Rusty is working for his Associate of Applied Science-Network Specialist. The Networking Specialist and Network Systems associate degree has received a name upgrade and is now called Network Systems beginning fall 2020.

“It was close to home and didn't need me to take out a loan to pay for it. It also had the degrees that I wanted, so I knew very early in high school that STC was for me,” Rusty said. “It’s a great place, (and) I have absolutely no complaints. I think it's a great starting school especially for people who want to get things done like core classes or specializing in a trade.” 

Joining STC immediately after high school, Rusty says the goal now is to finish his associates here and get his certifications out of the way. As he has already gained job experience with Cisco, the plan is to return to college eventually when he is settled into his career, he said.

“Give school more time. You shouldn't rush your education, and you should absolutely talk to your professors, especially when you don't know something,” he said. “A lot of professors tend to care a lot more about the class than you'd think.”

The Associate of Applied Science in Network Systems enlists a number of Information Technology (IT) skills, business productivity software, and offers advanced experience in computer networking through the Cisco Networking Academy.

Upon completion of the program, students are able to design, quote, set up, maintain, manage, and upgrade a network. In addition to the networking skills, students also learn technical skills in operating systems, server administration, and information security, while also being exposed to the use of computer virtualization.

During the last semester, students are required to secure an internship within an IT department of a local company, which provides them with valuable industry experience.

As a message to students, Rusty says it’s important not to rush a college experience.

“Find out what you want to do as a job (and) work towards it as soon as you can, the earlier the better,” he said. “When I first got to Cisco 1, I already knew a decent amount about networking and how networks worked. During those times when no one knew what was going on, I got a deeper understanding of what my future career is about.

“I believe that giving 100 percent of your effort towards your goals is the best option, and it should be the same for any student just starting out in their first semester,” he said.

In February, the USDA-funded STEP2 grant supported Ernie’s travel to Washington DC to present his results from the research at the 2019 meeting of the American Society for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In Ernie’s own words, “The American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Washington, D.C. was amazing. I enjoyed every moment of my trip from presenting a poster on my work with the USDA, to listening about new studies being done. I encourage anyone interested in science to seek out local or nationwide conferences. You meet kind people from all over the world.”

Less than a week after Ernie returned to the valley from Washington, he joined former STC student and STEP2 grant recipient Iysha Flores, and Biology Department faculty member Dr. Dan Murray to do a presentation about the grant and his research at the 2019 Region One STEM Summit at South Padre Island. Ernie’s experience gained in the STEP2 program has helped him obtain a full-time research position at the USDA in collaboration with Texas A&M University Kingsville, where he continues to work on biological control of the cattle fever tick. Ernie has expressed gratitude for the opportunity STC has made available via the STEP2 grant, and for the doors it opened for him. After finishing at STC, Ernie plans to continue studying in the Agricultural Sciences in order to advance in his position with USDA/TAMUK.

Amanda is pursuing an Associate Degree in Nursing and hopes to work as a Neonatal nurse. She says she has big dreams.

Since she was little, Amanda Rodriguez has had a dream to be in the medical field. Now she has chosen South Texas College to make that dream a reality.

“Ever since I was eight years old, I've always wanted to do something in the medical field, I want to be a neonatal nurse,” said Amanda. “I've always had a passion for working with little kids and infants.”

The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program at STC will prepare students with the basic competencies to become safe practitioners in the healthcare field. Upon successful completion of the Associate of Applied Science major in Associate Degree Nursing, the graduate will have a chance to take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).

Before enrolling at STC, Amanda says she has had experience taking care of kids and infants, and is ready for her career path.

"I would take care of my baby cousins. Some of them were probably a few months old,” explained Amanda. “I would be asked to babysit them quite often and seeing them grow up is pretty awesome.”

Amanda says her experience at STC has been both enjoyable and fun.

“I've really enjoyed it. I got into the biology club with Dr. Geller from Anatomy I. I was involved in the biology club and it was really fun experiencing all of the different places we went to. Being able to interact with Dr. Geller, other teachers, and students has been exciting for me.”

In the future, Amanda says she plans to pursue her education and hopefully go for her masters.

“After I get my associates in nursing, I want to transfer over to Incarnate Word for my bachelors. Hopefully after, I’ll move on to a master’s degree.”

Amanda has a message to students wanting to accomplish their dreams.

“Dedicate all your time to your prerequisites and try to get those really good grades, so it can look good whenever you apply to the program.”

