(ROSENBERG, Texas) – Graduates from Texas State Technical College’s Fort Bend County location and their families and friends attended TSTC’s Spring 2024 Commencement held Wednesday, April 24, at the Stafford Centre in Stafford.
Each of the 102 graduates received either an Associate of Applied Science degree or a certificate of completion in their program.
John Kennedy, associate provost for TSTC’s Fort Bend County location, shared his wishes for the graduates.
“My hope is that the graduates get good jobs and good careers, that they will use the skills they learned at TSTC to better their lives, and that they will keep in touch,” he said.
The faculty members who instructed and guided the students could be seen mingling and talking with them. A few of the graduating students expressed their gratitude for the hands-on training they had received. One such student was Oscar Arredondo Jr., a graduate of the Diesel Equipment Technology program.
“I really enjoyed working on the trucks in the program,” he said. “It felt like I was really learning what I needed for my career.”
Arrendondo was graduating with his associate degree. Likewise, Kelly Gomez was graduating for the second time from TSTC’s Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program, this time with her associate degree. She had previously earned a certificate of completion.
“It was a rocky road,” she said. “It sometimes left me feeling like I wasn’t going to make it, but I did it. I’m excited to be done.”
Other graduates were looking to make a career change and had turned to TSTC for the education they needed. Aaron Carmona had previously worked in the automotive industry but was now graduating from the Welding Technology program with his Welding – Advanced Pipe Specialization certificate of completion.
“This (graduation) is another chapter for me,” he said. “I was looking for a pay raise and knew welding would help me get there. I ultimately am looking to get into pipe inspection.”
Registration for TSTC’s summer and fall semesters is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.
