Category Archives: All TSTC

Family Tragedy Helped Inspire Student to go Back to College

(HARLINGEN) – Losing a loved one is an excruciating time for many families, but for Larissa Ramirez, losing her beloved aunt to cancer helped her make the important decision of returning to college.

“My aunt was always talking about the value of an education and she was an educator herself, so I know she’d be proud of me for taking this step,” said the 20-year-old San Benito native. “I was really close to her. It’s been a little over a year since she’s been gone, and it’s motivating me to work really hard,” she said.

Ramirez is no stranger to hard work, she has had to work multiple service industry jobs to support herself.

She previously attended another educational institution and earned a medical assistant certificate, but found herself in the wrong profession. The decision to start college wasn’t difficult for Ramirez to make, and she looks forward to what being a student will bring for her.

“I’ve learned to manage my time really well because of my work schedule, and I really think that’s going to help me get through school. Staying up late at night to study will be a piece of cake.”

She is now pursuing her Academic Core, basics, so she can go on to a 4-year university and pursue a bachelor’s degree.

“I’m excited to be back in school, meet new people and branch out. Two of my best friends attended TSTC and they spoke really highly of it. They mentioned that the instructors were very hands-on with their teaching and that’s one of the best ways that I learn.”

Despite the fact that Ramirez has a great support system between friends and family, she also mentions that she is very comfortable standing on her own two feet.

“I don’t take anything for granted and I know that success comes from pushing yourself to work hard for what you want.”

When asked what she would tell a young adult contemplating whether or not they should go back to college, she calls on the same wisdom that several mentors have told her.

“I was always told to push yourself. Not just from my mom, aunt and family, but also from teachers and coworkers. If you want to make something better for yourself, absolutely go back to college. If I can do it, they can do it.”

For more information on TSTC’s Academic Core, visit www.tstc.edu to learn more.

TSTC’s Academic Core is transferable to any 4-year university in the state of Texas.

TSTC and THECB Host Regional 60x30TX Workshop

(HARLINGEN) – Getting more young adults to graduate with a college certificate or degree was the common goal discussed during the South Texas Regional 60x30TX Workshop recently hosted by Texas State Technical College and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).

“We spent 18 months developing this plan,” said Dr. David Gardner, deputy commissioner for Academic Planning and policy/chief academic officer for the THECB. “By 2020 all new jobs will require a college-level education and if we reach our goal we will be awarding 6.4 million certificates or degrees during the 15-year span of this plan.”

The 60x30TX initiative follows the previous statewide plan, Closing the Gaps by 2015, and sets forth four goals. The overarching goal states that by 2030, 60 percent of Texans ages 25-34 will hold a college certificate or degree.

The three other goals in this initiative include: completion, which sets a goal of at least 550,000 students in 2030 completing a certificate, associate, bachelor’s or master’s from a higher education institution in Texas; marketable skills emphasizing that each graduate will have identifiable skills needed for the workforce; and student debt, which focuses on undergraduate student loan debt not exceeding 60 percent of first-year wages.

While addressing a room packed with city officials, local school district representatives and higher education professionals, Gardner asked for help in pushing 60x30TX.

“We need your help. We all need to push forward aggressively with this plan,” he said. “We need you to advise us and in turn we need to make students aware of what’s available. We need to assist them and support them through higher education.”

Everyone in attendance participated in breakout sessions to brainstorm and discuss strategies on how to achieve the educational attainment and completion goals, and how to achieve the marketable skills and student debt goals of 60x30TX.

TSTC Provost Dr. Stella Garcia said there is a great alignment between the THECB 60x30TX plan and TSTC’s mission to place more Texans in great paying jobs.

“This 60x30TX plan focuses on making Texas globally and nationally competitive. It focuses on the economic and future prosperity of Texas,” said Garcia. “And the legislature created TSTC in 1965 so we could serve Texas business and industry, and for the economic and workforce development of the state.”

Garcia said to help achieve 60x30TX goals, TSTC will remain focused on student completion and filling the skill gaps.

“We will continue to work towards our mission and with our current program curriculum students will receive the marketable skills 60x30TX is working toward,” said Garcia. “We will simply continue to do what we do.”

This was the fifth in a series of 60X30TX forums being held across Texas. For more information on this new statewide initiative, go online at http://www.thecb.state.tx.us.

TSTC Graduates Helping to Fill Mechanical Technician Needs in Texas

(WACO) – An Oklahoma City-based company has found a hiring pipeline for Diesel Equipment Technology majors at Texas State Technical College in Waco.

Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc. has hired 10 graduates so far this year. The alumni are all full-time service technicians at the company, specializing in sales, repairs and rentals of bulldozers, dump trucks, excavators, boom trucks, loaders and other heavy machinery.

The company has about 400 employees at its locations in Abilene, Amarillo, Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock and Odessa, as well as Oklahoma City, Tulsa, St. Louis and Kansas City, Kansas.

Ben Sitton, a technical trainer for Kirby-Smith, said TSTC in Waco’s location is strategic for filling its needs at its Texas branches. Most of the graduates work in Dallas.

“Everything is going computer-based and it is hard to find people who want to get dirty and build things,” said Sitton. “We have a lot of guys retiring in the future, so we will constantly add trainees. We want to give them some of the knowledge of the more experienced workers before they retire.”

TSTC’s graduate hires are in a two-year, on-the-job training program implemented earlier this year by Kirby-Smith that places them with experienced technicians to learn the working culture.

Victor Membreno, 20, of Brenham and an August 2016 graduate of TSTC, learned about Kirby-Smith through friends.

“You have people who have done this for 25 years,” Membreno said. “They see you as the next generation. They want to give you their knowledge.”

Some of the skills the graduates are learning include fire, water and air analysis; hydrology and failure analysis. The end result will be experienced workers certified as Komatsu technicians with a knowledge of how Kirby-Smith handles its service to customers.

“We can mold them into what we want,” Sitton said.

The company teaches safety around the machinery. Ty McCarver, 21, of White Settlement and a spring TSTC graduate, said the family-like atmosphere is also emphasized. His career goal is to get repair experience and later move into management.

“I told them when I was interviewing that I was willing to work,” McCarver said. “I did work on my grandfather’s older cars growing up.”

Rick Adam, 35, of Granbury and a spring TSTC graduate, said his job at Kirby-Smith is the best he has ever had.

Adam said the key to being successful at the company, and any job, is to listen.

“If you are willing to work and have an open mind and be willing to learn, those are the best things,” he said. “We want co-workers who are willing to take a step back and think.”

The alumni are grateful for what they learned in TSTC’s Diesel Equipment Technology program.

“At DET, they taught us the basics,” said Rodrigo Gutierrez, 21, of Ennis and a spring 2016 TSTC graduate. “Knowing your basics is important. We can grow from there.”

Gutierrez said working with engines came naturally to him because he did repairs on his father’s two tractor-trailers while growing up.

“I went to school for this, so I knew what I was getting into,” Gutierrez said as he stood beside an excavator in the searing heat on a recent afternoon.

Ciro Suaste, 21, of Italy, Texas said TSTC’s Career Services staff were helpful in him finding a job. The summer graduate said he enjoys the flow of work and the tools, particularly the sockets, he uses daily.

Sitton said the company anticipates hiring more TSTC graduates later this year.

“We like to find students with good grades who are willing to learn and have a good knowledge of hand tools and the basics going through school,” Sitton said.

TSTC Graduate Returns to Teach New Program

BROWNWOOD- Stephanie Young began working at Texas State Technical College in Brownwood at the start of August to teach the campus’ new Emergency Medical Technician program.

The Bangs, Texas, resident graduated from the Emergency Medical Services program at TSTC in Abilene in 2011. She served as a paramedic throughout the Big Country area for the last six years before teaching at TSTC.

Young was inspired to break into the industry by her brother, who is also a paramedic.

“My brother was a paramedic right out of high school,” Young said. “We’re only 14 months apart.”

But after getting married and having children at a young age, she decided to put her college plans on hold.

“I had my first child when I was 18,” Young said. “You’re kind of strapped to the kids at that point. I worked in real estate for a long time, but I always wanted to be an EMT. I just had a passion for it and for helping people.”

So once her children were able to care for themselves, she took the plunge into the emergency medical services field.

“I decided that it was time for me to do it,” Young said. “I went through the paramedic program at TSTC in Abilene and I loved it so much. I really think the education I got at TSTC is what brought me back here to teach.”

Beginning work at TSTC just a few weeks before classes began for the fall, Young was nervous.

“When I got into this, I was worried about the teaching portion of it, but I realized very quickly that it’s not just teaching,” Young said. “There’s a lot involved—recruitment, getting the kids in here and registered, following up with learning programs the EMS department uses. I’m kind of getting used to the software and everything, but I’ve found that—since I’m passionate about it and about EMS— teaching has come easy.”

