(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Culinary Arts program opens its student-operated restaurant for the summer semester on Wednesday, June 12.

The restaurant, which is located at the Greta W. Watson Culinary Arts Center on Campus Drive, is open to the public by reservation. Diners can choose from dishes planned and prepared by students and based on regional cuisines.

Meals are served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays from June 12 to Aug. 9. The restaurant will be closed the week of the Fourth of July. The serving days and themes, which can be subject to change, are:

June 12 and June 14: Texas

June 19 and June 21: Brazil

June 26 and June 28: Greece

July 10 and July 12: Cajun

July 17 and July 19: Mexico

July 24 and July 26: Southern

July 31 and Aug. 2: Indian

Aug. 7 and Aug. 9: Live-action Buffet

Weekly menus will be posted on the Facebook page for the Greta W. Watson Culinary Arts Center at TSTC.

To make reservations, call 254-867-4868 or email wacoculinary@tstc.edu. Visitors must arrive at least 15 minutes before their seating time. Reservations are not accepted on restaurant serving days.

For menus and other information, go to tstc.edu/about/culinarydiningwaco.

(WACO, Texas) – Two students and a recent graduate of the Auto Collision and Management Technology program at Texas State Technical College have been nationally honored for their academic work.

Edward Hernandez of Killeen and Jennifer Watson of Moody are U.S. military veterans who received 3M Hire Our Heroes tool grants valued at $4,500 each. Hernandez also received a $2,000 scholarship from the 3M Hire Our Heroes fund.

Hernandez is studying in TSTC’s refinishing specialization. He said receiving the tools is a relief.

“Now you just worry about getting the job and starting work right away,” he said.

Hernandez came to TSTC because he always wanted to learn how to paint vehicles.

“This is my second life right now,” he said.

Watson was a helicopter mechanic in the Army and worked at DynCorp (now DynCorp International) before coming to TSTC.

“Coming into a completely new career, I realized the tools I have are not useful,” she said. “I have to build a new tool inventory now. For me, it’s a passion.”

Samuel Patterson of Waxahachie graduated from TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program in April.

He recently received a Sears Votech tool grant, which includes an industry-size toolbox. He was surprised when he opened his new toolbox and saw an assortment of drill bits, wrenches, sockets and other items.

“I am stoked, really excited,” Patterson said.

He said in five years he wants to start his own collision, repair and refinishing shop.

“The main thing is I just want to work for myself,” Patterson said.

The recognitions are sponsored by the 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division and the Collision Repair Education Foundation.

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

(WACO, Texas) – In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing, Texas State Technical College will present a lecture and book signing by Douglas Brinkley, author of “American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race.”

The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 24, 2019, in the auditorium of TSTC’s John B. Connally Technology Center at the corner of Crest Drive and Campus Drive in Waco.

The Apollo 11 space mission occurred eight years after President John F. Kennedy announced a national goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s.

In 1969 the late Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. As he stepped out of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, his words reverberated around his home planet some 238,900 miles away: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University, a CNN presidential historian, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. 

In the world of public history, he serves on boards, at museums, at colleges, and for historical societies. The Chicago Tribune dubbed him “America’s New Past Master.” The New-York Historical Society has chosen Brinkley as its official U.S. Presidential Historian.

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

(WACO, Texas) – Students enrolling this fall in Texas State Technical College’s Electrical Lineworker Technology program in Waco will have the opportunity to take a restructured commercial driver’s license class.

The program’s students had previously learned how to drive commercial vehicles on campus.

But now, students in their third semester  at TSTC will take a driving course through McLennan Community College and the American Truck Driving School in Elm Mott. The first class will be taught in summer 2020.

The class is backed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates all registered commercial motor vehicles for interstate freight, passenger and hazardous materials transportation.

“It cuts down on costs for the employer and makes the student more sellable,” said Eric Carithers, TSTC’s statewide chair for the Electrical Lineworker Technology program.

Representatives of area electric providers said having a CDL is vital for job candidates.

“As an electric utility, it’s imperative for us to have employees with a CDL,” said Bryan Blanton, a distribution system manager at Southwestern Electric Power Co. in Longview and chair of TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker Technology advisory board. “It will be a huge success when graduates come out of TSTC’s linemen program already having their CDL.”

Craig Ptomey, program manager of craft and field training at Austin Energy, said having a commercial driver’s license is a preferred qualification for applicants.

“It is very advantageous for our company to have a new hire that has already met that requirement before we even hire them,” Ptomey said. “In turn, it gives them a better chance of being hired, as we do not have to spend time and money and other resources in training them. I think that TSTC does a great service to both their students and the companies that hire them by ensuring that students have their CDL before graduating.”

TSTC students will first need to get a commercial driver’s license permit before the end of their second semester, said Carithers.

