(WACO, Texas) – Recent graduates of Texas State Technical College’s Digital Media Design program have an impressive array of career options. Pleasanton native Hannah Selby works at a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary as a marketing coordinator and real estate photographer. Abilene resident Arabel Mullen aspires to be a professional illustrator and already has sold a client […]

(WACO, Texas) – U.S. Navy veteran Jake Jordan wanted to expand his work skills. During his 17-year military career, Jordan was a welder. After retirement, he tried his hand at various jobs in the Austin area. “It was not a good fit for me,” he said of a career in welding. He knew Texas State […]

(WACO, Texas) – The Tesla START training program at Texas State Technical College recently held a recognition ceremony for its third cohort of graduates. The TSTC students began the 12-week training program in January to learn the skills necessary to become advanced electric vehicle technicians at Tesla. As a Tesla-paid hourly internship, the students developed […]

(WACO, Texas) – Dominic Abeyta, of Hewitt, is working toward a Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology certificate at Texas State Technical College. He is scheduled to graduate in December. What inspired you to study Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology at TSTC? I was working as an armed security guard, but I was looking for a new challenge […]

(ABILENE, Texas) – Marcus Lance has done a lot in a short period of time at Texas’ largest limestone quarry. After earning an associate degree in Industrial Systems at Texas State Technical College in 2020, Lance began working for Champion Stone Co. in Lueders. The maintenance technician has seen his education pay off daily. “I […]

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Kayla Halmon, of Harlingen, was glad to volunteer during a recent morning at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Primera that was hosted by Cameron County Public Health. Halmon, a spring 2021 graduate of Texas State Technical College’s Health Information Technology program, input patients’ vaccine data into ImmTrac2, the Texas Immunization Registry maintained […]

(ABILENE, Texas) – Texas State Technical College honored 120 candidates for graduation during a virtual commencement celebration on Thursday, April 22. The celebration honored graduates from TSTC’s four West Texas campuses in Abilene, Breckenridge, Brownwood and Sweetwater. TSTC Chancellor and CEO Mike Reeser celebrated the graduates’ accomplishments with a video message. “Throughout your time at […]

(WACO, Texas) – Thomas Pechal, of Temple retired in August 2019 from Temple Fire and Rescue, where he was a firefighter and paramedic and also worked with community education and public information. A week later, he was attending Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus working on a new career in Environmental Technology and Occupational Safety […]

(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College Culinary Arts graduate Adilene Camarena launched her Waco bakery, Around the World, in April 2020, with high hopes, fierce determination and a generous helping of optimism. The bakery is at Union Hall in downtown Waco. One year later, the Hillsboro native reflected on her experiences and reminisced about […]

(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College Culinary Arts students are ready to make their dreams come true when they graduate this spring.  “I feel as if this program has prepared me for more than I ever imagined,” said Mikhaila Hoffman of College Station. “The long-term goal is to eventually own my own bakery. That […]

(WACO, Texas) – Now is a good time to enter the culinary arts field because there is a need for skilled workers. “I have never seen such a staffing shortage across the board right now, whether it is cooks, front of house, or food runners,” said Kyle Citrano, president of the Waco Restaurant Association and […]

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Growing up on a farm in Jacksboro, Kenneth Perry was constantly repairing equipment. When it was time to choose a career path, Perry said he had two career options, and both included Texas State Technical College. “My school counselor told me about TSTC’s programs. It was either going to be diesel or […]

(BROWNWOOD, Texas) – Anthony Monaco has been around first responders his entire life. When Monaco lived in New York, his father was a volunteer firefighter, and his mother was a nurse. After his father’s job moved the family to Fort Worth, Monaco wanted to continue the family tradition. After high school, Monaco attended a firefighter […]

(ABILENE, Texas) – One of the first things students learn in Texas State Technical College’s Industrial Systems program is that many job opportunities await them after graduation. That was the reason why Jacob Nelson, Levi Taylor and Dalton Tiner decided to enroll in the program. What they have learned over their first two semesters is […]

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Computer Programming Technology at Texas State Technical College equips students with the essential tools they need to continually stay in demand in this rising industry. The job outlook for computer programmers has not slowed down. In fact, the remote work environment that many people have become familiar with will lead to the […]

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Students enrolled in Texas State Technical College’s Emergency Medical Services program are in good hands as they learn from instructors who not only have knowledge of the industry, but also have experienced working in the field themselves. TSTC Emergency Medical Services instructor Ruben Ramirez spends his days in the classroom while also […]

(MARSHALL, Texas) – Rush Harris, executive director of the Marshall Economic Development Corp., said the need for industrial systems workers is being seen right now.  Harris said he recently has spoken with two companies that need new workers. He said more than 20 companies in Harrison County and surrounding counties are searching for industrial systems […]

