By Lynda Lopez

Denzel Gore is a long way from home. The 24-year-old now lives in Dallas but is originally from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, a tiny little island paradise in the Caribbean Sea.

In 2010 he was one of 20 St. Croix students who got scholarships to Texas State Technical College as part of an industry partnership.

“I was pretty excited. It’s not often people get full scholarships to college,” explained Gore. “It was a little overwhelming coming to Waco. I came from a small island. My first impression was that everything was huge here.”

Gore says he was also surprised at how friendly people were on the college campus and in the community.

“Complete strangers said hi. Faculty and staff were so welcoming to us. They made us feel right at home,” said Gore.

Gore earned an associate degree in Instrumentation Controls and Robotics. He credits faculty for his academic success.

“Instructors were always there to help. They were there if you didn’t have transportation or if you were running behind in class,” said Gore. “TSTC faculty make sure you succeed. You get their full support, including one-on-one training and tutoring.”

And Gore says it was the faculty that helped him get a job with Koch Pipeline, which operates pipelines that transport crude oil and petroleum products. He worked in Corpus Christi right after graduation and recently transferred to Dallas.

In a few weeks he’ll be celebrating five years with Koch Pipeline.

“I still have connections with TSTC. Faculty will call and check up on me. They come to Dallas and call so we can do lunch. Maybe it’s a Texas thing. I just love it,” said Gore.

Last month he traveled back to Waco to recruit TSTC students for his company. He says he was honored to represent Koch Pipeline and delighted to see so many old friends.

“I’m glad Koch sent me back,” said Gore. “All these kids would come up to me. I can’t believe that just a few years ago I was in their shoes looking for my first job. Some of them were taking classes I had taken. We could really relate.”

Gore travels back to St. Croix once a year, but he says Texas is now home.  He says he has no regrets about moving to the Lone Star State. He wishes more students knew about TSTC.

“I would encourage students to do their research. Learn more about TSTC. You won’t just get an education and a career,” explained Gore. “You will get a family.”

For more information on TSTC programs and locations, visit us online at tstc.edu.

By Lynda Lopez

He was not your typical student at Texas State Technical College. By the time Elliot Bermudez enrolled at TSTC in Waco a decade ago to get an associate degree, he had already earned two bachelor’s degrees from four-year universities.

The problem was he couldn’t get a job.

“I have a business degree in accounting, economics and business principles. I also have an electrical engineering degree from a university, but no one would hire me because I didn’t have experience,” explained Bermudez. “I was doing maintenance in apartments earning $25,000 a year just to get by.”

Bermudez’s wife knew he had more potential and pushed him to attend TSTC.

“I did a lot of research. I saw the number of students that got hired onto different jobs prior to graduating or right after graduation. I did my research and saw how much people were making,” he said.

Bermudez entered TSTC’s Industrial Engineering program and excelled. He was one of only two graduates in 2008 who could boast of a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. He credits his instructors and hands-on training for his academic success.

“Even though I had an electrical engineering degree, I had never had so much hands-on training as I had here. My experience was awesome,” said Bermudez.

That TSTC training paid off big for this Waco native. He completed an internship with Shell, was assigned a mentor, and was taught the oil business “from cradle to grave,” as they say in the business.

At the end of the internship he was interviewed by a panel of Shell administrators and tested for his knowledge. By the end of the session he was offered a job – and hired a week before graduation.

Today Bermudez works for Shell Offshore making a six-figure salary as a Senior Authorized Electrical Person.

“We have contractors from different companies that come and work. We prepare permits for them, work permits. But prior to that, we have to walk the job down, see all the hazards and put mitigations; we go out there with them and make sure that their job is safe,” he explained.

Bermudez speaks from experience when he urges future students to research two-year versus four-year degrees. As he points out, a bachelor’s degree isn’t for everyone.

“You can spend the amount of money you’re going to spend at TSTC for two years, or go to a four-year university and spend that same amount in one or two semesters. Make your choice wisely,” said Bermudez.

By Lynda Lopez

Texas State Technical College alum Katelyn Bateman has a waspy, fresh-faced, sorority girl look – blonde, pretty and petite.

But she’s proven she’s much more than good looks, making her way in a man’s world and doing a good job of it.

The Valley Mills native is a utility designer for Oncor Electric Delivery, an electric power company in Round Rock, and a 2015 graduate of the Electrical Power and Controls program on the Waco TSTC campus.

“My education at TSTC was superb. I still use theory every day that I learned in my first semesters, and sometimes I find myself explaining electrical concepts to my co-workers,” said Bateman.

