people in New York City following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“We have had a nationwide impact with our students,” she said. “Watching the professionalism of our students and graduates gives me the greatest joy.”

 For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC honors longtime employees with drive-thru celebration

(ABILENE, Texas) – Texas State Technical College honored 30 employees with service award drive-thru celebrations this month.

With COVID-19 restrictions limiting large gatherings, the celebrations were planned to honor employees with five to 35 years of experience. Celebrations were held at the Abilene, Sweetwater and Breckenridge campuses.

Lance Eastman, interim provost for the West Texas campuses, said the employees honored are appreciated by everyone at TSTC.

“Every position is important and about serving our students and industry,” he said. “These individuals have made sure that our buildings are clean and safe, food is provided, that equipment is in place and that instruction is relevant.”

Eastman was proud to be part of a creative way to honor employees.

“With the health restrictions, which we take seriously, we had to be creative of how we could distribute our service awards,” he said. “We are grateful for these individuals that have dedicated year after year of service.”

Each employee received a plaque, a yard sign noting their years of service, and a gift.

Sweetwater’s Maria Aguirre, the senior executive director of Communication and Creative Services, was honored for 35 years with the college. Joni Coons, the intramural programs coordinator in Sweetwater, was honored for 30 years of employment. Abilene’s Holle England, a learning and development trainer, received a plaque honoring her 35 years with TSTC.

Abilene employees honored for five years of service were Greg Nicholas, welding instructor; Amanda Suiters, library coordinator; Rikki Spivey, enrollment coach; Matt Briggs, Emergency Medical Services instructor; Susan Leda Cowart, English instructor; Randa R. Weeks, Health Information Technology instructor; Magaly Valdez, Drafting and Design instructor; and Miranda Thomas, technical physics instructor.

Mary Wilhite, a student services specialist, was honored for 10 years at the Abilene campus. Also honored in Abilene were Michael Soto, a Business Management Technology instructor, and Susan Hash, a testing administrator, both for 15 years with TSTC, as well as Pam Marler, a contract administration coordinator, and Julia Humphrey, career services director, for 20 years.

Sweetwater five-year employees honored were Frank Molini and Taylor Elston, welding instructors; Carla Becker, travel and expense specialist; Beth Hall, developmental math instructor; Brock Carter, chief of police; and Ray Carnathan, police officer.

Gloria Santiago, food service operator, and Jeff Olney, Electromechanical Technology instructor, received 10-year awards for their employment in Sweetwater. Fifteen-year awards were presented to Sweetwater’s Gail Lawrence, TSTC’s executive vice chancellor and chief of staff to the chancellor; Mark Hampton, resource development specialist; and Sandra Ortega, enrollment coach.

Brownwood’s Becky Jones, a licensed drug counseling instructor, received a 10-year plaque. Breckenridge’s Debra Bufkin, a developmental math instructor, and Vernon Akins, a building maintenance supervisor, received five-year awards.

For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.