(HARLINGEN, Texas) – When a powerful March storm swept through the Rio Grande Valley, six inches of rain flooded every room in the Harlingen home of U.S. Navy veteran Tomas Vasquez.
Vasquez, a Building Construction Technology student at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus, received support from some of his classmates in the program’s Future Foundations Construction Club in repairing the damage.
“They visited my home on May 10,” Vasquez said. “They care about what they do. Thirty percent progress has been made on the inside so far.”
Kristen Perales is a TSTC Building Construction Technology instructor who oversees the club.
“The project has given our first semester and advanced students the opportunity to work on an actual home,” she said. “They’ve removed cabinets, added drywall and done other tasks.”
Jeremy Smith is co-owner of Matt’s Building Materials in Harlingen.
“The Valley is home to me and my family,” he said. “I feel it’s our company’s responsibility to give back to the community after a natural disaster or a flood happens. Our company donated materials that pertain to a flood recovery to the construction club at TSTC.”
Recent TSTC Building Construction Technology graduate Rigo Izaguirre, of Los Fresnos, was pleased to lend a helping hand along with his former classmates.
“The project sharpened my skills with drywall,” he said. “The best part is that we were all able to build on our camaraderie.”
Lollie Reyna is pursuing an associate degree in the program after graduating with a Building Construction – Craftsman certificate of completion a year ago.
“The recovery effort was meaningful to me,” she said. “I enjoy helping people, and we’re all improving our skills in this trade.”
Vasquez recommends TSTC’s Building Construction Technology program to anyone who might be considering a career in the field.
“Pursue it because it’s a trade that will never diminish,” he said.
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers in Texas earn an average annual salary of $73,420, according to onetonline.org, which projected the number of these positions to grow by 13% in the state through 2032.
Currently Building Construction Technology is available in Harlingen and Waco. The program will also be taught in Marshall, New Braunfels and Sweetwater this fall.
Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, go to tstc.edu.