(WACO, Texas) – Brandon Hazlett of College Station grew up with a fascination for technology.
“I did all the computer classes in high school,” the A&M Consolidated High School graduate said. “And, my father works in information technology.”
Hazlett’s mother encouraged him to pursue Cybersecurity at Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus. He learned the courses so well that he became a peer tutor for TSTC’s Student Success Center in spring 2019. He also helps students taking courses in the Computer Networking and Systems Administration program.
“It’s a good way to make friends,” he said. “I get to figure out how it (course material) can stick with them.”
The Student Success Center offers free tutoring services to students. The center also has the Helping a TSTC Student Succeed (HATSS) program, which gives attention to students who need more specialized academic help.
Kassie Harrington, the center’s coordinator, said TSTC students can currently receive tutoring in Avionics, Computer Programming, Cybersecurity, Architectural and Civil Drafting Technology, Electrical Power and Controls, Instrumentation Technology and Visual Communication courses. Harrington said tutors can also work with students on academic math.
Hazlett said more students should visit the Student Success Center, not just at midterms and before finals.
“I think people need to realize that asking for help does not mean defeat,” he said.
When he is not tutoring or in class, Hazlett is doing an internship at Sentinel Cyber Intelligence in Waco. He is scheduled to graduate in the spring with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Cybersecurity, then stay for the summer to earn a Digital Forensics Specialist Advanced Technical Certificate. His goal is to work in the Austin area.
Students who want to be peer tutors need to meet grade-point average and semester-credit-hour requirements. They also have to be in good academic standing. The students can work a maximum of 19 hours a week.
“Students relate to other students,” Harrington said.
Harrington said she wants to see every TSTC program have at least one peer tutor to assist students.
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
