(MARSHALL, Texas) – In honor of Texas State Technical College’s 60th anniversary, the Marshall campus awarded two successful alumni with the TSTC Trailblazer Award.
“The award honors alumni who forge new paths in their industries and make a meaningful impact in their communities as well,” Bart Day, provost of the Marshall campus, said. “They continue to represent the best of what a TSTC education can bring.”
Joseph Aguirre, of Fort Worth, and Mathew Joseph, of Kilgore, were honored at the Marshall campus’s Summer 2025 Commencement on Aug. 22.
Aguirre is national manager at Spark Testing, a subsidiary of electrical contracting and maintenance company Spark Power. After earning his associate degree in Industrial Maintenance from TSTC in 2014, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas Permian Basin and his master’s from Louisiana State University. He has worked in the power systems industry for over 1 1/2 decades.
“My first step was going to TSTC to accomplish this journey,” Aguirre said. “I’m very honored to even be in the conversation to get this award, much less actually receive it.”
Aguirre has published several technical papers and earned distinctions including a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt from the Six Sigma Global Institute and recognition as a Marquis Who’s Who honoree. He is also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Joseph graduated from TSTC in 2006 with an associate degree in Industrial Electrical Technician. He is owner and founder of C3 Industrial Technologies, a CNC (computer numerical control) machine repair company in Kilgore. In just eight years, his business has become a trusted partner for companies throughout Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, receiving hundreds of service requests each year.
“I’ve not only been able to support my own family, but hire my extended family and also hire other employees so they’re able to provide for their families,” Joseph said. “I was stunned when I heard I had won (the TSTC Trailblazer Award).”
Joseph credits his family as his inspiration, even naming the “C3” part of his business after his three sons, Caleb, Carter and Cohen.
Both Aguirre and Joseph hope to inspire future TSTC students with their accomplishments.
“TSTC, as a whole, gives people a place to come together, learn, and further their career path or even find and establish a career path worth going for,” Aguirre said.
Twenty outstanding TSTC alumni will be honored this year at the Harlingen, Marshall, Waco and West Texas campuses as part of summer and fall graduation ceremonies.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.