Today in her job, Bateman works with new construction in the Pflugerville, Hutto and north Austin areas, engineering the design that will bring electricity to new homes and buildings.

“This career is great in many ways,” explained Bateman. “It’s challenging, hands-on, a perfect mixture of field time and office time. Plus, the money is good.”

Bateman says that as a child she liked to take things apart and put them back together. When it was time for college, Bateman considered teaching or nursing but in the end was drawn to a career with a hands-on aspect.

As a student at TSTC, Bateman was one of only a handful of ladies in a male-dominated program. She says it took a while for her male classmates to warm up to her.

“I had to prove myself with the other students because I was female,” said Bateman. “I would hear the guys say things like, ‘Go ask the girl,’ like I didn’t have a name.”

Bateman eventually won the “guys” over with her work ethic, leadership skills and knowledge. In 2014 she was awarded the “Women in Trades” scholarship – one of only two Texans to win the award.

Today Bateman hopes to inspire more women to look beyond traditional careers and take up the challenge of entering male-dominated technology industries.

“My advice to women is don’t let the stereotypes of women or typical jobs influence you. I get compliments daily on my courage and capability to jump into this male-dominated field,” said Bateman. “I’m proud to work in utility design.”

Bateman is now working on her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, recently enrolling in Tarleton State University’s online program. She hopes to complete her bachelor’s in two to three years.

“By the time I have a bachelor’s degree, I will also have four to five years of experience under my belt. This will increase my options of advancing within my company.”

TSTC has 10 locations across Texas. For more information on TSTC programs near you, visit us online at tstc.edu.

(WACO) – Jake Sehon knew he needed to work more with his hands when he was a student at Robinson High School.

“I wanted to do something other than go to seven classes a day at Robinson,” said Sehon, 27, of Robinson. “I wanted to get a jump on a career and didn’t want to wait too late after high school.”

So, he looked toward something he enjoyed: cars.

Sehon, 27, took dual credit classes in automotive technology in the Midway Independent School District  through Texas State Technical College and graduated from Robinson High School in 2008.

“It’s a good thing to invest in,” he said about taking dual credit classes. “It’s a chance to do something different.”

Some of his favorite work in his classes involved disassembling a junk car and learning about electrical systems. He said he enjoyed taking the automotive classes with other students from Crawford, Lorena, Midway and Robinson high schools that were taught by Rudy Cervantez, statewide chair of TSTC Auto Repair.

“Jake is more of a performance guy,” Cervantez said. “He was a good student.”

Sehon received a certificate in Machining at TSTC in 2009.

Today, Sehon assembles wiring harnesses and nitrous kits at Nitrous Outlet on South 28th Street in Waco. The business specializes in building nitrous systems for automobiles, boats, lawn mowers and other engine-powered machinery.

And, he gets to see a familiar face who works in fabrication and machining daily at the business: his brother Colt, 24, a 2011 graduate of Robinson High School and 2012 graduate of TSTC with a certificate in Machining.

“Our dad and uncle work with machines, and we figured the field would be good to go into,” said Colt Sehon, a Waco resident.

The Sehons became familiar with cars growing up as their relatives worked with dragsters.

“I like the adrenaline rush,” Jake Sehon said. “It’s a quarter-mile of fun. A lot of times the faster you go, the more money it costs.”

The brothers both played baseball and football in high school, with Colt Sehon also being a member of the powerlifting team. The brothers said they knew early on they would be better off attending a two-year institution.

“There’s no way we could get enough loans to go to a four-year college,” Colt Sehon said.

The brothers are still plotting their career paths. Jake Sehon said he wants to work his way up the pay scale, while his brother said he wants to grow his skills and professional responsibilities.

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

(WACO) – There is a special art piece on a wall in Rudy Cervantez’s office in the Kultgen Automotive Center at Texas State Technical College.

The pencil drawing on white paper depicts a sleek, modern bus drawn by one of Cervantez’s former students, Caleb Grisham of Robinson. Cervantez is statewide chair for TSTC Auto Repair, and at one time taught Grisham in dual credit automotive technology classes when he was a student at Robinson High School.

“He’s really talented and so sharp,” Cervantez said. “He just has that artistic knack.”

Grisham, 25, used that motivation and creativity to earn an associate degree in Automotive Technology  at TSTC and open Precision Wraps on Franklin Avenue in Waco. The small business specializes in designing and installing large-scale vinyl wraps for automobiles, trucks, boats, trailers and businesses.

