Texas Border Business
MCALLEN, TEXAS – Sebastiana Arredondo feels life is all about fighting to stay on top. She says “in life, you win some, and you lose some.”
Raised in a household with 11 siblings, Sebastiana says college wasn’t much of a thought growing up.
“My mom never encouraged us to go to college,” said Sebastiana. “All she wanted for us was to be good and have a high paying job.”
While Sebastiana had all the intentions of being successful, she ran into some obstacles along the way.
“I got married really young and was a housewife taking care of my two kids,” explained Sebastiana. “I soon found myself in a divorce, leaving me lost, and trying to be a strong mother.”
Through all the pain Sebastiana endured, she says she found strength in herself to better her life.
“My divorce was a life-changing experience. I often found myself crying because I didn’t know what to do,” expressed Sebastiana. “I realized enrolling at STC would benefit me for the future.”
Sebastiana is now a full-time student at South Texas College and says she came out victorious after the struggles.
Sebastiana is pursuing a bachelors’ degree in technology management and is slated to graduate this May.
“I’m so excited that I will be graduating,” explained Sebastiana. “I am blessed that I have been able to finish my four years of college and be a good role model for my kids.”
The Bachelor of Applied Technology Degree (BAT) in Technology Management at STC will educate, train, and develop successful supervisors who will be prepared to utilize technology to create a competitive advantage for their business. Coursework is balanced between practical training and working with real-life projects. These projects enhance educational experiences as well as employment potential for students.
Technology Management Instructor at STC, Dr. Benito Garza, says the technology management is based on business.
“The technology management program at South Texas College has a strong business foundation,” said Garza. “This program trains students to be supervisors and managers. Hopefully, after they graduate, they move on to be a supervisor at that big time company.”
Sebastiana feels working in the business technology field is something she enjoys and would like to pursue as a career. She says it’s kept her in the winner’s circle.
“I used to work at Panasonic, and there we would work on shipments of electronics and we would have to do all the graphs and paperwork. I really enjoyed it,” said Sebastiana.
Sebastiana says graduating with a degree will present her with many opportunities that she is excited about.
“The thing with this degree is, is that it’s a business degree,” expressed Sebastiana. “Nowadays, all these companies are working with computers. I feel like this degree will open many doors for me.”
Sebastiana says her time at STC has been the best and feels like the professors have all been excellent.
“My experience at STC has been exceptional. All of my professors have been good to me,” expressed Sebastiana. “Whenever I ask a professor to help me, they are always glad to do so.”
Through it all, Sebastiana says the hard times were all worth it.
“In the end, life is all about fighting to stay on top. In May, I’m coming out on top.”
