Category Archives: All TSTC

TSTC Names Rick Denbow Provost

(WEST TEXAS) – Texas State Technical College has named Rick Denbow as the Provost over its four West Texas campuses. Denbow served as Interim Provost for the campuses since May.

Along with functioning as Interim Provost, Denbow was also the Senior Field Development Officer for The TSTC Foundation, an instrumental role in supporting the efforts of TSTC’s new technology center in Abilene. Denbow began working for TSTC in 2009 as the director of the Welding and Transportation Technology Division.

Denbow said he is honored to have been selected.

“It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m very excited also,” he said. “In my tenure with TSTC, I’ve spent my time in West Texas working with the four campuses and I’ve come to know the programs and the faculty and staff. I’m really excited about going forward. Some of the things the college has done, like the most recent reorganization, have really positioned us to be successful.”

The West Texas community is one of Denbow’s favorite things about his job.

“The communities at each of the four locations are very supportive of TSTC and what we’re trying to do, and that makes our job a little bit easier,” he said. “Also, the faculty and staff are just awesome. They’re always willing to go that extra mile and I’m honored to be able to work with them.”

Denbow has lofty goals for TSTC in West Texas.

“As the Chancellor stated in an email to employees a few weeks back, there’s one word and that’s growth,” Denbow said. “That can have different meanings depending on the campus. Is it growing enrollment? Is it growing capacity? Is it growing placement? I would submit it’s all of the above. Each campus in West Texas is unique and one of my goals is to make sure we grow at each of our four campuses.”

TSTC Vice Chancellor & Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Kilgore said he is excited to welcome Denbow in the role.

“Through his experiences, Rick has a really good sense of the communities and needs of industry in the West Texas Region,” Kilgore said.

Denbow graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from University of Texas at Austin.

“I come from the business world,” Denbow said. “With Chancellor Reeser’s focus on making TSTC a little more entrepreneurial, a little more business-like, that fits very well with my background. I think I can add value to the West Texas campuses in the provost role.”

Denbow added that TSTC’s new Industrial Technology Center in Abilene is ahead of the construction schedule. They hope to start moving employees in on Aug. 1, and classes will begin in the building in the fall. Denbow says the campus signifies a new beginning for TSTC in Abilene.

“That campus, the design and how it’s laid out, the Abilene community has never seen anything like that from TSTC,” he said. “The Abilene campus has been housed in an old hospital and we didn’t really have an opportunity to put any heavy equipment and industrial trades in there. This is a new start.”

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

Annual TSTC North Texas Open House a Success

(RED OAK) – Texas State Technical College in North Texas held its annual open house Friday, opening its campus for tours and to meet with faculty. The event, designed for prospective students who want to learn more about the college, hosted more than 300 visitors.

Shannon Gaspard, TSTC director of Student Recruitment, said the event was successful.

“We’ve doubled our attendance from last year, which is great,” Gaspard said. “This year, we also partnered with Region 10 and Region 11 and we worked with them to get the word out about our event to students. It worked out a lot, and we now have recognition in a lot of those different counties with the schools.”

Gaspard said it’s also a win for the instructors.

“Now you have students who are learning about different programs,” she said. “We have a group who’d never heard of welding and had never been in a welding lab, but they’re racing to welding now because they’re interested in learning more about it, taking a look at the equipment and just seeing the different cool things that are made from like a simple cutting machine.”

Renvy Smith, a teacher from LEAP Academy in Midlothian, said the school only brought a small group, but they had a good time.

“They had an idea of what areas they were interested in, so we visited those,” Smith said. “The students did enjoy those areas.”

John Tanner, CTE teacher at Cleburne’s Team School, brought about 20 students to the event. He said they also enjoyed it.

“The students had a good time,” he said. “I think they learned a lot.”

All of TSTC’s programs participated in the event.

“The programs were doing a sort of show-and-tell,” Gaspard said. “So they’re showing the equipment and tools, but they’re also doing different types of competitions in their labs. Industrial Maintenance had cranes and were showing the students how the hydraulics and all these different parts equal out to what you do in the field. They’re doing that while moving building blocks, and whoever stacks them the tallest wins.”

Gaspard said one of the most popular sessions of the day was the “TSTC Experience.”

“That was the session where students could learn more about what we offer, the programs and how to apply,” she said. “We were at capacity every session.”

Another aspect the students loved was the game room.

“We had some fun games, like one where you have to move a cookie from your forehead into your mouth without using your hands,” Gaspard said. “Students loved it!”

