Category Archives: All TSTC

Sweetwater Company Provides Financial Support for TSTC Veteran-Students

(SWEETWATER) – A Sweetwater company is providing scholarship dollars to military veterans who are studying at Texas State Technical College’s four West Texas campuses.

EMA Electromechanics, an international maker of equipment for the clean wind energy sector, has given $150,000 since 2015 for the Sweetwater Veteran’s Funds for College Education. The funds go toward helping veterans completing their technical education at TSTC in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood and Sweetwater.

Rick Denbow, provost of the TSTC campuses in West Texas, said the company’s manager, Gabriel Acosta, saw an unfilled need in helping veterans go to college.

“He is very passionate, and the organization is very passionate about helping TSTC,” Denbow said.

Two of the scholarship’s recipients said it has helped ease financial worries as they study at TSTC.

Stanley West, 47, of Brownwood is a U.S. Army veteran working on a certificate in Structural Welding at TSTC in Brownwood. He is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and scheduled to graduate in August.

“I’ve been welding for 20- plus years, but I didn’t have a certificate,” West said. “For me, it was learning the language, because I could perform the welds already but did not know what they were called.”

He said the scholarship, along with other funding he is receiving, has been put to good use. The money has enabled him to meet other people through his classes.

“My books alone cost $500,” he said. “I couldn’t afford to go to school because I’m on a fixed income. It’s been a major help and keeps me busy during the week instead of sitting at home and being reclusive.”

West was the fourth of 10 kids raised on a ranch in Cisco and is a 1989 graduate of Cisco High School. He was in the Army National Guard in high school and after graduation went on active duty. He served in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.

The EMA scholarship is also helping Paul Weaver, 43, of Abilene. He is a Computer Networking and Systems Administration major at TSTC in Abilene scheduled to graduate in August.

“It was something I had a higher interest in,” Weaver said. “I taught myself how to build a computer while I was on deployment.”

He said the scholarship has enabled him to learn how to improve wireless connections and technology infrastructure.

“It’s a lot more than I expected, but I have enjoyed everything I have learned,” Weaver said.

Weaver grew up in Florida. He spent roughly 13 years in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Dyess Air Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. He also served two deployments in Qatar.

“My wife fell in love with Abilene, so after Las Vegas, we came back here,” Weaver said. “I had been wanting to go back to school. I went back to work as a correctional officer for two years, and then I worked for the post office for two days.”

Weaver went on to work for a call center and then was hired at Lowe’s where he works an overnight shift. After his workday ends, he helps has 14-year-old son get ready for school, goes to classes at TSTC and eventually sleeps when his wife gets home from work at Dyess.

After graduation, Weaver said he wants to stay in the Abilene area and work in information technology. He also wants to work on industry certifications.

EMA Electromechanics was founded in 1952 in Argentina. The company’s VDH Series Vacuum Circuit Breaker was first sold in the United States in 2003. The company began its American operations in 2010 in Sweetwater.

For more information on EMA Electromechanics, go to emaelectromechanics.com.

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

 

TSTC Program to Change Degree Format, Offer Scholarships this Fall

(ABILENE) – A technical program at Texas State Technical College in Abilene will undergo a name change and bring with it an opportunity for students to earn scholarships this fall.

The Computer Aided Drafting program will be changed to Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics Technology and convert to an online associate degree plan. The change is aimed at preparing students in parametric modeling and design, mechanical drafting, residential architectural drafting, topographical drafting and other skills.

“With this new associate degree, we will be more specialized,” said Justin Price, an instructor in the Computer Aided Drafting program at TSTC in Abilene. “We will focus more on architecture and engineering.”

Price said the name change will make it easier to explain to potential students what fields can be pursued with the associate degree. Some of the careers are in architectural, civil and mechanical drafting. He said program graduates have been hired in Abilene, Dallas, Fort Worth, Midland and Odessa.

“Our industry partners told us what we should be teaching our students for mechanical, architectural, piping and civil drafting,” said David Campos, TSTC’s statewide Architecture and Drafting Division director. “They responded to our call and said, ‘We hire your students, and it would be nice in the future if you started teaching this.’ We ended up adding a few more classes because technology changes so much.”

The program has received a $50,000 Fast Start IV grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. The money will supply $5,000 scholarships to 10 students enrolled in the online component of the Associate of Applied Science degree in Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics Technology this fall at TSTC in Abilene. To be eligible for the scholarship, students in the program must take 12 or more semester credit hours, demonstrate financial need and write an essay on a topic relevant to architecture or engineering.

