(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College Culinary Arts students continue to prep and cook on a daily basis.

Only the surroundings have changed over the past few weeks, in response to the calls for social distancing in communities around the state. Instructor Emma Creps said the students are using their own kitchens during lab work.

“We had to come up with a different idea for our labs,” Creps said. “We decided to have them do video labs for us.”

One lab for students focused on making homemade pasta. Creps said students had to show themselves making the dough, rolling it out and making pasta.

Instructor Omar Duran said doing the video class format was challenging at first.

“They realized this is different. Over time, it started to become easier for them,” he said. “I noticed they were becoming more confident with their working skills.”

Duran said he noticed students were talking through the steps of making pasta instead of referring to notes.

“There is definitely a benefit to this. The students are learning to talk in front of a camera,” he said.

One thing students realized during lab sessions was they had to rely on what was in their own kitchen. Duran said a ravioli recipe called for two different types of cheese. However, students were encouraged to explore their options.

“This allows them to be creative when they are at home,” he said.

One drawback to the video lab is that Duran and other instructors do not get to taste the final product. However, a critic is usually close by.

“They usually get a family member to taste it for us. If they have children in the house, they will try it,” he said.

The video sessions do not stop with making dishes. During a recent dining room video session, students had to set a table and pour a glass of wine while their classmates watched online.

“The students were able to interact with each other, which was really good to see,” Creps said.

Students also had to work in virtual pairs to create a PowerPoint presentation on their selected cuisine.

“In addition to the research, students had to do voiceover work for the PowerPoint. They had to figure out ways to work with their partners,” Creps said. “This assignment is not due yet, so I am excited to see how that comes out.”

Instructors are no strangers to online learning. Two years ago, the department began utilizing technology for class lectures and tests.

“We wanted to make sure, especially in the culinary field, that we kept up with technology,” Creps said.

The biggest challenge, according to Creps, was keeping students’ attention.

“Everyone knows that you can lose a student’s interest in the classroom. We had to be creative and find ways to keep that attention,” she said.

For Duran, he likes the video lab sessions but is ready for a return to the kitchen.

“There is nothing better than that face-to-face connection with the students,” he said. “This could be a way for the students to talk through what they are doing more.”

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

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College Computer Programming instructor Shelby Coffman said he is encouraged about the future of this new program.

TSTC introduced the Associate of Applied Science degree program at the Harlingen campus in the fall of 2019 to help meet the needs of the state’s workforce.

“The first year of our program is going great. As far as retention, we have not seen much of a drop-off,” Coffman said of the 25 students enrolled in the class.

Coffman said he will gauge the success of this program in 2021 when the first class graduates and enters their first jobs.

“That is in line with our mission at TSTC,” he said. “We want to get people into the workforce.”

Most of the current students, as well as prospective students, are drawn to the program because they have an interest in computers. Coffman uses job placement as another recruitment tool.

“I ask the students if they would like to work after two years of school or after earning a four-year degree,” he said. “Most would like to get to work.”

Students will learn different programming languages and various technical skills during the five-semester program. Among those are software writing and coding, software design and planning, data storage and retrieval, and database programming.

“The students seem very engaged in the class and labs,” Coffman said.

One of the highlights of the program will happen in 2021. Students will choose a cooperative education class toward the last semester of the program to gain real-world experience with an internship for class credit.

After earning a degree, Coffman said students will be able to assess a company’s needs and tailor its software programs. He said he expects students might find employment in hospitals, education, airline companies and government agencies.

“We want students who get a degree to be ready to work on day one,” he said. “We want them to work in a field that they are interested in.”

Computer Programming Technology is also offered at the Abilene, Brownwood, Marshall and Waco campuses. For more information, go to tstc.edu.

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Joshua Robles enjoys challenging himself as much as possible in his career and life.

“When it comes to work, I am highly motivated in construction because it allows me to be part of something that I can always look back on,” he said. “I feel as if I am leaving a mark by being part of its growth.”

Robles was raised in Brownsville and still calls the city home. He graduated in 2019 from Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology.

Robles worked part-time at Origoworks in Brownsville before graduation and then worked his way up to become a project superintendent.