(BROWNWOOD, Texas) – Two Lifeguard Ambulance Service emergency medical technicians began their medical careers in similar fashion. Michelle Bates and Brittney Evans did not immediately begin studying to become EMTs. Now the two first responders are completing their third semester in Texas State Technical College’s Emergency Medical Services Paramedic program. Bates, of Fort Worth, earned […]

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Grant Cusenbary likes to explore nature and go on adventures. Cusenbary’s sense of adventure led him to Texas State Technical College’s Wind Energy Technology program. Nearing the completion of his second semester in pursuing an associate degree, he is ready to explore more of the program. “I am naturally curious. I like […]

(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) – When Monty Moeller learned that Texas State Technical College was hosting a high school welding event, he knew his students would be in attendance. Moeller, the Rolling Plains Technical School coordinator and welding instructor, wanted his students to see TSTC’s facilities. Two of his students finished in the top three at the […]

(WACO, Texas) – For Mary Lopez, attending Texas State Technical College is a family effort. Not only did Lopez’s education mean a move from Combes in Cameron County to on-campus housing in Waco, but it also involves her family keeping her on schedule with assignments and helping her study. “My family has really stepped up […]

(WACO, Texas) – February’s historic winter weather in Texas made people realize the importance of plumbers as pipes broke, causing damage to apartments, homes and businesses. “It shined a light on the plumbing industry and made people see we are not always as prepared as we think we are,” said Clyff Curry, business manager of […]

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Growing up around restaurants and catering inspired Stephanie Salazar to enroll in the Culinary Arts program at Texas State Technical College. Salazar received her Associate of Applied Science degree in 2019 and is now the dietary and nutrition services director at McAllen Nursing Center, where she is able to utilize her skills […]

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Building Construction Technology at Texas State Technical College equips future builders with the tools needed to step into a booming industry. TSTC instructor Rick Vargas discussed the program and how it benefits students. “Our TSTC instructors have first-hand industry experience that we share with our students,” he said. “This is the only […]

(WACO, Texas) – Jay Jackson is not daunted by a little hard work. Jackson, of Bosqueville, is studying Biomedical Equipment Technology at Texas State Technical College and working on his family’s dairy farm in rural McLennan County. He also has a dream of attending medical school in Texas. So far at TSTC, Jackson has learned […]

(WACO, Texas) – Jude Gonzales has learned that the positive people with whom he surrounds himself both personally and professionally can be motivational in creating a career and life to be proud of. Where plumbing is concerned, Jude Gonzales knows that there is always more to learn — and he is not afraid to try. […]

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – It started like any other Wednesday for Rebecca Fortuna. The Texas State Technical College Wind Energy Technology student was at the top of a wind turbine when her cellphone rang. On the other end of the call was a FieldCore representative, who offered Fortuna a job as an electrical wind technician. “The […]

(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) – Scott Rosignol, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Army, dabbled in welding on weekends while living in Harker Heights.  But it was not until he moved to Breckenridge and toured the Welding Technology program at Texas State Technical College that he began to think of welding as a career option. After talking […]

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Twenty-four hours after he was born, Eloy Hernandez suffered a stroke.  It was December 1, 2000,  and his parents had a new reality to deal with. The right side of their son’s body was partially paralyzed, the rest of his life shrouded in uncertainty.  Twenty years later, there can be no doubt […]

(WACO, Texas) – Utex Industries Inc. in Houston has two Texas State Technical College graduates working daily to keep its employees safe. Michael Houlihan is the company’s health, safety and environmental – maintenance manager at the company’s Weimar plant, which makes high-pressure gaskets for the oil and gas fracking industry. Dawn Swofford is the corporate […]

(MARSHALL, Texas) – East Texas electric cooperatives often look to Texas State Technical College’s Electrical Lineworker Technology program in Marshall as a source for well-trained workers.  “In most cases, cooperatives are relatively small in size, so they do not have the capacity to take large numbers of students semester after semester, though they are in […]

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College Surgical Technology students recently received hands-on training via a mock surgery performed under a retired surgeon’s supervision. The scenario, which included a lifelike manikin, involved students preparing the room for surgery, sanitizing and sterilizing their hands and tools, and even putting on scrubs and other proper attire for […]

(ROSENBERG, Texas) – Computer Networking and Systems Administration at Texas State Technical College brings the digital world to life for students enrolled in the program. Instructor Emanuel Palacios discussed the highlights of the field, as well as what students can expect during their time in the online program and beyond. “This program will provide students […]

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Work zones and hard hats were a way of life for Sebastian Tovar before he entered the Building Construction Technology program at Texas State Technical College. Growing up, the Harlingen native would scurry around construction sites, picking up trash while his dad was helping to build the next addition to a city. […]

(ABILENE, Texas) – The need for substance abuse, behavioral disorder and mental health counselors is expected to grow over the next decade. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 26 percent increase in the number of counselors needed in Texas by 2028, and Texas State Technical College is helping to train counselors to fill […]