So far, her favorite part has been working with the students.

“We had a class yesterday and we were going over anatomy and physiology, cells and our body’s responses to injuries,” Young said. “The students were reading it on their own and they didn’t quite understand, but then they came to class and we were able to shed light on the subject. It’s really awesome to see the students get excited. And I think that’s my favorite part—that they enjoy learning.”

The Emergency Medical Technician certificate is now offered at the Brownwood campus. For more information on the program, visit tstc.edu.

Graduate of First Environmental Class Returns to Join TSTC Team

BRECKENRIDGE – Teresa Purcell was a pioneer, studying as part of the first cohort in the Environmental Technology program at Texas State Technical College in Breckenridge. Now, Purcell has come full circle to teach that same program.

The Albany, Texas resident began teaching in the Environmental Technology program at the start of the fall 2016 semester, and she said the program has grown quite a bit since its inception.

“When we started, we had one classroom and all of our equipment was in a closet,” Purcell said. “To come here now to this lab they’ve built for the students and all of the different types of equipment, the opportunities are incredible. They train at every level possible so they can be able to go out there and say, ‘hey, I’ve trained on that. I’ve learned that. I want to be part of that.’”

Purcell broke into the environmental field while working at a law office in Shreveport, La. A friend of hers joined the Environmental Technology program at TSTC and persuaded her to come along.

“I thought I would like to work toward environmental law, because I wanted to stay with the law aspect,” Purcell said. “So we joined the program together. Once I graduated and got to experience a different field, I decided I was going to stay away from the law aspect of it because I enjoyed being outside and doing things for the community.”

Purcell wanted to join the TSTC team for the camaraderie and to help guide students.

“When I went through the program, the staff and my classmates were like a second family,” she said. “They were caring, always there for you no matter what. I wanted to become part of the team because I know they help the students succeed. We guide them in the direction they need to go. I just felt like TSTC was an opportunity to be able to give back to students and share my knowledge and experience with them.”

Before working at TSTC, Purcell worked as a field chemist in Dallas, an environmental tech in Abilene, a senior environmental tech in Iraq and, most recently, a project manager in Port Arthur.

Purcell’s favorite part of teaching at TSTC is doing hands-on work with the students.

“We’ve started quite a few projects here in the classroom, and being able to show them how to do this is great,” Purcell said. “What I’ve heard is that we’re the talk of the campus because of the things we’re doing here. They’re excited about the things we’re doing. It makes me feel good. Twenty years ago I never thought I’d be here doing this.”

For more information on TSTC’s Environmental Technology program, visit tstc.edu.

TSTC’s Precision Machining Technology Receives Financial Gift

(WACO) – The Gene Haas Foundation, headquartered in Oxnard, California, has awarded a $25,000 gift to the Precision Machining Technology program at Texas State Technical College in Waco. The announcement was made in front of students and faculty members Wednesday morning at the Industrial Technology Center. The money will be used for program scholarships and to supply copies of “Machinery’s Handbook” for students. The Precision Machining Technology program is accredited by the National Institute for Metalworking Skills Inc. Pictured are (left to right) Matt Sykora, territory manager for Haas Factory Outlet in Richardson, and Joe Rodriguez, TSTC’s statewide division director of production manufacturing.

TSTC Helping to Increase Prosperity in Waco

(WACO) – A way to prosperity means education, whether it is students sitting in a classroom or working adults learning how to make Waco a better place in which to live.

The public-privately funded Prosper Waco held its second Summit on Monday at the Waco Convention Center, bringing together more than 500 city leaders, educators, social service organization representatives and others interested in advancing the city in education, financial security and health.

Texas State Technical College in Waco is a partner in Prosper Waco’s Project Link, a grant-funded initiative aimed at creating a college-going culture by connecting selected high school students at La Vega, Waco and University high schools to higher education and the workforce. McLennan Community College and the Waco and La Vega school districts are also Project Link partners.

“TSTC and MCC have just made it easy for the students to see what is available to them,” said Cindy Michaelis, executive director of the La Vega Pirates Education Foundation.

Cory Gropp is a new Project Link liaison at Waco High School. He has 250 students in grades nine to 12, with 60 of them being seniors. He said 30 of the seniors have applied to TSTC.

“Some of the students are interested in the Biomedical Equipment Technology program and other technologies with associate degrees,” Gropp said. “Some of the students didn’t know there were certificate options.”

