(MARSHALL, Texas) – Jada Reaves had trouble deciding on a career pathway before discovering Texas State Technical College and eventually landing a job at Eastman Chemical Co.
“I actually went to school for nursing, decided it was not for me, then I went to teaching and that wasn’t for me, either,” she said.
After a tour of TSTC’s Marshall campus, Reaves enrolled in the college’s Process Operations program. The smaller campus and class sizes resonated with her and helped her form strong connections with her instructors and classmates.
“Even though I’ve graduated, my instructors stay in contact with me,” Reaves said. “Even some of the girls I went to school with, we still stay in contact. There were four of us, and we’re all at Eastman now.”
Reaves learned about Eastman Chemical Co., a manufacturer of chemicals and polymers, at TSTC’s biannual job fair. After receiving her Associate of Applied Science degree in 2021, she started working as a process operator at the company’s Longview plant.
“Most of the operators work in production, whereas I work in environmental,” Reaves said. “Because if you make something, you still have to find a way to dispose of it. We always say we’re the lucky ones down at the end of the road.”
Similar to her experience at TSTC, Reaves said she enjoys the connections that she has built with her Eastman co-workers, whom she referred to as being like her own family. She said she hopes to grow alongside the company, and she encourages other women to attend TSTC.
“You hear about college and how there are 100 students in class and the professor doesn’t know you, but you don’t experience that (at TSTC),” Reaves said. “Being a girl, there weren’t many of us in the classrooms, but it was definitely a life-changing experience.”
The Process Operations program is featured exclusively at TSTC’s Marshall campus, offering an Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion. The program is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which refunds a participating graduate’s tuition if he or she has not found a job in their field within six months after graduation.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.
