Local hoops squads bring home holiday hardware - Page 3
The Fort Bend Star
Periodicals Postage
(USPS 006549) is published weekly PAID on Wednesdays for $52 per year by Sugar Land, TX Texas Street Media PO Box 2369, Stafford TX 77497 Periodicals postage paid at Sugar Land, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Fort Bend Star, PO Box 2369, Stafford TX 77497
Send your news release to starnews@fortbendstar.com
WEDNESDAY • JANUARY 4, 2023 JEANNE GREGORY REALTOR®, CRS, GRI, ABR
Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 48 • No. 14 • $1.00
Local TSTC students go above and beyond Staff Reports
SOUTHWEST
713-854-0923 Each Office Independently Owned & Operated
UH graduates new class of 76 nurses Staff Reports
Hundreds crowded the Cullen Performance Hall at the University of Houston for recent Fall 2022 Commencement Ceremony and Pinning for the UH College of Nursing, based at the UH Sugar Land campus. “You are graduating from a special university that you have transformed during your stay here,” said Kathryn Tart, professor and founding dean of the college, said in UH press release. “It’s a university that is your home, your alma mater, your pride and your bragging right.” Jacqueline R. Ward, Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President for Texas Children’s Hospital, served as commencement speaker. Ward, a doctor of nurse practice, registered nurse and nurse executive -board certified, told graduates that choosing nursing was one of the best decisions they’ve made. “You experienced nursing school during a pandemic,” she said. “You persevered, adapted, partnered, collaborated and focused. You were resilient, and you did it.” Seventy-six new nurses crossed the stage, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Special student accolades included: • Outstanding Academic Student: Kayley Danielle Hoffman 4.0 GPA • Outstanding Clinical Student: Sydney Morah Omwoya • Outstanding Graduate Student: Katherine Lee Wallender 4.0 GPA • 4.0 Graduate Students: Jessica Renee Holsch & Victoria Karen Stanczykiewicz Ward, who began her career at Texas Children’s Hospital as a graduate nurse in 1993, told the audience they are now on a journey to become leaders. She urged them to connect with a mentor and SEE NURSES PAGE 6
Ward
Visit www.FortBendStar.com
Texas State Technical College Electrical Power and Controls students Ethan Brasseaux, left, and Philip Haas showcase their semester project. (Photo courtesy TSTC0
Ethan Brasseaux and Phillip Haas, students in the Electrical Power and Controls program at Texas State Technical College's Fort Bend County campus in Rosenberg, recently went above and beyond the program's typical expectations. In the program, third-semester students typically are assigned a project to complete that incorporates the lessons, techniques and skills they learned up to that
point, according to a TSTU press release. The usual project is a digital electronic game. Brasseaux and Haas decided they wanted to try something different. “We were up for something that was a little more challenging,” Haas said in the release. “It turned into something a bit crazier than that. But looking back now, it was kind of fun to do everything.” For their project, they built a digital clock in combination with a logic decoder to detect an event and set
off a light. They began by designing blueprints and schematics. Each wire and panel had to be accounted for in order for the clock to run and the decoder to set off the alarm. The goal was to have the logic decoder recognize when the clock hit a certain time and set off the light, much in the same way an alarm clock would. Brasseaux said it took patience to complete the project. “It involved a lot of repSEE TSTC PAGE 5
Walking side by side
Ross Cook, left, and his son Levi are both new University of Houston graduates. (Photo courtesy of University of Houston)
Father and son share military backgrounds, UH degrees Staff Reports
Fall commencement at the University of Houston was a special moment for the Cook family. Levi Cook walked the stage Dec. 16 to receive his Bachelor of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management from the C. T. Bauer College of Business. The next day, he was in the audience to cheer on his father Ross Cook, 58, who received his Bachelor of Science in Technology and Leadership Innovation Management (TLIM) from the College of Technology, based at UH Sugar Land.
Both are not only fall UH graduates, but also they are proud veterans as Ross served in the U.S. Navy and Levi in the U.S. Air Force, according to a story on the UH website. For Ross, a bachelor’s degree was many years in the making. His first foray into higher education began at a community college while working in the oil industry. During the 1980s’ oil bust, he enlisted in the Navy and developed his skills as an auxiliary mechanical subsystems technician, specializing in Detroit Diesel engines. Following his service, he
returned to Houston and re-enrolled in community college while working and starting a family. He took a break from academics but recently found his way to UH. “UH had the degree I was looking for,” he said in the web story. "The bachelor’s in TLIM is a versatile program that allowed me to build on many of the skills I gained both in the Navy and as a professional.” Levi followed in his father's footsteps. He also started at a community college before enlisting in the service. Following his stint in the Air Force, he
also returned to the classroom at Lone Star College before going to UH. Like his father, he identified a degree in line with his talents and his career goals. Not long after arriving at UH, Levi developed an admiration for the faculty who provided students with opportunities to meet with leaders from the industry. Levi also appreciates the lessons learned from his father. He said his dad taught him to have a thick skin and to think twice before debating a peer or a professor. “I’ve learned patience
from him,” Levi said. “He always told be to be patient and think things through before making a hasty decision.” Although they will not graduate side by side, both Ross and Levi are excited to be recognized by UH on the same weekend. “I’m extremely proud of my father,” Levi said. “It’s not easy to go back to school in your 50s, but he did it. He’s an example for so many others out there, who may have thought school passed them by.” Ross agrees. Although SEE UH PAGE 6
Junior Service League gives $352K to charities Staff Reports
The Fort Bend Junior Service League presented a $352,000 check representing the proceeds of the 21st annual Sugar Plum Market to 24 local charities serving Fort Bend County at a December 13 ceremony hosted by title sponsor Memorial Hermann Sugar Land hospital. Speakers in attendance included Malisha Patel, Memorial Herman Sugar Land CEO and Senior Vice-President, and
Tanesha Mosley, FBJSL President. The following beneficiaries were presented with grants: Access Health, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston, Brazos Bend Guardianship, Catholic Charities, Child Advocates of Fort Bend, College Community Career, East Fort Bend Human Needs Ministry, Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center, Fort Bend History Association, Fort SEE CHARITIES PAGE 6
The Fort Bend Junior Service League present a check representing $352,000 in Sugar Plum Market proceeds to representatives of local organizations at an event at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land. (Contributed photo)