{"id":3485,"date":"2018-10-15T08:00:47","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T08:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=3485"},"modified":"2018-10-12T14:55:00","modified_gmt":"2018-10-12T14:55:00","slug":"mother-daughter-duo-finds-success-at-tstc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=3485","title":{"rendered":"Mother-daughter duo finds success at TSTC"},"content":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – Missy and Micah Valdez, mother and daughter, are a duo to be reckoned with. Both are students at Texas State Technical College who hold each other to high standards and have high hopes for each other\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

The journey to TSTC began untraditionally for Missy. She had been in the banking business for three decades and risen to senior bank manager and vice president at a local bank before being laid off in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dedicated nearly 22 years of my career to (that) place, and just like that I lost my job,\u201d said Missy. \u201cIt\u2019s been a difficult transition. But I\u2019m ready for a career change, and TSTC has been there for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wasting no time, Missy used the tuition assistance that was included in her severance package to enroll in the Health Information Technology program at TSTC in Harlingen.<\/p>\n

But transitioning from a high-level position and six-figure salary to student life was no easy feat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m 49 and hadn\u2019t been in a classroom since high school, so it was intimidating,\u201d said Missy. \u201cI\u2019m definitely one of (the oldest), if not the oldest, in class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Missy got her dream job as a bank teller straight out of high school and said because of that she never pursued a college education.\"Micah<\/a><\/p>\n

But despite her fears and the challenges she faces as a full-time student, wife and mother, Missy has maintained a 3.9 grade-point average and earned spots on the vice chancellor\u2019s and dean\u2019s lists.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of this would be possible without the support of my children and husband,\u201d said Missy. \u201cThey have been nothing but encouraging and understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Missy expects to graduate from Health Information Technology with an associate degree in Spring 2019 and will return to TSTC to apply for the vocational nursing and registered nursing programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so proud of my mom and everything she has accomplished,\u201d said Micah. \u201cShe\u2019s a go-getter and an inspiration. To watch her get an education to better herself has been a great journey, and I\u2019m glad we get to do college together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old is enrolled in Surgical Technology and hopes to graduate with her associate degree in Summer 2019.<\/p>\n

She and her mother were no strangers to TSTC before they enrolled.<\/p>\n

When Micah was in high school, her father underwent open-heart surgery, and she recalls being mesmerized by the staff who nursed him back to health. Eventually she received a nursing assistant certificate from TSTC as a dual-enrollment student at Harlingen South High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been interested in the medical field, but I really began pursuing a career in it after my father became ill,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to be to others what my dad\u2019s medical staff was for him and our family, and TSTC allows me to do this close to home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Harlingen native and her father are like two peas in pod. \u201cWe do everything together,\u201d said Micah.<\/p>\n

Micah recently began her clinicals at Valley Baptist Medical Center and said she is excited to begin the journey of patient care.<\/p>\n

\u201cTSTC provides the perfect space. We have fully functional operating rooms equipped with a mannequin, lights, and all of the tools and instruments we\u2019ll be working with in industry,\u201d said Micah. \u201cFor me, this makes learning easy and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Micah hopes one day to become a surgical nurse.<\/p>\n

She said having her mom on campus as a peer has made her experience even better.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to have her on campus. I told all of my friends right away about her coming to TSTC,\u201d said Micah. \u201cWe see each other around campus sometimes, and we even study together at home. We help each other out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both women agree that they admire their instructors\u2019 knowledge and experience and enjoy the hands-on training TSTC provides because they know it will help them become the best in their professions.<\/p>\n

The one thing they wish they could change: not graduating together.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be great if we were graduating the same semester. That would be a grand celebration. But at least we only have to purchase one cap and gown,\u201d Missy said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

For more information on Surgical Technology or Health Information Technology, visit tstc.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – Missy and Micah Valdez, mother and daughter, are a duo to be reckoned with. Both are students at Texas State Technical College who hold each other to high standards and have high hopes for each other\u2019s success. The journey to TSTC began untraditionally for Missy. She had been in the banking business for […]<\/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-3485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3485","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=3485"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3487,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3485\/revisions\/3487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}