TSTC hosts Discovery Day for local high school students

(ROSENBERG, Texas) – Equipment and showcases were on display in each of the programs at Texas State Technical College’s Discovery Day event at the Fort Bend County campus on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Hundreds of high school students were invited to see what the college had to offer, ask questions of staff and TSTC students, and perhaps discover a career path.

John Kennedy, associate provost of the campus, was excited for the chance to show off the program offerings.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for students who may not have had the chance to come tour,” Kennedy said. “Many are simply unaware of some of the career paths available to them. Plus, we love showing off our technologies.”

Visiting students were taken on guided tours of each of the programs and given short presentations by instructors, after which they were able to explore the facilities.

Isaac Gonzalez, state lead for the Precision Machining Technology program, told visitors about some of the high-paying jobs that TSTC graduates have gone on to have, as well as some of the many industry partners that TSTC has throughout the state.

“What you guys design, what you guys imagine, you can make,” Gonzalez said. “We have industry partners all over the state of Texas. No matter where you want to go, we probably have a partner there.”

He added that because of TSTC’s partners in industry, there was no better place for people aspiring to earn an engineering degree to start.

After the tours, visitors were given a complimentary lunch and were able to browse the campus and revisit anything that caught their interest.

During this time, the high school students in attendance were also able to speak with current TSTC students who were working toward their degrees or certificates of completion.

In the Industrial Systems program, Tori Holmes, a first-semester student working toward her associate degree, was able to speak with a group of female high schoolers about her experience.

“I worked in this industry before, but while I have a degree in business, what I don’t have is hands-on experience” Holmes told them. “So I came back to school. Some women don’t even consider becoming engineers. But this is a solid, long-standing career field. Learn about it and see if it is right for you.”

Registration for TSTC’s spring semester is open. For more information, go to tstc.edu.