(ATLANTA, Georgia) – Jesus Padron Jr. is making history.
Padron, of Mission, Texas, is a member of the first cohort of students in the Plumbing and Pipefitting program at Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus.
“Jesus is very committed to plumbing and he is very focused in everything he does,” said Alan Raith, an instructor in TSTC’s plumbing program. “He will do whatever it takes to excel and is determined to be the best. He is always asking what or how to make himself better.”
Padron is also the first student from the program to receive a gold medal at the SkillsUSA Texas Postsecondary Leadership and Skills Conference held in April in Corpus Christi. SkillsUSA is a professional organization focused on employability, leadership and technical skills that help college students pursue successful careers and be part of a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA has more than 100 contests at the state and national levels in which students can compete.
“I was in disbelief,” he said of his state gold medal. “I had all the emotions.”
The first people he called after his state win were his father, Jesus Padron Sr. and his stepmother, Rosa Elia Garcia, of Mission.
Now, Jesus Jr. is the first program student to test his skills at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, held June 1-5 in Atlanta, Georgia. Though he did not make the podium, Jesus Jr. gained so much experience from competing.
He said leading up the contest that he and faculty members perfected his skills using cast iron.
Jesus Jr.’s parents sat in folding chairs and watched the two-day competition as Jesus Jr. installed a floor drain and mop sink, along with other tasks.
“It feels amazing,” Jesus Jr. said. “Seeing him come and show up for me and seeing a smile on his face makes my day and is worth everything.”
Garcia said she has a lot of satisfaction seeing her husband have so much pride for his son. She said over time, his self-reliance will blossom along with becoming more vocal about what is on his mind.
Jesus Sr. said it was great seeing students in the plumbing and other contests taking the lead for the future of technical fields.
“It’s OK to work in the sun and hot environments,” he said. “They are demonstrating that.”
Jesus Sr.’s path to plumbing is making it easier for his son to pursue the field.
As a teenager, Jesus Sr. said he hurt his back working at a junkyard a relative owned. He was also traveling north to work in the fields and noticed his back was bothering him. He realized he needed to do something, which was taking two years of plumbing classes at McAllen High School and graduating in the late 1980s. He eventually drove north to Texas State Technical Institute (now Texas State Technical College) in Waco to study plumbing.
Jesus Sr. only had $400 in his pocket when he arrived on the Waco campus. A staff member encouraged him to apply for federal scholarships, which helped him pursue his certificate of completion.
After graduating from college, Jesus Sr. worked in the Midwest before returning to the Rio Grande Valley and began doing residential plumbing work. He eventually started Padron Plumbing Inc. in Mission and turned to commercial plumbing.
“My reputation, they call me,” Jesus Sr. said.
Jesus Jr. has grown up around plumbing and started helping his father at the company’s warehouse when he was a teenager.
He graduated in 2024 from McAllen High School. Jesus Jr. said he had not thought of college, but he liked getting his hands dirty and using plumbing tools.
He said his father learned about the new plumbing program at the Harlingen campus and encouraged his son to apply and register.
“Soldering is my favorite,” Jesus Jr. said.
Jesus Jr. is scheduled to graduate in December with a certificate of completion from the plumbing program. He will continue working at his father’s company.
Jesus Sr. said his son needs to learn more about estimating and wants him to pursue his journeyman and master plumbing licenses to prepare himself to eventually grow and take over the family business in a few years.
“Everything has its time,” Jesus Sr. said. “I want him to get experience.”
For more information on SkillsUSA, go to skillsusa.org.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.