The application and essay deadline for the scholarship is July 2.

“We have identified a lot of potential students that are working in the industry that either are lacking one, two, three classes that can get the degree or maybe they are doing a different type of work in the industry,” Campos said. “By taking these courses online, they can move up the ladder.”

This fall’s program name and curriculum change will also occur at TSTC in Brownwood and Sweetwater. Students now enrolled in the Computer Aided Drafting program can complete their degree in the current hybrid format.

Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics Technology will be part of TSTC Online, a group of technical programs that students can learn online. The other online programs include Business Management Technology, Cyber Security, Digital Media Design and Health Information Technology.

“The growth in TSTC Online programs has come in response to student demand for availability, flexibility and convenience,” said Gina Cano-Monreal, TSTC’s associate vice president for online learning. “Faculty developing courses for TSTC Online programs are the same faculty that teach our quality face-to-face courses. They work extremely hard to develop engaging courses that give our online students a positive learning environment and the sense of community we want all of our TSTC students to experience.”

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

Area MOAA Chapter Hosts Luncheon at TSTC in Waco

(WACO) – The Heart of Texas Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America hosted Waco native Rear Adm. James S. Bynum of the U.S. Navy for a luncheon Tuesday at Texas State Technical College.

“For TSTC, it’s an extreme honor to host MOAA, especially with our deep roots with the military and those who have and are serving,” TSTC Provost Adam Hutchison said.

Navy personnel, military veterans and TSTC and city leaders gathered in the terminal at the Col. James T. Connally Aerospace Center to celebrate Waco being one of 14 municipalities nationwide to host the special week this year.

“The HOT MOAA chapter supports all military branches and educates the public,” said Dr. Harold Rafuse, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. “We work to provide scholarships for students, many of them are in fact TSTC students. We know that TSTC has created a strong relationship with military service members.”

Bynum, the chief of naval air training at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, said the Navy is striving to be more competitive in the world.

“We are growing because the Navy needs us to be bigger than we are,” he said.

The Navy has more than 325,000 active-duty members and more than 98,000 Ready Reserve members. The Navy fleet includes more than 280 deployable battle-force ships and a fleet of underwater search and recovery equipment, submarines, aircraft and unmanned systems, along with missiles.

“We want people to understand what we are and what we do,” Bynum said.

Bynum said he and his staff have enjoyed learning about Waco’s businesses and education opportunities. He said he has been impressed with how much Waco has grown since when he was a child and in past visits to the area.

“It’s been overwhelming and a warm welcome in every turn,” said Bynum.

Bynum was commissioned in 1985 through the National Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of Oklahoma. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College and Armed Force Staff College. Bynum is a Georgetown University Capitol Hill Fellow.

On Saturday, April 7, and Sunday, April 8, the Heart of Texas Airshow takes flight at the TSTC Airport. Featured performers include the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Black Daggers Parachute Team, along with flights of the U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II and the U. S. Air Force’s Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, better known as the Stealth Bomber.

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

TSTC students present to local health information chapter

(HARLINGEN) – The graduating class from Texas State Technical College Health Information Technology recently presented to the Rio Grande Valley Health Information Management Association (RGVHIMA) at Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco.

At least 15 students make up the class who will graduate next month and who worked diligently for the past two months to prepare and complete their presentation that focuses on the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management, the organization that accredits TSTC’s program, and the Registered Health Information Technician national exam and certification.

“I’m so proud and honored to call myself these students’ instructor,” said TSTC Health Information Instructor Ana Gonzales. “They have worked so hard to be where they are today and I know they all have bright futures ahead.”

Gonzales said these presentations were first started six years ago as a way to bring the students together, teach them skills important for their future such as communication, research and management and to give the students the opportunity to network with industry professionals.TSTC Health Information Technology students

“The people they are meeting and presenting to are the people who will hire them when they graduate,” said Gonzales. “It’s important that we showcase their skills and capabilities and introduce them to an organization that they will become members of and will be their guidance once out in the field.”

Health Information Technology student and class facilitator Ruth Trevino said their goal as a class is to spread awareness on the various certifications that can be obtained as a professional in the health information and records industry and said they have worked hard at researching and ensuring that they present the best information possible.

“This is a topic that is very important to most, if not all of us,” said Trevino. “In doing our research we found that many graduate from a health information program, but never take their national certifying exam and we’re trying to change that. It can be a career changer.”

Trevino added that becoming a Registered Health Information Technician makes someone more marketable in a competitive market and can lead to higher salaries in the long run.

