The Mechanical Minds of Sacco and Harris

The Road to Resilience

Some say a vehicle is just a machine, but for those who understand the language of grease and gears, it is a puzzle waiting to be solved. For Erika Sacco, it was the rhythmic clicking of a wrench in her family’s garage in Sugar Land. For Sterling Harris, it was the roar of a $1,000 pickup truck brought back to life in Rosenberg. In both cases, that spark of curiosity grew into a passion—one that led them to Texas State Technical College’s Fort Bend County campus, where it is now being shaped into professional expertise.

A lesson of independence

For Erika, the journey began not with a textbook, but with a silhouette. As a teenager in Cypress, she watched her father work under the hood of her siblings’ vehicles. It was not just about saving money, it was a lesson in becoming independent.

“The early days of seeing my father take apart an engine and explain how it worked, helped me comprehend it was a machine,” Erika said.

By her senior year of high school, while being homeschooled, that observation turned into action through an automotive upkeep class taught by her father.

“My father taught me to be aware of what is happening to your automobile, and take care of it,” Erika said.

A former athlete’s discipline

Before stepping into the automotive bays at Texas State Technical College, Erika’s life revolved around the dirt of a softball diamond. She played collegiate softball and initially pursued a path toward becoming a physical therapist assistant. But something felt incomplete. The time she spent on the field wasn’t lost—it was preparation.

“The attention to detail that is involved in softball is correlated to working on automobiles and diagnosing them,” Erika explained. “With automotive, you are doing your best to focus on and solve the mechanical part. That is where the discipline really comes into play.”

Navigating Life’s Detours

Erika’s journey took several unexpected turns after she left the university. She moved in with her grandfather in Sugar Land, coached softball and worked at a local grocery store. At one point, she was determined to join the military, but a severe reaction to a bug bite, and the need for an EpiPen diagnosed by a doctor, created a medical disqualification that closed that path.

Over the next few years, Erika worked in cabinetry, carpentry and a variety of other hands-on jobs. Eventually, she reached a crossroads. She wanted a future with long-term stability – a career that matched the hands-on satisfaction she remembered from learning mechanical skills with her father.

A simple online search led her to Texas State Technical College’s Fort Bend County campus, where a new Automotive program was set to launch in fall 2025, just minutes from her grandfather’s home. Her decision became even clearer when a close friend shared positive experiences from attending the same campus.

Inaugural Pride and SkillsUSA

Now completing her second semester, Erika is part of the inaugural Automotive program’s cohort, an opportunity that allowed her to witness the program’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and arrival of the first fleet of training vehicles.

“It was fascinating to see all the vehicles come in that we were going to work on,” Erika said. “I was looking forward to getting my hands dirty with my classmates.”

That same enthusiasm led her to join the program’s SkillsUSA team, a technical competition for the students attending TSTC. Erika saw it as a way to increase her skills and prepare for her third semester.

The DIY mechanic

While Erika was initially mastering the discipline of the softball diamond, Sterling Harris was performing his own mechanical surgery in Rosenberg. At 17, while working at a local fast-food restaurant chain, he grew tired of depending on friends for rides.

His solution? He purchased a $1,000 pickup truck with a catch: he had to get it running himself. Armed with YouTube tutorials and a relentless drive, Sterling breathed life into the engine. That moment shifted his career trajectory. A young man who once considered being a surgeon or a general practitioner realized he enjoyed fixing engines over anatomy.

From Tires to Diesel

Sterling’s self-taught skills led to a job at a local tire shop, which soon turned into an opportunity at a diesel shop. He didn’t stay in the tire bay for long. Instead, he sought out every chance to assist with more complex diesel work, drawn to the challenge of problem-solving.

“That’s how Diesel Equipment really sparked my interest,” Sterling said.

Sterling eventually stepped into a diesel apprentice role, where he has thrived over the past six months. Still, he recognized that learning on the job had its limits. He wanted a deeper understanding of how an entire diesel engine system works.

The Digital Connection

The bridge between Harris’ apprenticeship and professional mastery appeared in the palm of his hand: a social media advertisement on his smartphone. While scrolling through social media after a work-related electrical training, a TSTC ad caught his interest. Sterling navigated through TSTC’s website and saw the Diesel Equipment program. He applied, was accepted and hit the ground running.

Education and Real-World Knowledge

Now completing his first semester, Sterling is balancing what it is like to be a college student and a professional in the workforce simultaneously. The concepts he learns in the lab at TSTC often find their way onto a customer’s engine the following day.

“I believe knowledge is much more valuable when you get to share and use it,” Sterling said.

But his transition has had its hurdles. Sterling recalled the challenge of disassembling a diesel engine, a task that required more than just his own skill.

“The great part is that each classmate has different mechanical knowledge,” Sterling said. “We disassembled the engine by collaborating with each other and bouncing ideas to see what worked and what did not.”

Future Faces of the Workforce

For Erika and Sterling, the road ahead is full of opportunity. With the foundation they are building through their instructors at TSTC, they have the tools to continue developing their skills and work toward graduation.