TSTC Welding Technology student feels at home on Breckenridge campus

(BRECKENRIDGE, Texas) - Osbaldo Pacheco said he felt welcome at Texas State Technical College's Breckenridge campus beginning with his first visit.

Pacheco, 17, graduated one year early from Graham High School so he could start studying for a certificate of completion in Welding Technology at TSTC. He said the TSTC staff's support has helped him adjust to college life.

"I had a welcoming feeling from the second I arrived on campus," he said. "The faculty and staff are great. It feels like home to me when I am on campus."

Jacob Gonzales, one of Pacheco's instructors at TSTC, sees something unique in the teenager.

"He is one of the students who says he wants to start his own business, and he will be the one that does just that," Gonzales said. "He is smart with his money and makes sure all of his projects are done well."

When Pacheco, who now lives in Newcastle, is not in the Breckenridge campus's welding lab, he is working for a fencing company.

"When I was 9 years old, I would go with my dad to work at Garcia Fencing," he said. "I found my passion for welding through those days with my dad."

"Osbaldo is always working when he is not in class," Gonzales said. "He is always fixing things, either at work or at home."

Pacheco said being a first-generation college student has not deterred him from achieving his goal of earning a certificate of completion.

"I am thinking about continuing my education and pursuing an associate degree," he said. "I have talked to different people about job opportunities and may check into those when I complete my certification."

Gonzales said Pacheco is one of the leaders in the lab and a person he can depend on.

"I told him that he does have the determination to begin his own business, but he may want to work in a shop to see how it operates," he said.

Pacheco said his family's support has also guided him in school.

"My family has reached a turning point financially and are proud of what I am doing in school," he said. "Their support is the best."

According to onetonline.org, welders can earn a yearly median salary of more than $48,000 in Texas. Welding jobs were expected to increase 23% between 2020 and 2030 in the state, according to the website.

Welding Technology is one of nine programs at TSTC that have money-back guarantees. For more information, visit tstc.edu/mbg.

Registration for TSTC's spring semester is underway. To learn more, visit tstc.edu.

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