Western Technical College

   “He is a picture of perseverance, hard work and dedication,” says Charles Brown, Academic Dean for Western Technical College (WTC), says of Frank Tonche, who is currently attending classes in the Electronic Engineering Technology Program. Tonche has a long history with WTC.  In 1986, when Tonche first attended WTC, he studied and completed the Welding Program.  He says, “I use the knowledge I learned from WTC every day at work.” After successfully completing the Welding Program, Tonche was hired by El Paso Water Facility as an Industrial Waste Treatment Inspector. He has been dedicated to his position for the last 22 years, but he says now that his children are older he can go back to college. For Tonche, one of the first steps back into academia was to get his GED.

    For the last three years, Tonche worked tirelessly towards earning his GED through WTC’s Academic Program for Excellence (APEX).  “My main objective in achieving a GED is to show my kids how to succeed. “ He says that WTC and specifically, Brown helped him to earn his GED by supplying study guides and study sessions for an hour a day Monday through Thursday.

   For Tonche, he feels it’s important for he and other people to obtain a GED if they do not have one, “to pursue good jobs; the economy is getting tougher, and out there you have to have an education to get a good job.” Now, as he returns to WTC to refocus his own career through studies in Electronic Engineering Technology, he hopes to apply for and obtain a position in Denver, Colorado with the Union Pacific.   Western Technical College is proud to have such a focused and goal oriented student who has persevered to meet his educational and career goals through both easier and more difficult times.  Congratulations Frank Tonche, for all of your past and future success at WTC and beyond.