(MARSHALL) – Joshua Anderson of Waskom and Joshua Jackson of Longview have gone from the oil fields to the classroom.

Now, the two friends will walk across the stage together to receive Associate of Applied Science degrees in Computer Networking and Systems Administration from Texas State Technical College at Fall Commencement on Friday, Dec. 9.

“Joshua and Joshua have both been outstanding students with respectful attitudes, exceptional critical thinking skills and dedication to follow through until a problem is solved,” said Amy L. Hertel, an information technology studies instructor at TSTC. “They have both taken on leadership roles at TSTC and have been a great example to our incoming students. I’m looking forward to watching them enter their career field and excel.”

Anderson grew up in Marshall. After graduating from Marshall High School in 1998, he went to work in the oil fields and along the way studied emergency medical technology and receive firefighter certification.

“Then I decided I didn’t like firefighting and went back to the oil fields and met Joshua,” Anderson said. “After the oil fields, I figured I would come back to school again.”

Jackson was born in Houston and grew up in Southern California. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and worked with bombs and missiles. After he left the military in 2001, he was hired for oil field work in Kilgore and moved to Longview.

Anderson and Jackson worked in Texas and offshore in Louisiana. The two were laid off from their jobs in 2015.

“Being laid off was a blessing in disguise,” Jackson said. “I really wanted to go back to school and had I not been laid off I probably would not have.”

Anderson was familiar with TSTC and visited with staff members about technical programs. He told Jackson about the college, and the two registered to start classes in May 2015.

“We worked it out with our class advisor and made sure we had the same schedule to take the same classes together and study,” Anderson said.

While Anderson had been in college before, this was the first time Jackson sat in college-level classes.

“I went to school and worked full time,” Jackson said. “Being older and coming back to school is intimidating. I didn’t know how I would fare. I wasn’t sure if I could handle it, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.”

Jackson began an internship in September at Marshall’s SEVEN Networks, where he helps manage Linux and Microsoft Windows servers and handles cables.

“I’m really enjoying it,” he said. “The internship teaches me something new every day. It gives me some real-world experience.”

Anderson and Jackson were TSTC student ambassadors who gave tours and told visitors about the mission and technical programs.

Anderson and Jackson will continue their educations working on associate degrees in Cyber Security at TSTC during the spring semester.

“Everything they teach at TSTC is for local jobs,” Anderson said. “It’s to help build the community.”

More than 60 graduates will receive certificates and associate degrees at TSTC’s Fall Commencement at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 9, at Wiley College’s Julius S. Scott Sr. Chapel at 711 Wiley Ave. in Marshall.

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

(MARSHALL) – A scholarship at Texas State Technical College will continue to aid students needing financial help to study, thanks to a generous gift.

The Rev. Earl Cantrelle of Longview recently gave $5,000 to the Clay Aaron Cantrelle Scholarship. The scholarship is named for Cantrelle’s grandson, a graduate of Marshall High School and TSTC, who died in a fire on May 8, 2010 at SCC Auto Center in Marshall.

The younger Cantrelle had an associate degree in software engineering from TSTC and at the time of his death lived at the business where he was also the office manager. Clay Cantrelle was 27 years old.

“He was a great kid,” Rev. Cantrelle said. “He had good intellectual abilities and enjoyed people. He was very helpful to my wife working in the garden and different things she did. We went camping when my grandsons were young and had some good times together.”

One of the TSTC students who received the scholarship this year, Joshua Jackson of Longview, said the money has been beneficial. He will graduate at TSTC’s Fall Commencement on Dec. 9 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Networking and Systems Administration and return in the spring to finish an associate degree in Cyber Security.

“I got laid off from my job in 2015 and I didn’t qualify for any grants,” Jackson, 35, said. “I had to pay using all student loans. The scholarship helped me a lot because I had some money left over to pay bills and normal standard of living stuff.”

Other scholarship recipients this year were Barbara Gill of Marshall, who is studying Professional Office Technology; Gerald Jordan of Gilmer, who is studying Process Operations and Tony Ratcliff of Marshall, who is studying Electrical Lineworker Technology.

Students who have at least a 2.5 GPA and write an essay can apply for the scholarship. Students who receive the scholarship are required to write a note of gratitude to the Cantrelle family.

For more information on scholarships at TSTC, log on to tstc.edu/financialaid/scholarships.

For more information on making a gift to TSTC, go to tstc.edu/tstcfoundation/giving.

(MARSHALL) – SEVEN Networks and Texas State Technical College in Marshall are proving to be good neighbors.