“It’s never too late to take this exam or go back to school,” she added. “If anything, I hope this is what people took away from our presentation.”

Melissa Perez, also a TSTC Health Information Technology student said they also wanted to spread awareness about TSTC’s program and what it has to offer.

“A degree or certification can take someone’s career to the next level,” she said. “Maybe someone has been thinking of returning to school or has a family member interested in the field, we want them to know that TSTC is here to help them.”

For more information on Health Information Technology at TSTC visit, tstc.edu. The program is also now offered 100 percent online.

Historic first for TSTC students in Fort Bend County

(FORT BEND) – Texas State Technical College’s Fort Bend County campus is sending its first SkillsUSA team to state competition at TSTC’s Waco campus next month.

At least nine students will compete in the categories of Diesel Equipment Technology, HVAC, Welding Technology and job skills demonstration.

SkillsUSA is a professional organization teaching technical, academic and employability skills that help high school and college students pursue successful careers. Members build these skills through student-led team meetings, contests, leadership conferences and other activities.

Students in Skills USA participate in hands-on competitions in various fields such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, building construction and culinary arts.

SkillsUSA TSTC campus advisor and Diesel Equipment Technology instructor Spencer Paige said he is happy he was able to implement this program – the first for the campus.

“Before TSTC I worked for the school district and was the advisor for high school skills,” he said. “I saw so much of the benefits students received from this program, that I wanted our TSTC students to have the same opportunities.”

Paige added that students who compete in SkillsUSA get to practice and improve on the skills they have learned in the classroom, build on their soft skills such as public speaking and interviewing and network with industry professionals who judge the competitions.TSTC Fort Bend County First SkillsUSA Team

“The selling point for our students is getting to meet and speak with industry professionals, many of which are also recruiters,” said Paige. “In SkillsUSA our students get to showcase their skills and some leave with interviews or job offers. This is a big deal for our students and our college.”

TSTC Diesel Equipment Technology student Troy Ketchum expects to earn his certificate in August, but first will compete at the SkillsUSA state competition. This is his first time ever competing.

“I’m excited and nervous all at the same time,” he said. “I can’t wait to visit another TSTC campus, see where we (students) stand among other college students in our field and meet with professionals in our field.”

The 30-year-old said he jumped at the opportunity to participate.

He will be the only one from the campus competing in job skills demonstration and will present on the topic of, “The Importance of Tire Pressure and Tread Depth.”

“I’ve been working hard on preparing for SkillsUSA, we all have,” said Ketchum. “This is our first year and we all want to make a mark.”

The Rosenberg native has been staying after regular school hours preparing his presentation and practicing in front of other students, faculty and staff.

Paige said it has been all hands on deck, helping the students practice, prepare presentations and working with Talent Management and Career Services on updating resumes and interview skill building.

“Our job is to help these students do their very best and make the best impression possible,” said Paige. “We all have a common goal and that is to get to nationals and produce skilled students who are competitive in the job market.”

The nationals SkillsUSA competition will be held in Oklahoma this coming summer. Historically, TSTC is a top competitor at nationals with students bringing home the most medals.

For more information on programs offered at TSTC, visit tstc.edu.

Registration for Summer and Fall 2018 begins April 2.

Chancellor’s Excellence Award – Melanie Pruett

(FORT BEND) – When the Texas State Technical College Chancellor’s Excellence Award recipient list came out, Melanie Pruett could not believe she was reading her name.

“I was shocked and surprised. I never thought something like this could happen to me,” said the TSTC enrollment specialist.

TSTC Chancellor Mike Reeser selects faculty and staff for their distinguished service and dedication to the college, communities and state for this award and are recognized by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD).Melanie Pruett

“These teammates were nominated by their peers, recommended by their Provosts and Vice Chancellors and chosen as faculty and staff who model excellence in our college every day,” said Reeser. “Their caring and dedicated efforts embolden us all to make a difference in the success of our teams and the lives of our students.”

Pruett has been with TSTC for two years and has extensive experience in the area of higher education.

Before coming to TSTC she worked at the Baylor College of Medicine campus in Houston for 17 years in the Office of Admissions and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

She left higher education to work in the oil and gas industry only to be laid off after 11 years, but her passion and love for students and higher education never diminished.

“I enjoy working with students, getting them into college and seeing them succeed,” said Pruett. “So when I saw TSTC was opening in our area I jumped at the opportunities that were available. I wanted to get back into higher education where I belonged.”

Pruett applied for three different positions before receiving a job offer for her current position. She meets with prospective students daily and assists them with the application process to enroll at TSTC.

