Category Archives: Waco

TSTC Student Uses Military Discipline in Studies

(WACO) – Discipline acquired from military service plays an important role in Texas State Technical College student Edward Hernandez’s day.

“I know I need to wake up at 5 a.m. so I’m not late,” said Hernandez of Killeen. “I work everything around school.”

Hernandez grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and was a member of the U.S. Army for 20 years.

In between Auto Collision and Management Technology classes, Hernandez fits in lunch and does homework at the campus Veteran Services Center.

“This is therapy for me, being at school,” he said. “I want to go to work.”

Hernandez started this semester working on a certificate in Auto Collision Repair.

“Painting a car is like painting a picture,” he said. “It’s art.”

Tracy Marshall, senior instructor in the Auto Collision and Management Technology program, said Hernandez brings insight to class discussions.

“He is not afraid to comment,” Marshall said. “You can tell he has a general interest in learning. He is very quick to learn.”

Hernandez is among the fifth generation of family members who joined the Army. His great-grandfather fought in World War II, his grandfather took part in the Korean War, his father was part of the Vietnam War, and Hernandez had two deployments to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Hernandez’s son is currently in the Army.

“Joining the Army is a good job, plus you can retire early,” Hernandez said.

He learned about TSTC by searching online for auto collision and repair programs.

“I always wanted to learn to paint cars,” he said. “When I decided to do it, I wanted to learn to paint and repair. I have always loved cars.”

Hernandez graduated in December from TSTC with a certificate in Auto Collision Refinishing.

His goal after finishing college is to work at a restoration shop.

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

 

Austin Company and TSTC Build Welding Relationship

(HUTTO) – Lauren Caprio got her first welding job in 2016 shortly after graduating with a certificate from the Welding Technology program at Texas State Technical College in Williamson County.

Caprio, 33, of Pflugerville is a level III ultra-high-purity welder at Dynamic Manufacturing Solutions in Austin, where she works in a humidity-controlled clean room with employees wearing white protective gear to do tungsten inert gas welding and orbital welding. The controlled climate means employees can work with very pure materials to ensure quality for the biomedical, pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries.

“It is super-high accuracy,” Caprio said. “Everything has to be really exact. It you are detail-oriented, it is satisfying.”

The longer Caprio has worked at the company, the more complex her training has become.

“I know there is a ton of work for me here,” she said. “I feel really appreciated.”

Seventy percent of what the company has produced in the last 12 months has been exported overseas.

“We are passionate about building things in the United States,” said Robb Misso, the company’s chief executive officer. “Our ability to grow is limited to hiring good-quality welders, period.”

The company primarily looks for welding job candidates at TSTC and other two-year institutions.

“Building relationships with employers is essential to the success of our graduates and the TSTC mission,” said Edgar Padilla, provost of TSTC in Williamson County.

Misso said students learning about welding should think more high-tech as the industry evolves into automation and robotics. Parents and school counselors can play a role in encouraging students to pursue welding.

“We need a skilled workforce to do the assembly,” Misso said. “More TIG (tungsten inert gas), less MIG (metal inert gas welding).”

Misso said China, Vietnam and Malaysia are some of the nations he keeps an eye on regarding their technology. He said these countries have lower land costs, but the work quality does not compare to what is created in the U.S.

“For us to bring the jobs back to the U.S., we have to use technology to have a step up on other parts of the world,” Misso said.

Welding jobs in the United States are projected to grow to more than 427,000 through 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And, welding factors into industries such as aerospace, construction and manufacturing that the Texas Workforce Commission considers as being in-demand and high-earning in the state.

“Welding is an interesting science in that the physics of welding will never change, but the methods of teaching and technology available to do so will continue at a rapid pace,” Padilla said.

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

TSTC in Waco Student-Run Restaurant to Open Feb. 6

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College’s Culinary Arts program opens its student-run restaurant Wednesday, Feb. 6, for the spring semester.

The restaurant is located in the Greta W. Watson Culinary Arts Center on Campus Drive and is open to the public. Student-prepared meals with themes such as Hawaii, Ireland and Native American will be featured.

Food will be served from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays from Feb. 6 to April 19 except for March 13 and March 15 due to Spring Break. Each menu includes up to three courses.

The serving days and themes are:

Feb. 6 and Feb. 8: Texas

Feb. 13 and Feb. 15: Native American

Feb. 20 and Feb. 22: Hawaii

Feb. 27 and March 1: Romania

March 6 and March 8: Ireland

March 20 and March 22: Native American

March 27 and March 29: Hawaii

April 3 and April 5: Romania

April 10 and April 12: Ireland

April 17 and April 19: Live-Action Buffet

Menus and dates are subject to change without notice.

