Category Archives: Waco

TSTC Graduate Motivates Students to Pursue Tech Industry

Raymond Jordan of McKinney is a customer support engineer at Cisco in Richardson and a graduate of Texas State Technical College in Waco.

(WACO) – Raymond Jordan has the world at his fingertips as he stares at his computer monitors at Cisco Systems Inc. in Richardson. Support calls from individual customers and companies transcend time zones and he is the man with answers.

Jordan, 41, is a customer support engineer on Cisco’s Server Virtualization Team in the company’s Technical Assistance Center dealing with the company’s Unified Computing System Platform.

Jordan, of McKinney, recently spoke to computer science students at Texas State Technical College in Waco about his work at Cisco and how students can prepare for internships and jobs. He said it is typical for interviews in the technology field to be conducted in front of a small panel. Panelists ask a question, which can then lead to follow-up questions.

“Most people are looking for a basic method of problem solving,” Jordan said.

Jordan was living in Hewitt when he graduated in summer 2013 from TSTC with an associate degree in Computer Networking and Systems Administration.

“I knew I was going to get a good education when I enrolled,” he said. “I knew TSTC had a good reputation in the computer networking field and in other fields. I was impressed that the computer networking classes have equipment that you can work on, installing cables on equipment and getting your hands on. Sometimes, I have to do something like that and think back on the hands-on work I did at TSTC. This kind of experience helps when you are going through job interviews.”

Jordan’s TSTC degree complimented another career interest he had throughout his life: Journalism. Jordan received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism in 2008 from The University of Texas at Arlington. He worked at a newspaper in Cameron but left after a year and a half.

“I was looking to stay in journalism for a while,” Jordan said. “I was working at Sprint at their retention department in Temple. I was commuting every day. I had always liked technology and working with computers and knew TSTC had a great program.”

TSTC instructors encourage students to pursue as many certifications as possible primarily because testing prices are lower for those in school.

“What we do is teach the fundamentals,” said John Washington, an associate professor in the Computer Networking and Systems Administration Technology at TSTC in Waco. “At the library we have books the students can use to prepare for the tests.”

TSTC in Waco is a member of the Cisco Networking Academy, an international career-building skills program created in 1987 to provide a pathway for people to enter the IT field.

The Computer Networking and Systems Administration program offers the Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing and Switching four-course curriculum that students can take to become Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician certified or CCNA certified.

A group of TSTC Computer Networking and Systems Administration students and instructors will travel Nov. 2 to San Antonio for Cisco Academy Day at Rackspace, a worldwide cloud management company specializing in website hosting, data services and cybersecurity.

Georgetown Company Filling Technician Needs Through TSTC

TASUS Corp. employees (left to right) Dean Bernhard of Leander, Anthony Bunch of Jarrell and Leo Trigo of Hutto are studying industrial maintenance at Texas State Technical College’s East Williamson County Higher Education Center in Hutto.

(HUTTO) – The 15-minute drive from Texas State Technical College’s East Williamson County Higher Education Center in Hutto to TASUS Corp. in Georgetown is a path for employees to meet their educational and work training goals.

Eight employees at TASUS are currently attending TSTC and studying industrial maintenance. And, company leaders consider the college a pipeline to provide a need for maintenance technicians and workers to acquire the skills needed to receive increased work responsibilities.

Tracy Jackson, human resources manager for TASUS in Georgetown, said the company and college have a good relationship and hope it grows in the future.

“TSTC is helping to provide the educational knowledge for TASUS employees and has been a strong educational partner in our community,” Jackson said.

TASUS has more than 150 employees working three shifts in automotive injection molding, blow molding and extrusion molding. Some of the items that are shipped worldwide include vehicle visors, consoles and brackets. The company has been in Georgetown for a decade and is owned by Tsuchiya Co. Ltd. based in Nagoya, Japan.

Anthony Bunch, 29, of Jarrell is one of several TASUS employees who take advantage of the company paying a portion of college tuition to those studying in fields related to their work.

