(HARLINGEN, Texas) – The Texas State Technical College Support Services department and Santa Claus recently delivered presents to the children of Early Head Start Child Development and NINOS Head Start centers located on the TSTC campus.
The children at both centers had the chance to enjoy a visit with Santa and take photos.
The gifts were collected with the help of TSTC staff, faculty and students to help make this holiday season brighter for the children.
(HARLINGEN, Texas) – It was nearly a year in the making, but the Testing Center at Texas State Technical College has become the first in the Rio Grande Valley to earn national recognition by the National College Testing Association.
The certification cements the Testing Center’s national status as a leader in excellent testing practices. It proves that the center is a secure testing environment with a trained testing staff, and it sets the bar high for other postsecondary testing centers.
“This is an exciting time for us,” said TSTC Testing Center assistant director Llesmin Gonzalez. “This validates all of the hard work our team does. It shows that we’re moving in the right direction.”
TSTC’s Testing Center is one among a growing number of centers in the United States and Canada to have completed the intensive certification process.
Everything from testing center blueprints and layouts to photos and scenario write-ups and solutions were submitted for consideration.
“It really was a team effort,” said Gonzalez. “It was all hands on deck to make this happen for our center and our college.”
The certification will be in place for the next five years and can be renewed by demonstrating continued compliance to national standards.
TSTC’s Testing Center, which is also open to the public, offers numerous testing services. They include the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessment, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) testing, General Educational Development (GED) testing, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) certification exam, and one of the newest: personal trainer certification.
“We already offer many services to our students and the community, but this national recognition will allow us to expand on what we offer and invite new testing vendors to offer their exams at our site,” said Gonzalez.
She added that students and the community will benefit from this expansion because the center will offer in-demand testing while helping students and the community achieve their educational and workforce goals.
“We’re ready to lead the way with this recognition here in the RGV and among our TSTC campuses,” said Gonzalez.
The National College Testing Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of professionalism and high-quality service in the administration of testing programs. It offers certification to college and university testing centers that demonstrate exemplary practices.
For more information on the testing services offered by the TSTC Testing Center, visit https://www.tstc.edu/admissions/testing.
(HARLINGEN, Texas) – The transition from high school to college can be challenging.
For Texas State Technical College student Ruben Rodriguez, the transition also led to anxiety about not having enough to eat.
But TSTC was there to alleviate the stress until he could get back on his feet.
“My first semester at TSTC was a huge adjustment,” said the 20-year-old. “I came from a high school where I could get free meals, and that changed in college.”
The Harlingen native said he would find himself without money to purchase a proper meal.
“From class to studying in the library, the days are long sometimes in college,” he said. “And I would find myself trying to concentrate over a growling stomach.”
With no job and little money, often Rodriguez would go all day without a meal. Then a classmate informed him about the TSTC student food pantry.
“He came to the library where I was studying to offer me a granola bar,” Rodriguez remembers. “And he started telling me about the food pantry, where he got these granola bars. After that I decided to check it out.”
Rodriguez said that throughout his first semester most of his meals came from the pantry, which helped him get through his day.
“Without the food pantry, I don’t think I could have remained focused in class or on my studying,” Rodriguez admitted. “I’m so thankful that TSTC offers this type of service for its students. It makes all the difference.”
During one of his visits to the pantry, Rodriguez expressed his interest in working with TSTC Student Life and Engagement.
After getting hired as a student worker, things changed for him.
“TSTC helped me get through a difficult transition and helped me get on my feet,” said Rodriguez. “For that I am forever grateful.”
The food pantry is stocked and maintained by monetary and food donations made by TSTC faculty, staff, students and the community.
In an effort to keep it fully stocked, especially during times when food insecurity is at its highest among college students, TSTC created an employee giving campaign.
According to studies produced by the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice, an estimated 48% of college students are food insecure.
TSTC employees participating in the giving campaign can contribute to the Stephen & Susan Snyder Helping Hands Scholarship and to scholarship funds.
The TSTC food pantry and housing and emergency aid fall under the auspices of Helping Hands.
“Contributions made by TSTC employees that go to provide emergency aid give students immediate financial assistance when the need arises,” said TSTC Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations Jennifer Colten. “When hardships happen, we want to be there for our students, and we don’t want students like Ruben worrying about where their next meal will come from.”
Rodriguez said he is thankful for the help TSTC has given him.
“Thank you to those who have contributed and made a difference in our lives as students,” he said. “And because of it, it gave me a chance to help others as a student worker, and hopefully make their day and lives a bit better too.”
