Texas Border Business
By Joey Gomez
McALLEN, Texas – For new South Texas College Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) faculty member Kranthz Esparza, his experience in the industry has culminated in a journey that has gone from shop floor to the classroom.
It began from a young age, where Esparza said he felt an attraction to machines and engineering. Always drawn to math and science, Esparza said he was fascinated by the way a product was designed and then rolled out.
From the smell of the machine shop to the tooling and operation of the various parts, Esparza said he said he found his calling early in life and never looked back.
Now after spending nearly 3 decades in industry, and as an STC Engineering alumnus, Esparza is the newest faculty member within the AMT program at STC
“I’ve been working in a machine shop all of my life and I am happy to begin sharing my experience with STC students,” Esparza said.
Beginning in his father’s shop as a teenager in the ‘90s, Esparza said he then opened his own machine shop, which he operated for 18 years, creating products for the produce industry, heavy equipment and government contracts.
“I was only 14 years old when I started working in a machine shop with my dad. It was tough and it wasn’t the same as having a college instructor, but it paved the way for my career in business and then through my education,” Esparza said. “He was always drilling into my head and into my brother’s head that we had to become better than he was. I went into business, but my brother is now working at Lockheed-Martin building F-35s (jets).”
Growing up within the industry in the early ‘90s was a unique moment, according to Esparza who said he witnessed the dawn of computer numerical control (CNC) machines and software that is now standard in the industry.
Now, Esparza said manufacturing students are at the dawn of another great moment as artificial intelligence (AI) begins to make its impact felt.
“Back when I started, everything was manual. We had some CNC machines, but they were barely developing, and the software was just basic AutoCAD. Now we have Fusion and SolidWorks and so many other software programs that this new generation can take advantage of. We even have AI starting in manufacturing that is going to change everything,” he said. “Students are doing projects that used to take six weeks to complete in half the time. We couldn’t even dream of the technology back then that students have now.”
Graduating from STC with a degree in Engineering enabled him to dive head first into the technology being utilized by the industry, he said. The college also streamlined his transition into a bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), which he earned in 2024. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree from the same university.
“STC gave me opportunities that I never knew I could receive,” Esparza said. “Now that I am back, I am sure to tell my own students about the same opportunities that I qualified for while inspiring them with my own journey and the sacrifices I had to make to get where I am. You have to make good decisions in life, and that leads to positive outcomes.”
For more information about STC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology program visit www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/manufacturing/.
