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(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Not many young adults can say they landed an internship days after graduating from high school to get one step closer to their dream job. But Texas State Technical College Drafting and Design student Damian Porras had that opportunity soon after representatives from Garver, an engineering, planning and environmental services firm, observed...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Max Cienfuegos, a Mechatronics Technology student at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus, is following in the same educational path of his brother, Gabriel, who also is enrolled there. Both were inspired by their parents, who are engineers. “I think it’s great that my older brother and I are building on the...

(MARSHALL, Texas) – Avry Conley and Carter Scraver, two Diesel Equipment Technology students at Texas State Technical College’s Marshall campus, both started working on cars as children with their families.  Now they balance their time between classes at TSTC and jobs at Mavis Tires and Brakes in Marshall. Conley, of Hallsville, was motivated to attend...

(HUTTO, Texas) – Alfonso Juarez was surprised to learn that his father had attended Texas State Technical College, and now he plans to surprise his father in return.  Juarez, a Brownsville native, first went to TSTC in Harlingen for Welding Technology.  “My dad is a tool and die worker,” Juarez said. “When I told him...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Much like young athletes playing for the chance to earn bragging rights as new champions, five Auto Collision and Management Technology students from Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus will compete for the first time at the 2025 SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference in Corpus Christi next month. Luis Alvarado,...

(BROWNWOOD, Texas) – Rudy Velasquez keeps his first welding project close by. The Texas State Technical College Welding Technology student uses that project to motivate himself. Before beginning the program in August, the Brownwood native had never picked up a welding torch. “The first couple of weeks were tough,” he said. “I dove in full...

(HUTTO, Texas) – Ethan Williams was an engineer until he decided he wanted to be more hands-on. “My father passed, and it got me thinking about how much time people really have,” Williams said. “I got into engineering because I wanted to do hands-on things.” Williams was a programmer at a pressure vessel software company...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Sometimes it takes time for a person to realize that a career change is necessary to revitalize their happiness. For 16 years Jose R. Garcia worked as a respiratory therapist, but eventually he wanted a new job that focused on creativity and innovation. He found that career pathway in the Precision Machining...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College student Joshua Viera is getting closer to possibly turning his childhood dream of becoming a surgeon into reality. Having worked for DHR Health as a sterile processing technician since 2017, Viera made the decision to join the Associate of Applied Science degree program in Surgical Technology at TSTC’s...

(HUTTO, Texas) – Caleb Tatum had planned to follow in his father’s footsteps until he realized that his own passions were on another path.  Initially Tatum went to college to study cybersecurity because that is his father’s career field.  “I went to college, and it felt like I was just doing a lot of busy...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Texas State Technical College student Keion Orr’s childhood dream was to be an architect. As Orr grew older, he found the hands-on aspect of building construction more to his liking. He got a job working for a friend at his stucco and home repair business in Florida. “I worked as a general...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – U.S. Army veteran Gavin Almeida spent eight years working as a mechanic at Fort Cavazos in Killeen, Fort Campbell in Kentucky, and overseas in Korea and Romania, which led him to pursue an automotive education at Texas State Technical College. “I was introduced to automotive repair at a young age by my...

(MARSHALL, Texas) – Ten students at Texas State Technical College’s Marshall campus are preparing to compete at the SkillsUSA Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference this April in Corpus Christi. SkillsUSA is a professional organization focused on employability, leadership and technical skills that help college students pursue successful careers and be part of a skilled workforce....

(MARSHALL, Texas) – Tarren Harvey enrolled in the Drafting and Design program at Texas State Technical College’s Marshall campus when his career in hospitality left him dissatisfied. “I decided to go back to my first love, which is architecture,” he said. In 2024 Harvey competed in Architectural Drafting at the SkillsUSA Postsecondary Leadership and Skills...

(NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas) – Dylan Ramirez was shocked to learn that he is a standout in his class. Ramirez is pursuing a certificate of completion in Industrial Systems at Texas State Technical College’s New Braunfels campus.  “I didn’t realize I was at the top of my class,” he said. “My instructor is always telling me,...

