{"id":648,"date":"2016-08-15T08:30:43","date_gmt":"2016-08-15T08:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=648"},"modified":"2016-08-08T19:20:19","modified_gmt":"2016-08-08T19:20:19","slug":"meet-mara-tstc-fort-bend-success-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=648","title":{"rendered":"Meet Mara: TSTC Fort Bend Success Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Naissa Lopez<\/p>\n

(Fort Bend County) – What started as a job as an English tutor turned into a career that makes a difference in the lives of students for Texas State Technical College Success Coach Mara Hartsell.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI started working as an English tutor in the TSTC Marshall library in 2011,\u201d she reminisces.\u00a0 \u201cI taught remedial English courses as an adjunct and went on to a full-time position as a success coach in Marshall.\u00a0 Not too long after, I was transferred to the Fort Bend campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

While a job as a success coach entails many different responsibilities, the Shreveport, Louisiana native clarifies that one thing is always for certain; she will make sure that a student\u2019s future is as bright as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI practice holistic advising \"Mara<\/a>techniques and work with students at all stages of their academic careers,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cEssentially, I help them strategize and plan in a way that keeps their educational goals at the forefront, and help them graduate with the award they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hartsell\u2019s humble beginnings have helped her leave an even greater impact on the students she advises.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a first-generation student who struggled through college while working full-time.\u00a0 Today, I still recall select individuals who encouraged me and told me to keep going.\u00a0 Without their support, I\u2019m not sure if I would have reached the finish line myself,\u201d she stated.\u00a0 \u201cI try to fill this role as best I can with students experiencing hardship, and it\u2019s a great feeling when they take the time to let me know I\u2019ve succeeded in pushing them forward.\u00a0 The best moments are those when a student from a past semester visits you and thanks you for the impact that you had on him or her.\u201d<\/p>\n

A college education may seem like a difficult journey for students who struggle financially, but Hartsell emphasizes that money should not be what deters someone from enrolling.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people today are concerned about the financial debt they might incur if they enroll in college, and they\u2019re also worried about the job prospects they\u2019ll realistically have after they make that sacrifice,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cTSTC students shouldn\u2019t be preoccupied with either of these things given our extremely competitive tuition rate and high job placement statistics.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Hartsell points out, affordability is what sets TSTC apart from other institutions of higher learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always brag that this school puts the interest of students first, because once they graduate, they\u2019ll still be able to maintain their financial independence.\u00a0 They\u2019ll also have a team well-rooted in the industry advocating for them.\u00a0 You won\u2019t find TSTC alumni complaining that they\u2019re shackled by debt or unable to find a job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hartsell not only enjoys her role at TSTC, but she is also grateful for the people she has met along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollaboration, determination and friendship have defined my time here,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cTSTC has given me many opportunities to practice new skill sets, and it has introduced me to a number of great people who are not only my colleagues, but also my friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students interested in an advisement session with Mara Hartsell may reach her at mara.hartsell@tstc.edu.<\/p>\n

Registration for the Fall semester is currently underway.\u00a0 Deadline for registration is August 22 and classes begin on August 29.\u00a0 Apply online or register at www.tstc.edu.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Naissa Lopez (Fort Bend County) – What started as a job as an English tutor turned into a career that makes a difference in the lives of students for Texas State Technical College Success Coach Mara Hartsell. \u00a0\u201cI started working as an English tutor in the TSTC Marshall library in 2011,\u201d she reminisces.\u00a0 \u201cI […]<\/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-648","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\/648","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=648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":650,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions\/650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}