Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – Starting his education as a Psychology student, South Texas College’s newest Welding faculty member Joshua Castillo said he took the scenic route to find his passion and discovered it in the most unexpected of places—through the sparks of a welding shop.
What began as a simple work-study job in 2013 cleaning grinding tables, has now turned into a calling for Castillo, who despite having a rocky start, said he discovered a love for hard work and perseverance that carried him through those first years.
It is this grit that has enabled him to transition from a full-time lab assistant in the Welding program at STC’s Technology Campus to finally a full-fledged faculty member for the first time this semester.
“I started at the very bottom and every step since has been about not giving up and setting goals,” Castillo said. “Then I thought to myself ‘Even if you reach one goal, why stop there? Find another one and keep going. Why not try something completely different?’ That’s how I ended up in Welding after my Psychology degree. I found a passion I never expected.”
Castillo began his Welding journey while he was pursuing his associate degree in Psychology from STC but then learned about the Welding program through a family connection. Soon after, he learned about a work-study position in the Welding department and was hired despite having no prior experience in the trade.
He recalls arriving on his first day on the job in slacks, a dress shirt and dress shoes expecting to do office tasks. Instead, he was thrown into hands-on shop work. From the start, he was cleaning grinding tables and assisting instructors.
“I thought I was going to be filing papers, but instead they handed me a grinder,” Castillo said. “I discovered at that point that I loved the hard work, and I have been with the program ever since.”
Working with the welding program carried him through his college years. During that time, he earned an associate degree in Psychology and Education from STC, which then led to a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley—but then life led him down a different path.
A passion for learning new things made him realize that education was more than just personal growth, it was about inspiring others, he said.
“I didn’t want to be a one-track person. I wanted to keep learning, to expand and get better at different things,” Castillo said. “This is what I hope to convey to my students this semester. Education can mean more than what you think, you just have to want to set that example for those following in your footsteps.”
Now in his first semester as one of the newest Welding faculty members, Castillo says he found a joy in teaching. Despite having worked in the shop for more than a decade, it feels different because he is now among those faculty guiding students through demonstrations and hands-on lessons.
“I love it when a student tells me ‘What you showed me worked,” he said. “That gives me pride.”
For more information about STC’s Welding program visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/welding/.
