Advanced Manufacturing Technology alum inspires son into AMT program

Texas Border Business

ByJoey Gomez

MCALLEN, Texas –Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) at South Texas College has been a bonding moment for one father and son duo, Richard Getso Sr. and Richard Getso Jr. who share a fondness for problem-solving and an appreciation for the support from STC faculty.

Together, the Getsos emphasize the value of working together to improve their skills. Inspiring each other, the Getsos talk about the satisfaction of turning an idea into a tangible product and the value of a hands-on education found in manufacturing.

“You can’t do anything without passion,” Getso Jr. said. “You have to find what you want to do intensely, and once you do find that, you can’t ever stop. In my case, I took things apart and put them back together again over and over. You just have to try a lot of different things and gravitate to something that satisfies that passion.”

Getso Sr. is currently a faculty member in the Mathematics program at STC as well as an alumnus of the AMT program. Along the way, Getso said a passion for learning and an intense curiosity for machines, influenced his son, who himself enrolled in the AMT program in June.

Getso Jr. is looking to complete his certificate in Precision Manufacturing by December 2025 and then go straight into completing another certificate in Mechatronics as well as his associate degree in Precision Manufacturing in spring 2026.

“I learned early on from my dad that I could make anything I wanted with these machines, which influenced me so much as a young student,” said Getso Jr. “Imagine being given that kind of skill to make something from scratch. I was making things like the seat post clamp for my bicycle from a young age.”

Getso Sr. said his interest in machining began as a designer for a military contractor, which created parts for helicopter cockpits. With a college background in Mechanical Engineering and ultimately a degree in Mathematics, Getso Sr. said he would create the drawings for parts by hand, which would be designed and then produced separately.

The experience sparked an intense curiosity for Getso Sr., which would influence his own son.

Fast-forward 20 years and now as faculty member at STC, Getso Sr. remembers entering the former machining lab at the college and wanting to learn everything he could about the manufacturing process.

He started as a student in 2016 and earned his associate degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technology from STC in 2021. Along the way, he said he began adding his own machines at home to practice.

“They had all these cool machines in the shop, but at the time I had no idea what they were,” Getso Sr. said of his experience at the time. “I remember walking in the former machining lab here and I remember seeing a manual milling machine, a grinder and so many others that I wanted to learn how to use, but I couldn’t practice as much since the lab would be closed, so I began buying my own. I bought a lathe, a mill and even a CNC machine that Richard (Jr.) began using in middle school.”

Ultimately, what began as a hobby for Getso Sr., would influence his son, who now expresses a future goal of gaining experience in companies and starting a shop to take on challenging projects.

“We give feedback to each other, and we are always looking to see how we can do something better and how we can improve ourselves, which is also true in the working world,” said Getso Jr. “I just think it’s amazing to be able to take an idea and then turn it into something that you can actually hold and use—it’s like magic.”

For more information on STC’s Advanced Manufacturing Program visitwww.southtexascollege.edu/academics/manufacturing/

Classes begin Aug. 25.