{"id":1017,"date":"2016-11-15T11:45:27","date_gmt":"2016-11-15T11:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1017"},"modified":"2016-11-15T19:28:47","modified_gmt":"2016-11-15T19:28:47","slug":"tstc-in-waco-alumna-helps-valley-mills-isd-ascend-to-technology-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1017","title":{"rendered":"TSTC in Waco Alumna Helps Valley Mills ISD Ascend to Technology Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"

(WACO) \u2013 A job layoff in the medical field three years ago convinced DiAnna Richardson of Lorena that she needed to make a drastic change.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI looked at what I could physically do and what I would enjoy doing,\u201d Richardson, 48, said. \u201cI\u2019ve worked with computers since I can remember.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her new career flourished when she began work in early August as the computer technician at Valley Mills Independent School District in Bosque County. But the transformation began when she attended classes full-time at Texas State Technical College and received an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Maintenance Technology in late August.<\/span><\/p>\n

Richardson said she enjoys the more than 60-mile-round-trip commute because of the country roads and rolling hills. She considers it a time to plan her day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy working here,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is like a big family. From day one they were welcoming and appreciative, and I think on a smaller scale the district is more personable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Richardson keeps the school district\u2019s technology functioning, from replacing computer screens to maintaining wireless connections and cyber security. She looks at what items can be recycled due to age and functionality and studies what technology could be useful to the district.<\/span><\/p>\n

She also maintains the iPads that Valley Mills Elementary School students use and the Dell Chromebooks that Valley Mills Junior High School and Valley Mills High School students use in class and doing for homework. The school district has more than 620 students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eric Halfmann, the junior high school and high school\u2019s assistant principal for curriculum and technology, is learning alongside Richardson. He also is in his first year at Valley Mills ISD and said he has been impressed with her quick understanding of the district\u2019s needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe gets on it and is coming and going,\u201d Halfmann said. \u201cShe has had a big challenge recently \u2013 a hard drive crashed for a woman in our district who keeps important data and she dealt with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Richardson learned at TSTC about technical support, electronics, networking techniques and troubleshooting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith her years of experience in the working world, she was very focused and serious about her coursework,\u201d said David Macik, an instructor in the Computer Maintenance Technology program on the Waco campus. \u201cShe was an outstanding student who always made the other students better by setting a great example and providing great input for class discussions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Richardson said job hunting in the computer field was a scary time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have been working nonstop since I was 13 years old,\u201d she said. \u201cNot everyone wants to hire an older individual.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She credited Macik with helping her discover Valley Mills ISD, as well as the support the school board and community give.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen her current position became available, I knew she would be a great fit and I was happy to recommend her for the job,\u201d said Macik. \u201cI know that she will be successful in her new position because not only does she have great technical skills but, also great soft skills due to her prior experience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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(WACO) \u2013 A job layoff in the medical field three years ago convinced DiAnna Richardson of Lorena that she needed to make a drastic change. \u201cI looked at what I could physically do and what I would enjoy doing,\u201d Richardson, 48, said. \u201cI\u2019ve worked with computers since I can remember.\u201d Her new career flourished when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-waco"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1017"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1022,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1017\/revisions\/1022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}