Seeking a new career path, older students find success at CTC, Texas A&M-Central Texas

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For one student, it was the decision to finally pursue her dream after raising a family and seeing them through her husband’s multiple deployments.

For another, it was getting his oldest daughter off to college and deciding it was time to do something for himself.

And for a third, it was overcoming a bad first experience in college and deciding that he can and would succeed in his desire to help veterans through social work.

Guadalupe Bluhm de Saldivar, Damien Wall and Kino Hickey all took different paths, but each has found success after going back to school later in life. They hope their stories encourage others to go after their dreams, no matter how long it takes.

GUADALUPE BLUHM DE SALDIVAR

“Basically, I wanted to be a chef.”

Guadalupe Bluhm de Saldivar is 38 years old and is a culinary instructor at Central Texas College. Her students call her Chef Lupita.

“Basically from an early age I had that desire (to be a chef),” de Saldivar said. “When I moved here, my kids were older and I (made) the decision because my husband was always deploying … that it was time for me to start my dream, and that’s how I (started).”

De Saldivar started college at CTC in 2013. After taking some courses and learning more about the opportunities in front of her, she found she liked being more artistic in the kitchen, baking and decorating cakes.

But it wasn’t until she got the chance to teach that she found her true path in culinary arts.

“I had the opportunity to (do) work-study, and that’s how I (gained) some of the experience of shadowing the teachers and seeing what they are doing. And when the opportunity came and (a position) opened up part time, they hired me.”

It wasn’t that simple, as de Saldivar used the resources of CTC’s Career Center to help land the job.

“Basically I came to the (career) center and asked (if they) could help me with my resume and all the resources they offer. And that’s how I (got) the job.”

De Saldivar said she loves teaching the students and hopes to stay at CTC for a long time. She has some advice for others who might be considering going back to school to pursue a career.

“First, define what you want to do. I think it’s very important that you have a definition of what path you want to (take).

“As soon as the teachers … see how you are focused on what you want, the doors are going to start (to) open. But it’s up to you whether to you want to (go through) the door or not.”

DAMIEN WALL

“I have always enjoyed cooking … (but) I stayed away from school because I wasn’t sure if doing it as a job every day would take away from the love I have for (it).

Damien Wall spent 21 years in the military before retiring in 2013 and beginning to look for a new career.

“I actually started culinary school in Austin at the Art Institute,” Wall said. “Then I just stopped going … the drive got a little big. And then I just focused on getting my youngest daughter out of high school and off to college.”

Once that was accomplished, Wall began wondering if could realize his dreams of a culinary career.

“I didn’t want to go to Austin, so I looked here and (found out) that CTC has a culinary program. (So) I came in and talked to the counselors and administrators and I got into the program.”

The 45-year-old lives in Nolanville and splits his time between classes at CTC and working at Horseshoe Bay Resort, which is about 70 miles away. The college actually helped him get his start at the resort.

“We took a trip to Horseshoe Bay … and I’m now one of the banquet chefs out there. I’ve been working since December. My plan right now is to gain as much knowledge of the industry as possible, so I plan on staying there for a little while.”

He credits the Career Center at CTC for setting up the trip that led to his job, and for giving him the help he needed to land it.

“Anything you need, you can call … they have the contacts (to help) if you need anything.”

Wall is grateful that the instructors at CTC haven’t let up on him during his classes.

“They really push you when they see that you are dedicated. They can tell the ones that are really here to learn something, so they’ll help you with your focus. When you get frustrated, they’re there to talk to you. They help you if you have any questions.”

Wall is on a path to graduate next May. His advice to those considering a career change is to gain as much knowledge as possible.

“Especially in culinary, different things change so often. You have to have that educational knowledge … to go back to school to say OK, what’s happening in the industry that I’m trying to get into? Without that knowledge, you’ll be lost.”

KINO HICKEY

“When I walked into a classroom, it was an instant intimidation factor. So I took (my) athletic mindset, having no fear, into the classroom. So everything about how I carried myself when I was preparing myself for sports, that’s how I prepared for my classes, this go around.”

Kino Hickey had gotten out of the military and started working at the area VA hospital in Temple in 2004 when he decided he wanted more than just a job.

“I never thought I was college material; that’s why I went into the military in the first place. At that time I was working on the rehab floor at the VA hospital, so I did a little research and found out that the university had an athletic training program … and so I pursued it.”

It didn’t go well.

“I did well in the clinical part, but I didn’t do so well in the classroom part of it, and I just continued to struggle,” Hickey said.

His grade point average after four semesters was 1.9. Discouraged, he quit.

That was 2006. But the dream to get a college degree never really died.

“I kept talking to my wife about really wanting to work with veterans that have mental health issues or challenges, or substance abuse issues or challenges.”

What it took to turn that dream into a reality was a change of attitude.

“A friend of mine from Korea that I was stationed with … gave me this video..and I watched it every day for a year. About the end of that year, my wife sent me an email and said ‘how about we give college one more try.’ So this time I went with a different mentality.

“This time when I start, I am not quitting.”

That’s not to say there weren’t challenges in deciding to go back to school in his 40s.

“In the beginning, the biggest challenge was just trying to find a program that would fit my work schedule, because at that time I wasn’t able to quit my job.”

He began classes at Central Texas College in 2014. But he wasn’t going to take a traditional class schedule.

“Because of how old I am, I wanted the fastest route possible. So I went to CTC and I was able to take eight-week classes. So in the amount of time someone was taking two classes in 16 weeks, I took six classes.

“I cut it in half.”

It took a lot of communication with his wife, who had to pick up the slack at home while he worked a full-time job during the day and took classes or studied in his free time.

Hickey said he didn’t receive a lot of financial help from CTC or from Texas A&M University-Central Texas when he transferred there in 2016. But he was able to use his veterans benefits to help defray the cost.

It wasn’t until he started his master’s degree program in social work at Baylor University that the financial impact of going back to school really had an impact. He had to quit his job to meet the academic requirements of the program.

“(And) because Baylor is a private university, I couldn’t use my (veterans benefits). I received tuition remission and then I had a graduate assistant position that helped out.”

Hickey graduated from Baylor in May of this year with his master’s degree, nearly five years after vowing not to quit on his dream. He looks back on the last five years as a period of tremendous positive change.

“At the first university, I sat in the back of the class, I didn’t communicate with the professor, I didn’t talk much. But at CTC I was involved with the professors, I was involved with the students.

“What I realized when I left that first university is that no one even realized I left because I didn’t have any kind of investment in it. So I intentionally made a different investment when I went to CTC and A&M.”

His advice to students considering following in his footsteps is to make sure that you want it.

“It’s not easy. You’re going to come upon adversity, but if it’s something that you really want, you’ll be able to push through.”

— KILLEEN DAILY HERALD