Category Archives: All TSTC

TSTC to Host Program Highlight Day

(RED OAK) – Texas State Technical College in North Texas will host Program Highlight Day for its Electrical Power & Controls program from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 22.

Prospective students will be able to participate in hands-on activities directed by Electrical Power & Controls faculty and learn more about the program, which covers engineering, design, installation, calibration, testing, troubleshooting, computer instrumentation, robotics interfacing, and electrical construction.

An associate degree in Electrical Power & Controls is also covered under TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee program. If graduates of the program do not find a job in their field within six months of graduating, they will receive their tuition back.

Those interested in attending the event can register at http://bit.ly/tstcepc.

Who: Texas State Technical College
What: Electrical Power & Controls Program Highlight Day
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 22
Where: TSTC in North Texas, 119 N. Lowrance Road, Red Oak, Texas 75154

TSTC in Marshall Hosts Annual Job Fair

(MARSHALL) – Students at Texas State Technical College walked into the college’s annual job fair Tuesday with resumes in hand, hoping to leave with the promise of a job.

More than 30 employers set up at the job fair to meet with, interview and possibly hire students from TSTC’s 12 programs offered at the Marshall campus.

Hannah Luce, coordinator of Career Services at TSTC, said the event went well.

“It’s probably near the same turnout we usually have,” Luce said. “The job fair gives our students a good showcase of the variety of companies that are out there hiring them. It gives them networking opportunities.”

Luce said many employers were anxious to set up interviews with the students.

“Tons of students were handing out their resumes and the employers were asking for them, ready to get them in and interviewed,” she said.

Dustin Deberry, remote operations project supervisor for Matheson Gas, said the company came looking to fill positions in industrial maintenance and process operations.

“We had come and done some interviews about a month or so ago, and we liked everybody we talked to,” Deberry said. “We’ve had some promising candidates today. We want them to come to the plant that they’d be interviewing for and speak directly with the plant manager and the zone manager.”

Joe Razza, regional recruiter in Texas and Louisiana for Crown Lift Trucks, said the company does a lot of work with TSTC.

“I’ve had an ongoing relationship with the diesel and industrial maintenance programs and the instructors, so a lot of these individuals I’ve spoken with in the past,” Razza said. “Today is more of a networking event, answering any questions they might have. For the most part they’ve come up pretty prepared with resumes and things like that, so it’s been pretty good.”

Razza said the quality of individuals the college is producing is one of the many reasons why Crown maintains a great relationship with TSTC.

“We also see the passion and drive of the employees that are training those individuals, and that makes it rewarding for us,” he said.

Crown Lift has also offered workshops at TSTC’s campuses statewide to help better prepare students for the workforce.

“We’re not only offering the soft skills workshops and things like that to programs that pertain to us,” Razza said. “We’re offering them campus-wide at all the locations, to kind of give back to TSTC. The students are obtaining all of the things that they need to be successful in their career from the campuses. The soft skills give them an edge up on the competition, and we want them to be successful whether they pursue us or somebody else.”

TSTC will begin registering students for the summer and fall semesters on Monday, April 2. For more information on the college, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC recruiter serves as inspiration to students

(FORT BEND) – Yulonda Durst, who survived a childhood of poverty and overcame personal hardships as an adult, is now at Texas State Technical College as a student recruiter hoping to help young people find a better life through education.

Durst was raised in Beaumont and as a young girl, along with her four siblings, was homeless, usually forced to spend days apart from her family.

“We were a large family, and it was difficult for family to take all of us in,” she said. “But through it all my mom remained positive, kept us praying and reminded us that struggles were temporary.”

And temporary they were.

Durst and her family slowly moved up from homelessness to a house with no electricity to the projects and finally to a house they could call their own after Durst’s mother married.

The Beaumont native grew up to be a licensed cosmetologist, a youth pastor for New Hope Deliverance Ministry, a church in her hometown, and a college graduate.Yulonda Durst - TSTC Student Recruiter

She earned an associate degree from a technology school in Beaumont in Business Computer Information Systems in 2012 while working and raising her seven children.

“It wasn’t easy, but I wanted more for me and my family. So I pushed forward,” she said.

While juggling her salon, Graceful Hands Beauty Salon, established in 2005, a newfound career as a financial aid representative at her alma mater, and her family, more life challenges were thrown her way.

A fire, which was ruled arson, destroyed her salon on Thanksgiving Day 2016 and a divorce left Durst in pieces and feeling discouraged.

