Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – When Juan Guadarrama left his job at a fast-food restaurant nearly a decade ago, he made a promise to himself and his family – he would enroll at South Texas College and build a career doing something he loved.
Starting from scratch, with only a basic knowledge of automotive repair, Guadarrama said faculty at STC enabled him to fulfill that promise and help him graduate with an Automotive Technology Certificate in 2018.
Now almost seven years later, Guadarrama is a master-certified technician for Lexus at North Park Lexus Rio Grande Valley in San Juan.
“I told my wife, ‘I don’t want to be working in the kitchen for the rest of my life. I want to go to college,’” Guadarrama said. “Mr. (David) Sanchez helped me through everything, and that’s how my journey started.”
Prior to STC, Guadarrama said he had been employed at a local Panda Express in 2016, but then a desire for change led him to reach out to staff at STC, who then guided him through the application process.
The result was a new direction for his life, he said.
“When I started at STC, one of my first classes was suspension and steering with (Richard) Wade,” he said. “From day one he told us we were going to be hands-on. Sure enough, every day was something new and different. That environment showed me that this is what I wanted to do.”
Guadarrama said he didn’t have any prior experience in an auto shop, but STC’s training opened his eyes to all the possibilities in the industry. Now, in his seventh year at Lexus, he has reached the top tier with the company, earning his Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification, along with the required Lexus-specific modules, which takes more than two years to complete, he said.
Today he is familiar with Lexus vehicles from “bumper to bumper,” and learning about the vehicles requires him to be up to date with the newest features. The result is a continuous learning process, he said.
“The program at STC gave me an expanded view of what’s out there,” he said. “Everything I learned at the college, I apply here at my job. They show it to you for a reason – you use it.”
Originally from Mission, but raised in Reynosa, Guadarrama said he returned to the United States at age 9 and learned English while in school. Now as an STC alumnus, he hosts numerous student tours at Lexus’ facility and encourages them to follow their passions.
“My first language is Spanish, but once I started working and studying here, I learned that no matter where you come from, you can always keep learning and improving,” he said. “If you really want something, you’re going to accomplish it. They give you the tools, now you just have to put in the effort. Success is there waiting for you.”
Looking ahead, Guadarrama said he hopes to one day return to the classroom, but as an instructor.
“One of my goals is to teach new students what I’ve learned,” he said. “If I can do it, anyone can. You just have to keep setting goals one after the other and never stop pushing forward.”
For more information on STC’s Automotive Technology program visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/automotive/.