Grisham was inspired to open the business three years ago while working for an automobile trim business in Waco.

“I saw a niche for wraps here,” he said. “I got certifications and started a limited liability company. I had a good client base for window tinting, so that kept me afloat the first couple of months. I started graphics on the side in college and taught myself the programs. It’s second nature now.”

Grisham has three employees who work with customers on design and installation. He said he takes pride in offering on-site installations for customers statewide, even as far away as Laredo on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Most weeks we are trying to cram in new projects so we can grow faster,” Grisham said.

Grisham learned his work ethic from his family. He grew up on 22 acres of family land in Golinda.

“My sisters went the university route and have master’s degrees,” he said. “My father has had his own business. There is kind of a freedom owning your own business, and I’ve probably wanted to be like him. We are an extremely competitive family.”

Grisham was a gifted and talented student throughout his school career in the Robinson Independent School District. He played trombone in Robinson High School’s music program, was on the powerlifting team and worked at a grocery store.

“I finished high school my junior year, so I had to add classes,” he said. “I had taken Advanced Placement classes through McLennan Community College the year before. I was really interested in working on and customizing cars.”

During his senior year, Grisham took morning classes at Robinson High School and drove to take afternoon automotive classes at the old Midway High School building (now Midway Middle School).

“I do promote dual enrollment,” Grisham said. “It’s cheaper than paying for a semester of college. You need to work hard and apply yourself.”

Cervantez was his teacher and used the same course plan for his technical college and high school students.

“He is a really good guy,” Grisham said. “He encouraged me to do a summer semester at TSTC. I took a couple of classes and stayed.”

Grisham commuted from home to take TSTC classes and said he enjoyed being around classmates who had common interests.

“I liked the hands-on part of my classes,” he said.

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

(WACO) – Daylin Dixon, 21, of Hallettsville in Lavaca County is majoring in Computer Networking and Systems Administration and Cloud and Data Center Management at Texas State Technical College in Waco. He will work on CompTIA Network+ certification this summer and finish academic work to graduate in August.

Dixon is a 2013 graduate of Hallettsville High School, where he played on the football team’s offensive line.

What was it like growing up in Hallettsville? “Hallettsville is great. It’s a close-knit community. Everybody helps everybody be successful. A lot of the kids I graduated with have become successful. Lavaca County is more of an agricultural county. It’s a lot of farms and cattle raising. Our high school counselor did a good job of giving us options for careers and colleges.”

How did you learn about TSTC? “I had a friend I graduated with from high school who came here and majored in the same degrees that I am. I visited TSTC in July 2015 and started classes that next month. I have always liked technology. I really like the feel of the campus. It was convenient to live on campus my first year here.”

What do you enjoy about attending TSTC? “I like how the professors know you. I like how they work with you and they encourage you to get as many degrees as you can. You get briefed on what you are doing and put it to work. I’m a hands-on guy, especially after I read it in the book and understand it. But when I do it, it clicks.”

Are you doing an internship? “I started an internship as a PC analyst at the Texas Farm Bureau’s headquarters in Waco on Feb. 22. I get to image computers, do work orders for the other farm bureau county offices that have computer problems, test equipment and talk to HP and Dell about warranty issues. I set up computers for in-house people. In the two months I have worked at Texas Farm Bureau, everything I have learned has definitely helped me because the knowledge can be applied anywhere.”

What is your career vision? “I would really like to work in Austin or Dallas. I want to see if I can get into a cloud area first. Cloud is in its early stage of transforming and I want to get into it and have hopefully a successful career.”

What advice would you give to high school students? “I would tell them to find out what you truly love to do in a field and do something to spark you. Don’t procrastinate. Do your research and get a degree plan. When you pick your degree, print it out and post it somewhere so you see what your goal is and how to reach it.”

Some of the career fields that students can pursue include computer network architecture, solutions architecture, computer systems analysis, and network and computer systems administration, said Andy Kroll, lead instructor in TSTC’s Cloud and Data Center Management program.

“By dual majoring, the student only has to take a few extra classes to receive both degrees, and they will be better prepared for the workforce and be more attractive to employers with their additional knowledge set,” Kroll said.

Some of the certifications that computer students can earn while at TSTC include Cisco Certified Network Associate and Linux Professional Institute LPIC-1.

Kroll said Computer Networking and Cloud and Data Center Management majors starting in the fall will take a class in Amazon Web Services to lead into testing for Amazon Web Services Certified Solutions Architect – Associate certification.

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