Category Archives: All TSTC

Manufacturing Consortium Partners with TSTC for $293,211 Job-Training Grant

(TEMPLE) — Texas State Technical College has partnered with a manufacturing consortium including The Butler Weldments Corp., Reynolds Consumer Products LLC and Temple Bottling Co. to train 130 new and incumbent workers using a $293,211 Skills Development Fund grant.

Texas Workforce Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez presented the check to officials from TSTC, Butler Weldments, Reynolds Consumer Products and Temple Bottling Co. at an 11 a.m. ceremony today at the Temple Economic Development Corporation’s Board Room.

Steven Dobos, president of Butler Weldments, said the company is excited to get more training for employees.

“It’s a win-win for everybody involved,” Dobos said. “Skilled labor has been very difficult to find lately. What better way to bring about a solution for us than customized in-house training for our employees. It’s a phenomenal thing to do.”

Kyle Butler, plant operations manager at Temple Bottling Co., agreed.

“Our employees are primarily unskilled and this is going to go a long way,” he said.

Rick Villa, plant manager of Reynolds Consumer Products, said they’ve tried several other training programs, but they didn’t work for the company.

“This is the first program that we’ve really been able to lock our teeth into,” Villa said. “We’re training our operators to become mechanics, our mechanics to become electricians, and taking our electrical skills up in the plant. You need to bring those skills along if you want to be successful.”

Commissioner Alvarez said the training provided is necessary with changing technology.

“Each person that spoke today mentioned that skills have changed,” Alvarez said. “The face of manufacturing has changed. We’re talking about technology and terminology that didn’t exist before. It’s changed. Times have changed and the folks on the receiving end of this grant know that the change is coming. And so, the fact that they’re talking about keeping up their skills and keeping up with today’s technology says a lot.”

Charley Ayres, vice president of the Temple Economic Development Corporation, said the grant speaks to the sense of community in the area.

“It’s exciting to know that this grant doesn’t just involve Temple companies, it also involves our neighbors in Cameron,” Ayres said. “We work together very closely to try to make our businesses more successful. We understand that what happens in Cameron makes Temple better. That workforce makes us all stronger in our region.

The Skills Development Fund is one of the state’s premier job-training programs, keeping Texas competitive with a skilled workforce. Commissioner Alvarez said the grant would have an overall impact of $4 million.

Workers trained will include 35 new hires, and 95 jobs will be upgraded. Workers will be from Temple-area plants and will be trained in the areas of production, maintenance, mechanical and support occupations. Trainees will include machinists, maintenance technicians and production workers, and training will be provided by TSTC instructors. After completing the training, workers will receive an average hourly wage of $20.90.

For more information on TSTC’s workforce training, visit tstc.edu.

New Online Bookstore Debuts at TSTC’s Campuses in North Texas and Fort Bend County

(RED OAK) – A new online bookstore for Texas State Technical College’s North Texas and Fort Bend County campuses opened earlier this month.

This marks the first time students will have direct access to buy textbooks and not have to order from other campuses.

“This is huge for us,” said Stephen Pape, director of student learning at TSTC in North Texas. “It enables the students to get their books early so they don’t have to wait. The online bookstore gives them a choice of shipping to their home or to the campus where they can be picked up.”

Current and newly registered students can access the bookstore through the technical college’s internal portal. The first visit will enable the student to input their identification number and create a password for later visits.

“The bookstore will recognize them as students and check their schedule for the classes they signed up for,” said Pape. “The bookstore will know what books they need when they log in. The students can order books or they can check the prices for books.”

The online bookstore will give students information on how much of their financial aid money is available to spend on textbooks and automatically deduct it.

Students at the Fort Bend County campus will follow the same steps to access and purchase from the online bookstore. Arturo Solano, bookstore manager at TSTC in Harlingen, worked on planning Fort Bend County’s online offering and said the technical college is adapting to the latest trends in providing sourced materials for students.

“TSTC partnered with Ambassador Education Solutions, which will be distributing all the required course materials straight from their warehouse while at the same time providing students with a custom website tailored to their campus,” Solano said.

Planning for the new initiative began a year ago with financial aid, bookstore, information technology and student learning staff on multiple campuses working together.

“The major reason for the online store was to provide better service to the students,” said Greg Guercio, vice president of retail operations at TSTC in Waco.

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

 

Area Technology Consortium Gives to TSTC Scholarship

(WACO) – The Central Texas Education Network, a regional technology consortium that included school districts, hospitals, libraries and Texas State Technical College, recently donated $93,000 to the Lynn R. Francis Memorial Scholarship.