Call 254-867-4868 to make reservations. Reservations are not accepted on serving days. Customers should arrive 15 minutes before their seating time.

The restaurant is not providing to-go orders this semester.

For menus and other information, visit tstc.edu/about/culinarydiningwaco or the Greta W. Watson Culinary Arts Center at TSTC in Waco Facebook page.

TSTC in Williamson County Hosts Spring Counselors Update

(HUTTO) – About 70 area educators learned Tuesday how Texas State Technical College’s technical programs can support the state’s economy.

The TSTC Spring Counselors Update held at the East Williamson County Higher Education Center in Hutto featured talks from TSTC staff about the registration process, dual enrollment and certificate and associate degree options.

Josh Schier, chair of the Cyber Security program at TSTC, said the field needs problem solvers. He said there are about 10,000 jobs open now in cyber security in the state, with the Austin area being one of the places with opportunities for graduates.

“We teach a mindset to be successful,” Schier said. “The challenge is filling the jobs. Students need to learn networking to begin with.”

Darren Block, statewide chair of the Precision Machining Technology department at TSTC, said students who graduate with a certificate in the field typically make at least $18 an hour,while those with an associate degree can make at least $22 an hour.

“The job market is great right now, and our economy is great, with low unemployment rates,” Block said. “All of my students have jobs lined up in their third semester, and some companies are offering to pay for student loans as sign-on bonuses.”

Ed Latson, executive director of the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association, told attendees that manufacturing is the top contributor to the area’s gross domestic product. He said there are about 1,500 manufacturing companies with about 57,000 jobs in the area. Many of those jobs are technology-based.

Some of the skills companies are looking for in potential employees include the ability to read drawings, take measurements, do mathematics, drive forklifts and complete shop paperwork, Latson said. But, companies also need people with good communication skills.

Liane Kerkman, a teacher at Wayside: Sci Tech Middle and High School in Austin, visited TSTC for the first time on Tuesday. She said out of this year’s 34-member senior class, about half are considering two-year secondary education options.

Kerkman said TSTC’s Cyber Security program could spark her students’ interest.

“TSTC is a good resource to bring back to them,” she said. “A lot of them are hesitant about a four-year university.”

Shirley Reich, a college and career coordinator at the Hutto Independent School District, said she was surprised at the number of jobs available in technical fields. She said the labor market will give staff more information to guide students on their post-high school paths.

“This (TSTC) is in their backyard,” Reich said. “It’s getting them in the door and excited.”

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

TSTC Hosts Students for FFA Tractor Competition

(WACO) –  Texas State Technical College’s Diesel Equipment Technology program hosted on Thursday the Texas FFA Association Tractor Technician Career Development Event featuring 10 high schools from North and Central Texas.

In the Texas FFA Association’s Area 5 consisting of North Texas schools, Wolfe City High School placed first while Denton High School finished second and Rayburn High School in Ivanhoe finished third.

“This was really the first time we have ever come to a tractor technician competition and our coach told us what to do in precheck,” said Austin Ferguson, 17, a junior at Wolfe City High School. “We checked the oil, checked the fluids and tire pressure and started looking for bugs.”

In the Texas FFA Association’s Area 8 consisting of Central Texas high schools, , Elkhart High School finished first while Teague High School placed second and Midway High School finished third.

“We did not want to get too cocky,” said Jacob Mims, a junior at Elkhart High School. “It was a learning experience. This is what we want to do the rest of our lives.”

Mims said the team was going to celebrate with Mexican food, and later on, a steak dinner.

The top team from each area will compete in a state FFA tractor technician competition to be held in March at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

In addition, Elkhart High School’s team along with the contest’s three individual overall high scorers all received TSTC scholarships.

Teams of three students took a written test and did a parts identification test. The students performed a troubleshooting exercise on John Deere and Kubota tractors donated for the competition by United Ag & Turf and Tipton International, both in Waco. Students drove the tractors once the teams found and repaired the problems.

TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program instructors and students created the problems the high school students found in the tractors and served as contest judges.

Will Allison, 19, of Teague is a Diesel Equipment Technology major at TSTC. He competed in the tractor competition as a student at Teague High School and served Thursday as a judge.

“It feels kind of cool because I know all the bugs,” Allison said. “It’s fun to watch the students find them.”

Allison said he wanted the high school students to leave with a better understanding of how to use heavy equipment manuals.

For more on the Texas FFA Association, go to texasffa.org.

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


Harlandale ISD and TSTC Partner in Dual Enrollment Classes

(WACO) – Students at Dillard McCollum High School in San Antonio are starting the year learning in new dual enrollment classes through Texas State Technical College in Waco – a first for TSTC and the Alamo City.