On Tuesday, the Texas State Technical College 2019 Chancellor’s Excellence Award recipients were honored by TSTC Chancellor Mike Reeser with a luncheon. At the event, the honorees were recognized with plaques for their hard work, commitment and dedication to TSTC and its students. These recipients were nominated by their peers for modeling TSTC’s core values of excellence, accountability, service and integrity.
“Leadership has everything to do with how you influence those around you. And by receiving this award, it means that people around you respect you and look up to you,” said Reeser. “And our college is excellent today because of excellent people like you, positively influencing everyone else toward excellence. Thank you on behalf of everyone at TSTC…for what you do.”
Pictured left to right (back row): TSTC Chancellor Mike Reeser, Jennifer Colten, Robert Foshie, Arnulfo Alanis; (front row): Leo Villarreal, Tracy Vallejo, Teresa Rivera, Maria Magana, Shirley Byrd, Tom Cross and TSTC Provost Cledia Hernandez. Not pictured: Janette Gomez, Llesmin Gonzalez, Heather Sauceda and Daniel de la Garza.
(HARLINGEN, Texas) – In a night of fellowship, scholarship and honor, Texas State Technical College recognized more than 20 students in an induction ceremony for the Phi Theta Kappa honor society on Dec. 11.
“This night is a testament to these students’ dedication and excellence in the classroom,” said TSTC Executive Director of Student Learning and Phi Theta Kappa advisor Sara Sanchez. “This is a huge honor for these students.”
The students were officially welcomed into the distinguished honor society in a ceremony that included an oath of membership, a candlelight ceremony and a presentation of honor cords.
TSTC Health Information Technology student and Phi Theta Kappa president Natalie Hudson said the ceremony was a joyous occasion because she had the opportunity to celebrate her academic achievement with her family.
“This is an amazing accomplishment for everyone,” said the 42-year-old. “Being a part of an organization like this gives me great motivation to keep going and allows us all to encourage each other.”
As president of Phi Theta Kappa’s TSTC chapter, Beta Iota Phi, Hudson’s goal is to get the organization more active around the community and to increase volunteer opportunities.
“Phi Theta Kappa is based around service,” she said. “And for me that means we should do more community service to make a difference in the lives of others.”
For students like Hudson to be invited into Phi Theta Kappa, they must have a 3.5 GPA or higher, 12 credit hours toward a certificate or degree, and be in good standing with the college.
“This organization promotes excellence and recognizes success,” said Sanchez. “Our goal in the Beta Iota Phi chapter is to help these students grow as leaders and professionally.”
The perks of being a member of Phi Theta Kappa include numerous scholarship opportunities, web trainings, national conferences, and the networking of like-minded students across the nation.
Upon graduation, students have the opportunity to showcase their membership with honor cords, honor stoles, a special tassel or medallion, and they will receive a Phi Theta Kappa seal on their certificate or degree.
“We have a great group of students who I know are going to take this chapter to the next level,” said Sanchez. “It’s an honor to welcome them into this prestigious organization and celebrate their academic achievement.”
Phi Theta Kappa serves to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students. It is the largest honor society in American higher education, with more than 2.5 million members and more than 1,000 chapters in the United States and across the globe.
(HARLINGEN, Texas) – It has been nearly 40 years since Robert Sanchez stepped foot on a Texas State Technical College campus for the first time, and now he is moving onward with a new chapter in his life: retirement.
The 70-year-old and his dedication to the college and its Surgical Technology students were recently celebrated with a surprise party at the TSTC Cultural Arts Center and with a scholarship in his name. The Robert Sanchez Scholarship Fund will now award scholarships to Surgical Technology students annually.
TSTC faculty, staff, students, alumni and some area hospital representatives were in attendance.
“All of this was definitely a surprise, even though someone spilled the beans,” said Sanchez. “I’m not big on surprises or parties, but I’m honored that my team felt that I deserved this type of recognition.”
In September 1981 Sanchez became a Surgical Technology instructor at TSTC. He put pen to paper to plan out curriculums and lesson plans since personal computers were a thing of the future.
“We were still using encyclopedias when I joined the TSTC team,” Sanchez remembered. “It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come.”
In 1969 Sanchez was part of one of the first surgical technologist programs in the Rio Grande Valley at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen.
He was one of three who graduated from the program and one of only a handful who worked as certified surgical technologists in the area.
After not being accepted into TSTC’s Surgical Technology program in 1976, Sanchez joined the U.S. Army Reserve and went on to earn an associate degree in nursing in 1978 and a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1989.
“Little did I know I would still dedicate my career to TSTC and to training new generations of surgical technologists,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez served as a Surgical Technology instructor from 1981 to 1996, when he took over as department chair.
