(MARSHALL, Texas) – A new Drafting and Design instructor recently joined the faculty at Texas State Technical College’s Marshall campus.
Suzy Kirkpatrick has had about 19 years of experience in the industry, working in both pipe and residential design. She said she loves drafting and hopes to share that enthusiasm with her students.
“I’m excited to be here, and I’m excited to help as many people as I can with the knowledge I have of the industry and the knowledge I have of this discipline,” she said. “I love drafting, and I absolutely love what I do.”
Brenda Murrell, a TSTC Computer Aided Drafting and Design instructor, believes that Kirkpatrick’s experience will be beneficial for the students.
“Suzy brings a wealth of knowledge from industry, particularly in architectural drafting,” she said. “I believe she will have a huge impact on our students and will help them engage in lifelong learning.”
Kirkpatrick said what has immediately stood out to her about TSTC is how welcoming everyone has been, as well as the common goal that everyone seems to have.
“Everybody has been really, really welcoming, and it seems like everybody is here for the same reasons,” she said. “They want to help these students have better lives, and so that is what has really stood out the most. I don’t think I’ve ever worked anywhere where everybody was so gracious and welcoming.”
Kirkpatrick discussed her own goals as an instructor, saying her primary goal was to give back to the students in the same way that her instructors had given to her.
“When I was going to school, I was pregnant and had a toddler, so I worked a full-time job while I was carrying a full-time schedule,” she said. “If it wasn’t for my instructors working with me, I probably would have never graduated. Because of that, I feel like teaching helps me give back whatever I was given.”
In addition, Kirkpatrick said she wants to help her students build better lives.
“A lot of times the people in these institutions, they need to get a degree in order to do better in their lives, and I was in that same situation,” she said. “Whenever I thought about going to school it was like, ‘I don’t want my kids to have the same life that I had. I want to do better for myself. I want to do better for them.’ And most of the students who come here, they want to do better in their lives, and I want to be a part of that and help them get to a position in their life where they can be proud of what they do.”
In Drafting and Design, TSTC offers Associate of Applied Science degrees in Architectural/Civil Drafting Technology, Architectural Design and Engineering Graphics Technology and Engineering Graphics and Design Technology, as well as several certificates of completion and occupational skills achievement awards. For a complete list, visit tstc.edu/programs/draftingdesign.
According to onetonline.org, an architectural and civil drafter’s average yearly median salary is about $59,110 in Texas. Mechanical drafters earn about $60,300 on average in Texas, according to the website.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