“A typical day usually consists of arriving at the job site about 7 a.m.,” he said. “I begin the walk-around of my site to make sure everything is in order to begin the day.”

Robles consults with subcontractors to make sure they have their materials for the day. He also reviews construction drawings to ensure the project is being built as it should and deals with site issues as they come up.

Construction superintendents are classified as first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers by www.onetonline.org, which predicts 79,400 new jobs will be created nationwide by 2028.

Texas had more than 75,000 first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction earning an annual mean wage of $68,900 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The Valley is constantly growing, so with that being said, there is always room for more workers,” he said. “I have had the privilege of working with many workers, and I have learned that the Valley is home to some of the hardest workers.”

Robles is a graduate of Homer Hanna High School in Brownsville.

He chose to attend TSTC because he has worked in the past in the construction industry.

“Due to this experience, it made me want to pursue an education in construction to learn about the career in a more formal and technical way,” he said.

Rick Vargas, an instructor in TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program in Harlingen, said Robles was always dedicated and focused in his classes.

“He understood the importance of the skills he was learning and how much it would help him in the future,” Vargas said. “I knew he was management material from the start. It was great seeing him coming into the program and learning so much for two years, and using his own experience to earn a job and come back saying that it was worth every sacrifice to be where he is now.”

Robles said people who choose to major in TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program will have made a great decision.

“It is an excellent program that allowed me to take things I was taught right into the field,” he said. “It is a hands-on program that allowed me to feel as if I was in the actual work setting, so you know what type of career is ahead of you. The instructors became amazing mentors for me and never failed me in guiding me throughout my education process.”

Robles’ goals are to learn as much as he can about the construction industry and go back to college to further his education.

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

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Alvaro and Andy Juarez have more than a family tie; they also share an alma mater and workplace.

The brothers are graduates of Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus, and both have an Associate of Applied Science degree in Precision Machining Technology. Alvaro graduated in 2015 and Andy in 2017.

“I feel like Precision Machining Technology is the best program to major in because the process of making a functional block of aluminum, metal, plastic, etc., is very interesting,” Alvaro said. “Almost every product you look at in everyday life was part of a machining process, from something as small as a bottle cap to the components of a vehicle.”

The brothers are machinists at Raytheon Technologies in Dallas. Alvaro lives in Hurst, and Andy calls Irving home.

Alvaro said communicating with co-workers is key to maintaining product continuity during shift changes.

“Raytheon consists mainly of castings, or billets, and very close tolerances,” he said. “The main focus at work is safety and making sure you are running good parts and keeping scrap to a minimum. What I love most about my job is the complexity of the parts that I run, being able to figure out issues when they arise and being a mentor to co-workers when they need help.”

Alvaro’s inspiration comes from his wife and 4-year-old son.

“They motivate me to be the best I can be and keep me going daily,” he said. “Being able to provide for my family also keeps me motivated.”

Andy said he is currently operating a five-axis horizontal milling machine to do his work.

“A typical day at Raytheon includes a 12-hour night shift, interacting with co-workers, and running different parts and setups while learning new stuff every day,” he said.

Andy said he likes the challenges his job brings.

“I enjoy going to work knowing that every day at Raytheon there is something new to learn, especially when issues arise,” he said. “That is where I love my job — in being able to figure out the issue.”

Andy’s drive comes from pushing himself to be a great machinist.

“My motivation in life is to work hard and to have what I didn’t growing up, and to build a future for me and my fiancee,” he said.

The Juarez brothers grew up in Rio Hondo and are graduates of San Benito High School. They said they miss their family, fishing, food and being outdoors in the Rio Grande Valley.

Alvaro said he was inspired to study precision machining because a friend graduated from TSTC and recommended it.

“It caught my attention because I love math, and that is mainly what machining is — numbers,” he said. “TSTC has a good reputation of helping you find a job once you complete your certificate or associate degree, and it being affordable is definitely a plus.”

Andy said his brother influenced his decision to study precision machining.

“I was advised by my brother that Raytheon was a great company to work for,” he said. “My brother and I are very good at math and figuring out problems, no matter how long or difficult the situation may be. He said the PMT instructors at TSTC were very helpful and made themselves available with any questions or concerns.”

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