Positive about the future

Relying on a great support structure and family who have always cheered him on, Andrew Kalkofen says that that receiving an education is the best way he can give back to those who've given so much to him growing up.

Andrew is a Heating and Air Conditioning Tech (HART) major, and started at STC during fall 2020. Attending South Texas is college is the best value as he is currently paying for school, and also has to work enough to support himself while continuing his education.

“The professors at the technology campus all deserve so much praise for the hard work they put into their jobs,” Andrew said. “Inspiring good practices, and keeping up to date with the industry isn't easy, especially with the pandemic last year, and even though it wasn't easy they made the best with what they had and still managed to impart lots of knowledge.”

“I'm excited to see what kind of knowledge I'll have when I'm years in the trade, and also where the technology will be then too,” he said.

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration technicians are primarily trained in the service, repair, maintenance and installation of heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment including domestic, residential, commercial and industrial systems.

Career preparation requires extensive educational training in refrigeration systems, electrical/electronic controls, pneumatic controls, cooling and heating systems, duct design, fabrication and residential and commercial heat gained and loss calculations.

Andrew is already employed at Frontier A/C in Mission through a summer internship course offered by STC. While employed, he says he enjoys the opportunity to work with real professionals in various situations.

“For my peers just starting their college career I would encourage them to start thinking about building long term habits that will be positive to their futures,” Andrew said. “Try to be consistent and develop good routines that work for you in healthy ways.”