“The students are required to have their permit and also a copy of their driving record,” he said. “They need a driving record for every state they have lived in the last seven years. They also need to undergo a drug screening.”

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

(WACO, Texas) – Six recent Texas State Technical College graduates have been hired by National Field Services based in Lewisville, Texas.

Seth Culver, Ashley Denton, James Fisher, Daniel Garmon, Luke Sanchez and Stephen Wheir all received their Associate of Applied Science degrees in Electrical Power and Controls at TSTC’s Spring 2019 Commencement in early May in Waco.

National Field Services has hired TSTC alumni for positions before. Bryan Necessary, an instructor in TSTC’s Electrical Power and Controls program, knew Matt LaCoss, the company’s South Texas field manager, when they were students at TSTC.

“He knows exactly what we are teaching the kids and what their skills are and what their background is,” Necessary said. “A lot of times, he doesn’t even have to ask technical questions because he knows what we are going to teach them.”

Garmon, of Jacksonville, Texas, said his new job fits with his previous work experience.

“I built power lines for many years and want to get in the transmission side of it to gain knowledge and experience,” he said. “I feel National Field Services is a great opportunity.”

Culver, of Rockport, Texas, said he will be based in San Marcos and work in the San Angelo area, where he will test power and control relays to ensure that power does not fluctuate for customers. Culver said he will also make sure cables are correctly placed.

“I’m really happy to be able to check someone else’s work, and make sure it is correct and fix it if it isn’t,” Culver said. “I’m happy to be able to use my brain more than my hands.”

National Field Services specializes in the maintenance, troubleshooting, engineering and disaster recovery of electrical power systems for the construction, manufacturing, petrochemical and other industries.

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

(WACO, Texas) – A Texas State Technical College student has received a prestigious Women’s Industry Network scholarship.

Jennifer Watson, an Auto Collision and Management Technology student from Moody, was awarded the WIN College Tuition and Conference Scholarship Award.

Clint Campbell, the statewide department chair of TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management department, encouraged Watson to apply for the scholarship.

“We’ve only had three or four students ever receive that scholarship,” Campbell said. “She’s a very good student. She pays attention to detail, is hardworking and asks a lot of questions to make her work better.”

After submitting an essay and being interviewed, Watson received the scholarship.

“I was at my daughter’s talent show when I got the call,” Watson said.

Watson and other scholarship recipients receive a $1,000 scholarship, along with an all-expense-paid trip to the 2019 WIN Educational Conference.

“She’s a great student and the perfect person to get that scholarship because she will make use of it,” said Tracy Marshall, senior instructor for Auto Collision and Management at TSTC. “It gets her out into a different kind of world and opens up her social network contact.”

The conference took place May 6 through May 8 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

“Most sessions are about auto collision and the technology coming up,” Watson said.

She also had the opportunity to be mentored by one of the 2019 Most Influential Women Honorees or a member of the WIN Board of Directors.

“There are women at this conference that I can relate to,” Watson said. “I think that was my biggest thing was getting into a network with women I can identify myself with.”

Before attending TSTC, Watson held numerous jobs. She served six years in the military as a helicopter mechanic after high school.

“The military is all about organization, timelines and being prompt,” Watson said. “I do believe if I went to college out of high school, I wouldn’t have been successful. But coming after I was able to be focused and dedicated to what I had to do.”

After the military, Watson found a job with DynCorp (now DynCorp International).

“I worked for DynCorp for 12 years and decided it was time to go back to my passion: working on cars again and restoring them,” Watson said.

Watson said she has loved every minute of her time at TSTC.

“If you go into a career that you’re not happy with, it makes things miserable,” Watson said. “Once you find something you have a passion and love for, that’s where you’ll be the rest of your life. It makes it easier to get out of bed.”

For more information on the Women’s Industry Network, visit thewomensindustrynetwork.site-ym.com.

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

(WACO, Texas) – As a child, Taylor Allen looked up to her grandfather who was a blueprint consultant. Now, years later, she has earned her Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology from Texas State Technical College.

She received the degree at TSTC’s Spring 2019 Commencement recently held in Waco.

“I was always the crafty kid in school, and coming here I took it to a bigger scale,” said Allen, 20, of Waco. “I love being able to draw something and then build it with my own hands.”

Allen’s bubbly personality and work ethic helped her excel in the classroom.

“She’s a great, hardworking student,” said Herschel Miller, a TSTC Building Construction Technology instructor. “She’s always on top of things and studies very hard. She takes pride in her work, and she’s got good leadership skills.”

Allen’s leadership abilities landed her the role of president of Beta Gamma Tau, the construction-oriented, co-educational student organization. She also helped give tours to potential students.

