Texas Border Business
BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Alexia Velazquez wants to rebuild lives and the Construction Management program at Texas Southmost College is her first step in the process.
The 19-year-old, who recently started her journey and expects to graduate in 2024, said she already knows the program is giving her the tools she needs to make her goals a reality.
“I’ve always wanted to open a homeless shelter or provide housing to those in need, but I wasn’t always sure where to start,” said Velazquez. “When I found TSC’s construction program, I knew this was my starting point. I want to be well-rounded in the field, and this program is going to get me there.”
TSC Construction Management is one of the newest programs in the construction trades courses offered at the college and offers students an associate degree in the trade, in addition to the certificate offered through Construction Technology.
The Brownsville native said she has already been exposed to the realities of the trade and that’s what she loves most about the program – completing real-world work, using industry-standard tools and equipment, while helping her community.
“As a class, we already had the opportunity to build a house frame for a home now available in Brownsville,” she said. “This is one of my biggest accomplishments so far, and I know is only one of many. For someone like me, brand new to the trade, this was an eye opener, but I’m now 100% confident this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Velazquez said before finding TSC’s Construction Management program she was contemplating a few other career paths, but neither seemed right. Now she gets to learn and do what she loves every day, and that’s her favorite part.
“In this program we learn, and we practice what we learn,” said Velazquez. “I consider myself lucky to have found a program that offers this kind of hands-on learning, and even better to have instructors and classmates that are supportive.”
She added, “If I’m being honest, I’m confident in myself and in what I can do, but entering a male-dominated field can be scary, but here I’m an equal. They encourage me and support my growth and goals.”
Velazquez said she is proud to be part of one of the first cohorts that will graduate from the program, and she hopes she’ll be an inspiration for other young girls and women interested in a career in construction and project management.
Project management is Velazquez’s ultimate goal and is already looking up universities, apprenticeships and internships that will help her continue her education and gain more experience.
“I was a waitress working long hours, and now I’m a student at a college that is not only going to give me a better quality of life, but will allow me to give others a better quality of life too, with shelters and houses that will get people off the streets and give them a second chance.”
For more information about TSC’s Construction Management program, visit tsc.edu.
Registration for summer and fall 2022 begins April 1.