The mobile device traffic management and analytics company has three TSTC alumni as employees, along with two students as interns. The company is located in TSTC’s Center for Applied Technology, just steps away from the administration building.

“The benefit to us is their students are concentrating on their trade while they are getting educated,” said Keyvan Shahrdar, SEVEN’s director of operations in Marshall. “That’s a great plus for us because we are getting students who are doing the same exact thing that we are wanting to hire.”

Chastity Rhodes of Marshall has three associate degrees from TSTC in Marshall: Biomedical Equipment Technology, Cyber Security, and Computer Networking and Systems Administration. She was hired earlier this year to work with SEVEN’s marketing, quality control, network administration and cyber security.

“This is great international enterprise experience that Marshall has needed for many years,” said Rhodes, 33. “East Texas is behind in technology terms, and SEVEN provides a doorway to technological advancement for this area. There are great opportunities for graduates from this area who are not in a position to relocate just to have a job.”

The company will soon launch its iPhone Ad Clear platform for the United States. Ad Clear is an advertising blocking application that is already available for Android phones.

“I think that is going to have a major impact in our offices here, with us needing to hire more engineers from the area,” Shahrdar said.

Dustin Morgan, 22, of Jefferson graduated this summer from TSTC in Marshall with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Software Development and is a SEVEN software engineer working on Ad Clear’s Android version.

“The current projects the company has are challenging, and there is always something to learn and improve on,” Morgan said. “It never gets boring or repetitive and is constantly changing. It’s also interesting to see a lot of people use something you are working on, including people you know.”

The company opened its Marshall office in summer 2015. Ross Bott, president and chief executive officer of SEVEN Networks, said the company looked at Texas because some of its senior executives and customers are based in the state.

“We explored a variety of cities in Texas, but our early interactions with the Marshall Economic Development Corp. were so positive that Marshall quickly rose to the top of the list,” Bott said. “The ability to partner with TSTC and other nearby colleges for engineering talent was a second critical factor and ultimately led to our final decision to move to Marshall.”

The Marshall site has 10 employees and one contractor. SEVEN’s workers in Marshall and Hangzhou, China, divide their engineering and feedback workload.

(MARSHALL) – Two Texas State Technical College in Marshall graduates are ensuring that the production of icing, cupcakes and cookies is trouble-free and on time for clients nationwide.

Derrick Jackson, 41, of Garland and Bradley Moody, 25, of Irving work in maintenance at CSM Bakery Solutions’ manufacturing facility in northwest Dallas. Jackson is a regional maintenance manager working with company-wide safety efforts and providing oversight to plants in Dallas, Houston and Bonner Springs, Kansas. Moody is a maintenance administrator and coordinator.

Jackson and Moody had some things in common before they began working together: both grew up in Marshall and graduated from Marshall High School – Jackson in 1993 and Moody in 2009.

“I still have family in Marshall,” Jackson said. “When Bradley graduated from TSTC, my sister was working in Marshall with his fiancée (now wife) at the time. She told me there was a young man named Bradley working in my field and he was willing to move. We made contact to see what he was looking for. He came up and interviewed and was hired.”

CSM Bakery Solutions has more than 8,500 employees working at 34 manufacturing facilities, 26 distribution centers and four innovation centers in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North America and Europe. The industrial baking company’s frozen doughs, batters, brioches, muffins and other items are distributed to customers in 100 nations.

Jackson said the Dallas plant, which has more than 250 employees, can produce more than 300,000 cupcakes in an eight-hour shift. The Dallas plant functions 24 hours a day.

Some of TSTC’s statewide technical programs that fit the company’s mission include Culinary Arts, Computer Science, Engineering, Industrial Maintenance, Industrial Systems Technology and Logistics Technology.

“CSM is looking for enthusiastic, positive and hard-working employees,” said Francoise Caraguel, global vice president of talent management based at the company’s headquarters in Sandy Springs, Georgia. “We look for individuals who are willing to take on roles that will challenge them daily. Communication and the ability to work with others is key.”

Jackson began work at CSM in 2009 after working in industrial maintenance at other organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“Updates in the real world don’t change as fast as technology changes,” Jackson said. “When you walk into a facility, you may not have worked on the equipment you are seeing. They may be a generation behind, but they are running hard. If you will get the same output out of something, why change it?”

Jackson said that away from the machinery it is good for newer workers to find a mentor with experience to learn from.

“Just don’t be out there on your own,” he said. “You need to learn this business as a whole. It is a lucrative career path that a lot of people overlook.”