“They used me to give tours to students because I can connect with them on a level that older people can’t,” Allen said. “I show students the different opportunities they have here. You don’t have to go to a big university.”

Miller said Allen helped assist her classmates as well.

“She’s always willing to help somebody in need,” Miller said. “I see her in the break room doing that.”

Allen was chosen to lead many projects for her class assignments. She hopes to translate that into her career.

“I’m really aiming for project manager,” Allen said. “I’m going to make sure it’s done right and that ethics and morals are in place. It goes back to giving people what they want.”

Eventually she wants to start her own business.

“I could see myself starting my own business up. That’s ultimately my goal,” Allen said. “Let me be an owner. Let me be in charge and get it done right.”

Allen is excited about the opportunities in the construction field. However, she is still going to miss her time at TSTC.

“I’m going to miss the acceptance, and I’m going to miss the teamwork,” Allen said. “It’s something different every day. One day you can be drawing a house; the next day you can be making a ‘barndominium’. Each class is something different.”

Allen encourages other women to follow her lead in pursuing a career in construction.

“I want to work as hard as the guys, and I love it,” Allen said. “I need these girls to realize we can do it, and we will.”

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

(WACO, Texas) – Representatives of Texas State Technical College and the Ben Barber Innovation Academy in Mansfield honored two students on Wednesday during National Signing Day 2019 co-sponsored by SkillsUSA and Klein Tools.

Nick Crook, a senior at Legacy High School in Mansfield, and Juan Vela, a senior at Summit High School in Arlington, both take classes at the career and technical education academy and will attend TSTC in Waco this fall.

“Today was important to see kids pursue careers in trade skills and compete in the future at the postsecondary level at SkillsUSA at TSTC,” said Kendal Carrillo, TSTC’s executive director of national competition and a TSTC industry relations officer.

Crook and Vela signed SkillsUSA and Klein Tools certificates dedicating themselves to their continued education and signifying their commitment to the construction field.

“I wish you guys all the success as you move forward,” said Michael Klein, director of Klein Tools’ Klein Business Systems in Mansfield.

Crook will receive a $1,500 TSTC scholarship to study Building Construction Technology this fall. He was a member of the academy’s statewide third-place-winning SkillsUSA TeamWorks team in 2018.

“I am excited,” Crook said. “I can’t wait to get down to TSTC to work on my future.”

Vela will receive a $6,000 TSTC scholarship and study Welding Technology this fall. He placed first in welding at this year’s SkillsUSA state conference in Corpus Christi and will represent Texas at the 55th annual SkillsUSA Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference in June in Louisville, Kentucky.

“It’s cool and exciting,” Vela said. “I’m excited to learn everything TSTC has to teach me about welding.”

Crook and Vela’s signings were symbolic of the academy’s purpose.

“The trades industry is booming,” said Catherine Hudgins, the academy’s principal. “I get calls weekly from companies in Mansfield looking for employees. The students are taught 21st-century skills. Our goal at Ben Barber is to deliver the whole package.”

The academy, which is in the Mansfield Independent School District, was one of 12 high schools in Texas and among 300 high schools in the country participating in National Signing Day 2019.

This was the first time SkillsUSA and Klein Tools have sponsored National Signing Day.

The day’s focus was for high school seniors to “sign” their intent to pursue career and technical education and careers upon graduation. The format is similar to athletic scholarship signings that take place in high school sports.

For more information on SkillsUSA, go to skillsusa.org.

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

(WACO, Texas) – More than 500 graduates received certificates and associate degrees at Texas State Technical College’s Spring 2019 Commencement held Tuesday, May 7, at the Waco Convention Center.

Many of the graduates already have jobs.

David De La Hoya of Italy, Texas, received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Imaging Systems Technology. He will start this month as a field service technician at CardioQuip in Bryan.

“It feels great because I am the first generation in my family to graduate college,” De La Hoya said.

De La Hoya said his motivation in graduating from college was being a good role model for his cousins and siblings.

De La Hoya said he would miss playing basketball at TSTC’s Murray Watson Jr. Student Recreation Center  and being a resident advisor.

Kaylynn Lawson earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts. She will continue working as a cook at Kissing Tree Vineyards in Eddy.

She said her time at TSTC was challenging.

“It’s been tough, but if you push through it, you can do anything you put your mind to,” Lawson said.

Some of the graduates will continue job hunting.

Ethan Sessums of Whitney received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Environmental Technology Compliance and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Occupational Safety Compliance Technology.

“I am glad I picked the programs I did,” he said. “I liked the mock scenarios and incident prevention. I am ready to start my next journey.”

Sessums planned to celebrate with his relatives at a local restaurant after the ceremony.

TSTC has more than 1,000 students graduating this spring across the state.

For more information, go to www.tstc.edu.