Texas State Technical College recently welcomed 11 visiting seniors from Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Texas, to the Marshall campus. The students were divided into two groups and given an extensive tour of the campus and all of the programs it has to offer.
Students from Jefferson High School have been taking tours of the Marshall campus for almost 10 years. Agricultural science teacher Randy Penny, who also teaches welding at the high school, has seen the benefits of a TSTC education in that time.
“The student body as a whole enjoys coming to TSTC,” Penny said. “(These seniors are) looking to get out of high school and advance themselves, and this is where they want to do it.”
Several of the seniors have already applied for TSTC programs and will attend TSTC once they graduate. Two of the students in group one had chosen the Process Operations program as their next step. The program’s lead instructor, Nicholas Cram, assured them that they made the right choice.
“We always have more jobs at the end of the semester than jobs filled,” Cram said. “You will have no problem getting a job.”
Some of the seniors still had not made a decision about college, but every instructor explained why their programs were important. For example, Precision Machining Technology instructor Daniel Nixon stressed the importance of machinists in the United States and how many of them are close to retirement.
“We’ve got to have guys like you to come in and take our places,” Nixon said. “We’re getting old. We’re getting tired. We’re not as productive as we used to be.”
All of the instructors who the seniors met with were glad that many of them had already chosen TSTC as their next step in life. Diesel Equipment Technology instructor Timothy Winchester put their thoughts into words.
“I applaud you guys for coming today, and I appreciate it,” Winchester said. “(TSTC) is the greatest investment you can make because you’re investing in yourself.”
Jefferson High School will join several other area high schools for TSTC’s fall preview on Nov. 2 at the Marshall campus.
To schedule a tour with TSTC, go to tstc.edu/visit-campus-form.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.