Bunch, a production operator, began attending TSTC a year and a half ago and discovered that he liked the hands-on course work.

“It always makes one a little nervous to see who you will meet and how it will all work out on the first day of class,” Bunch said.

Bunch has a goal of getting an associate degree at TSTC once he finishes the Industrial Maintenance Mechanic certificate.

“I wanted to go to TSTC to better myself and learn more,” Bunch said. “I have a 4.0 grade point average. The people at TSTC are great. I like how the teachers work with each individual student.”

Dean Bernhard, 48, of Leander has also kept up a 4.0 grade point average working on a certificate in Industrial Maintenance Mechanic. He is taking Motor Control and Industrial Power Plants during the fall semester.

“They have a really good program,” Bernhard said. “Almost everything is hands-on. You gain more doing it and it helps bring the formulas from the book and shows you what they are for. If you can’t do the work, the homework won’t do you any good.”

Bernhard has been a preventive maintenance administrator for more than two years at TASUS. His work includes opening and closing work tickets and reviewing orders for parts.

“Sometimes there is a sharp learning curve,” Bernhard said. “I watch and I ask a lot of questions.”

Leo Trigo, 48, of Hutto is a maintenance technician who has worked at TASUS for eight years and is taking night classes at TSTC in Williamson County to work on an associate degree in Industrial Maintenance – Mechanical Specialization. Trigo already has an Industrial Maintenance Mechanic certificate from TSTC.

Trigo graduated in 1985 from Hutto High School and was inspired by his children and observing a TSTC industrial maintenance class to consider returning to the classroom.

“With my age, about half the material was new to me,” Trigo said. “I had worked in manufacturing for 22 years before I started school, so I had seen a lot of the stuff we were working on in class. The Programmable Logic Controllers I class was new to me.”

TSTC offers associate degrees and certificates in Industrial Maintenance with concentrations in electrical and mechanical at campuses in Marshall, North Texas, Waco and Williamson County.

TSTC to Host Women in Technology Day Oct. 22

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College is hosting a Women in Technology Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 in the Student Recreation Center, to celebrate and educate women interested in non-traditional fields.

Around 250 female students from area high schools and TSTC will attend the day-long event. The morning will feature events aimed towards high school students, like a Q&A panel of current TSTC students, and tours of programs at TSTC.

After the tours, guests will be provided lunch from noon to 12:45 p.m., with a Q&A panel of professional women in non-traditional fields beginning after lunch.

At 1:30 p.m., TSTC Provost Rob Wolaver will present a scholarship to a prospective TSTC student. After the scholarship presentation, high school students will board buses to leave and TSTC students will break out into professional development sessions. At 3:30 p.m., Wolaver will present a scholarship to a current student.

A schedule of the day follows this email. For more information on the event, contact Debra Gonzalez at 254-867-4812.

Students Taking New Automotive Aluminum Welding Course

Texas State Technical College students (l to r) Kaitlyn Mackey and Roy Rodriguez work in the lab portion of the Advanced Collision Repair Welding course.

(WACO) – Kaitlyn Mackey, 17, said she has come a long way from being intimidated when she began welding several months ago. Now, she is confident she can find her focused zone to work.

“My favorite part is when I take off my helmet and look at the welding and it looks good,” said the dual enrollment Connally Early College High School senior and Texas State Technical College student.

Some students at TSTC are getting their first chance to work with automotive aluminum welding to make themselves more marketable in the workforce. The vehicle industry saw the unveiling this year of the Ford F-150, the first mainstream high-volume vehicle with an aluminum body.

“Steel vehicles have to be made lighter and stronger by thinning the metal, which is done by using advanced steels to maintain integrity,” said Ranson Bandy, an instructor in Auto Collision and Management Technology in Waco. “Using aluminum means vehicles can be made lighter with increased thickness and strength in the body.”

Bandy is teaching four students during fall semester in the Advanced Collision Repair Welding course. The class was developed because of the need for technicians to have knowledge and experience with new vehicle constructions due to the federal government’s mandate for higher miles per gallon. And, aluminum is almost 60 percent lighter than steel of the same thickness.

