{"id":17211,"date":"2025-03-28T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=17211"},"modified":"2025-03-20T12:35:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T18:35:51","slug":"education-beyond-the-classroom-mechatronics-students-visit-toyota-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=17211","title":{"rendered":"Education Beyond the Classroom: Mechatronics Students Visit Toyota Plant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4488-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4488-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4488-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4488-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4488-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4488-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4488-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Students from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Mechatronics&nbsp;Dual Enrollment program recently embarked on an&nbsp;educational journey to&nbsp;the&nbsp;Toyota&nbsp;Plant&nbsp;in San Antonio.&nbsp;Mechatronics, a multidisciplinary field combining mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering principles, focuses on designing and building intelligent, automated systems, often incorporating robotics, control systems, and automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On March 7, 2024,&nbsp;the&nbsp;students&nbsp;received a VIP tour of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Toyota&nbsp;Plant, where&nbsp;they observed advanced manufacturing processes and cutting-edge technology used in automobile production. A standout moment of&nbsp;the&nbsp;trip was&nbsp;the&nbsp;opportunity to interact with&nbsp;Mechatronics&nbsp;engineers from&nbsp;the&nbsp;city of San Benito and Brownsville.&nbsp;These professionals shared&nbsp;their personal experiences and insights, highlighting&nbsp;the&nbsp;unique advantage&nbsp;the&nbsp;students&nbsp;have by starting&nbsp;their&nbsp;Mechatronics&nbsp;after graduating high school and attending TSTC in Harlingen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Toyota\u2019s employees discussed various aspects of&nbsp;their work, including&nbsp;the&nbsp;challenges and rewards of working in such a dynamic field.&nbsp;They also offered valuable advice on career paths and emphasized&nbsp;the&nbsp;importance of continuous learning and adaptation in&nbsp;the&nbsp;ever-evolving world of engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, Los Fresnos CISD (LFCISD) has two cohorts in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Mechatronics&nbsp;Dual Enrollment program and is actively working with sophomores to establish Cohort 3. This initiative underscores&nbsp;the&nbsp;district&#8217;s commitment to providing&nbsp;students&nbsp;with advanced&nbsp;educational opportunities that prepare&nbsp;them for future careers in engineering and technology.&nbsp;The&nbsp;current seniors in&nbsp;the&nbsp;program are expected to earn between $70,000 to $75,000 annually with a two-year degree, highlighting&nbsp;the&nbsp;promising career prospects for graduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rolando Guerra, CTE Director, stated, &#8220;LFCISD is thrilled to offer&nbsp;students&nbsp;the&nbsp;opportunity to jumpstart&nbsp;their careers and reduce tuition costs by partnering with TSTC to provide dual enrollment courses. Additionally,&nbsp;Toyota&nbsp;has been forward-thinking in giving our&nbsp;students&nbsp;the&nbsp;chance to hone&nbsp;their talents and skills in high-wage, high-demand fields that will continue to grow as Texas becomes a leader in advanced manufacturing and attracts new companies like Samsung.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ray Perez, an 11th grader, shared his excitement: &#8220;The&nbsp;trip was really eye-opening to what&nbsp;the&nbsp;future holds for us. It showed us&nbsp;the&nbsp;opportunities that are available to us thanks to our school.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Judy Longoria, also in 11th grade, added, &#8220;The&nbsp;overall experience was amazing, and I can definitely see myself working at&nbsp;Toyota.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall,&nbsp;the&nbsp;trip was an enriching experience for&nbsp;the&nbsp;students, providing&nbsp;them with a glimpse into&nbsp;the&nbsp;real-world applications of&nbsp;their studies and inspiring&nbsp;them to pursue&nbsp;their goals with enthusiasm and dedication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Exciting News: P-TECH&nbsp;Mechatronics&nbsp;Program Coming in 2025-2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting in&nbsp;the&nbsp;2025-2026 academic year, LFCISD will introduce&nbsp;the&nbsp;P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High School)&nbsp;Mechatronics&nbsp;program. This innovative program will allow&nbsp;students&nbsp;to earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree, while gaining hands-on experience in&nbsp;the&nbsp;field of&nbsp;Mechatronics.&nbsp;The&nbsp;P-TECH program aims to prepare&nbsp;students&nbsp;for high-demand careers in advanced manufacturing and engineering, further enhancing&nbsp;their&nbsp;educational and career prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4484-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"17213\" src=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4484-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4484-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4484-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4484-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4484-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4484-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4479-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"17215\" src=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4479-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4479-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4479-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4479-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4479-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4479-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4482-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"17214\" src=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4482-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4482-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4482-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4482-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4482-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4482-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4483-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"17216\" src=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4483-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4483-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4483-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4483-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4483-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4483-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Mechatronics&nbsp;Dual Enrollment program recently embarked on an&nbsp;educational journey to&nbsp;the&nbsp;Toyota&nbsp;Plant&nbsp;in San Antonio.&nbsp;Mechatronics, a multidisciplinary field combining mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering principles, focuses on designing and building intelligent, automated systems, often incorporating robotics, control systems, and automation. On March 7, 2024,&nbsp;the&nbsp;students&nbsp;received a VIP tour of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Toyota&nbsp;Plant, where&nbsp;they observed advanced manufacturing processes and cutting-edge technology used in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17212,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,11,10],"tags":[113,25,120],"class_list":["post-17211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-lfcisd","category-local","tag-local","tag-los-fresnos-cisd","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17211"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17211\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17217,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17211\/revisions\/17217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}