{"id":1732,"date":"2017-06-19T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2017-06-19T08:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1732"},"modified":"2017-06-16T14:10:03","modified_gmt":"2017-06-16T14:10:03","slug":"tstc-alum-donates-to-help-others-find-their-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=1732","title":{"rendered":"TSTC Alum Donates to Help Others Find their Dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">(FORT BEND) &#8211; Texas State Technical College gave Steve Hefner an education and helped him find a career he still loves today and now he is giving back to the school that gave him so much.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">The 1985 TSTC graduate recently donated $10,000 to the TSTC Texan Success Scholarship that will assist students who are pursuing a career in construction-related industries such as Industrial Maintenance Technology, Welding Technology, HVAC Technology and Precision Machining Technology. The money will help students pay for tuition, books and other expenses.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<div id=\"attachment_1733\" style=\"width: 224px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/TSTC-Donor-SteveHefner.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1733\" class=\"wp-image-1733 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/TSTC-Donor-SteveHefner-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"Steve Hefner\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/TSTC-Donor-SteveHefner-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/TSTC-Donor-SteveHefner-768x1075.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/TSTC-Donor-SteveHefner-731x1024.jpg 731w, https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/TSTC-Donor-SteveHefner-624x874.jpg 624w, https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/TSTC-Donor-SteveHefner.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1733\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Steve Hefner<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cTSTC was a great experience for me and I want someone else to have that same opportunity,\u201d said Hefner.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">The 54-year-old earned his associate degree in building construction from TSTC in Waco and is now the senior vice president of construction, facilities and purchasing for Camden Property Trust in Houston where he has worked for 23 years.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cA home is a special thing in someone\u2019s life,\u201d said Hefner. \u201cAnd my career gives me great pride in being a part of that and it\u2019s all because of TSTC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">Hefner said TSTC gave him the foundation he needed to be successful in his field and is glad to see that TSTC is still providing the same service.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cAt TSTC and in my career I have had great mentors and I want to be that for somebody,\u201d he said. \u201cTSTC is the best opportunity out there to get an education, skills and a trade.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">Throughout Hefner\u2019s 32-year career in the construction industry he has also worked at Worthing Southeast Builders and SpawGlass and Gross Builders earning promotions and working his way to the top.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cAnd education is what you make of it,\u201d he added. \u201cStudents at TSTC have the same opportunity as a four-year university graduate. Everyone starts at the bottom and earns their place at the top and I hope my donation can help students get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">TSTC\u2019s Field Development Officer John Kennedy said donations from alumni are a testament to the college.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cIt says a lot for a former students to return to help our college because it builds tremendous credibility for what we are doing in the state of the Texas,\u201d said Kennedy. \u201cIn essence it is a testament to an alumni\u2019s trust in our programs and effectiveness in our ability to change people\u2019s lives for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">Kennedy also added that donations are critical to the college\u2019s mission of placing more Texans in great paying jobs.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cThese dollars are used by our students to learn a skill that they might not have otherwise been able to without donations from the private sector,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are grateful for people like Mr. Hefner who see the value in skilled workers and are willing to invest in the future of others.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">Hefner said he hopes to continue working with Kennedy and TSTC to begin an endowment toward TSTC\u2019s construction-related technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">\u201cMy goal is to help students avoid debt and give them the opportunity to find their passion,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to help them pursue a career that will provide for their future and their family\u2019s needs in life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">For more information on how to donate to TSTC\u2019s Texan Success Scholarship please call 346-239-3402.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;\"><span style=\"color: black;\">Registration for Fall 2017 is in progress. To register or apply anytime visit tstc.edu.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(FORT BEND) &#8211; Texas State Technical College gave Steve Hefner an education and helped him find a career he still loves today and now he is giving back to the school that gave him so much. The 1985 TSTC graduate recently donated $10,000 to the TSTC Texan Success Scholarship that will assist students who are [&hellip;]<\/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-1732","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\/1732","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=1732"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1734,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732\/revisions\/1734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}