CTEN, which was created in 1994, is disbanding and used remaining operating funds to make the gift to the longtime TSTC scholarship.

“Connectivity could not have helped without TSTC and Lynn,” said Marlene Zipperlen, CTEN’s chairwoman. “It was a collaboration when there weren’t a lot of collaborations going on.”

The scholarship honors the life of Lynn R. Francis, TSTC’s director of network services, who died in a motorcycle accident on Feb. 25, 2001. The scholarship will be available for awarding in fall 2018 for graduating high school seniors in the Axtell, Bruceville-Eddy, Cameron, China Spring, Gholson, Itasca, Mexia and West school districts planning to attend TSTC in Waco, said Karen Beach, director of donor retention for The TSTC Foundation. Students whose parents work for the Hillcrest Baylor Scott and White Hospital, Falls Community Hospital, the Waco-McLennan County Library and the Hillsboro City Library are also eligible, according to information from The TSTC Foundation.

Francis was instrumental in developing the technical college’s networks for interactive video, telephones and fiber-optic campus data.

“In the early ‘90s, then-president Don Goodwin called on Lynn Francis, the CMT (Computer Maintenance Technology) graduate and instructor, to develop the TSTC computer network to create a unified system to replace the piecemeal chaos that separated campus PCs,” according to the March 15, 2001 edition of the Tech Times.

Francis grew up during TSTC’s early days as the James Connally Technical Institute as his parents were part of the faculty. He received an associate degree in computer maintenance technology from Texas State Technical Institute (now TSTC) in 1987.

Francis was an avid motorcyclist.

“From bikes to bikers, and everyone in between, the people who will miss the soft-spoken, Harley-riding TSTC instructor and director spread from Waco to Denver, Little Rock to San Francisco … and beyond,” according to the Tech Times.

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

Detention Training Officer Follows Technology Curiosity to Pursue TSTC Degree

(RED OAK) – April Smith of Wylie credits actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie for inspiring her to study cyber security.

Smith said as a teenager she watched “Hackers,” a 1995 movie starring Jolie in which the main characters create a technological virus and hack into computer systems.

“I chose cyber security because I have always been intrigued by the ability of technology,” said Smith, 36. “I was in awe of the movie. Computers, video games and art are all of my passions and technology rolls them all into one.”

Smith took her passion and used it to work toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in Cyber Security at Texas State Technical College in North Texas in Red Oak. She is a candidate to receive the degree at TSTC’s Summer 2017 Commencement on Aug. 18 in Waco.

“In some of my classes I was the only female, but that didn’t prevent the camaraderie of us pulling together and learning,” Smith said.

Smith’s academic work also earned her the Provost’s Award.

“I was blown away and felt so much gratitude,” she said. “I was floored really and so happy that I could share the surprise with my family, who have supported me throughout it all. My hard work and dedication paid off and I am still in the clouds about it all.”

TSTC Provost Marcus Balch said he selected Smith because she attended classes and works at the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department as a detention training officer. She has been at the sheriff’s department for a decade.

“Her job doesn’t provide a lot of flexibility, yet she has overcome the odds,” Balch said. “She also has a positive outlook and is excited about the possibilities that the future holds for her. She is just a good solid example of a hard-working TSTC student.”

Besides her work schedule and balancing her study and family time, Smith said her other challenges involved her parents each dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

“It was difficult not knowing the outcome of their situations while attending classes,” she said. “Thankfully, they were stronger than the disease and are here with me now to celebrate.”

Smith recommended that females interested in technology pursue cyber security.

“Allow your dreams to become reality and make a mark on the world,” she said. “Explore all possibilities and interests. Everyone has something to offer, and that one thing may change everything about technology.”

Smith grew up in Wilmot, Arkansas, and graduated in 1999 from Hamburg High School in Hamburg, Arkansas.

She was in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Mississippi and Germany.

Smith plans to study information technology after graduating from TSTC.

“I hope my career in information technology allows me to find a great company to work for so that I can grow as an individual and a colleague,” she said.

TSTC’s Summer 2017 Commencement will include graduates from the North Texas, Waco and Williamson County campuses. The ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18 at the Waco Convention Center at 100 Washington Ave.

For more information about TSTC’s statewide commencement ceremonies, go to tstc.edu/about/graduation.

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

Student Success Profile – Ivette Cruz

(HARLINGEN) – Ivette CruzIvette Cruz is a biology student at Texas State Technical College and expects to complete her courses in Fall 2017.