For more information regarding the Nursing program, please visit https://nah.southtexascollege.edu/adn/

Currently studying for his Associate of Science degree in Biology before moving on to his bachelor degree and hopefully medical school, Jose said he was inspired by his mother, a registered nurse, who initially pushed him into a medical career.

He said he grew up watching her as she made her rotations at the hospital where she worked and became dedicated to helping others just as she did.

“It was nice having her support. She's a real inspiration for me,” Jose said. “I just think she's real smart and intelligent and I just want to be able to also help someone out like how she helps out people.

“That's why I was going for nursing in the beginning, but I always kind of wanted to go for med-school instead,” he said. “Several of the instructors here just motivated me as because they saw I was doing well in their class. They told me to just go for it and that motivated me as well to get better grades.”

The Biology program at STC specializes in preparing students for many exciting career opportunities available in the biological sciences although many of those careers require training beyond an associate degree.

“I think it's important to grasp all the material that's being given to you because you also grow as a person when you learn something new,” Jose said. “For those students pursuing a medical degree, you have to carry that mentality with you, especially when you are studying for big tests like the MCAT.”

Offering advice to students seeking the same degree plan, Jose says it’s not enough to just coast through school work.

“I have seen some people who don't really like to learn and who just want to get through the class, and that’s not the right way,” Jose said. “I know I won't make it in a university if I don't do really well here at STC, so I'm just trying to kill all the tests trying to make sure I have the highest grades in all my classes. If you are going down this route, you just have to make sure you understand everything.”

“Being in the Navy, I traveled to many places such as Bulgaria, Spain, Japan, and the Philippines. It was such an amazing experience.”

Currently a student at STC, Courtney is pursuing an associate degree in biology. She says biology is really interesting to her and has a very meaningful perspective on the subject.

“Science is so intriguing to me, it helps us understand life and everything around us.”

The Associate of Science Degree with a field of study in biology gives students the opportunity to take a core curriculum of general education courses with an emphasis in biology. Many exciting career opportunities are available in the science field including marine science, wildlife biology, and dentistry, to name a few.

After STC, Courtney says she wants to move on to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and receive a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.

“Since I’m going into medicine for psychiatry, chemistry will definitely prepare me for my field of choice.”

Courtney says her career goal is to be a psychiatrist. During her time traveling in the Navy, Courtney found out she wanted to pursue psychiatry through listening.

“There was such a wide variety and diversity of people I interacted with. They gave me a different perspective of different cultures,” Courtney said. “I wanted to learn more about the mind and the different background of people.”

“I want to help people with any psychological disorders or problems they may have,” Courtney says. “I want to help them get the right kind of medication that they need, as well as the proper help they might need.”

Courtney feels STC has prepared her for the future and the new journey she is on.

“I feel like I’m an entirely new person because of the knowledge I’ve gained and the classes I’ve taken,” Courtney says, “STC has made a big difference.”

Courtney has a message to students trying to accomplish their goals.

“Everything that you go through in your life, will eventually build you up to be the person you are today,” Courtney says. “If you believe in yourself you can accomplish anything, no matter what it is.”

Jazmin Hernandez says focusing on her future career as an engineer has been inspired by a personal outlook on the environment and from conservation efforts by professionals who can use their expertise to make the world a better place.

Jazmin began at STC in the fall of 2017, and has commuted from Los Fresnos, a roughly 45 minute drive, in order to take classes on campus. She is currently pursuing her Associate of Science in Engineering degree from STC and said she looks forward to a career in environmental engineering, preferably in the field of water treatment.

“I knew I wanted to do something to help the environment because I took an environmental science class and I really got into it. It became my favorite class,” Jazmin said. “I didn't even know that environment engineering was a thing until I took an engineering class in high school.”

Deeply affected by the water crisis in Flint, Jazmin says she looks to one day use her training to prevent incidents like that from ever happening again.

“I always see in the paper how there are lots of people without water even in the United States, so I want to do something to help,” she said. “In Flint, their city was built so long ago that they didn't bother to redevelop it. They had lead piping that they didn’t bother to replace, even though lead piping isn't even legal in the United States anymore.”

The Associate of Science degree with a field of study in Engineering offers students the opportunity to take a core curriculum of general education with an emphasis on Engineering. At the present time, over two-thirds of all the technical and a large percentage of the managerial positions in industry are occupied by engineers.

“To those students looking to get ahead, I would tell them to not overestimate themselves,” Jazmin said. “You have to know what you're capable of, but don't try and force yourself to do stuff that you know you can't do because you're just going to struggle in the end and then you'll probably want give up. You have to know your limits.”