The learning material was developed from the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, a not-for-profit organization advocating research, training and work in the collision field and from Original Equipment Manufacturer recommendations and service procedures. Students are learning about aluminum pulse spray arc welding, rivet bonding and silicon bronze welding which are all advanced forms of fastening these vehicles together.

“It’s pretty fun so far,” said Jordan Eppler, 21, of Valley Mills and second-year major in Auto Body Refinishing and Auto Collision Repair. “I do not know much about the aluminum body. I know it’s going to get complicated later on, but I like challenges.”

Roy Rodriguez, 23, of Clifton graduated from TSTC in 2014 with an associate degree in Automotive Technology and returned to learn about auto collision and painting. He wants to eventually work at a collision shop.

“I feel like today’s cars are getting so much better,” Rodriguez said. “So far the class is good. I have seen a big difference in welding with steel and aluminum. Whenever steel gets hot it glows, but aluminum doesn’t glow. That’s a tricky thing right there.”

Joe Keggler, 39, of Nacogdoches and Waco, is working on an associate degree in Auto Collision and Management Technology – Refinishing Specialization.

“A lot of the cars are becoming aluminum and I wanted to get the basics down before I go into the workforce,” Keggler said.

The class will culminate with an end-of-semester project. Students have three days to do a rail sectioning procedure which will include several forms of fastening techniques learned throughout the semester. Students must pay close attention to detail in the welding, quality and durability of the repair, Bandy said.

The class will also be offered in the spring, Bandy said.
Students can study Auto Collision and Management Technology at TSTC’s campuses in Waco and Harlingen.

TSTC Students Prepare for Pop-Up Restaurant Opening

Texas State Technical College Culinary Arts students will open their temporary restaurant beginning Tuesday, Nov. 3 at T&P Depot on North 1st Street in Abilene.

(ABILENE) – Dusty Barnett, a first-year culinary arts student at Texas State Technical College in Abilene, is eager to be in the middle of the quick pace of a restaurant atmosphere for the first time later this fall.

“I love to cook, so I decided to get that degree in something I enjoy doing,” said Barnett, 34, of Abilene and a Class of 2000 graduate of Paint Creek High School in Paint Creek. “I enjoy the cooking and how the food tastes to other people and knowing that I had a part in creating that food.”

Barnett and other TSTC culinary arts students are preparing for the opening of a temporary student-run restaurant at T&P Depot at 901 N. 1st St. in Abilene.

People interested in visiting can make a reservation beginning Thursday, Oct. 1. by calling 325-670-9240 or online at tstc.edu/about/culinarydiningabilene. The restaurant will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays on Nov. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19 and Dec. 1-3 and 8-9.
Students have several options to study culinary arts at TSTC’s campuses.

Students in West Texas can pursue an associate degree in Professional Cooking or a certificate in Food Service Technology in Abilene.

TSTC also offers culinary arts at the Waco, Harlingen and Williamson County campuses.

TSTC Alumna Keeps Hospitals Efficient with Maintained Equipment

Texas State Technical College graduate Deborah Thomas works with five hospitals in Texas and Louisiana to keep medical equipment functioning.

(WACO) – Deborah Thomas knew she wanted a career change.

Thomas, 45, of Houston, had been in law enforcement for 15 years in Central Texas and was working at the Texas Department of Public Safety in 2004 when relatives encouraged her to look into the health care field.

“Initially I wanted to do something that would not require me to go back to a four-year college,” Thomas said.

She looked online at Texas State Technical College and found a subject that she was curious about: Biomedical Equipment Technology.

“Just the thought of working on equipment sounded interesting and something that I had not done before,” Thomas said.

Thomas graduated from TSTC in Waco in 2006 with an associate degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology.

“I would encourage women in the program to stay the course because women are very much needed in this field,” she said. “There are women’s facilities, women’s surgery centers and specific kinds of women’s services that a woman feels comfortable with another woman walking into the room.”

