TSTC’s Waco campus looks back on 2023

(WACO, Texas) – From breaking ground to celebrating students’ achievements, Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus had quite a 2023.

“It was a challenging but exciting year as we laid the groundwork for sustainable growth for the Waco campus,” said Beth Wooten, provost of TSTC’s Waco campus. “This year we saw growth in enrollment, employers, industry partners, placement and our brand.”

Some of the highlights in 2023 include:

Career Services

The Career Services department on the Waco campus had two successful industry job fairs this year for TSTC students and alumni. The fall event set a record for the department, with more than 1,000 students and alumni attending. Also, Career Services helped the spring graduating class achieve a 94% job placement rate.

SkillsUSA national medalists 

The Waco campus continued its winning tradition at the 59th annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held in June in Atlanta, Georgia. Fabian Camargo, of Cumby, won a bronze medal in the Heavy Equipment Operation contest, and Chris Martinez, of Marlin, received a bronze medal in the Plumbing contest. 

Dual enrollment 

The Waco campus partnered with four new schools this year to provide dual enrollment opportunities for high school students. Some students at Hubbard, Mart and Robinson high schools, along with St. Joseph Catholic Academy in Killeen, take online and hybrid classes in various technical programs. The Waco campus is working this academic year with 18 area high schools, with more than 200 students taking dual enrollment classes through TSTC.

The WorkSITE work begins

Leaders from TSTC, the city of Waco and McLennan County gathered in September to ceremonially break ground for The WorkSITE (Skills, Innovation, Training and Education) workforce training facility. The 25,000-square-foot building will be on Wycon Drive in Waco. The training center’s purpose is to increase access to customized training and build a skilled workforce in the county. 

Fallas family scholarship

The TSTC Foundation, the support arm of TSTC, formally accepted in November a $1 million cash gift to create the David and Valerie Fallas Scholarship. The scholarship will benefit TSTC students in the Drafting and Design program and the Robotics and Industrial Controls Technology program at the Waco campus. 

“Next year promises to be another exciting year, with more changes, more growth and more opportunities,” Wooten said. 

For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.