Jackson was in the second graduating class at TSTC in Marshall in 1994 when he received a certificate in Industrial Maintenance. He liked that he could attend college locally.

“You can graduate from TSTC and go straight to work and understand what the business is about,” Jackson said. “Their programs are designed for the industry. The instructors came out of industry.”

Moody graduated from TSTC in Marshall with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Mechatronics in 2012.

“I liked that hands-on experience prepared me and at least got me familiar with the equipment,” Moody said. “I just applied the theories I learned to the actual real-life situations.”

Moody started as a company floor technician in 2013 before being promoted to his current position. He credits Jackson with being his professional mentor.

“I assist Derrick and the maintenance supervisors with the daily tasks and planned work,” Moody said. “I manage the assets of all our equipment and assist with projects.”

Moody transferred all his TSTC credit hours to earn a bachelor’s degree in Technical Management from DeVry University in 2015.

Caraguel said the company recruits college students nationally through its new CSM UP! initiative, putting them to work in their degree fields with other interns, managers and administrators. Video conferencing is used for students to learn from company executives located at other facilities.

For more information on CSM Bakery Solutions, go to csmbakerysolutions.com.

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

(MARSHALL) – Add the bacon, order the ketchup or ask for double patties – Whataburger fans can do all these and more to benefit students at Texas State Technical College in Marshall.

Longview-based Whataburger of East Texas will have an Oh Whata Night! fundraiser from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the East End Boulevard South and Victory Drive locations in Marshall. Twenty percent of all orders from the eateries will be given to the Make a Texas-Sized Difference campaign developed by The TSTC Foundation for the Texan Success Scholarship. The technical college will match the proceeds.

“By supporting this effort, you are not only helping a person get the skills they need to get a high- paying job and change the life of their family, but you are also helping to fill industry demand and build a stronger workforce for East Texas and across the entire state,” said Jessica Ford, field development officer for The TSTC Foundation.

The East End Boulevard South location will host the restaurant chain’s mascot, Whataguy, and have games and prize giveaways.

“The event helps the community know what is going on and also educate people that TSTC has a scholarship program,” said Kayla Richardson, marketing director of Whataburger of East Texas.

This is the first time Whataburger of East Texas and TSTC have united for an education effort.

“Our goal is to help fund any area in the education system that is lacking or needing some assistance,” Richardson said. “We pinpoint and go toward trying to help them as much as possible.”

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

(MARSHALL) – Edward Chaney dreamed of teaching junior high school or high school mathematics while growing up.

Now he is fulfilling his dream, but for older students as an instructor in the Industrial Maintenance program at Texas State Technical College in Marshall.

“I feel like I am giving something back to the people giving something to me,” Chaney, 50, said.

He was recently honored as a TSTC Chancellor’s Excellence Award recipient.

“Society is changing so fast because of the impact technology is having in our lives,” TSTC Chancellor and CEO Mike Reeser said. “But the one thing that doesn’t change is the strength of a leader and their character, and the profound impact we have on each other. And that’s why TSTC is a special place and a unique player in Texas.”

Chaney has taught at TSTC in Marshall for four years. The Industrial Maintenance program has about 70 students for the fall semester.

“Edward is clearly one of our top teammates and a great example of a true servant-leader,” TSTC in Marshall Provost Barton Day said. “He is a mentor to students and fellow staff and faculty and a terrific choice for this well-deserved recognition.”

Chancellor’s award recipients are nominated by coworkers.

“I got notification about the award from email and that UPS was sending me a package,” Chaney said. “I thought it was spam at first. There was a letter that came from the chancellor. Once I got the envelope and found out what it was, it was a sense of awe because I wasn’t expecting it.”

Chaney grew up in Mount Enterprise, where he graduated in 1984 from Mount Enterprise High School. He was active in FFA and a member of the electrical skills team.

He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served for four years as an electrician while stationed at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in California and Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.

“I would help hook up tent cities in the field and on training missions,” Chaney said.

After leaving the military, he worked in maintenance and production for a tire manufacturer in California before returning to East Texas to work for 16 years at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Tyler before it closed in 2007.

“When they shut the plant down, I got to come to TSTC in Marshall as a student and did two associate degrees: Industrial Electrical Technology and Industrial Mechanical Technology (later combined to be the Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Maintenance).”

After a couple of more jobs, Chaney discovered TSTC in Marshall had a faculty position open.

“I like the fact we change lives and that is what I’m excited about,” he said.

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

(MARSHALL) – Students at Texas State Technical College in Marshall took the opportunity to interact with employers Thursday morning during Industry Career Day.