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 Alumni Part of SpaceX Rocket Project

(WACO) – The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched in early February included a little touch of Texas State Technical College.

TSTC alumni Ryan Allen, 29, of Whitney and Russell Kent, 29, of Robinson were among several SpaceX employees who built the rocket that the private company has called the most powerful operational rocket in the world.

Kent and Allen are welders and have worked at SpaceX for four years. The men are based at SpaceX’s rocket development facility in McGregor but also travel to the company’s other facilities to work.

Allen, Kent and other co-workers in McGregor watched SpaceX’s live feed of Falcon Heavy’s launch on Feb. 6 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“It really put it all in perspective in what a group of people can accomplish,” Kent said. “I found myself thinking that this is what it must have been like in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I tell people all the time SpaceX is making space cool again. SpaceX is bringing it back with people dreaming about being an astronaut again and working in the space industry.”

Kent graduated in 2007 from Hubbard High School in Hill County. His family’s Hubbard donut business is where Kent, then a high school student, first learned about TSTC.

“A customer came in one day and told my mom that I should do the welding program in Waco,” he said. “The rest is history. The donut thing was not for me – it is a third-generation business. I love it and it’s my family tradition. But, I wanted to do something different but I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

Kent said he naturally took to welding. He spent a few years doing power plant maintenance before joining SpaceX.

“I strive to be the best at welding that I can be,” Kent said. “I didn’t want to fall in with the crowd. I want to be a little bit different. Don’t be scared to be different.”

Allen is a graduate of Bynum High School in Hill County.

Allen and Kent both graduated from TSTC in 2009 with Associate of Applied Science degrees in Welding Technology from TSTC.

Cody Musia, lead instructor in TSTC’s Welding Technology program in Waco, said Kent and Allen’s work is an example of being able to do welding project work close to home.

“There is a broad variety of things that can be done in welding, including structural or X-ray-quality welding,” Musia said. “There is clean-room welding, which a lot of females are better at. There is also TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding, along with robotics and automation. There are different places in the world for the welders. It’s all about the type of lifestyle you want to live.”

Carson Pearce, TSTC’s statewide transportation division director, said TSTC alumni are working to help advance space travel in other ways.

“We currently have three graduates working with Virgin Galactic on the first commercial spacecraft, Spaceship II,” Pearce said. “SpaceX has hired several graduates as well. Another huge growth area is commercial aviation. The airlines are begging us for pilots, mechanics, dispatchers and avionics technicians. The Federal Aviation Administration is hiring our graduates as they finish their air traffic control classes, and at the FAA Academy, they are almost always in the top 10 percent of the class.”

For more information on SpaceX, go to spacex.com.

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

 

Prospective Students Attend TSTC Open House

(BRECKENRIDGE) – Texas State Technical College in Breckenridge hosted more than 400 high school students for Open House on Friday, March 2.

The visitors were treated to talks with instructors in TSTC programs in Chemical Dependency Counseling, Environmental Technology, Vocational Nursing and Welding Technology. Faculty members from TSTC in Abilene, Brownwood and Sweetwater also attended to talk about some of their programs.

“I’m ecstatic at the turnout,” TSTC in Breckenridge Executive Director Debbie Karl said. “This was the largest open house for a TSTC campus in West Texas ever. I wanted the students to learn more about TSTC and what we offer.”

Students who visited Environmental Technology tried on hazmat suits and saw a rat play in a maze. Those who stopped by the table staffed by Culinary Arts, which is offered in Abilene, sampled food.

Vocational Nursing students showed visitors how simulated patient mannequins function. Jenny Wingate, a program instructor, said the pregnancy baby suit was popular with students.

“I hope it sparks their interest in nursing,” she said about the event.

Annette Collins, veteran programs officer for TSTC in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood and Sweetwater, told students they could be eligible for education benefits if their parents, or any other relatives who they have lived with and been raised by for at least five years, served in the military.

Some of the school districts that sent students to the event include Albany, Boyd, Breckenridge, Eastland, Ranger and Throckmorton.

Zachary Canada, 17, a senior at Olney High School in Young County, saw the Breckenridge campus for the first time at the event.

“I want to check out Wind Energy Technology and see what they have,” Canada said. “I have family that are in it. They said it was a good thing to look at.”

All of Breckenridge High School’s students walked to the campus at scheduled times throughout the morning to visit the event.

“We are always talking about what you are going to do,” Breckenridge High School Principal Bryan Dieterich said. “We want the students to know every opportunity.”

Dieterich said the high school was fortunate to have TSTC so close for students to visit.

