(MARSHALL, Texas) – While attending a different college, Ethan Wheat, of Blanco, quickly learned he wanted a more hands-on education. He found Texas State Technical College.
“I started to become an electrical engineer and I realized that it was all just computer science, and there wasn’t a lot of hands-on stuff,” Wheat said. “I chose TSTC because it was an environment where I could actually learn and put my hands on things.”
Wheat enrolled in TSTC’s Automation and Controls program at the Marshall campus. He said his earlier education gave him an advantage in circuits and electricity, but other areas were completely new to him.
“Towards the middle of the second semester, we started getting into PLC (programmable logic controller) programming, and I found that really fascinating,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about it, so I was just as new as the rest of the guys. But I still really enjoyed it.”
Wheat said he has a natural aptitude for the program and his instructors encourage him to push himself further. Douglas Clark, an Automation and Controls instructor at TSTC, called Wheat a perfect fit for the program.
“Ethan has been a head of the class student and learner since day one,” he said. “Mr. Troy Powledge and I are very proud of Ethan and his accomplishments. We are also proud of him as a representative of the Automation and Controls program at TSTC in Marshall.”
Studying seven hours away from home has its challenges, but Wheat has discovered a new sense of independence through TSTC’s apartment-style living and new experiences, like meeting his girlfriend on a rock-climbing trip.
He plans to earn his Associate of Applied Science degree in May.
“I think what’s made me the most proud is the fact that I dove head first into the program, and TSTC does a great job of letting you know that this is real life and not just college,” Wheat said. “I think any place you go to school can be a really great place if you apply yourself, but there’s something about TSTC that makes applying yourself really easy.”
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.