Sanchez was always known as a strict instructor — he said some might even have called him mean, but he said it was all to better prepare them for the job.
“Working in any medical profession is stressful, but imagine being in the operating room,” he said. “Stressors come from everywhere, and a great surgical technologist will be able to work through these stressors. That’s what I strived to instill in (my students).”
In fact, many of the faculty and staff working in the TSTC Surgical Technology department today are alumni of the program and had Sanchez as an instructor.
One of them is Anna San Pedro, a current Surgical Technology senior instructor who worked with Sanchez for more than two decades and will replace him as program director.
“I was 18 years old when I first met Robert. I was his student and, yes, he was very demanding of his students,” she remembers. “But I later realized he did everything for a reason. He was shaping us and preparing us for the rigors of the operating room. And everyone can agree that he influenced our careers and the leaders we turned out to be.”
San Pedro added that it has been difficult for her to accept Sanchez’s retirement because he has been her most treasured mentor and confidant for so many years.
“It’s sad to see him go, but it’s also exciting when I think about this new opportunity,” said San Pedro. “I wonder what it will be like without him. But I’m also confident that we can continue making this program the best it can be because of everything he has taught us.”
Sanchez said his retirement is a bittersweet moment. He will miss his students and watching them grow into the best surgical technologists they can be.
“I’m leaving this program and my students in great hands. I’m not worried about it,” he said. “But I will miss teaching and advising, and most of all the camaraderie of my staff. This career has been so rewarding.”
But Sanchez knows that time goes by fast and the future is unknown, so he’s ready to enjoy retirement, his family and traveling.
“This is my time. I’m at a perfect spot to retire,” said Sanchez. “I’m ready to live my life and spend it with my family, especially my grandkids and great-grandkids.”
Sanchez said he will also keep busy by working two days a week at Valley Baptist Medical Center, where he has also worked for the last 52 years, in a nursing circulating role preparing patients for surgery. He will also volunteer at the Harlingen VA Clinic.
“TSTC gave me the ability to teach, to share my passion, and to build such a great program for future surgical technologists,” said Sanchez. “I want to thank everyone who has worked with me and supported my endeavors — especially my students, who have gone on to be successful but always remember where they started.”
(SWEETWATER, Texas) – A Sweetwater company continues to provide scholarship dollars to military veterans studying at Texas State Technical College.
EMA Electromechanics, an international maker of equipment for the clean wind energy sector, has given $150,000 since 2015 for the Sweetwater Veterans’ Funds for College Education.
Company president Eduardo Montich recently presented TSTC with a $75,000 check, putting their total commitment for scholarships at $225,000.
The scholarship funds have helped veterans complete their technical education at TSTC’s campuses in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood and Sweetwater.
“We are truly humbled by EMA’s generosity and desire to support veterans at TSTC’s West Texas campuses,” said Beth Wooten, chief executive officer of The TSTC Foundation. “Inspiring partnerships like this change lives. We are forever grateful to have the opportunity to work together on such a worthy cause.”
Rick Denbow, provost of TSTC’s West Texas campuses, said the company is an exceptional industry partner that not only sees value in TSTC graduates, but also supports them through their EMA veteran scholarship. He said the fund allows veterans to achieve their educational dreams when otherwise their college education might not be an option.
“We are deeply appreciative of EMA’s continued support of veterans enrolled at TSTC’s West Texas campuses,” he said.
EMA Electromechanics was founded in 1952 in Argentina. The company’s VDH Series Vacuum Circuit Breaker was first sold in the United States in 2003. The company began its American operations in 2010 in Sweetwater.
“EMA believes if it weren’t for our veterans, their company would have been unable to locate, operate and flourish in our fine country,” said Gail Lawrence, TSTC’s executive vice chancellor and chief of staff to the chancellor. “Our partnership with EMA is incredibly important and serves to further our mission and commitment to supply a highly skilled workforce for Texas industries and this region.”
For more information on EMA Electromechanics, go to emaelectromechanics.com.
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
(MARSHALL, Texas) – Once equipment is installed at a chemical plant, personnel are needed to operate it.
Texas State Technical College’s Process Operations program in Marshall teaches industrial processes, troubleshooting, process instrumentation and other topics to students interested in pursuing jobs as chemical, gas plant, power plant or refinery operators.
“We have started to get Process Operations known by our Instrumentation Technology contacts that have gone back to their plants and gone to their operators and said we have the program at TSTC,” said Robert Lovelace, TSTC’s statewide department chair for the Instrumentation Technology and Process Operations programs.
