May 11 was a significant day for Cristian Sánchez, a maintenance supervisor at Tenaris’s mill in Bay City, Texas, as he graduated from the Manufacturing Technology Program at Wharton County Junior College in Matagorda County.
Two years ago, Sánchez embarked on his journey to earn a degree in instrumentation and process controls to enhance his role at the mill, where he manages five furnaces across three production lines at the company’s seamless pipe plant.
It was definitely a big challenge balancing a full load at work, family, and studies, shared Sánchez, who recalled many sleepless nights.
Sánchez’s passion for learning drove him to enroll in the Manufacturing Technology Program at Wharton County Junior College (WCJC), a technical program established in 2015 with support from Tenaris, which provided equipment and collaborated on the curriculum.
This partnership has continued, offering student scholarships, grants for equipment purchase and maintenance, and training for Tenaris employees by WCJC professors. Upon learning of the scholarship opportunity, Sánchez, who had already started his associate degree coursework, applied. “It was a huge financial help and a major reason why I finished,” he said.
Sánchez spent a brief period in Pasadena, Texas, before moving to Birmingham, Alabama, where he lived until 2018 when he returned to Texas and joined Tenaris. At the time, Sánchez was a fifth-year student studying music education in Alabama. It was a pivotal year that required extensive time for observing and student teaching. With a child on the way, Sánchez needed to work. His brother, Angel Sánchez, who had been working at Tenaris’s Bay City mill since 2017, encouraged him to apply.
Through dedication and hard work, Sánchez quickly advanced from technician to supervisor, a position he has held since 2021, managing a team of seven people. He credits the program for providing the knowledge to better troubleshoot and lead. “It helped me better understand the definition of things and the theory behind how things work,” he said. “I’m the supervisor, so I have to be able to guide my teammates.”
Sánchez is grateful for the support and flexibility he received from the mill, his supervisor, and WCJC. “I hope to continue this lifelong career with my Tenaris family and continue to accomplish more goals,” he wrote to Tenaris management. Sánchez plans to return to school to obtain an associate degree in electrical technology.
He also thanks his mother for her support over the years. “She always wanted to see me walk,” said Sánchez, which she did, one day before Mother’s Day. “That’s a major reason why I wanted to go back to school. It was a personal goal but also for her. I gave her that gift.”
Education is at the core of Tenaris’s community investment. Since 2015, the company has awarded 35 scholarships covering tuition for the two-year associate’s coursework. Learn more about Tenaris’s educational initiatives.