Eight juniors and seniors are taking Introduction to Automotive Technology and Automotive Suspension and Steering Systems in the Automotive Technology program enabling them to receive high school credit and technical college hours. TSTC credentialed the high school’s automotive technology teachers, Mark Emmons and Michael Martinez, to teach the dual enrollment classes.

“McCollum High School is our first dual enrollment partner in San Antonio,” said Megan Redmond, a dual enrollment advisor at Texas State Technical College in Williamson County who has worked with the students to get them registered. “Their automotive program is incredible. It is a great area to break into and I am really excited where it could take us.”

Rudy Cervantez, TSTC’s statewide Automotive Technology Department chair, said approving the teachers and high school after a site visit was easy because they already had certification from the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation.

“They have a nice shop and I was impressed,” Cervantez said.

Talks between the Harlandale Independent School District and TSTC began in fall 2017, said Tracy Anderson, the school district’s career and technical education coordinator.

TSTC has supported the school district’s college-going culture in other ways.

“During the fall, TSTC attended the Auto Tech Industry Advisory Committee meeting at McCollum High School, participated with a table at both of the district’s college and career fairs as well as District Family Night to provide information and answer questions,” Anderson said. “We look forward to having our dual credit students and both automotive instructors visit TSTC in Waco soon.”

San Antonio is home to Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas Inc. which employs 2,900 employees including TSTC graduates, according to the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. Toyota’s presence helps make Texas in the top 10 among states for automotive manufacturing employment, according to the Texas Economic Development Division’s “The Texas Automotive Manufacturing Industry” report.

“There is a lot of potential for jobs for the students,” Cervantez said.

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

TSTC Aviation Maintenance Student Receives Local Scholarship

(WACO) – Whit Palmer’s motivation comes from a giving source.

“I’d say it is the love of God in my own life and all of the blessings I’ve had,” the Temple resident said. “I want to share that blessing with others.”

Palmer, 19, is an Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology major at Texas State Technical College. He recently received the Keith Hull Memorial Scholarship for $5,000 from Wings for Christ International in Waco. Hull was a member of the U.S. Air Force and founded the organization in 1961 in Arizona. Hull moved the organization in 1970 to Waco.

This is the first scholarship the organization has awarded. The organization’s mission is to spiritually and professionally develop aviators to gain pilot hours and fly for mission work to remote areas.

Palmer said the scholarship will help him because a lot of mission organizations discourage workers from having debt.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I’ve always liked working with my hands and potentially spreading the good news of the gospel is eye opening for me.”

Darin Pound, senior pastor at Temple First Church of the Nazarene where Palmer and his family are lifelong members, exposed him to aviation while in high school by taking him flying.

“He is well deserving of the award,” Pound said. “He will use it to further his education but also fulfill the calling he senses in his life to use his love for aviation as a tool to minister to people and help people wherever God leads.”

Palmer’s church membership helped him learn about aviation’s role in mission work. He traveled to Belize twice while in high school on missions to help build a church and work with children.

Palmer graduated in 2018 from Providence Preparatory School in Belton.

Cheryl Hull, Wings for Christ International’s secretary and treasurer on the Board of Directors, said the organization’s goal is to award a yearly aviation scholarship built on the generosity of the business community.

Applications for Wings for Christ International’s next Keith Hull Memorial Scholarship are due May 31. For more information, go to wingsforchrist.org.

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


TSTC alum forges a future back in the classroom

From student to instructor, Jerroll Hodge is back at Texas State Technical College in Fort Bend County and is ready for his new role.

Hodge graduated from TSTC in Waco in 2016 with an associate degree in Welding Technology and said he never imagined he would return to the college in this capacity.

“I’ve had a passion for the art of welding since high school, but it wasn’t until recently when I began to think about teaching,” said Hodge. “I have learned so much out in the field that I want to share with younger welders.”

The 24-year-old worked as a welder with National Oilwell Varco, a leading provider for equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling, before getting hired as a Welding Technology instructor.

“This is new territory for me. This is my first time as an instructor, but everyone has been so helpful and welcoming,” said Hodge.

Hodge has more than five years welding experience under his belt. He began welding barbeque pits and trailers, among other things, his junior year in high school competing against other students and continued on into college working part-time as a welder while he was in school.

“I was undecided about college until I started welding,” he said. “I figured I’m good at it, I love it…why not pursue it as a career. Welding to me isn’t a job, it’s fun.”

When Hodge was researching colleges, he had a family member attending TSTC and it was an invite to the campus in Waco that helped him decide it was the right place for him.

“It was the perfect fit. I knew it was where I was supposed to be,” said Hodge. “The instructors were amazing in how they taught us and shared their real-world experiences with us. They supported us and really pushed us to be our best. I want to be that for my students now.”