(HUTTO, Texas) – Sa’eed Hudson is always looking for new challenges. Hudson joined the Air Force after high school and has one technical degree already. His new objective is to complete an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Networking and Systems Administration at Texas State Technical College’s East Williamson County campus.  “I went to...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – While working as a helper in his uncle’s heating and air conditioning business, Texas State Technical College student Luis Lugo gained insight into what makes a business thrive: exceptional customer service. “Possessing the skills to do an air conditioning job correctly makes a customer feel appreciated,” Lugo said. Tony Rodriguez, Lugo’s uncle,...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – Julissa Villegas, a recent Texas State Technical College graduate, will never forget when her grandfather asked her to help him reupholster the interior of his automobile when she was a teenager. “The reupholstery job was an exciting hands-on project,” Villegas said. “I did an online search for colleges that offered a program...

(MARSHALL, Texas) – After working in swimming pool maintenance for almost 18 years, Johnathan Gaither discovered the Automation and Controls Technology program at Texas State Technical College’s Marshall campus. “I kind of came to a crossroads where I felt like I just wanted a change in career,” he said. “I enjoyed what I did, but...

(ABILENE, Texas) – Matthew Benoit needed time to reevaluate his priorities. After leaving the Electrical Power and Controls program at Texas State Technical College before finishing his Associate of Applied Science degree, the Abilene native focused on his career. But he realized that a good future in his chosen career field meant returning to college....

(SWEETWATER, Texas) – Jose Chavira says he is the most comfortable when working on automobiles. “It is my Zen, it is my getaway,” the first-semester Texas State Technical College Automotive Technology student said. “Once I heard that there was a program available (in Sweetwater), I was sold. This is where I needed to be.” Chavira...

(HUTTO, Texas) – At first, Von Bily did not succeed. Now he is trying again and crushing it. Bily is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in HVAC Technology at Texas State Technical College’s East Williamson County campus. He wanted the degree before now, but life got in the way. “I was enrolled at...

(HUTTO, Texas) – To Japan and back, Austin native Alejandro Maldonado was willing to go far for education.  Maldonado came home to work in the tech industry after teaching English in Japan for four years. He is pursuing a certificate of completion in Cybersecurity at Texas State Technical College’s East Williamson County campus.  “I came...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – After recently graduating from Texas State Technical College’s Emergency Medical Services – EMT program, Jessie Rodriguez re-enrolled at TSTC, this time to become a paramedic. Facing some financial challenges when she started the EMT program, Rodriguez had to find a creative solution to assemble the program’s uniform: blue cargo pants, blue polo...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – The day after Halle Cardenas graduated from high school, the reality of what was to come next in her life set in. “I knew I had to start working or go to college,” Cardenas said. “My sister and her husband are graduates of the Wind Energy Technology program at Texas State Technical...

(ABILENE, Texas) – Celicia Lopez wants to reach heights that no other female has reached before in the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program at Texas State Technical College. She is the first female student to enroll in the program in Abilene, and she plans to be the first to earn a certificate of completion...

(MARSHALL, Texas) – When Navy veteran Kyle Axe started working as a property manager for his aunt and uncle at their real estate company, they encouraged him to pursue a college degree. “I’ve always been interested in art, and I wanted to make that a career of some kind,” Axe said. “And all the while...

(ABILENE, Texas) – Jacob Villagomez admits that a career as a mechanic was in his destiny. He began his path in 2018 at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus. The McAllen native enrolled in the Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft Powerplant Technology programs but had to withdraw from school. “I had some personal issues at...

(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) – Luke Holtman said he likes to build things. After visiting his cousin in Snyder who was making knives, Holtman decided to enroll in a welding class at Springtown High School. He is now expanding his knowledge by studying for a certificate of completion in Welding Technology at Texas State Technical College. “I...

(HARLINGEN, Texas) – There are moments in life when people may experience a setback of a goal they are determined to achieve. For Edmundo Salazar, a Precision Machining Technology student who is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus, his manufacturing education was halted by two health issues...