He said Project Link is a way to help heighten awareness of getting a higher education in Waco.

“I’m a firm believer that students should have tons of options to go to college,” Gropp said.

TSTC’s partnership with Prosper Waco could grow.

Prosper Waco Executive Director Matthew Polk said board members for the Waco Independent School District will consider this fall expanding its Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy, or GWAMA, to include construction fields.

Polk said the idea is for city high school students in the academy to shadow local builders to learn about their skills.

“It will get students on the road to creating a natural pathway to a career,” he said.

Polk hopes academy students decide to pursue further education in the construction fields they are interested in. TSTC offers certificates and associate degrees in Building Construction Technology, Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology and other building-related fields.

Attendees were divided into three rooms at the gathering and talked about their ideas for improving Waco. Some of the ideas included local businesses helping employees with college tuition, mobile health clinics, more accessible public transportation, career shadowing, interview coaching and workplace childcare.

“TSTC does supply a number of our trained workforce,” Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver said. “We need to do a better job of letting TSTC know our workforce needs. We are extremely fortunate to have TSTC in Waco. We are hoping to add more technology jobs and we hope TSTC in Waco can help with that.”

Prosper Waco held its first Summit in early 2015 and hopes to make the gathering a yearly fall event.

For more information on Prosper Waco, log on to prosperwaco.org.

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

TSTC Air Traffic Control Program Attracts Students

(WACO) – Jake Harding wants to make clear that air traffic controllers are not the on-the-ground signalers waving fluorescent sticks and guiding planes to parking gates.

Harding, 19, of Houston and a 2015 graduate of Hargrave High School in Huffman, said air traffic control is an aerial adrenaline rush which brings order to landings and takeoffs, no matter the weather conditions. He is currently in his fourth semester at Texas State Technical College in Waco pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Air Traffic Control. His goal is to work in air traffic control in Colorado.

TSTC in Waco is one of two higher education institutions in Texas that are Federal Aviation Administration-approved Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative Schools.

“I wanted to experience university life, but I am glad I chose TSTC,” Harding said.

The technical college’s Air Traffic Control program has experienced growth over the last couple of years. There were 20 students that started in Fall Semester 2014, with 15 of those students graduating earlier this year. More than 30 students began Fall Semester classes in 2015, with 25 of those students on schedule to graduate next year. The Fall Semester 2016 has 44 students.

The more than 60 students in the department’s two cohorts this year are mostly from the Austin, Dallas and Houston areas.

Dar Klontz, Air Traffic Control program chair, said prospective students are already applying for Fall Semester 2017. He anticipates the program capping cohorts at 48 students for the next couple of years due to equipment and laboratory space. Klontz said he wants program applicants to have good geography, geometry and communication skills.

“We have the ability to sell the program once they are here,” he said. “We invite students to take a look at what we have.”

More than half the program’s coursework is done in hands-on laboratory simulations. One of the first classes that new students take is Fundamentals of Air Traffic Control. Other courses are offered in meteorology, terminal operations and air navigation.

“We are one of the few programs in the country that teaches with a fictitious airport,” Klontz said.

That imaginary airport, Academy Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is depicted on a multiscreen air traffic simulator on the second floor of the Col. James T. Connally Aerospace Center.

Cole Barbe, 21, grew up in Houston and graduated in 2013 from Cypress Creek High School. He graduated in May with an associate degree in air traffic control from TSTC and was hired shortly after graduation to operate the simulator. His dream is to work at airports either in Houston or Colorado.

“I saw the simulator and I was sold,” Barbe recalled of when he was a first-semester student.

Barbe said he hopes his work with the simulator will make him a good candidate for the FAA Academy, whose students must pass rigorous testing to become air traffic controllers. FAA applicants under 31 must have U.S. citizenship, pass medical and security investigations and achieve agency pre-employment tests.

“You have to bring your A-game every day,” Barbe said.

The work is done by at least 14,000 FAA air traffic controllers working in control towers at airports throughout the nation.

Texas has the second highest employment of air traffic controllers in the nation with about 2,000 workers, with Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport alone having at least 550 air traffic controllers in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Many air traffic controller hirings through 2024 are expected to replace retirees, according to the labor statistics bureau.

A TSTC student hoping to fill the anticipated hiring need is Kali Cole, 21, of Carrollton and a 2013 graduate of Hebron High School in Carrollton. She is scheduled to graduate with an associate degree in air traffic control next spring.

Cole is a student worker and works alongside Barbe to guide students in the early stages of the program.