“I didn’t rebuild. I wanted a brand new start,” she said. “And it was while looking for a place to live in the Houston area that I drove by TSTC and told my children, ‘I’m going to work there someday.’”

It was only two weeks before Hurricane Harvey that Durst and her children began a new life in Houston. She said she is thankful that her family was okay and their properties did not suffer damage.

“We were blessed, but many weren’t so lucky,” she said.

Knowing this is what encouraged her to volunteer at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston and work as a FEMA contractor for four months before getting a job at TSTC.

Durst is now the newest student recruiter at TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus and said she was immediately impressed with the campus and its employees.

“At TSTC I feel like we’re all equal. I’m part of one great, big family,” she said. “It’s all hands on deck, no matter your position. There’s so much unity.”

Durst has many goals for her new position, but her main one is to encourage higher education in students who don’t see it as a possibility.

“I always tell students that education is the key that opens doors,” she said. “I believe everyone has the potential of getting a college degree.”

Durst added, “TSTC is a two-year college that places students on a career path,” she said. “When a student enters TSTC they are taking steps toward a new career and life.”

Durst, who is still a youth pastor, said she hopes to grow with the college by being the continued support TSTC students need.

For more information the programs offered at TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus, visit tstc.edu.

Registration for Summer and Fall 2018 begins April 2.

TSTC alum has healthy career at Valley Baptist

(HARLINGEN) – It all started at Texas State Technical College for Linda Gonzalez, director of Health Information Management at Valley Baptist Medical Center, where she has been for three decades.

The Harlingen native graduated with an associate degree in 1993 from TSTC’s Health Information Technology program.

“If not for TSTC, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” she said. “To move up the ladder I needed a degree and I am thankful that TSTC gave me that opportunity.”

Gonzalez’s first experience in the health information and medical records field started in high school when she worked for a local doctor’s office. After high school she continued working there and tried university life.

“A four-year university wasn’t for me at the time. I was fresh out of high school and needed a break,” she said. “Plus I was really enjoying my work.

In 1987, while still working full-time for the doctor, she joined the Valley Baptist Medical Center family as a part-time birth certificate clerk. She eventually moved up to assembly and analysis clerk and healthcare statistics clerk.Linda Gonzalez - TSTC Health Info. Tech alum

“By this time I knew I wanted to make this my career and I wanted the chance to become a manager or director, so I knew what I had to do,” she said.

That’s when she enrolled at TSTC after hearing about the program from her then colleague Ana Gonzales. Gonzalez is now a Health Information Technology instructor at TSTC.

“I would go to work at 3 a.m. every morning so I could complete my work by the time I would leave for school,” she said. “Was it hard? Yes, I was always sleepy and would find myself dozing off in class, but so worth it.”

Immediately after receiving her associate degree she applied for and appointed to a manager position overseeing the statistic clerks, beginning the next journey on her career path.

Gonzalez went on to receive her bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix in Healthcare Administration to move up as director at Valley Baptist.

The 52-year-old now oversees a staff of 51 employees, 24 of which are also TSTC graduates, and she sits on the TSTC Health Information Technology advisory board, providing updates and recommendations to program instructors.

“TSTC graduates have always been top picks for Valley Baptist,” said Gonzalez. “We recognize their skills and the fact that they come on board ready to hit the ground running.”

Gonzalez added that over the 30 years she has been at Valley Baptist their support for TSTC students and graduates has never faltered, even allowing students to complete their clinical rotations at both Valley Baptist locations in Harlingen and Brownsville.

“I’m here to support and to encourage all of them (students) to be the best they can be and to continue pursuing specializations in their field,” she said. “They all have so much potential.”

Students who pursue an associate degree in Health Information Technology will learn the skills needed to manage health information across computerized systems and its secure exchange between consumers, providers, government entities and insurers and will also be trained in billing and coding.

TSTC’s program is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIM), allowing TSTC graduates to take the national exam needed to obtain the credentials of a Registered Health Information Technician improving career possibilities and increasing salaries.

Health Information Technology is offered at TSTC’s Harlingen campus and is also offered 100 percent online.

Registration for Summer and Fall 2018 begins April 2.

For more information on the program, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Biomed student finds opportunity in booming medical industry

(HARLINGEN) – Richard Ruiz, a Biomedical Equipment Technology student at Texas State Technical College is expected to graduate next month with his associate degree, but already finds himself working in the field.

“It all happened so quickly,” he said. “I was only looking for an internship, but ended up with so much more.”

The La Feria native is completing his internship work and has a permanent position at XOtech, LLC, a Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business federal contracting company in Utah that focuses on providing services to the Department of Defense.

