{"id":1609,"date":"2017-05-19T14:40:33","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T14:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1609"},"modified":"2017-05-19T14:40:33","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T14:40:33","slug":"veteran-finds-life-after-military-at-tstc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1609","title":{"rendered":"Veteran Finds Life After Military at TSTC"},"content":{"rendered":"

(FORT BEND) – Army Veteran Lupe Mendoza was looking for a career to pursue after serving six years in the military. Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

The Richmond native, husband and father recently graduated from Texas State Technical College, which he calls the beginning to a new life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do, I just knew I needed to move on in civilian life,\u201d said Mendoza. \u201cSo after researching I found machining and it seemed challenging, so I went for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendoza decided to put his veteran benefits and G.I. Bill to good use and enrolled in TSTC\u2019s Precision Machining Technology in 2015.<\/p>\n

After serving numerous tours overseas, Mendoza returned with a spinal injury being labeled as\"Lupe<\/a> disabled by doctors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe work in the military is hard and over time it takes a toll on your body,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I wasn\u2019t going to let that stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a veteran, Mendoza had access to TSTC\u2019s Veterans Center for help with enrolling and benefit processes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was impressed with the type of help I received as a veteran,\u201d said Mendoza. \u201cThe veterans team from Harlingen would travel to me in Fort Bend County to assist me with everything. They played a big part in my success at TSTC.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another person Mendoza credits with his success was former TSTC Precision Machining Instructor Michael Barnes.<\/p>\n

Mendoza said it was Barnes\u2019 extensive real-world experiences that he shared with all of his students that made all of the difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe treated the class like an actual machine shop and students like employees,\u201d said Mendoza. \u201cIt was actual on-the job training and he was our biggest supporter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the fact that Mendoza grew up around construction and working in a steel mill with his father, he said nothing compared to the foundation and hands-on experience he got at TSTC.<\/p>\n

Mendoza became so captivated with TSTC\u2019s teaching methods that he concurrently enrolled in Welding Technology. He is expected to earn his certificate Summer 2017, in time to graduate at TSTC\u2019s In Fort Bend County\u2019s first commencement ceremony in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have nothing but praise for TSTC and I\u2019m so glad I followed this path,\u201d said Mendoza. \u201cI can\u2019t thank the instructors and staff enough for all of the help they provided.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in the future for Mendoza?<\/p>\n

He said he is considering enrolling at the University of Houston to pursue a bachelor\u2019s degree in Mechanical Engineering but is also looking into making a move to Harlingen to do metal work for his uncle who owns two gun shops.<\/p>\n

\u201cTSTC has given me the skills I need to move on with my life,\u201d he said. \u201cMy options are now endless and TSTC made that easier for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on Precision Machining Technology call 346-239- 3441 and for Welding Technology call 346-239-3452.<\/p>\n

Registration for Fall 2017 is already in progress. To register or apply anytime visit tstc.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(FORT BEND) – Army Veteran Lupe Mendoza was looking for a career to pursue after serving six years in the military. Mission accomplished. The Richmond native, husband and father recently graduated from Texas State Technical College, which he calls the beginning to a new life. \u201cI didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do, I just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fort-bend"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609","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=1609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1611,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions\/1611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}