Eastman Chemical Co. in Longview continues to hire interns and graduates from TSTC’s Process Operations program, said Mike Tucker, a company learning services technologist. Since 2017, the global specialty materials company has hired more than 20 TSTC alumni.
TSTC is one of two colleges in Texas that have industry-validated Process Operations programs the company looks to for prospective employees.
“It is challenging to fill these positions, so we use our internship program as a three-month interview,” Tucker said. “The internship screening process is rigorous.”
Nick Scott, operations support manager at Pergan Marshall in Marshall, said the company has seen an increase in applicants for internships and full-time employment in the last year. But, he said it is becoming harder to find good candidates who understand the commitment to working at a facility that operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and can be part of a diverse group of employees. The company manufactures full-line organic peroxide for the processing and polymer production industries.
Scott said TSTC’s faculty and staff make it easy to find job candidates with an understanding of the basic principles of manufacturing.
“We often prefer hiring graduates from TSTC’s Process Operations program because the students chose this path because they had an interest in manufacturing,” Scott said. “They committed to multiple semesters of coursework, they have a general understanding of the equipment used in manufacturing environments and they are aware of safety hazards that could be present in a plant environment.”
Brady A. Sedler, site human resources manager at Sherwin-Williams in Garland, said the company had a challenging time filling reactor operator jobs.
“But, with the relationship we’ve built with TSTC and the programs they offer, it’s been nice to see future talent come to Sherwin-Williams from TSTC,” Sedler said. “We look forward to the continued partnership.”
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
(WACO, Texas) – Alicia Hayes was not going to miss this night.
Hayes, a middle school English teacher in the Wortham Independent School District, once taught students in Teague. One of those students, Gerardo Calixtro, was in her fifth-grade mathematics and sixth-grade science classes in Teague.
Now, Calixtro can call himself a graduate of Texas State Technical College.
Hayes saw Calixtro, and four other students she taught in Teague, walk across the stage at TSTC’s Fall 2019 Commencement earlier this month in Waco. Calixtro received an Electrical Lineworker Technology certificate.
“You can tell it meant something to him,” Hayes said.
Calixtro and Hayes reconnected through social media earlier this year and swapped telephone numbers. Calixtro invited Hayes to the ceremony and found out the day before she was able to attend. He asked one of his brothers to save Hayes and her daughter seating tickets.
“Knowing she pushed me throughout the school years I was with her, it felt good knowing and seeing her there,” Calixtro said. “She played a big role in me and my brothers’ lives, asking us what we were doing after high school.”
The day after the Commencement ceremony, Haynes attended the family’s celebratory barbecue for Calixtro in Teague.
“To see the support he had with his family and how proud they were, it touches your heart because you know that kid is going to succeed,” she said.
Calixtro’s graduation means even more to him because he said at one point while in high school, he wanted to drop out. At that stage in his life, college was not an option he was excited about.
But, Calixtro graduated in 2017 from Teague High School. He told his brothers he was going to college, but they did not believe him.
“I knew I would do it,” he said.
Calixtro had his own challenges while at TSTC.
“There were times I wanted to quit college because of financial stuff and work,” he said. “I didn’t think I would be able to do it.”
Calixtro’s brothers, David and Carmelo, are also students at TSTC. Hayes said she plans to watch them graduate from TSTC.
“I want my students to understand I consider them my children from the moment I start teaching them,” Hayes said. “It doesn’t stop just because they move to the next grade level or graduate.”
For more information about Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
(HUTTO, Texas) – As Texas State Technical College’s students at the East Williamson County campus are enjoying their holiday break, workers are physically expanding the Cybersecurity program’s first-floor learning spaces at the East Williamson County Higher Education Center.
Once completed in early 2020, the Cybersecurity program’s newly enlarged lab will be rearranged to accommodate TSTC’s Performance-Based Education (PBE) initiative set to launch in August.
Joshua Schier, an instructor in TSTC’s Cybersecurity program, said he is thrilled about the work taking place.
“This will be even more hands-on focused, and it’s going to create a lot of room for our programs to grow,” Schier said. “Students can work at their own pace and get through the system faster.”
Schier said the new space means more one-on-one time to engage with students.
“Change is always interesting, and it is exciting for us because I think of where it is going to free us up,” he said.
Starting in the fall semester, TSTC’s Performance-Based Education will give students in the Cybersecurity and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Technology programs the opportunity to learn course material at their own pace. PBE also will increase student access to programs throughout the year and generate a secondary learning transcript showing the competencies that students have completed.
“Students will have the ability to accelerate through their courses and program,” said Kyle Smith, TSTC’s deputy chief academic officer. “Such acceleration will be rewarded by waiving certain portions of the tuition and fees.”
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