The 28-year-old is contracted by the Medical Equipment Concentration Site 88th area as a Biomedical Electronic Technician 1 overseeing the maintenance and repair of medical equipment in the healthcare setting.

Richard Ruiz - TSTC Biomedical student

“I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity,” said Ruiz. “This is a huge stepping stone for me.”

Prior to pursuing a career path in Biomedical Equipment Technology, Ruiz enrolled at TSTC as a Dental Hygiene student, but realized it was not the path he wanted to follow.

So, he applied to TSTC’s Vocational Nursing program and unfortunately did not get accepted.

“I’ve always loved the medical field and anatomy and physiology, but I was lost,” he said. “I had no idea what to do.”

Ruiz ended up taking a summer semester off to work and earn money, and then stayed out longer than expected.

“I lost momentum and enjoyed the money I was making, but when my fiancé and I learned we were expecting a baby everything shifted,” he said.

The jobs he was working at places such as Peter Piper Pizza, Dollar General and in the oil field suddenly were not enough for Ruiz.

“I needed to do more for my family and I knew I could only do that with an education. And that’s when I found TSTC’s biomed program. I immediately fell in love,” he said.

He credits God and all of the instructors in the Biomedical Equipment Technology program for his success and doubled income.

Richard Ruiz - TSTC Biomedical student

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without God, TSTC and the training I have received,” he said. “Everything got me ready for something amazing.”

Ray Longoria, TSTC Biomedical Equipment Technology instructor, said he was not surprised when he learned about Ruiz’s placement.

“Richard is an excellent student always demonstrating great initiative, leadership and teamwork,” said Longoria. “He has a bright future and I see him becoming a lead technician and even opening his own business one day.”

Longoria said when students like Ruiz move on, which they rightfully should, it’s a bittersweet moment.

“Ruiz did so much for us. He always helped other students, helped us around the lab and even with recruiting,” he said. “We’re so proud of him, but we’re going to miss him.”

Students like Ruiz get extensive hands-on training during their time in the program with the latest technology and equipment being used in the healthcare field.

The program currently works closely with TSTC’s Allied Health and Emergency Medical Technician departments, Culture of Life Ministries’ free health clinic, Loaves and Fishes and Ace Medical, maintaining and repairing their medical equipment.

As for Ruiz, who now lives in Utah with his family, he said it is this training that prepared him for his new career and gave him the confidence to pursue it and dream big.

Ruiz hopes to one day open his own biomedical business.

For more information on Biomedical Equipment Technology at TSTC’s Harlingen and Waco campuses, visit tstc.edu.

Registration for Summer and Fall 2018 begins April 2.

Student Success Profile – Yolanda Reyes

(HARLINGEN) – Yolanda ReyesTexas State Technical College Agricultural Technology student Yolanda Reyes expects to graduate with her associate degree next month and boasts a 3.6 grade-point average.

When the Brownsville native is not busy in class or studying, she is organizing fundraisers and showcasing her program at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show as president of the TSTC Agriculture Club. She also volunteers in her community regularly with TSTC Student Life.

What are your plans after graduation?

After I graduate I plan on returning to TSTC to pursue an associate degree in biology and then transferring to Texas A&M-Kingsville for a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management.

What’s your dream job?

My dream job is to become a game warden. This career combines my love for nature, animals and law enforcement. It’ll be the best of both worlds.

What has been your greatest accomplishment while at TSTC?

My greatest accomplishments have been being able to maintain a GPA above 3.5 and having the opportunity of becoming a student leader within my program’s club and Student Life.

What greatest lesson have you learned about yourself or life?

The greatest lesson I have learned is to not give up. I must overcome the obstacles that are thrown my way and reach for my goals. I never thought school was an option, I didn’t have the money, but with hard work, saved money and financial aid, here I am.

Who at TSTC has had the most influence in your success?

First there are my two Agricultural Technology Instructors Sam Gavito and Norberto Mendoza. They are great motivators, give great advice and encourage me to keep going. Next, are my mom and sister. I can’t leave them out. They are the reason why I work hard and want to succeed. They are always pushing me to think of my future and support my dreams and goals.

What is your advice for future TSTC students?

My advice for future TSTC students is to not limit yourself. Everything you are doing, you are doing for you. So don’t let others discourage you. Keep working toward your goals.

 

TSTC in Waco Hosts Open House

(WACO) – More than 950 visitors from throughout the state attended Open House at Texas State Technical College on Thursday.

Visitors were treated to a taco lunch, tours of several technical programs and one-on-one time with instructors at tables set up in the Murray Watson Jr. Student Recreation Center.

