(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.
“It just seemed natural for me to follow in his steps and go into construction,” he said.
Tovar, who completed an associate degree in the Building Construction Technology program in 2018, is now an assistant superintendent at SpawGlass general contractors in San Antonio.
He said his time at TSTC not only helped prepare him with essential skills, but also helped him gain confidence to set himself up for a career that promises to rise like a skyscraper.
“The instructors were invested in our success,” Tovar said. “They immediately helped us with any questions we had during the program.”
He said that although the program taught him and the other students curriculum from a textbook, it also allowed them to go outside and get their hands dirty.
“TSTC gave me the opportunity to get hands-on training on things like rough framing, blueprint reading, estimating, schedule building, project management and much more,” he said. “These are all skills that I use daily. I especially enjoyed our time doing labs, which included volunteering to build homes for our local Habitat for Humanity.”
Another aspect of the program that he appreciated was the knowledge that many of his peers brought to the classroom.
“Most of my friends at TSTC were already working full time or in the middle of a career change,” he said. “Many had been in the construction industry, which added a new perspective to our classes. I absorbed a lot of experience from my colleagues and instructors.”
Tovar is thankful that he took the leap and registered for courses at TSTC.
“My greatest accomplishment to date would have to be graduating from TSTC,” he said. “I carry a lot of pride for this college with me because of how strongly I believe in the effectiveness of the Building Construction Technology program. TSTC shaped my whole idea of what a college should be.”
To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.