More than 20 companies representing cyber security, telecommunications, electrical service, heavy machinery, chemical production and other fields gathered at TSTC’s South Building. Company representatives traveled from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands to attend the event.

“It’s a great way for the students to make industry contacts and learn exactly what some of the companies in the area do,” said Hannah Luce, a Career Services associate at TSTC in Marshall. “It’s also great practice for the student, because at each table they visit, it’s like a mini-interview.”

Companies were using their own ways to develop communication connections with the more than 200 students in attendance who could become prospective employees.

Fort Worth-based Alcon specializes in treatments and innovative medicines for eye care and is a division of Switzerland-based Novartis. Ally Van Deuren, an Alcon campus recruiter in Fort Worth, said the company is seeking students for internships, cooperatives and part-time and full-time work in marketing, sales, finance, engineering, supply chain management and engineering. Industry Career Day was the first time the company has been represented at TSTC.

TSTC students were able to text the company and provide their names, fields of study, grade point averages and email addresses to get up-to-date employment postings.

“It’s pretty new,” Van Deuren said. “We started doing it last spring. It’s mutually beneficial to keep in contact with students and to have a contact email and phone. It is also good they have contact within Alcon and get updated information on jobs they might not see if they were searching.”

Representatives of AEP Southwestern Electric Power Co., also known as SWEPCO, in Shreveport, Louisiana, attended the event to direct students to its website to keep up with openings for station electricians, transportation dispatchers and other careers. AEP, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of more than 200 coalition members of the Veteran Jobs Mission which seeks to place veterans into private-public sector skilled jobs nationwide.

“We familiarize ourselves with them in our process,” said Patty Woodham, a human relations consultant based in Shreveport. “We do all our staffing and hiring online. We give the students some insight into building a profile, having their resume up to date and checking the job listing.”

Carvana, a nationwide online used-vehicle seller headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, has a location in Blue Mound in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Representatives were seeking students studying in technical automotive programs and planned to keep in touch with them by telephone and email.

Carvana was represented at Industry Career Day for the first time.

“We’re eagerly seeking passionate students who fit the Carvana culture and closely identify with our company values, and from there, help them launch rewarding careers in the automotive industry,” said Amber Bartz, a company recruiter coordinator. “We’re also looking to create buzz among younger classes of students who also might be interested in pursuing a career with us in the future.”

For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu

(MARSHALL) – Students majoring in select programs at Texas State Technical College in Marshall now have a way to transfer semester credit hours to earn a four-year degree at The University of Texas at Tyler Longview University Center.

Administrators representing TSTC in Marshall and UT Tyler signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tuesday morning during a ceremony at TSTC’s South Building.

“We welcome the opportunity to partner with the team at UT Tyler in our continuing effort to place more Texans in great-paying careers across the state,” said TSTC in Marshall Provost Barton Day. “Clearly, answering the growing need for a technically trained workforce is, and should be, a primary goal of our institutions of higher education. We’re proud to be part of those efforts.”

The transfer agreement lets TSTC students who earn the Associate of Applied Science degree in Industrial Controls Technology, Industrial Maintenance Technology, Computer Aided Drafting and Design, and Computer Aided Manufacturing move forward to pursue the Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology at the Longview University Center.

“We welcome this opportunity to collaborate with Texas State Technical College in Marshall that will benefit students and employers across the region,” said UT Tyler President Rodney H. Mabry.

“Our industrial technology program offered at both our Tyler and Longview campuses is one of only two such programs accredited by the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering in the state of Texas. Employers understand the value of an ATMA- accredited program, and as a result our graduates typically receive several job offers following graduation.”

TSTC in Marshall students transferring into the industrial technology program can also earn a minor in business administration.

“Classes in accounting, management, marketing and supply-chain management provide them with the knowledge needed to operate effectively in a business environment,” said Mark Miller, a UT Tyler professor in the College of Business and Technology.

Industrial machining mechanics and machining maintenance workers are expected to grow in demand nationally to more than 530,000 workers by 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

For more information on the Longview University Center, go to uttyler.edu/luc.

(MARSHALL) – Katina Lewis feels she has scored in her career by joining the Cyber Security program at Texas State Technical College in Marshall.

“I have been bragging and telling everyone about the technical college,” said the Shreveport, La. resident. “I am bringing my nephew with me next semester so he can get in the program.”

Lewis, 44, who began teaching in late August, has already embraced the mix of older and younger students and is impressed by the college’s technology. She is part of the growing technical program, which had 27 students in Fall Semester 2015 and now has more than 60 students for Fall Semester 2016.