“I think things are going great,” said Darryan Meyers, a TSTC student recruitment representative. “I think everyone is getting what TSTC has to offer. There is good engagement with the staff and visitors.”

Michael Sedillo, 21, is a Connally High School graduate who has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas Tech University. He visited Open House because he will start work on a pharmacy technician certificate this fall at TSTC. His goal is to continue his education after graduation and become a pharmacist.

“My sister came to TSTC and when I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, she told me about the program,” Sedillo said. “She graduated from the Pharmacy Technician program and she said, ‘You could end up being my boss.’ So, I definitely wanted to do it and I’m really excited to get going on pursuing my dream.”

Gabriela Herrera, 18, a senior at Waco High School and member of Prosper Waco’s Project Link initiative, said she is interested in majoring in Architectural and Civil Drafting Technology. She got her first taste of technical education when she attended last fall’s Women in Technology Day held at TSTC.

“Since I was little I had a dream to build my own home,” Herrera said.

Corby Myers, an instructor in the Drafting and Design Technology program, said about 45 students start the program and split to work either toward the associate degree in mechanical and electrical drafting technology or architectural and civil drafting technology at the start of their second semester at TSTC.

“Graduates are support staff for architects and engineers,” Myers said. “They can do mechanical engineering or drafting. Anything that has to be built has to be drawn first.”

TSTC Electrical Power and Controls major Anita Nesler, 45, of Copperas Cove volunteered at the program’s information table and wanted to encourage females to think about the field of study. Electrical Power and Controls graduates maintain and test electrical and nuclear power plants, do electrical design and troubleshoot relays and transformers.

“We are always energy hungry as a society,” Nesler said.

Students in TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program demonstrated the construction of a mini-building and some programs showed off the tools of their trade to show prospective students and their families. The Cloud and Data Center Management program demonstrated small self-driving cars on a taped track on the carpeted first floor of the John B. Connally Technology Center.

The Computer Science program had a table for students to put on virtual reality headgear and feel their presence in the technology center, all without leaving the student recreation center. Event visitors could also use their smartphones or tablets to play an augmented reality game created by TSTC students.

Staff representing financial aid, student outreach, SkillsUSA, the Challenger Learning Center and student recruiting were also on hand to meet prospective students.

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

 

Dashiell Corp. Hires Entire TSTC Lineworker Class

(FORT BEND COUNTY) – The first graduating class of linemen from Texas State Technical College in Fort Bend County will walk the stage in April with their certificates and a sigh of relief, knowing they have jobs waiting for them.

All eight graduates have been offered employment with Dashiell Corp. upon completion of the program. Dashiell is a leading national provider of technical services to the electric utility, power generation and energy industries.

Troy Eads, instructor of TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker Technology, said he had been working with a couple of companies to help find his students jobs.

The representative from Dashiell was the first to see the students in action, Eads said. “After he talked to them and saw them climb, he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take them all.’”

Eads said he wasn’t really surprised that the company wanted all of the students.

“I try to teach them everything they need to know,” Eads said. “I wasn’t surprised that any company that came through would (hire them all) because we have a great program. Most schools have a 15-week certification, and we have 45 weeks. You learn a lot more in 45 weeks. We have a good curriculum and great students.”

Student Darryl Jackson said he feels good about having a job before graduating.

“Just a couple of years ago, I really didn’t understand where I would be at,” Jackson said. “Now I’m a few months away from graduating school, and I already have a job. It gives me a sense of accomplishment, like I actually did something.”

Jackson said he didn’t expect to have a job lined up so soon.

“I was really expecting that we’d graduate and have to go out and find our own jobs,” he said.

Though the students are taught the job skills they need, the program goes a little further than that.

“We go in-depth with what we teach them,” Eads said. “They learn not only about the work, but things like showing up on time also. There’s responsibility involved. We teach them about going through the interview and stuff like that as well — the soft skills.”

Jackson said it was those things that made the program special to him.

“It changed everybody in the program, including me,” he said. “We all had our ways about us, and Troy pointed those things out and showed us what wouldn’t work.”

As for now, the students are counting down the days until they begin their new jobs.

“I can’t wait,” Jackson said. “It’s something we talk about every day now.”

TSTC will begin registering students for the summer and fall semesters on Monday, April 2. For more information on TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker Technology, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC and Presidio ISD Unite to Offer Dual Credit Classes

(SWEETWATER) – Gilberto Madrid of Presidio is lighting the fire for his career each day in a welding booth at Texas State Technical College.

