Testimonials

	Testimonial for Nicole Rodgers 1. Why would you recommend your AAAA classroom/lab experience to others? The change in scenery! I love being out in the lab working head-to-head with my teachers and other students. It's amazing what and how much you can learn when you change the location of your classroom. 2. What did you like about your internship and why was it valuable? I loved being able to work on an active flightline with hard working crew chiefs and real great AF pilots. My friends were so envious I thought they'd turn green. The best AAAA opportunity was my internship at Randolph Air Force Base. Being a 17 year old female working on an active, male-dominated flight line, I was outside in my element. It was great and I excelled. 3. What would you like to tell other students when they are deciding to join the Academies? Join. I mean it! The experience is beyond any words I could place on paper. You have to experience the satisfaction of a job well done, an exam aced and the smell of part cleaner and aircraft paint stuck in your hair. I would definitely do it all over again. It's a great experience.
	Testimonial: I had this student last semester that did not like machining. He would always complain about how hard it was and how he preferred welding. This did not discourage me. I would help him in any way that I could with the material at hand. I also encouraged him and all students to pursue an advanced degrees mainly in engineering. He said he would think about it but it wasn't for him. The classes ended and the students went to do their internships. I heard word from the MTA Coordinator that this student really liked the internship and was doing really well in machining. The company was very impressed with him. He also, decided to pursue an engineering degree. Sometimes, it takes more than the instructor for a student to understand what is out there in the real world and what opportunities they have at hand. The MTA program brings out the full potential of each student and aids them in moving forward into a great career. Lizette Gomez
	The things I like best about working here in the aviation program is seeing the students become more successful over time. The Aerospace Academy accepts high school juniors who would normally never have the opportunity to explore a career in aviation. Once they start there is a set academic path they must follow towards certification, however, we also offer leadership and workplace readiness training through SkillsUSA. Seeing our student's progress from high school juniors, new to aviation, and then winning the state competition and participating in the national contest last year was a truly rewarding experience. To have both of the Texas aviation maintenance representatives to the SkillsUSA national competition at both high school and college levels come from our program has got to be one of my greatest high lights as an educator. David W. Weaver Instructor, Aviation Technology St. Philip's College/SWC
	The word "Lucky" only begins to express what I have come up to experience with the opportunity the academy has presented me with. Lucky for now I can work with a select group of individuals who share my interest and pleasure in helping students achieve goals at an unprecedented rate. Lucky for being one of St Philips College instructors trusted with this beautiful task. Lucky for the opportunity to be a team member in such a prolific work force support model. Lucky for the opportunity to interact with, guide, counsel, teach and assist the best of the next generation of aviation technicians. Lucky for the knowledge that I am one of the accessories that supplies our aviation industry with the kind of technician that they have specified to us that they need, in order to remain competitive and grow. Luck because I am helping to cause a positive change in the lives of many. Lucky because it is the only place I can combine my profession and my trade. Education, and Aviation Technology. Some of my student's egresses from the academy are back at St Philips taking higher level courses. Some have taken their earned credits and transferred to other colleges and universities such as Texas A&M. UTSA, UASF academy etc. Some are well on their way to become engineers and at least one has confessed to me that she wants to become an astronaut. As you can see, lucky can only start to describe what I have come up to experience at St Philip's College Alamo Area Aerospace Academy . J.R. Rivera
	Manufacturing Technology Academy is designed to assist youths in developing and pursing a viable career track, by exposing them to relevant and specific information on career paths, entry level pay, demand trends, work environment, safety, educational requirements, and skills associated with a specific occupation. As a Welding Instructor, I observed teenagers that grow into young adults. I also viewed their growth of their knowledge in different skilled areas that were available to them. I observed them doing their hands-on-training of different skills, while they were on the internship for eight weeks. The internship during the summer lasted for eight weeks, where they were introduced to different skills in different companies and the feed back that was received from the different companies were excellent results. As their Instructor, it was very fulfilling to have worked with these excellent students and to have witnessed all their accomplishments. Over the last year and half that I've worked with them, I hope that it was as fulfilling for them as it was for me. Alfonso Rodriguez MTA Welding Instructor