“A lot of schools our size don’t have this opportunity,” he said.

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

 

Local high school students experience TSTC

(FORT BEND) – From robot races to dressing up in HAZMAT suits, local high school juniors and seniors had the opportunity to experience the newest Texas State Technical College programs during the first Program Highlight Day.

TSTC recently hosted approximately 70 students from KIPP Generations Collegiate and Palacios High School, both schools nearly an hour away.

“This was a first-time event for us and we couldn’t be more excited about its success,” said Marigold Sagrado, TSTC student recruitment coordinator. “It was a great opportunity to showcase our campus and highlight our programs.”

Students were provided a tour of the Brazos Center, the newest building at TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus. They were also introduced to the four newest programs housed in the building: Environmental Technology – Compliance Specialization, Electrical Power and Controls Technology, Electrical Lineworker Technology and Robotics Technology.

“The goal behind this event is to expose students to the programs we offer and can lead to high-paying jobs,” said Sagrado. “These programs impact the areas that are essential to our daily lives and we need to fill the skills gap.”

Faculty and current students from TSTC’s newest programs offered hands-on activities or demonstrations for the juniors and seniors including racing robots, dressing up in HAZMAT suits and respirators and watching electricity safety and electrical lineworker climbing demonstrations.

For many students like junior Mario Arguello from Kipp Generations Collegiate, this was the best part of the day.

“I’m thinking of pursuing robotics at TSTC so this was definitely my favorite part,” said the 17-year-old. “I’ve always had an interest in robots so I was most excited about touring this program.”

When Arguello graduates in 2019, he said he hopes to attend TSTC and pursue an associate degree in Robotics Technology.

“After learning about the program and all of the career possibilities, I feel this is the right place for me.”

Sagrado said she was happy to see the students engaged in all of the activities and to hear the many positive responses she received.“Overall, this event was a success,” she said. “The students really enjoyed the tours and program demonstrations. Many even expressed their interest and excitement about enrolling.”

She added that she is looking forward to many more events like Program Highlight Day that give her and her team the opportunity of teaching the community what TSTC has to offer.

Registration for the Summer and Fall Semesters begins April 2.

For more information or to apply and register, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC to host annual counselor update

(ABILENE) – Texas State Technical College will host its annual Counselor Update and Luncheon from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27.

Nearly 45 high school employees from Regions 9 and 14 and the surrounding areas are expected at the event.

Marina Wilcox, TSTC vice president of dual enrollment, will speak about the importance of two Texas house bills: one that impacts the way high school students choose courses with a career goal in mind and another that requires high schools to improve student performance.

“We are educating them on House Bills 5 and 22 and how TSTC can meet their needs in being successful,” said TSTC dual enrollment advisor Amy Freeman.

TSTC representatives will also cover new forms and changes in the admissions process and general business for the 2018-19 academic year.

“Dual enrollment has gone through some major changes,” Freeman said. “We’ll update them on these new processes and how we can help make the transition easier for them.”

Freeman said the event is beneficial for counselors to attend

“We are covering a lot of information that is relevant for them — not just on TSTC’s end, but also for the state of Texas and its goals. We’ll educate them on what they can do to help students graduate high school with a certificate so they can go out and get jobs.”

Last month, TSTC announced new, fully online pathways in Cyber Security, Digital Media Design and Medical Office Specialist. Health Information Technology was the first program to go completely online. Many of the high schools participating in dual enrollment opted for these degree plans.

“With the distances that West Texas dual enrollment covers, I will say the majority of our schools are participating in fully online programs,” Freeman said. “We’re anticipating additional schools to partner with us in online programs for the 2018-19 academic year.”

TSTC will open its newest Abilene campus in the fall, bringing the addition of three new programs: Electrical Power & Controls, Industrial Maintenance Technology and Welding Technology.

“Each of those programs will have a dual enrollment pathway available for local students,” Freeman said. “We hope that students from AISD, Jim Ned, Clyde and Hawley will be interested in coming to the new campus.”

For more information on TSTC and its dual enrollment program, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC student’s career is ready for take off

(HARLINGEN) – It is an honor being invited to NASA, but getting a second invite is even better. This is what Texas State Technical College student Saul Pizano recently found out.

The Harlingen native has just returned from Johnson Space Center in Houston where he served as a student assistant for NASA’s Community College Aerospace Scholars project (NCAS).

“I never expected to be presented with this teaching opportunity,” said Pizano. “When I got the call I couldn’t contain my excitement. There was a lot of jumping and screaming.”

