{"id":1369,"date":"2017-03-20T15:07:04","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T15:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1369"},"modified":"2017-03-20T15:07:04","modified_gmt":"2017-03-20T15:07:04","slug":"tstc-diversity-in-stem-introduces-high-school-girls-to-a-new-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1369","title":{"rendered":"TSTC Diversity in STEM Introduces High School Girls to a New World"},"content":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – Proudly carrying her TSTC pendant, Leann Lopez walked the halls of Texas State Technical College and toured technical programs during the college\u2019s Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) event.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old said she is ready to begin her college career at TSTC after taking nearly a year off after high school and the birth of her first baby. Lopez hopes to pursue an associate degree in Digital Media Design beginning in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery minute spent with my baby instead of focused on school was worth it,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019m ready to start working toward a career and a better life for my child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lopez was one of more than 40 prospective TSTC students participating in Diversity in STEM, an event hosted by the TSTC Advisement Center, to expose girls and women to careers in non-traditional fields.<\/p>\n

TSTC Gender Equity Advocate Anna Cortez said this is TSTC\u2019s second Diversity in STEM event, which focuses on encouraging girls and women to pursue male-dominated professions.\"TSTC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMany times girls or women are interested in pursuing a career in say Chemical Environmental Technology, but they have no one to turn to,\u201d said Cortez. \u201cToday gives them the chance to experience the program hands-on and ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

San Benito High School students, High School Equivalency Program students and community members participating in the event had the opportunity to tour three programs offered at TSTC \u2013 Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics; Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning; and Chemical Environmental Technology.<\/p>\n

Each tour was approximately one hour and included a hands-on activity such as experimenting with design and engineering software or conducting a forensic analysis in the chemical environmental labs.<\/p>\n

San Benito High School sophomore Jasmine Bautista said she had no idea TSTC offered opportunities in so many areas of study.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun learning how different technology fits into our everyday lives and how many programs TSTC offers,\u201d said Bautista. \u201cI\u2019m now seriously considering TSTC as a college choice. I can see myself here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bautista said her favorite part of the tour was the forensic analysis program which she is now considering as a career option.<\/p>\n

Additionally, other programs such as Welding Technology, Building Construction Technology and Biomedical Technology were showcased in a mini expo where instructors spent time talking with students and answering questions.<\/p>\n

Event keynote speaker Meg Jorn, chief executive officer and architect at Megamorphosis Architecture and Interior Design shared her experiences of working in a male-dominated field with the girls and provided some advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cTry hard, work hard, study hard and be better than the boys,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Cortez said she hopes Jorn acts as a role model for the girls in attendance and as an example of what can be done with hard work no matter the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe introduced the girls with the tools they need to be successful in a non-traditional career,\u201d said Cortez. \u201cNow it\u2019s up to them to follow the path.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on the technologies offered at TSTC call 956-364-4524 or visit tstc.edu<\/p>\n

Registration for Summer and Fall 2017 begins April 3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – Proudly carrying her TSTC pendant, Leann Lopez walked the halls of Texas State Technical College and toured technical programs during the college\u2019s Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) event. The 19-year-old said she is ready to begin her college career at TSTC after taking nearly a year off after high school […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369","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\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1371,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1369\/revisions\/1371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}