Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – South Texas College alumnus and former Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) faculty member Samuel Montejano says a passion for machines and tools has enabled him to launch a dynamic career where every day seems like a new adventure.
From STC graduate to faculty member and beyond, Montejano said he has built a career defined by hard work, opportunity and a willingness to always do more.
Growing up, Montejano said he developed a fascination for mechanical work by helping his father repair cars, but said he never would have imagined that it would lead him to work for companies like General Electric or SpaceX or allow him travel across the nation as a nuclear machinist.
Inspired by his father, who worked as a machine operator for more than 20 years, Montejano said he developed an intense work ethic and rock-solid sense of dedication and perseverance.
“We didn’t have the nicest cars, so they were always breaking down, but he would show me how to fix them and that’s what really got me started,” Montejano said. “He gave me that drive, while STC gave me the tools to take it even further.”
Attending STC, Montejano said he earned a certificate and then associate degree in Precision Manufacturing in 2011. While earning his degree, he was also gaining hands-on experience as an apprentice toolmaker in a small machine shop before getting hired at General Electric Aviation.
At GE, he started as an operator and quickly advanced to machine specialist while continuing to earn valuable on-the-job experience.
“I got really good at what I was doing within the company and I felt I could run pretty much any machine they had,” Montejano said. “Because STC gave me the foundation to grow, I became the guy they called on to get the job done.”
His work experience led to the next step in his career when he began working as an adjunct faculty member at STC and soon transitioned into a full-time role with the AMT program from 2017 to 2019.
While at STC, Montejano said his expertise caught the eye of SpaceX, which recruited him to serve as a prototype machinist for the starship program. At first intimidated, he said he embraced the challenge and advanced to a programmer machinist role, producing mission-critical parts directly from blueprints.
“Teaching at STC helped me present myself in front of a crowd, which then carried over into my meetings with industry,” Montejano said. “I was learning right along with my students in the classroom. STC is the place that got me started and I will always appreciate the role the college has played in my life.”
Today, Montejano said he works as a traveling nuclear machinist, a specialized role that takes him across the United States to various nuclear power plants that allows him the flexibility to work six months out of the year while sightseeing across the country.
“We’re like first responders to the manufacturing world,” Montejano said. “When plants can’t fix it, they call us. We show up with our tools, go through the safety meetings and get it done. It has been like an adventure so far.”
Reflecting on the journey, Montejano credits STC for giving him the tools to succeed and hopes current students take advantage of the resources available at the college.
“Students have to keep at it because school is always going to pay off,” he said. “The most important thing STC taught me was to never underestimate myself, so to the students who are looking for that next step in life, it’s so important to always have a goal in mind. If you stick to it, you can reach it. That’s the honest truth.”
For more information about STC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology program visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/manufacturing/.
Information source: STC
