(WACO, Texas) – Zane Schubert, of Harper, Texas, basks in the small-town life he grew up with.
“(Harper) is very close-knit, like everyone knows everyone and is willing to help whenever someone needs help,” he said.
Schubert said moving to Waco to attend Texas State Technical College did not bring a state of culture shock, but rather more people.
“I am not used to big crowds,” he said.
Schubert is in his fourth semester in both the Electrical Power and Controls program and the Instrumentation Technology program at TSTC.
“I enjoy it a lot,” he said. “It is definitely a good choice for me. I like the math portion. It is very logical. I have always enjoyed doing jobs and then getting the satisfaction of completing the job.”
Schubert said his favorite assignment has been wiring and writing scripts for programmable logic controllers. He said what has challenged him the most are electrical theories, but learning the corresponding math has made it easier.
“He asks relevant questions and turns in work on time,” Ryan Delgado, an instructor in TSTC’s Electrical Power and Controls program, said of Schubert. “He works well with others.”
Schubert is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society’s Alpha Omega Omega chapter at TSTC.
“He serves as one of our chapter presidents and has proven to be an outstanding member,” said Caitlin Simmonds, a chapter co-advisor and TSTC’s senior manager of Creative Services. “He volunteers as often as he can around his busy schedule and takes pride in everything he does. He has definitely set the bar high for future members.”
Schubert is working his way through college by taking care of horses at Baylor University’s Willis Family Equestrian Center and collecting trash to use for compacting at his apartment complex.
Schubert is a graduate of Harper High School, where he played five sports. His graduating class had more than 30 students, with several of them going on to attend four-year institutions.
“I considered four-year at some point (and) getting an engineering degree,” he said. “Probably the biggest thing that led me away from a four-year is my older brother went to a four-year, and he ended up dropping out. And I was like, if that isn’t for him, it is not for me either.”
Schubert was inspired to pursue his programs of study after watching solar panels being installed on a ranch where he works during the summers. He said the solar panels were needed to operate wells that supply water to cattle.
Since 2019, Schubert has logged more than 600 volunteer hours, primarily in Gillespie County. He said he started doing volunteer work when he and his brother served Mass at their local Catholic church.
Schubert likes to hunt and fish on the Brazos River or at Lake Waco in his free time. He also likes to play pickleball and attend Mass at St. Peter Catholic Student Center at Baylor University.
After he graduates next year from TSTC, Schubert said he wants to move to Arizona with his girlfriend, work for a few years, then return to Texas.
Registration continues for the spring semester at TSTC. For more information, go to tstc.edu.
