{"id":3344,"date":"2018-08-27T13:37:16","date_gmt":"2018-08-27T13:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=3344"},"modified":"2018-08-27T13:37:16","modified_gmt":"2018-08-27T13:37:16","slug":"tstc-surgical-technology-celebrate-graduates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=3344","title":{"rendered":"TSTC Surgical Technology celebrate graduates"},"content":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – Edgardo Velez was speechless after being named the valedictorian for the Texas State Technical College Surgical Technology class of 2018 at the program\u2019s recent pinning ceremony held at the TSTC Cultural Arts Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a total surprise, I had no idea I was the valedictorian,\u201d said Velez. \u201cI was shaking and my heart was racing when I heard my name.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tradition for the program to keep the name of the valedictorian a secret until the pinning ceremony.<\/p>\n

The Mexico native who now resides in Harlingen, said he knew it was a tight race between him and another classmate, but his 3.8 grade-point average got him to the top.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of what I\u2019ve been able to accomplish and receiving this honor is great,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m proud of everyone in our program. Everyone has worked really hard to get here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 20-year-old graduated with his associate degree only a couple of weeks ago during TSTC\u2019s Summer Commencement Ceremonies and has already started his career at Doctor\u2019s Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg.\"TSTC<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cTSTC has been good to my family,\u201d said Velez, whose mother is a 2016 vocational nursing alumna from TSTC. \u201cAfter high school I didn\u2019t know what I wanted to do or go. I was interested in the medical field though and TSTC had just what I was looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

TSTC Surgical Technology Clinical Coordinator Yolanda Ramirez said it takes hard work, dedication and time – the kind of time that not every student is willing to give, to be the valedictorian.<\/p>\n

\u201cVelez possesses all of these attributes and more,\u201d she said. \u201cHe did an outstanding job and demonstrated dedication to his academics, was inquisitive, eager to learn and always had a positive attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

Velez was inspired to enter the medical field by his uncle who is a doctor in Mexico and his mother. And although he is unsure about his next educational step, he knows for sure the type of surgical technologist he wants to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be well-rounded and be able to assist the surgeon, doctors and nurses in any situation,\u201d said Velez. \u201cI want to be knowledgeable in all surgical aspects and be a valuable member of the surgical team.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is an admirable goal and one that TSTC Surgical Technology alumni Nadia Alanis and David Flores, who was also named the program\u2019s Preceptor of the Year, advices these graduates to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo everything to the best of your ability,\u201d said Alanis, a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Harlingen Anesthesia Associates. \u201cAlways have a plan, never forget that with sacrifice comes success, keep learning and never give up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was once in your shoes, it\u2019s scary, but it\u2019s the first step that takes you where you want to go,\u201d said Flores, a certified first surgical assistant at Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen. \u201cAs your preceptor I\u2019m glad I\u2019ve been able to guide you in the right direction and mentor you in this journey. Remain strong in academics, be enthusiastic about your career and always have a positive attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the ceremony, Velez and 19 of his other peers were pinned, cited the Surgical Technology Pledge and heard remarks from fellow graduate and TSTC Surgical Technology Club President Angela Ramirez, TSTC Surgical Technology Senior Instructor Ana San Pedro and TSTC Surgical Technology Program Director Robert Sanchez.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have your career in your hands and how you work with it and pursue your dream is up to you,\u201d Sanchez told his graduates. \u201cYou have the opportunity to be the best technologist you can be. This degree will allow you to pursue other academic endeavors you may never have imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information on the Surgical Technology program at TSTC, visit tstc.edu.<\/p>\n

Registration is underway for Fall 2018 and classes begin August 27.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – Edgardo Velez was speechless after being named the valedictorian for the Texas State Technical College Surgical Technology class of 2018 at the program\u2019s recent pinning ceremony held at the TSTC Cultural Arts Center. \u201cThis was a total surprise, I had no idea I was the valedictorian,\u201d said Velez. \u201cI was shaking and my […]<\/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-3344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3344","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=3344"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3350,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3344\/revisions\/3350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}