It was just last year that Pizano had been selected as a scholar for the program, joining nearly 304 students from across the United States to be part of the five-week program that culminated with a week at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Pizano was the only student from TSTC.

“My dream is to work at NASA. When I’m there it feels like home,” he said. “I’ve had a fascination with the (space science) field since I was a little boy and the paths I am choosing seem to be leading me there.”Saul Pizano

Only two NASA scholar alumni get chosen to return for a second year as student assistants. The 22-year-old’s offer letter points out that Pizano’s leadership, communication and teamwork skills demonstrated during last year’s on-site experience impressed the selection committee.

As a student assistant, Pizano led close to 50 students in this year’s NCAS project in engineering and robotics competitions, activities and events.

“I had such a different experience this time around,” he said. “I already knew what to expect so I was able to focus on the details to make this an unforgettable experience for these students. Seeing everyone work together and bond was incredible.”

Pizano added that his goal as a student assistant was to inspire the dream of NASA in others.

“Sometimes when you go to a ‘college’ not a ‘university’ you think something like NASA isn’t possible, but this experience has shown me that it can be a reality if you work hard and really want it,” he said. “I hope my story resonated with some.”

Pizano is already a TSTC graduate with an associate degree in Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics and will get three more associate degrees in Engineering, Math and Physics this year.

He has also begun applying for NASA engineering summer internships at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“I finally feel like my life is reaching its potential,” he said. “I won’t stop working until I make my dream come true.”

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

Student Success Profile – Juanita Gonzalez

(HARLINGEN) – Juanita Gonzalez is pursuing an associate degree in Education and Training at Texas State Technical College and expects to earn her degree in Spring 2019.

Although only in her second semester, Gonzalez first stepped foot on the TSTC campus as a Dual Enrollment student through San Benito High School.

The 18-year-old holds a 3.6 grade-point-average and is also an active volunteer with her church in San Benito.Juanita Gonzalez

What are your plans after graduation?

After I graduate from TSTC I plan on continuing my education at Texas A&M-Kingsville through TSTC’s University Center and earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Early Childhood and Bilingual Education.

What’s your dream job?

I love working with small children, so my dream job is to become a bilingual teacher for students in kindergarten through third grade. I also would not mind teaching math. It is one of my favorite subjects as well.

What has been your greatest accomplishment while at TSTC?

I have had two accomplishment that I consider my greatest so far. One is my GPA. I’m thankful for the great tutors I have had who have helped me maintain good grades. Second is finding myself at TSTC and being able to escape my comfort zone. I’ve met great people, made new friends and have had great experiences.

What greatest lesson have you learned about yourself or life?

The greatest lesson I have learned is to not depend on the approval of others. It’s important to have confidence in yourself and always believe that you can achieve your goal.

Who has had the most influence on your success?

My high school education teacher Brenda Aguilar from San Benito High School has made the greatest influence. It is because of her that I am at TSTC. She always believed and had faith in me. She instilled in me that no matter what, I could achieve anything.

What is your advice for future TSTC students?

My advice for future TSTC students is to not let anyone discourage them from their dreams. Believe in yourself always and put yourself and your goal first.

TSTC Agriculture Expo Plants the Seeds of Success

 

TSTC 1993 Farming Ranch Management alum.

(HARLINGEN) – David Ramirez spoke with local high school and Texas State Technical College Agricultural Technology students recently during the college’s eighth annual Agriculture Expo hosted by TSTC’s Office of Talent Management and Career Services.

This is Ramirez’s sixth year attending the event.

He is a 1993 graduate from TSTC’s Farming Ranch Management program, which is now Agricultural Technology and works with the Customs and Border Protection as a technician at the Brownsville Port of Entry.

“Coming to TSTC was one of my best decisions,” said Ramirez. “It feels great coming back and helping young minds find their way.”

Remembering that he was once in their shoes, Ramirez said he is thankful he is able to give back to a college that gave him so much.

“My goal is to make students aware of the career opportunities that are there for them once they graduate from TSTC,” he said. “And I cannot stress enough the importance of an education. I can’t wait to work with some of these students someday.”

Ramirez, in addition to other agencies such as six branches of the United State Department of Agriculture, Texas Department of Agriculture and the United States Border Control, presented information on career opportunities and their departments.

Guadalupe Gracia, Mexican fruit fly coordinator with the USDA Animal and Plant health Inspection Service facility in Harlingen, said she enjoys attending this event because highly-skilled and trained students in agriculture are in demand.