When the Texas transplant from Brooklyn, New York, is not busy studying and maintaining her 3.7 grade-point average, she is volunteering with the TSTC Veteran Students Alliance Club and spending time with her six-year-old son.

The 24-year-old said it has been seven years since she graduated from high school, but she decided there was no time better than the present to return to college and begin working on a degree to give her son a more stable life and herself a secure career.

What are your plans after graduation?

After completing my biology courses, I plan on returning to TSTC to pursue vocational and registered nursing. I then hope to get a position at a local hospital while pursuing my bachelor’s degree in nursing at a local university.

What is your dream job?

My dream job is to work in obstetrics as a nurse practitioner or become a midwife. I’m intrigued with pregnancy and babies, and I feel this is my calling.

What has been your greatest accomplishment while at TSTC?

I’m a first-generation college student, so just returning is an accomplishment in itself. Also, getting a 4.0 my first semester and maintaining a good GPA so far is great. My boyfriend and family have a lot to do with this success. They continually push me to keep going and help me with my son.

What greatest lesson have you learned about yourself or life?

I have learned that everything is possible as long as you set your mind to it. I also always remember never to settle, always make new goals and pursue them until you reach them. TSTC is helping me achieve that right now.

Who at TSTC has influenced your success the most?

I would have to say that the Veteran Center and all of my classmates have had a huge influence on my success. They’re always there when I need help or need a friend to talk to.

What is your advice for future TSTC students?

Cliche I know, but never give up, strive for success and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

TSTC Instructor by Day, Nurse by Night for 35 Years

(HARLINGEN) – Over the past 35 years, Surgical Technology Program Director Robert Sanchez has inspired learning and growth among his students and colleagues at Texas State Technical College.

It is for this devotion and dedication that he was recently given a Service Award during TSTC’s Employee Appreciation Day.

“My time at TSTC has been excellent,” he said. “I love seeing young adults find success and grow within the medical profession.”

With nearly 50 years of experience in his field, the Rio Grande City native has enjoyed sharing his know-how with his students since 1981.

But before this, Sanchez was a student himself. He graduated in 1969 from one of only two surgical technology classes hosted by Valley Baptist Medical Center and became a certified surgical technologist in 1970.

He went on to receive his associate degree in nursing from Texas Southmost College in 1978 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Texas-Pan American in 1989.Robert Sanchez

“The field has definitely changed and seen lots of advancements over the years,” said Sanchez. “I’ve had to adapt to be the best instructor I can be for each generation of students.”

Sanchez, who is also an Army Reserve veteran, has seen these changes firsthand as an operating room attendant, a surgical technologist, a registered nurse and an instructor.

For the last three and a half decades, Sanchez has been an instructor at TSTC by day and a nurse in the operating room by night at Valley Baptist Medical Center, where he is pro re nata or PRN, meaning he works as needed.

“The surgical environment is in my blood,” said Sanchez. “I love knowing that I can help make a difference in someone’s life and get them back on their feet and back to good health.”

So, as one can imagine, Sanchez was nervous making the transition to the classroom as an instructor. But according to one former student and current colleague, it was the best decision he could have made.

Former Surgical Technology student and TSTC Surgical Technology Senior Instructor Anna San Pedro said she calls Sanchez her teacher, boss and big brother. She also said she considers him one of her best friends.

“As an instructor, he was challenging and always demanded the best from me and my peers,” she recalled. “He always made sure that we were prepared and focused or we would be sent home until we were ready to learn.”

She added that it was his discipline and strict ways that influenced her success in a large way.

“He has been the greatest influence in my studies and profession. He sets the bar high for everybody,” said San Pedro. “It’s been great having a teacher and a boss who is engaging, makes work fun and allows me to grow. I tell him he can never retire.”

Sanchez said sooner or later he will retire to do some traveling and spend time with his children and grandkids, but he will take with him the most rewarding part of his job, and that is seeing his students, like San Pedro, succeed.

“TSTC is a great place to work. It has given me the opportunity to help shape lives,” he said. “From supportive administrators to colleagues that become family, it has all been possible and that’s because this was the best career move for me.”

TSTC Vocational Nursing Graduates Celebrated

(HARLINGEN) – Family and friends gathered at the Texas State Technical College Cultural Arts Center recently to honor and celebrate their loved ones’ success during the annual TSTC Vocational Nursing Pinning Ceremony.

“This is a special night full of tradition,” said Nicki Cone, TSTC vice president of Instructional Support. “I commend these students for choosing the profession of caring for others. And on behalf of the TSTC administration, we want to thank these students for everything they do and will do.”

