BY Amanda Sotelo
On Thursday, Texas State Technical College hosted its first Legislative Staff Luncheon and campus tour with the office of every state representative and senator from across the Rio Grande Valley represented.
“This is our way of showing appreciation for everything they do for TSTC,” said TSTC Executive Vice President of Government Affairs Javier Deleon. “Bringing everyone together shows that TSTC belongs to the region. There are no boundaries.”
Deleon also said that this is the first time many representative and senator staff visit TSTC and this event is an introduction to the campus.
“It’s important that legislative staff also know who we are and what we do,” said Deleon. “We impact not only a region, but an entire state, and they help us champion what we do.”
The lunch, catered by TSTC’s Culinary Arts students, included a welcome and remarks by Deleon and four guest speakers: Sergio Contreras, chief executive officer for Rio Grande Valley Partnership; William Fray vice president of Human Resources for Cordone Industries; Ana Garcia, legislative director for United States Senator John Cornyn; and Mike Reeser, TSTC chancellor and chief executive officer.
“Thank you for showing my son that opportunities are limitless and that he could do anything,” Garcia told TSTC representatives attending the luncheon, while fighting back tears.
She spoke about TSTC from personal experience saying that before her son stepped foot on campus he was lost and unsure about his future, but now he was on the path to graduating with an associate degree in Mechatronics Technology and returning for a degree in engineering.
“My son will now succeed because of TSTC and the kindness, passion and care you all have for your students,” she said.
Fray said TSTC has assisted Cardone, a leading provider of new and remanufactured aftermarket auto parts and products, tremendously by providing skilled graduates for the company’s engineering and information technology departments.
“As we continue growing and technology expands, we will need to hire more people to run our processes and that’s where TSTC comes in,” said Fray. “They funnel their graduates to us and that helps us grow stronger and develop more opportunities. Thank you TSTC.”
TSTC Chancellor Reeser ended the program by presenting his discussion on “Considering the ROI (return of investment) of College.”
“All education is valuable, but it is time we start showing students the different pathways they can take in higher education,” he said. “And TSTC plays a big part in that the technology we teach pushes our students forward to high paying careers with minimal to no debt.”
Reeser went on to explain that people who hold a bachelor’s degree make the same if not less than a person who holds an associate degree yet, pay two times or three times more for their education than someone who attends a technical college. He added that according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, TSTC has the lowest tuition costs of any higher education sector in Texas.
Tony Flores, policy advisor for State Representative Oscar Longoria, said he appreciates the luncheon, but most importantly everything TSTC does for the region and the state. He said he especially enjoyed the chancellor’s message.
“TSTC gives us a skilled workforce that increases the likelihood that larger industries will move to our region,” he said. “It’s great what the college is doing and sends the message that just because a four-year degree isn’t for someone, education is not out of the picture.”
Following lunch and the program, legislative staff were given a tour of the TSTC Har-lingen campus and visited programs such as vocational nursing, engineering and mechatronics.
Roxanne De la Garza, deputy chief of staff for Senator Juan Hinojosa, was in attendance and said she enjoyed the tours the most. Though familiar with TSTC, this was her first time on campus.
“All of the information I gathered from the presentations was valuable, but being able to see the campus was my favorite part,” she said. “It’s important that we’re up to date and familiar with what’s going on in our region.”
For more information on the programs and services TSTC offers, visit tstc.edu.