The degree eventually led her to her present position as an area manager for Santa Ana, Calif-based Renovo Solutions, a nationwide company contracting with health care systems to manage medical equipment. Thomas manages accounts for five hospitals in Houston, Paris, Port Arthur, San Antonio and Monroe, La.

“One of the things I loved when I was a technician was having that one-on-one with patients, hospital staff and families and to be able to provide that kind of help,” Thomas said. “I love to be able to go into a room and help everybody. Now, I am helping the hospitals save money and run more efficiently.”

Thomas said she has seen a trend of robotics growing more in the medical field, particularly in surgeries, radiology and oncology. She said as new equipment is developed she has continually studied to meet the needs of her account holders.

Thomas was born in Corsicana and moved to Hewitt with her family when she was in elementary school. She graduated in 1989 from Midway High School in Waco. She began work as a dispatcher with the Robinson Police Department after graduation.

She said when she began at TSTC she had an easy rapport with her instructors because they were closer to her age. She cited Garrett Seeley, assistant department chair in Biomedical Equipment Technology, as one of her mentors.

Seeley said tenacity and dedication set Thomas apart from other students.

“There was a lot riding on her success,” Seeley said. “She wanted to make a change for her children.”

Thomas did an internship at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center in Waco.

“The internship is one of the most important things to go through,” she said. “Work on as much equipment as possible. I have hired numerous interns from TSTC. You can train them yourself. The equipment they work on in school is similar to what they will see when they come out.”

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, there were more than 42,000 biomedical equipment repair jobs nationwide as of 2012. The number is expected to grow by 30 percent up to 2022. The median pay was $44,570 nationally for biomedical equipment technology graduates in 2012, the most recent figures available from the labor department.

Students interested in studying Biomedical Equipment Technology can pursue associate degrees at TSTC campuses in Harlingen, Marshall and Waco. Students can also earn an Enhanced Skills Certificate in Medical Imaging Specialization in Waco.

TSTC’s Laser Electro-Optics Program to hold information session at North Texas campus

(RED OAK) – Texas State Technical College will hold a free information session from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13 in Room 126 of the Industrial Technology Center at 119 Lowrance on the TSTC campus.

The information session is for potential students who would like to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Laser Electro-Optics. The session will include information about the degree plan, career opportunities and a hands-on skilled lab project.

Space is limited. To reserve your seat email ronald.neumann@tstc.edu today.

For more information, contact the Laser Electro-Optics Department at 254-867-4857.

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TSTC Hosts Czech Government, Cultural Delegation

(WACO) – An eight-member delegation from the Czech Republic toured the Col. James T. Connally Aerospace Center at Texas State Technical College in Waco on Thursday, Sept. 3.

The group received a glimpse of the five academic programs offered at the center: Air Traffic Controller, Aircraft Airframe Technician, Aircraft Dispatch Technology, Aircraft Pilot Training Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology.

Carson Pearce, Aerospace Division director, showed the group the air traffic control lab which has a simulator students can use to work in conditions such as fog, rain and darkness to gain hands-on experience directing incoming and outgoing flights.

“Our students are taught by the finest instructors in America who have more than 30 years of experience with the Federal Aviation Administration in air traffic control,” Pearce said.

The Czech visitors watched a student use a Redbird flight simulator to “land” in Prague.

Pearce said aviation maintenance students undertake the equivalent of four years of work in two years and called their work some of the most intense on campus. He said students keep track of 1,900 hours of training for the Federal Aviation Administration’s rating as mechanics.

“Most of our graduates have jobs waiting for them before they graduate,” Pearce said.

Pearce also showed the group the college’s collection of original aviation oil artwork located in the first floor boardroom. The artwork symbolizes something no other higher education institution has in the United States: The legacy and heritage of a military airfield. The land the college is on was once used for flight training and as James T. Connally Air Force Base which was decommissioned in the late 1960s.

One of the TSTC staff members leading the delegation was Stevie Vanek, a housing maintenance foreman and mayor-pro tem for the city of West.

“Any time you can exchange cultural visits, it’s a great thing,” he said.

