WRTTC student pursues childhood career goalNovember 14, 2019

“I’ve always been fascinated with the oil & gas industry,” said 18-year-old Annika Melendez.  “My father used to work in the oilfield, and sometimes he would let me go with him when he was checking on wells.  I guess I’ve always known that I wanted to do something in that field.”

Melendez is one of two females taking Petroleum Energy Technology courses at the Midland College Williams Regional Technical Training Center (WRTTC) in Fort Stockton; however, she isn’t bothered at all by being a female in a predominately male-oriented career.

“I’ll graduate with an Associate of Applied Science degree in two years, and then I plan to work in the energy industry and/or continue my studies toward a bachelor’s degree in Engineering at either Texas Tech or Angelo State,” explained Melendez.  “When I graduated from high school this past May, I had wanted to take a year off from studying, but my father said ‘no way.’  He insisted that I enroll at the WRTTC.  He didn’t have an opportunity to attend college, and he knows how important a college education is.  In fact, I’m the first person in my family to go to college.”

Melendez was born and raised in Fort Stockton.  Her parents are Genie and Robbie Melendez.  While in high school, Annika played volleyball, basketball, softball and was active in FFA.  In July 2019, she started working at Advance Auto Parts in Fort Stockton in order to pay off her 2018 Ford F150 pickup truck and to save money for her future plans.

“My supervisor is really good about letting me schedule my work hours around class times.” said Melendez.  “Most of my classes are in the evenings, so I generally work at the store during the day.  I work late on Friday evenings because I don’t have classes on Fridays.”

Melendez said that she is grateful for the support she has received through scholarships.  She currently receives funding for tuition, fees and books from the Piñon Foundation and the WRTTC’s Scholars’ Dollars scholarship program.

In addition to working and going to school full-time, Melendez is also responsible for helping to transport her two younger brothers after school.  Her other siblings include a half-brother and two half-sisters.

“We are a very close family, and we support one another,” said Melendez.  “In fact, even though my parents have to be at work early in the morning and get my younger brothers to school, they stay up until I get home from my classes, just to make sure my day went well.

“I really enjoy my courses at the WRTTC, and it’s great that I can live at home,” said Melendez.  “I’m glad I listened to my dad and went straight to college from high school.  I’ve almost completed my first semester, which means that I’m ¼ of the way down the road to getting an associate degree!”