(ROSENBERG, Texas) – There is a lot to learn from those who came before. Texas State Technical College often hires instructors who have experience working in their respective fields for that exact reason. But even they are standing on the shoulders of those who preceded them.
For Andrea Skinner-Creeks, lead instructor for the Occupational Safety and Environmental Compliance program at TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus, many of her life lessons came from her mother.
She describes her mother as being hardworking and compassionate. Her mother worked as a maid, raising Skinner-Creeks and helping put her through both private school and college.
“Her only thing was to make me strong and independent so that I wouldn’t have to do the type of work that she did,” Skinner-Creeks said. “My mother passed away, but I admire her for all of the efforts and energy she put into raising me and making me confident to go after my goals, because she wasn’t very confident to go after her own.”
That confidence helped Skinner-Creeks in her job as an environmental scientist before she began teaching at TSTC. In a mostly male-dominated field, her drive allowed her to succeed and be heard. But in addition to being fearless, she also learned to be compassionate.
“Remember, the goal of going to work is for everyone to come together as a team to reach a common goal,” she said. “So be confident, but also be humble and treat everyone equally.”
Skinner-Creeks hopes that in her role as instructor she is able to help more women succeed in technical careers. And as someone who has worked in the industry, she has plenty of advice and support to give.
In Occupational Safety and Environmental Compliance, TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree and certificates of completion at the Abilene, Fort Bend County and Waco campuses.
According to onetonline.org, occupational health and safety technicians in Texas can earn a median salary of $52,460. The website projected that there would be a 22% increase in the number of such jobs in the state from 2020 to 2030.
For more information about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.
