Photo Caption: Roel Ramirez graduated from high school with his residential HVAC certificate from South Texas College before he even turned 18 years old. Ramirez said he is now positioned for a rewarding career in one of the most in-demand trades in the nation. Photo credit: STC Communications
Joey Gomez, STC Communications
McAllen TX – Right out of high school, South Texas College Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) student Roel Ramirez has already accomplished what many don’t achieve until adulthood.
By earning industry certifications and completing college coursework as a senior at McAllen High School, Ramirez said he is now positioned for a rewarding career in one of the most in-demand trades in the nation.
Ramirez graduated high school with his residential HVAC certificate in hand – before he even turned 18 years old.
“I was always interested in HVAC,” he said. “My family kept encouraging me to look into HVAC and welding, but STC gave me the opportunity to try both.”
Ramirez said he was given the opportunity through STC’s Dual Credit Program, which allowed him to take college-level technical courses while still in high school. After attempting welding during a summer program, he eventually decided HVAC offered broader opportunities and long-term career security for him.
His early start was backed by nationally recognized industry credentials earned as a high school student. He holds an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Section 608 Universal Certification, allowing him to legally handle refrigerants in residential and commercial systems, along with an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-hour General Industry Safety and Health certification and National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Basic Construction certification.
The credentials he received are typically obtained after entering the workforce.
“These certifications gave me a head start,” Ramirez said. “I wasn’t just learning in class, I was becoming job ready.”
After graduation last May, Ramirez said he had already completed enough college coursework and earned credentials that immediately qualified him for employment in the HVAC industry. But rather than entering the workforce right away, he chose to continue building his skill set at STC.
Fast-forward to spring 2026, Ramirez is now pursuing his associate degree in HVACR with plans to move into commercial refrigeration and then expand further into STC’s Electrician Technology program.
“I love residential work, but commercial systems are more complex, and I feel it’s important to always be challenged,” Ramirez said. “There is always more to learn, and I want to keep growing.”
Ramirez said HVACR represents something more than a trade. It’s a career choice that offers stability in a rapidly changing job market. He points to automation and artificial intelligence (AI) as forces reshaping many careers, but believes skilled trades remain essential.
“There are some jobs technology can’t replace,” he said. “People will always need cooling, heating and refrigeration – especially here in south Texas.”
He credits his instructors at STC with helping him understand how HVACR connects to electrical and mechanical systems, which in turn makes technicians more versatile and valuable.
Now competing for jobs alongside older students and experienced workers, Ramirez said he hopes to promote that message to future students.
STC’s Dual Credit Programs helped him see his career path early on and clearly, and now he hopes others see the same potential.
“The more skills you have, the more opportunities you create,” he said. “I want other students to know about these opportunities because it’s an open door that a lot of people don’t realize is there until it’s too late. This kind of job security is something everyone deserves.”
For more information about STC’s HVACR program visit southtexascollege.edu/academics/hvacr/.