The Vocational Nursing Pinning Ceremony is held twice a year during the fall and summer semesters and is described by TSTC Vocational Nursing Program Director Adriana Hinojosa-Vassberg as the rite of passage into the profession.

“Tonight we passed the light of knowledge to our graduate nurses,” said Hinojosa-Vassberg. “And we capped them and pinned them, which symbolizes the helmet and shield they need as they enter into a battle of fighting illness and caring for patients.”

This semester 16 graduate nurses were presented with their pins and caps. These same students will also graduate from TSTC later this month during the college’s commencement ceremony.

“We have endured and conquered the challenges of this program and of life,” said class valedictorian Sylvia Espinosa during her address. “Nursing is like riding a bike — except the bike and everything around you is on fire.”TSTC Vocational Nursing Graduates

Espinosa ended her speech with a huge thank you to her instructor, classmates, and friends and family.

“There’s a special bond that this class shares,” she said. “Along with the support from instructors and my family, this is what helped me get through nursing school.”

Salutatorian Miranda Rodriguez shared the same sentiment.

“We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Rodriguez. “But all of this was only achievable because of the support from my classmates, instructors and especially my family. This is as much your celebration as it is ours.”

For many, however, the light at the end of the tunnel is really a new beginning. When TSTC’s registered nursing program begins in the fall, some of the students will be returning to earn an associate degree in nursing, a path that is all too familiar to guest speaker, registered nurse and TSTC alumna Sarah Rodriguez.

“Welcome to the fellowship of nurses. We are an elite association who have and will dedicate our lives to others,” Rodriguez told the graduates. “But it’s also the time to become lifelong learners. Don’t let the momentum stop. Celebrate your achievement tonight, but expand your knowledge beginning tomorrow.”

Rodriguez is from the TSTC vocational nursing class of 2012. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2014 and currently is working on her master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner. She is employed with Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco.

The capping and pinning ceremony also included a candle lighting ceremony, the reading of the nursing Nightingale Pledge, a presentation of Vocational Nursing Club officer awards, and special recognitions for the class’ top students.

“I’m so proud of my students, and I’m honored to be celebrating them tonight,” said Hinojosa-Vassberg. “This is a challenging career, but they have all worked very hard to get to where they are today.”

For more information on TSTC’s Vocational and Registered Nursing programs, visit tstc.edu.

California Native Meets Design Challenges at TSTC

(WACO) – Marykate Danielson of Hewitt continues to California dream and learn to be a Texan who can write code and create websites.

“If you are good at technology, stay in it,” she said.

Danielson, 24, is a candidate for an Associate of Applied Science degree in Web Design and Development Technology at Texas State Technical College’s Summer 2017 Commencement on Aug. 18 in Waco. She is one of three students in the program graduating this summer.

“It was super eye-opening and kind of fun,” Danielson said about her time at TSTC. “I wasn’t that overwhelmed at first, then the second semester hit.”

Her instructor, Matt Blansit, said he could see Danielson someday owning her own design and development business.

“She’s very headstrong in what she wants to do,” he said. “When she gets her mind onto things, she achieves the goals. She is not afraid to go above and beyond for others.”

She worked part time at a Waco hotel as she took classes and studied.

“It was hard and really tiring,” Danielson said.

Danielson grew up in California and graduated in 2010 from Granite Hills High School in Porterville, Calif. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2014.

Danielson said she chose to study history because she had a dream of going into the U.S. Air Force. She also met her husband, an electrical engineer, who got a job at L3 Technologies Inc. in Waco, which brought the couple to Texas.

Danielson decided to go back to college because she needed to do more with her career. She credits her husband with suggesting web design as a potential career.

“I was working an administrative job and not having fun,” she said. “I felt like I was not using my creative side.”

Danielson said after graduation she will continue job searching in cities along the Interstate 35 corridor from Austin to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Texas had more than 8,500 web design jobs, with the Waco area having 70 of those positions as of May 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

TSTC’s Summer 2017 Commencement will include graduates from the North Texas, Waco and Williamson County campuses. The ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18 at the Waco Convention Center at 100 Washington Ave.

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

 

TSTC Welcomes New Instructor, Program

(FORT BEND) – With more than 35 years of experience in his field, Dr. David Johnson comes to Texas State Technical College as the new Environmental Technology-Compliance Specialization instructor.

The United States Marine Corps veteran got his start at TSTC in Waco, when it was still Texas State Technical Institute, in 1975 earning his associate degree in Civil Engineering Technology.