“I liked the thought of being able to control metal and fuse it together to make it something that can support weight,” said Madrid, 20. “That has interested me for a couple of years now.”

Madrid earned dual credit hours while a student at Presidio High School and is scheduled to graduate from TSTC in August with a certificate in Structural Welding and is considering his work options. It is a path Presidio Independent School District education leaders hope other students will follow as they are armed with dual credit hours from TSTC.

This year, there have been 20 Presidio High School students taking dual credit courses from TSTC online in Culinary Arts, Digital Media Design and Medical Office Specialist, and in person with TSTC credentialed high school teachers in Business Management Technology and Welding Technology.

For PISD Superintendent Dennis McEntire, one of the goals is to give Presidio students every opportunity they can to achieve.

“We are open to any dual credit with TSTC,” he said. “The welding is the one we have had the most numbers in. We can work with TSTC on anything they can make available for the kids to work on. This is the future; this is Presidio. We absolutely bought into this. We have managed to build this into our budget and create a financial model to make it successful.”

Some of Presidio High School’s welding students recently visited TSTC to meet Welding Technology program instructors and work with equipment.

“This just gives them a taste to get them motivated and hopefully continue on with us,” said Taylor Elston, a TSTC in Sweetwater welding instructor. “It seems to be paying off with some of them.”

Elston said Sweetwater’s welding program attracts students from throughout West Texas and the Panhandle. He said the goal is for graduates to have a job, or a welding test for a job, waiting for them upon graduation. Elston said he and fellow welding instructor Frank Molini are starting to build relationships with employers in Brady, Early and Roscoe.

“We are looking at the market and what is available and places they would not mind living,” Elston said. “We will see what the companies are testing and we will help them practice for their test to get the job.”

PISD’s early college high school concept containing a technical college component began about seven years ago, McEntire said. The school district also partners with The University of Texas of the Permian Basin in Odessa.

“We were able to put this into place about five years ago,” McEntire said. “It is 300 miles to UTPB  and nearly than 400 miles to TSTC – so everything has to be done online and done at a distance. It took us a couple of years to convince the Texas Education Agency that it is viable. It has become a much more common occurrence.”

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

 

Lorena Resident Designs Her Creative Future at TSTC

(WACO) – Raychel Mynarcik knows what she wants and is not afraid to go for it.

The busy 21-year-old Lorena native is in her second semester in Texas State Technical College’s Visual Communication Technology program. She sees TSTC as an opportunity to earn a degree that will turn her passions for music and design into a living.

“I wanted to be self-sufficient in my (music) career and do my own album covers and my own media for that. So with the Visual Communication program, I am able to learn all of the tools and programs that would allow me to do all my own media and designs so I wouldn’t have to pay anyone — just be the whole package,” Mynarcik said.

TSTC’s reputation for great job placement, coupled with its two-year timeline for associate degrees, sold Mynarcik on the college.

“They know how to prepare students to go into the workforce,” she said.

Mynarcik praised her TSTC instructors as playing key roles in guiding her to success.

“They have provided such a great foundation, at least for me, to really be able to craft and have the tools in order to really let that creativity shine,” she said.

Mynarcik’s VCT instructor, Michael Lewis, said she was a student with great potential.

“She’s energetic, creative and very excited about training for something she is so passionate about,” he said.

In addition to studying VCT, Mynarcik is president of TSTC’s Visual Arts Society, which combines web development with other VCT-related programs.

“Raychel was elected president of VAS her first semester at TSTC. And to have her come in and lead and encourage the participation we have is really impressive,” said Jennifer Piper, a Visual Communication Technology instructor.

The Visual Arts Society allows students to network and attend events where they can enhance their skills and learn more about their fields. In April, Mynarcik and 12 other members of the organization will attend the Dallas Society of Visual Communications conference to compete and showcase their skills.

“Being in that club gives so many experiences for a student that you wouldn’t normally get anywhere else,” Mynarcik said.  

Looking to the future, Mynarcik is excited and confident about the possibilities awaiting her.

“TSTC has been such a growth for me, I never thought I’d get to learn and create so quickly. I get to take something I love and earn a living and that’s amazing to think about, “ Mynarcik said.

Mynarcik is scheduled to graduate in 2019 from TSTC.

Besides being a full-time student, Mynarcik is worship director for Lorena United Methodist Church and a dance fitness instructor at Baylor University. She already has associate degrees from McLennan Community College in vocal performance and songwriting, and has released four songs on Spotify and iTunes under the name Ray Mynarcik.

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