Pruett’s supervisor and TSTC’s Executive Director of Admissions Vanessa Vasquez said she was not surprised at all by Pruett’s recognition.

“Melanie brings so much positivity and energy to our team,” she said. “She is always going above and beyond her call of duty and has the best customer service. She treats everyone like they’re her family.”

Vasquez, who has worked with Pruett for two years, added that Pruett’s contributions to the team have not gone unnoticed.

“I knew since I first met Melanie that she would excel in her position and would someday be rewarded for her hard work and dedication to the college, its students and employees,” she said. “You can always count on her.”

Pruett said that the exciting part of her job is meeting new people and building relationships and good rapport with the students she works with.

“Many of the students I meet end up coming back to chit chat or for advice,” she said. “It’s exciting to see them grow.”

The award recipient said she would like to give a big thanks to those who nominated her.

“It’s great to be recognized for your hard work and for who you are,” she said. “I have a great team and I am truly honored to know that they appreciate what I do.”

Pruett said she hopes to continue growing with TSTC and working hard for its prospective and current students.

“I love TSTC. I can honestly say that this was the best choice I ever made,” she said. “I feel like I’m making a difference in the lives of others and to me that is so rewarding.”

Pruett will join the 15 other Chancellor’s Excellence Award recipients in May at the NISOD dinner and celebration in Austin where they will receive their awards.

1936 Ford Donated to TSTC Auto Collision and Management Technology Program

(WACO) –Texas State Technical College in Waco’s Auto Collision and Management Technology recently received a 1936 Ford Tudor Sedan as a donation from the Gill family of Lott.

Marye Gill donated her late husband’s favorite project for over 25 years to TSTC in hopes of sharing the same joy it brought to her husband.

“He worked on the car whenever he had the money to, and when he didn’t, he would just stare at it waiting to work on it again,” Gill said.

After Charles Gill passed away in December 2017, Ms. Gill debated selling the vehicle. When she did not receive a quality offer, she elected to celebrate her husband’s life by to donating it to TSTC.

“I prayed about it and talked to friends and decided that it was best to donate it to the folks at TSTC so the students could experience it and let them learn and get joy out of it like he did,” Ms. Gill said.

TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program was honored and excited to receive the gift and will begin restoring the vehicle this fall.

“I think this will make an excellent recruitment tool and showpiece for the department and the school. We will have students do all the work with the help of instructors, but it will be all the students,” said Clint Campbell, the program’s statewide chair.

The restoration will take several years to allow multiple students access and will then be used as a showcase piece and potentially as a fundraiser for the technical program.

“My husband and I, and our three sons, are all college graduates, so we appreciate programs like TSTC that aren’t the four year-university that still give an opportunity to change someone’s life and offer a higher education,” Ms. Gill said.

TSTC’s Auto Collision and Management Technology program provides hands-on experience to prepare students for careers in auto body repair and related work fields.

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

 

TSTC Alumnus Honored Posthumously With Plaque, Scholarship

(WACO) – The compassionate spirit of Antonio Barragan Jr. will live on at Texas State Technical College.

The memory of Barragan was recently honored by his family, friends and the Electrical Power and Controls program’s faculty and staff with a plaque unveiling and scholarship announcement. Barragan was a 2007 TSTC Electrical Systems and Instrumentation graduate who died Sept. 6, 2017.

“Antonio loved you guys so much,” said Maria Barragan, his widow. “I’m proud of the person that he became. He was a very hard worker, a good student. He was very happy to push his family and friends to better themselves in their education and their lives. It made him proud – I know it did. I know he would be really happy that we all came together.”

People entering the Electronics Center’s offices at TSTC will now see a plaque bearing a photo of Barragan. And, future Electrical Power and Controls majors at TSTC will have an opportunity to receive a scholarship in Barragan’s honor. The scholarship will be for second- and third-semester students, said Dan Bateman, senior instructor in the Electrical Power and Controls program.

This semester, two $1,000 scholarships were awarded to TSTC students Colton Janik of Yoakum and Jason Mallory of Rosebud. Bateman described the students as standouts in the program.

Besides Barragan, his sister, brother and four cousins attended TSTC and majored in the same technical program.

“We know that when we serve one student well, it’s not just the one student, it’s their whole family,” TSTC in Waco Provost Adam Hutchison said. “I can’t think of a better example than this family.”

Barragan was born Oct. 8, 1984 in Waco and worked at Brazos Electric, according to his obituary in the Waco Tribune-Herald.