“Her experience as a Cisco Certified Network Professional will definitely help our offering in Marshall,” said Robert Brown, division director of Internet Technology Studies at TSTC in Marshall. “We gave her an opportunity to do a teaching test and she was extremely engaging and a natural instructor. The enthusiasm and energy she adds to the group is infectious and she has a bright future at TSTC, especially considering the prominence of the Cyber Security program.”

Lewis is building her classes throughout the semester to include recent industry information for students. She also wants to encourage students to test for Cisco Networking Academy certifications to make themselves more marketable for job hunting. Lewis is leading by example because she is also a Cisco Certified Network Associate.

Lewis grew up in the Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood in Shreveport.

“I loved sports and wanted to be a college basketball coach or gym teacher in a high school,” she said. “I always wanted to teach something. I always enjoyed electronics, replacing car stereos and putting in ceiling fans in relatives’ homes.”

Lewis played basketball at Green Oaks High School in Shreveport in the late 1980s and accepted a basketball scholarship to Tyler Junior College in Texas.

“It was about playing basketball and having fun,” she said. “I didn’t get serious about life until I had my daughter, who is now 24. Being a single mom, I had to take care of her.”

Lewis has an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electronics Technology from Southern University at Shreveport and a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology with a  concentration in Electronics Engineering Technology from Grambling State University.

She is currently working on a Master of Science degree in Cyber Security online through Liberty University.

Lewis worked in various technology roles for 13 years at Southern University at Shreveport before seeking a full-time teaching position at TSTC in Marshall.

To learn about TSTC, log on to tstc.edu

(MARSHALL) – Two Software Development Technology students at Texas State Technical College in Marshall graduate Friday having gained international work experience at SEVEN Networks.

Dustin Morgan, 22, and Sophia Glazova,19, both of Jefferson, spent part of July at SEVEN Networks’ facility in Hangzhou, China. The two visited for mobile software development meetings while based at the company’s Marshall location.

Phyllis Hollingshead, an instructor in the Software Development Technology program at TSTC, said Morgan had a keen ability to work well with other students and Glazova wrote clear and concise software coding.

“The two are very exemplary students,” Hollingshead said. “They are above average and it has been a pleasure to have them in class. They absorb everything so quickly and take off with it. I was excited that they got to go to China. They are the first students I have had to go overseas for internship work.”

Morgan has done an internship at SEVEN Networks since November and Glazova joined the company for an internship in December. The students have since been hired full time at the company.

“They are both very sharp and enthusiastic about their jobs and anxious to learn,” said Ross Bott, president and chief executive officer of SEVEN Networks. “We are happy with their performance and looking forward to them continuing to be part of the Seven engineering team.”

SEVEN distributes its engineering between Marshall and Hangzhou, which have a 13-hour time difference. Work is accomplished through conference calls, email, instant messaging, the company’s internal website and occasional engineering visits between the sites. According to its website, the company develops innovative software solutions that deliver device-centric mobile traffic management and analytics for wireless carriers.

“I like to solve the problems that come up,” Morgan said. “It’s never boring.”

While in China, Morgan and Glazova took some time off to sightsee. Among the locations they visited were the West Lake Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO world cultural heritage site, and Leifeng Pagoda, the oldest bronze pagoda in China.

“It was my first time being in China,” Glazova said. “It was quite interesting.”

The students also observed Chinese people in their daily lives.

“The ones at SEVEN were pretty curious,” Morgan said. “A lot of the Chinese we ran across did not speak English. They try to communicate with gestures. Most of the signs are in English, but the people don’t regularly speak it. Usually they want to take pictures with you.”

Bott said SEVEN is fortunate to have TSTC in Marshall as a neighbor.

“We will continue to look for the best and brightest students at TSTC to bring on as interns and later as full-time employees,” Bott said. “It’s a chance for someone to learn a lot about mobile software while working with a global engineering team.”

Morgan and Glazova will graduate with 54 other TSTC students at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 19, at the Julius S. Scott Sr. Chapel at Wiley College in Marshall. Morgan is a 2012 graduate of Iowa Park High School in Iowa Park and Glazova graduated in 2014 from Jefferson High School in Jefferson.

The two are preparing to start the fall semester at Louisiana State University in Shreveport to study computer science and software development. The students will continue to work at SEVEN after graduation.

TSTC in Marshall offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Software Development, with classes focusing on programming design and logic, scripting languages and software coding and testing.

Registration continues for the fall semester. More information is available at tstc.edu.