(NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s New Braunfels campus opened in the fall of 2023, and it just hosted its first commencement ceremony to graduate the first cohort.
Ten students graduated with Associate of Applied Science degrees in Advanced Manufacturing Technology during TSTC’s Spring 2025 Commencement held Friday, May 2, at River City at The Venue in New Braunfels. All of the graduates had participated in the TX FAME (Texas Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) program, in which employers hire students and sponsor their educations while the students work part time when not in class.
“It’s exciting to celebrate the results of the partnership between TSTC and FAME with the first graduation,” said Mike Anderson, provost of TSTC’s New Braunfels campus. “The graduation ceremony is a product of years of collaboration and hard work shared by TSTC, the Lone Star Texas FAME chapter, the sponsoring employers and the students.”
Sebastian Serrano was sponsored by equipment manufacturer Alamo Group in Seguin. He worked as a maintenance technician while in school and is looking forward to his opportunities after graduation.
“It’s a big step and a big milestone in my life,” Serrano said. “I’ve never been good in school, and I promised myself to show a lot of effort toward my future. It’s a blessing to finalize my education and move forward without worrying about what I’m going to do.”
Carlie Emerick was sponsored by H-E-B in San Antonio. She said she was making over $20 an hour as a building and grounds facility technician and the company sees value in her education.
“I was already offered a full-time position for about $30 an hour after graduation,” Emerick said. “I’m excited that the results of the program show so fast.”
Josh Dietrich, a maintenance training manager and H-E-B’s FAME program coordinator, said this is his fifth FAME graduation between two chapter memberships in five years.
“With modern technology, techs can’t be one skill set anymore,” Dietrich said. “20 years ago you could be an electrician or a welder, but now you need to be all of that in a multi-craft world. There’s a critical age gap with skills that we need to fill, and the FAME program helps us work on filling that. Carlie will be our 59th FAME graduate.”
To learn more about TSTC, visit tstc.edu.