“The program gives you a leg up to be well ahead of the curve,” Cole said.

Cole had some familiarity with the field when she entered the program because her father is an air traffic controller in Fort Worth, but it was not her first career choice. She had also considered marketing and business administration.

“I promised my father it would be my plan B,” Cole said.

She searched online and came across TSTC’s program. She applied and was accepted but did not see what the program offered until she walked into the Connally Aerospace Center.

“It’s fun and doesn’t feel like school,” she said.

For more information on the Air Traffic Control program at TSTC, log on to tstc.edu.

Student Success Profile – Hector Cerda

(HARLINGEN) – Hector Cerda is a student at Texas State Technical College. The La Feria native is pursuing an associate degree in Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics.

The 18-year-old said creativity and art comes natural to him. For as long as he can remember, art has been his passion. Through his major, he said he can use his art to aspire to a successful architectural career.

Cerda is also an active volunteer with the TSTC Student Government Association.

What are your plans after graduation?

After I graduate I hope to immediately start working. My family and I are struggling financially right now, and my brother is helping me pay for school. I want to pay him back and get my family out of our money troubles. I owe them this.

What is your dream job?

I hope to find a career with an architectural company or somewhere I can use the skills I am learning. Wherever I end up, I know for sure I want it to be a place where I enjoy my job. I also want to expand my hobby and become a tattoo artist.

What has been your greatest accomplishment while at TSTC?

My greatest accomplishment is just being here. When I was in high school I never saw college in my future, everyone had lost hope. I’m a recovering drug addict and I needed to do something productive with my life, make my family proud and prove my non-believers wrong.

What greatest lesson have you learned about yourself or life?

I have learned that no matter how dark life gets, there is light at the end of the tunnel; there is hope. I have support from my parents and my brother so I cannot quit. I have to keep pushing forward and succeed in changing our lives.

Name a TSTC person who most influenced your success.

It’s really difficult to just name one. Every one of my instructors is motivating. They work so hard to make sure we stay in the program and succeed. They show they really care about us and take the time to understand us as individuals.

What is your advice for future TSTC students?

Don’t stress out, you don’t need to. There are so many people here at TSTC who are willing to help you if you only you ask for help.. They do what they can to help you, but you must believe in yourself and remember that you will make it through.

Parachuting to President, Army Veteran Embracing Life as A Student

(HARLINGEN) – Harlingen native Brian Rodriguez said goodbye to his life in the military, and hello to a new journey at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen. The 27-year-old is currently enjoying the role of president for the Veteran Students Alliance Club.

Rodriguez was a parachute infantryman stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and served in the Army for four years. He was stationed in Afghanistan for seven months, a time he describes simply as “work.”

He made the decision to enroll in college when his contract in the Army was nearing an end, and an injury made him reconsider his career choices.

“I was injured during a jump and hurt my back. The pain was so excruciating every time I tried to move. I decided to wait it out to the end of my contract to get out of the military, and that’s when I made the decision to start school,” he recalls. “I didn’t want to get out and just do nothing. You always have to keep moving forward. It doesn’t matter how slow you go anywhere; you just have to get there.”

Although Rodriguez has an array of interests, the one constant he knew he wanted to study was biology.

“I’ve always been into that field, even as a kid I was always watching nature shows,” he said. “Biology opens so many doors, which is something that I can look forward to in the future. The most difficult goal I have is to eventually get into astrobiology (the study of life on earth and in space). The solar system is something that fascinates me.”

Right now Rodriguez is focused on his presidential duties with the Veteran Students Alliance Club, and he hopes that his fall semester as president helps bring more recognition to the organization.

“I would really like for Veteran Students Alliance to get their name out there as much as possible, and help the community however we can. After all, the Rio Grande Valley is home to a lot of veterans.”

When asked about members of club, Rodriguez explained that they are a very welcoming group of individuals.

“Our club is friendly and welcoming. I would encourage any veteran, veteran dependents or student to come in and spend time here. You don’t need any type of military background to join.”

Rodriguez is already thinking about his life after TSTC and planning new travel adventures before seeking a bachelor’s degree.

“After college I’m considering staying with a friend of mine in Wisconsin for a bit,” he said. “It will be fun to just hop around to new places. I don’t want to limit my life experiences. TSTC is a great new experience, and I’m ready for more.”

For more information on the Veteran Students Alliance Club, stop by the Veterans Center located in the Student Center, Room #138, or call 956-364-4386.

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