(ROSENBERG, Texas) – Justine Carranza’s path to Texas State Technical College began in the horse stalls of Wharton.
As a child, Carranza spent time with her sister repairing fences and training horses for show competitions. That led her to think about building her own custom horse trailers.
“My sister and I immersed ourselves in the ranching lifestyle,” she said. “As I grew older, I realized I needed to learn how to weld in order to customize my own horse trailers.”
Before the welding torch became her primary tool, Carranza honed her craft through other forms of fabrication.
“After I became a wife and mother of three, I did woodwork and made my own tables,” she said. “I customized, refurbished and varnished them.”
When Carranza and her family moved to Rosenberg, her goal of pursuing welding came full circle. She discovered that TSTC’s Fort Bend County campus offered an associate degree in welding.
“The timing was right,” she said. “My children reached an age where they became self-sufficient. It was time to do something for myself. I was driven by a goal to master the fabrication skills necessary to build and repair my own trailers.”
Now in her second semester, Carranza has already learned the proper techniques of a challenging weld.
“Overhead welding can be difficult because it involves working against gravity,” she said. “Gravity pulls the molten weld pool downward and causes it to drop. I had to learn different techniques to make sure it penetrates every few millimeters.”
Russell Bradshaw, a TSTC Welding instructor, said Carranza’s attention to detail is evident in the lab.
“Justine listens to our feedback and applies it,” he said. “(She) definitely found her spark in stick welding and will have a great future in the industry.”
Carranza views every spark made in the lab, and the practice she does at home, as a lesson in discipline for her children.
“I know my journey at TSTC will inspire my kids to master their own skills and never give up on their dreams,” she said. “The more they learn, the better.”
For more information about TSTC, go to tstc.edu.