![\"Nancy](\"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/TSTCAlum-NancyVillafranca.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cI loved the medical field, and I was going to be a nurse,\u201d she said. \u201cBut things changed. After a semester, I realized it wasn\u2019t for me. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a newborn in the house, Villafranca said the only thing she did know was that she had to do something.<\/p>\n
So after getting advice from a few TSTC instructors and looking at what intrigued her about her father\u2019s career as a toolmaker, she knew that Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics was her best choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t regret the career change at all. I\u2019ve never looked back or wondered \u2018what if.\u2019 I made the best choice for me and my son, and it has worked out great,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Villafranca now designs and drafts piping and ductwork for commercial projects, oversees supplies and materials for project managers and field technicians, manages at least 13 employees at the CAHS fabrication shop, and ships out materials to job sites.<\/p>\n
She has even worked on major design projects for TSTC, her alma mater. She drafted and designed all ductwork and piping for TSTC\u2019s new chiller plant and a recent addition to the engineering building.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone I work with is great,\u201d Villafranca said. \u201cFrom the top down, everyone is so helpful, encouraging and always available to answer questions. They are great teachers and care about the success of their employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sean Lavergne, CAHS production manager, said Villafranca is an exceptional employee and excels in whatever she tries.<\/p>\n
\u201cNancy is a self-starter, always goes above and beyond, and is willing to learn new things. And she\u2019s respected by all,\u201d said Lavergne. \u201cThis is what really impressed me about Nancy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that Villafranca is never afraid to challenge herself, whether it is taking on new responsibilities, or learning a new software or skill.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Nancy\u2019s determination, I see her going far in her career,\u201d he said. \u201cI told her I won\u2019t be a production manager forever, and I can see her taking it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a layoff and a job in Corpus Christi that Villafranca deemed too far from home, she believes she ended up where she belongs.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m where I\u2019m supposed to be,\u201d she said. \u201cMy son and I are back at home with our family. I\u2019m doing what I love and taking life one day at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for drafters who have a two-year associate degree is expected to increase seven percent from 2016 to 2026. An increase in construction is projected to drive the demand.<\/p>\n
TSTC\u2019s Abilene, Brownwood, Marshall, North Texas, Sweetwater and Waco campuses also offer drafting and design.<\/p>\n
For more information on TSTC\u2019s Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics degree, visit tstc.edu.<\/p>\n
Registration for Summer and Fall 2018 is in progress.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(HARLINGEN) –\u00a0Nancy Villafranca is a single mom who knew she needed to support her son, but finding jobs was hard. Thanks to Texas State Technical College and its Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics degree, she was able to find a career she loves. The Brownsville native graduated from TSTC with an associate degree in 2015 […]<\/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-2776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2776","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=2776"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2784,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2776\/revisions\/2784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}