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

Two TSTC Employees in Marshall Honored

(MARSHALL) -Texas State Technical College has announced the recipients of this year’s Chancellor’s Excellence Award, and two Marshall employees were honored.

This year’s Marshall award winners are Melissa Maloney, coordinator of instructional support, and Tonya Holloway, executive assistant to the provost.

Maloney, who has been at TSTC for nearly five years, said she was surprised to receive the award.

“I don’t know that anyone is ever thinking that is going to happen to them, so I was a little shocked,” she said. “I hope it’s because people think I do a good job and try to serve the patrons and people that I work for.”

Maloney has a passion for TSTC’s mission.

“I really do believe in what we do: putting people to work,” she said. “I think there’s something special about the drive that we have to change lives, and I think that’s what we do.”

Holloway was also excited to receive the award.

“It was an honor,” she said. “I never thought I would get chosen for anything like that. But yes, I am very excited about it.”

Holloway said she believes she was nominated because she tries to help make work easier for her colleagues.

“I think I was nominated because I’m a very hard worker, dedicated, and I have a good boss,” Holloway said. “All of the people on campus and all the activities — I try to help with everything. I’m not trying to pat myself on the back or anything, but I just help out where I can.”

Holloway believes in the college’s mission as well, and her two daughters have attended TSTC’s Process Operations program.

“Both of them have been helped tremendously as far as what they’re doing in the program and what paths they should take,” she said. “It’s also the instructors helping them to mature into responsible adults.”

Holloway takes pride in knowing she is making a difference in people’s lives.

“I just know that whatever I do in whatever capacity I serve, I’m changing someone’s life,” she said. “Whether it’s a student, a co-worker or someone that just comes in, I have something to do with changing their lives and the paths that they take.”

The Chancellor’s Excellence Award began in 2001, and over the past 15 years nearly 300 TSTC employees have received the honor. Recipients are chosen based on outstanding contributions and achievements, commitment to excellence, and character. Honorees serve as agents of change in the advancement of TSTC initiatives.

TSTC prides itself on being “a great place to work” and is currently hiring for over 100 positions at its 10 campuses statewide. For information on open positions at TSTC, visit tstc.edu/about/employment.

TSTC in Sweetwater Hosts Industry Job Fair for Students

(SWEETWATER) – More than 150 Texas State Technical College students learned about job opportunities at the Industry Job Fair held Tuesday morning on the Sweetwater campus.

Roughly 30 employers that attended looked for students to fill welding, industrial painting, drafting and other jobs in high demand.

Robert Schneider, 26, an Automotive Technician certificate major from San Angelo, visited the event to continue job hunting before his April graduation.

“The event is a good thing,” he said. “These young kids need to look at their options and see what is out there.”

Erika Luneau, director of human resources for Koenig and Bauer in Irving, said she was looking out for students studying electrical and mechanical fields who want to do a one-year apprenticeship in Germany and then work for the company. The German company specializes in making printing presses.

“We have been working with TSTC over the last year,” Luneau said. “We have visited several campuses and like the programs. We like how students learn theory and do hands-on. We need to find someone who is adventurous and is okay with the lifestyle of traveling most of the time.”

Christa Valdivia, 28, a nursing major from Colorado City, said it was her first employment event. She is scheduled to graduate in December.

“I actually was curious about occupational nursing,” she said. “I got some information on civilian nursing. I feel like the job fair gives us a leg up. It’s just for TSTC.”

Heather Kumpe, economic development specialist for the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, was also representing the San Angelo Regional Manufacturers Alliance. Kumpe had a lot to talk about with students. She said San Angelo has more than 80 manufacturers and a 3.2 percent unemployment rate.

Kumpe said specific San Angelo employers were seeking nurses, mechanics and industrial sandblasters.

“Our job is to get more companies to come to San Angelo,” Kumpe said. “But, we need the workers. This is the first time we have done a job fair.”

Employees from ONE Gas, a natural gas distribution company with more than two million customers in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, brought a mobile telemetry unit used to monitor pressure at oil and gas locations and a field meter set to show students.

Tony Peterson, a foreman for ONE Gas, said he was seeking job candidates to move to the Permian Basin to work.

“Retention is a challenge,” he said.

Some employer tables had TSTC alumni answering questions from students.

Brandi Riley, a registered nurse and outpatient/surgery services manager at Eastland Memorial Hospital in Eastland, graduated in 2017 from TSTC in Sweetwater. She said finding qualified nurses is a challenge.

“Working in a small facility, you know everyone,” Riley said. “I know the names of my patients and co-workers by first name.”

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