(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College student Noe Garza is grateful for the advice that he received from a former TSTC student who motivated him to enroll at the college when Garza experienced homelessness after moving to Harlingen from California.
“The guy I spoke to had positive things to say about TSTC and how the college can help students with basic needs while they focus on their studies,” Garza said.
Garza, who is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology, reached out to TSTC’s Advocacy and Resource Center (ARC) for help in adjusting to his new life as a college student.
Tina Balli, TSTC’s ARC lead in Harlingen, said Garza needed housing and other basic needs.
“Our team assisted Noe to secure him with dorm housing, provided him with textbooks and tools for his program, and helped him apply for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits,” she said. “We also connected him with local food pantries and bus routes to ease his transition.”
Garza said his first semester at TSTC was worthwhile.
“I did a good job of completing my hands-on assignments,” he said. “Learning how to work with a team improved my communication skills and motivated me not to give up.”
Garza said he felt blessed to receive support from TSTC’s ARC team.
“Their help was a blessing in disguise,” he said. “It gave me an opportunity to prepare my mindset for college.”
TSTC students can learn about TSTC’s Advocacy and Resource Center by visiting TSTC.edu/arc.
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in Texas earn an average annual salary of $67,650, according to onetonline.org, which projected the number of these positions to grow by 23% in the state through 2030.
TSTC offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in Building Construction Technology and a certificate of completion in Building Construction – Craftsman at its Harlingen and Waco campuses.
Registration continues for the spring semester at TSTC. To learn more, go to tstc.edu.