“This event is a great opportunity to recruit for our internships and temporary positions,” said Gracia. “We get great people from TSTC who don’t need to be retrained and have a great work ethic.”

Gracia said thanks to the USDA-Step2 Grant – a program designed to provide mentored research experiences in biological and agricultural sciences –  shared through TSTC and other Texas colleges and universities, at least 25 agriculture students from TSTC’s program have already been awarded summer internships and scholarships.

“Most of the time our internships lead to temporary and permanent jobs with the USDA, which is a great advantage for those students,” she said. “It’s a win-win-win; for us, the college and its students.”

TSTC Agriculture ExpoAccording to Gracia, the USDA will open a new facility in Edinburg in 2020 and will need to hire approximately 150 people.

TSTC’s Talent Management and Career Services Director Viviana Espinosa said this event is hosted annually to give TSTC students the opportunity of speaking first-hand with recruiters regarding volunteer, internship and job opportunities.

“We host this event to create an awareness of career possibilities in the Agriculture industry,” said Espinosa. “And it’s also a motivation and inspiration when they see TSTC alumni working with these agencies.”

Espinoza also added that many of these agencies, in addition to other industry partners, support TSTC’s career placement efforts by attending interview practicums, career fairs and Employee Spotlights.

“We work closely with the agriculture faculty here at TSTC,” said Gracia. “This college produces great students and we love to see them flourish and grow.”

To schedule a visit on campus for Employee Spotlights or for more information on the services offered by TSTC’s Talent Management and Career Services, call 956-364-4940 or visit tstc.edu.

TSTC names new Interim Provost

(HARLINGEN) – From a first-generation college student and first-generation Mexican immigrant rising from poverty to now Texas State Technical College’s recently announced Interim Provost, Cledia Hernandez feels blessed to be in a leadership position that will impact generations, one life at a time.

“I’m excited to follow in the footsteps of leaders that came before me,” said Hernandez. “I always hoped one day I’d be in their shoes and become the leader of an institution that impacts so many and so much.”

The Brownsville native, who is also TSTC’s Associate Vice President of Workforce Development, has worked in higher education for nearly two decades, five of those years have been at TSTC.

Her stint in workforce development and higher education began at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC), now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, when she accepted a work study position with the university’s Department of Continuing Education.

“It all started with a work study job,” she said. “I can personally relate to the students I serve and although the road is never easy, perseverance can make dreams happen.”Cledia Hernandez

Hernandez earned her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from UTB/TSC in 2005 and a master’s degree in Leadership in Higher Education in 2014 from Northcentral University, all while working 40-plus hours a week to pay for her education.

Before arriving as the associate vice president for Workforce Development at TSTC in 2013, Hernandez had already served as a secretary, coordinator, program director and director for continuing education at UTB/TSC.

“I worked closely with TSTC while at UTB and immediately saw the value a technical education has for families and the industry,” said Hernandez. “So I decided to take the leap and accept my new position at TSTC to create new opportunities for students and help fill the skills gap in the state.”

As the new interim provost, Hernandez will provide regional leadership to South Texas and continue to build relationships with community and industry partners.

“As interim provost, my goal is to continue building stronger connections between TSTC and industry so that as a technical institution we can advance our programs, technologies and training to ensure that our students are knowledgeable in the latest, trending technologies,” she stated.

Vice Chancellor and Chief Integration Officer Rick Herrera, who has served as Interim Provost for the last six months, will be handing over the reins to Hernandez and said that a provost’s most notable role is how he/she  represents and addresses the needs of the communities they serve, and he has no doubt she will be successful.

“Mrs. Hernandez brings nearly 20 years of experience in higher education in the area of workforce development,” he said. “She has an impressive amount of community and volunteer service through numerous local boards and organizations.”

Herrera went on to add, “Mrs. Hernandez is well respected by the campus community and has wasted no time in taking charge. Under her leadership, I know the campus will not only continue to prosper, but also grow.”

Hernandez, in response, has a message for TSTC faculty and staff and students, respectively.

“We all have a vital role in transforming lives and launching careers,” she said. “Every TSTC employee on this campus is shaping individual lives and everything done at this college is one step toward impacting families, our community and the state.  And to our students, I’ve walked in your shoes. I understand the sacrifice that is necessary to make dreams a reality,” said Hernandez. “There is light at the end of the tunnel and TSTC is here to help you reach your goals in any way possible.”

Hernandez added that TSTC is truly a great place to work because of the teamwork that happens every day to make things possible.

In the coming months, Hernandez will be out in the community meeting with local leaders and elected officials as she takes on her new role.