Pearce gave the Czech visitors specially minted coins depicting the aerospace center.

Ivana Majickova, mayor of Kunovice, Czech Republic, said she felt inspired by the opportunities she saw students have.

“This school is a very beautiful school,” said Majickova. “In my city, we also have a school for aviation as well. In our town we don’t have all the programs in one place.”

Also part of the delegation was Jan Mazuch, former cultural attache representing the Czech Republic in Washington, D.C. along with his wife, Magda; their sons Honza and Stephen and Alexandra Janku, all of Brno. Majickova’s husband, Petr, and Vicar General Josef Nuzik of Olomouc also made the trip.

The tour was part of the group’s visit to Texas highlighted by the signing this weekend of an educational, economic and cultural sister city agreement with the city of West which has a large Czech-American population.

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Detail Mold & Design Donates EDM Drill to TSTC

(HUTTO) – Detail Mold & Design LLC donated a Sodick electronic discharge machine drill to the Precision Machining program at TSTC in Williamson County.
Precision Machining Instructor Darren Block said the donation will help students gain experience with a tool and die machine.
“The software is similar to other CNC machines we have, so not only will the gain the experience, but they’ll be able to learn on what industry is using right now,” Block said. “Another plus, is that if they make a mistake in their work, they can salvage it with this machine.”
Detail Mold & Design began in 1990 in Round Rock, and moved to Leander, Texas about two years ago. They specialize in creating molds for the fiber optics industry.  The company learned of TSTC through a connection with a friend from church.
“One of the things that we’re hoping is that through education, we can get more qualified personnel coming out of the school to come into our line of business” said Ray Lensing of Detail Mold. “We’re a machine shop, but we specialize in injection molds. It’s the same principle, but a lot more intricate in its details.”
Lensing says the machine should help prepare the graduates for the field. The value of the machine is approximately $10,000.
“The machine is a very important part of our operations,” Lensing said. “It supports a lot of the operations that have to be done.”

The Precision Machining program is available at the Fort Bend County, North Texas, Waco and Williamson County campuses. A similar program, Computer Aided Manufacturing, is available at the Marshall campus. For more information on TSTC and the Precision Machining program, visit www.tstc.edu.

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Logistics Program at TSTC Expects First Graduates in Fall

(RED OAK) – Last fall, TSTC in North Texas debuted its Logistics Technology program, catering to those who want to specialize in the lucrative industry of logistics.

The program, which expects its first graduates in Dec. 2015, covers the logistics industry from start to end.

“It starts with purchasing raw materials,” said Instructor William Scott, “then we cover the transportation of those raw materials to the manufacturing plant, storing inventory, operation of storage facilities and distribution.”

How does TSTC’s Logistics program differ from others in the state?

“We’re the only logistics program that has the hands-on component of a technical school,” Scott said. “The other schools that offer logistics degrees, you can get an associate degree in logistics, but there’s no hands-on training.”

Kay Jones, one of the Logistics students on track to graduate in December, said she originally came to TSTC to do a computer-related program, but decided it didn’t fit. After sitting down and talking to Program Chair Leroy White, she chose logistics instead.

“It is the best decision I ever made,” Jones said. “Logistics is so vast and it’s so cutting-edge right now that I’m sure I’ll be able to get a job. Plus, we have the best professor. I’d put him against anybody in the state. He’s wonderful.”

After graduation, Jones hopes to become a U.S. Customs Broker.

“I graduate on Dec. 11, and on the 14th, I help set up the US Customs Broker course that is going to be taught here at TSTC,” Jones said. “I’m going to start that course and get my Customs Broker License by April, and I want to start a global import/export business.”

Jones hopes to eventually go into humanitarian logistics.

“I want to go into third world countries and help women in poverty. They make these items and sell them, and people take them to other countries and sell them for double. I want to go in there and pay them more to help these women out of poverty.”

Logistics Technology is exclusively offered at TSTC’s North Texas campus. For more information on the program, visit www.tstc.edu, or call 972-617-4040.
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