“It feels great being back where my professional career began,” said Johnson. “TSTC is where it all started.”

Immediately after graduating he worked with various Texas-based companies doing surveying and drafting, until he was promoted to an environmental technician and inspired to work for the military and to continue his education.

“TSTC prepared me to work in the industry. It gave me the skills I needed,” he said. “My success is because of TSTC, and my goal as a new instructor is to get my students fully prepared for a rewarding career.”Dave Johnson

In 1987, he became an Environmental and Energy Coordinator for the U.S. Army in Germany and moved between the states and overseas over the course of his career from Fort Polk in Louisiana to Japan and Korea and back to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

The Irving native was promoted through the years to Environmental Training Manager and Environmental Compliance Manager positions. He was also the primary author for the Army Environmental Compliance Handbook.

During this time Johnson was also furthering his education. In 1994, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, in 1996 his master’s degree and in 1998 his Ph.D. in Environmental Science, all from Southwest University.

“It was such self-gratification and self-motivation going back to school,” said Johnson. “And it was my first degree, my associate degree, which got me to where I am today.”

In addition to federal jobs, which Johnson retired from in 2013, he has also worked for the U.S. Geological Survey, as an adjunct instructor at Louisiana State University and for the Texas Department of Public Safety keeping within the environmental and hazardous material line of work. .

The now 65-year-old is back at work saying he needed something more to do than just playing golf.

“I had applied for a safety position at TSTC in Waco, but instead I was offered this position in Fort Bend,” said Johnson. “I was excited to accept it and I am ready to share all of my knowledge.”

Students who enroll in TSTC’s Environmental Technology–Compliance Specialization will have the opportunity to learn under Johnson’s instruction about how to apply science and technology to environmental issues and projects.

The program will not only offer classroom lectures, but also in-lab and off-site, hands-on experience working with soil, water and air sampling, performing chemical and safety audits at businesses and learning how to properly handle hazardous materials.

When the associate degree track is successfully completed, students can find jobs as environmental coordinators and consultants, environmental engineers, environmental scientists and specialists, environmental technicians and health and safety engineers.

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas is one of the largest employers of environmental technicians in the nation.

Environmental Technology-Compliance Specialization is already accepting students and will officially begin August 2017. The program will be housed at the Brazos Center, TSTC’s newest building in Fort Bend County.

For more information or to register for the Fall Semester visit tstc.edu.

TSTC Honored with Regional Economic Development Award

(WACO) – Texas State Technical College in Waco was recently recognized regionally for being a shining star in economic development.

The technical college received the Star of the Southwest Award at the 2017 Southwest Region Executive Directors Association (SWREDA) Annual Conference in late July in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The organization is made up of economic development representatives from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Staff at the Heart of Texas Council of Governments Economic Development District in Waco nominated the technical college for utilizing $1.5 million in U.S. Economic Development Administration funding to help construct the James T. Connally Aerospace Center. The building was dedicated in May 2012.

“I think the significance of the award is to recognize the high quality programs that represent TSTC,” said Russell Devorsky, executive director of the Heart of Texas Council of Governments.

TSTC Provost Adam Hutchison traveled to Louisiana to accept the award. While attending the conference, he networked with attendees and talked about the value of two-year colleges to economic development and job training.

“TSTC is all about economic development,” Hutchison said. “We are a public institution with economic development in its mission. We are funded through the state based on economic impact through our students.”

The aerospace building is named for Col. James T. Connally, a U.S. Army air corpsman who died May 29, 1945, during a raid over Yokohama, Japan. The structure is on the site of the former operations base for Waco Army Air Field, which became James Connally Air Force Base and is now the site of for Texas State Technical College.

TSTC provided $8.6 million in bonds and airport funds for the project with other financial help from the Waco-McLennan County Economic Development Corporation, Bellmead Economic Development Corporation and the Texas Department of Transportation, according to SWREDA and the May, 4, 2012 edition of the Waco Tribune-Herald.

The 82,000-square-foot structure houses TSTC’s Air Traffic Controller, Aircraft Airframe Technician, Aircraft Dispatch Technology, Aircraft Pilot Training Technology, Aircraft Powerplant Technology and Avionics Technology programs. More than 3,000 students have taken classes and trained at the center since its opening, according to SWREDA.

Devorsky said the award was great exposure for the technical college beyond Texas’ borders.

“I had several individuals ask for contact information because they had relatives or knew people interested in aviation training,” he said.

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