The Huntsville native said he hopes to become the instructor that students feel comfortable going to for advice about welding or life.

His goal is to bring all of his knowledge forward to ensure that he can mold and create great welders for the industry.

“I had a job before even graduating and that’s my goal for these students,” said Hodge. “I want them to be as prepared, if not more, than I was when I entered the field.”

TSTC offers Welding Technology at each of its ten campuses located in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall, North Texas Sweetwater, Waco and Williamson County. For more information, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Hosts Spring Counselors Update

(RED OAK) – More than 40 educators on Friday learned about Texas State Technical College’s mission to help students earn certificates and associate degrees that could lead to great-paying jobs.

The Spring Counselors Update focused on dual enrollment, in-demand jobs and other components of TSTC. The gathering’s goal was to arm educators with new information to help them be advocates for technical education in their schools.

“We show them the best that TSTC has,” said Trey Pearson, coordinator of student recruitment for TSTC’s North Texas and Waco campuses.

TSTC currently has dual enrollment partnerships with 108 Texas high schools. Some of the programs that high school students can take courses in include Automotive Technology, Electrical Power and Controls, and Welding Technology. The goal of dual enrollment is to save students money and time when they get to college.

“From us, you will get 12 to 14 hours in a one-year period in technical education,” said Rene Ralston, TSTC’s director of dual enrollment.

Some of the top occupations projected to grow through 2026 in Texas with salaries above the Texas median wage of $36,168 tie into some of the technical programs TSTC teaches. They include software developing, construction and extraction work supervising, licensed vocational nursing and agricultural management, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Scipio Igbeare, a counselor at Advantage Academy Grand Prairie East, visited TSTC for the first time. She was intrigued by the Computer Aided Drafting and Design, Cyber Security and Welding Technology programs.

“This has been really good information to better guide the students,” she said. “We have been pushing the four-year college for so many years. Not all of the students are ready for four years.”

Lisa Menton, career and technical education director for the Red Oak Independent School District, said she looks forward to sharing what she learned with her staff to better help students meet their potential.

“The challenge is to make the connection with what they can do at the high school level and at college and in high-demand occupations so they can have a good life,” Menton said.

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

TSTC Pharmacy Technicians Have Local Job Opportunities

(WACO) – Before Courtney Balzadua, 27, of Waco became a pharmacy technician at the Family Health Center, she balanced working as a waitress and being the mother of a small child.

She knew she needed to make a career change.

“I wanted to be in the medical field in some way,” said Balzadua, a 2015 graduate of Texas State Technical College’s Pharmacy Technician program.

The need for pharmacy technicians is projected to grow nationally to more than 450,000 jobs by 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency credits the job increase to a rising need for prescription medicines. Pharmacy technicians must learn the general uses of medical drugs but cannot legally counsel patients.

TSTC’s three-semester program includes classes in Drug Classification and Pharmaceutical Mathematics and an on-site clinical at a hospital, pharmacy or other medical facility like the Family Health Center.

TSTC caps each semester’s Pharmacy Technician cohort at 25 students, said Colby Walters, a program instructor. She said students who enter the program need strong mathematics and memorization skills.

Program graduates can work under pharmacy training licenses for two years, Walters said. During this time, the graduates get three chances to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s licensing test to continue working in the field. The graduates also undergo a background check by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.

A public perception survey conducted by the PTCB in 2016 indicated that 85 percent of people said it was very important for people preparing prescriptions to be certified, and 74 percent of people believed pharmacies should only hire certified pharmacy technicians.

Traci Crain is a staff pharmacist at the Family Health Center’s pharmacy on Providence Drive in Waco. She said she can tell within a month which pharmacy interns can adapt to the job. Some of the qualities she looks for include being able to work with others, handle criticism from customers and exhibit a solid work ethic.

The Family Health Center typically hires two interns each semester. Crain said interns start out sacking prescriptions for customers. She said interacting with the staff enables the students to understand the pharmacy language. Eventually interns can advance to working on registers and helping customers.

“It’s not uncommon to get hired before they graduate,” Walters said.

Jennifer Herrera, 34, of Waco graduated in 2005 from TSTC’s Pharmacy Technician program and has been working at the Family Health Center since she was an intern.

“This is in a low-income area,” she said. “I don’t see myself as different from any of our patients. I fell in love with the environment.”

Herrera often works with clients in both Spanish and English.

“You do have to be careful because certain words can mean different things,” she said.

The Family Health Center has 16 locations in Bell and McLennan counties. There are about 20 employees who work at the pharmacy from Monday to Friday. Overall, the Waco location fills an average of 700 prescriptions per day.

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