They quit their jobs to start over in aviation. TCC scholarships help cover the cost

Alan Ortiz works three jobs and drives 110 miles a day to stay in college.

All to fulfill his passion.

He left a full-time job as a hazmat tank truck driver to study aviation maintenance at Tarrant County College. A fascination with complex machines and electrical systems drew him to the program, where he now has a 4.0 GPA after receiving a scholarship from TCC. 

“The scholarship has been an absolute game-changer for me,” Ortiz told trustees on Oct. 15. “It took away a massive financial burden.” 

More students will be receiving that kind of support after TCC trustees voted 5-0 that day to accept $25,000 from the Embraer Aerospace Foundation. Trustees Teresa Ayala and Veronica Chavez Law were absent. 

The amount is expected to help 15 students in the Northwest Campus aviation maintenance technology program pay for Federal Aviation Administration certification exams. Awards of up to $1,635 will cover written, oral and practical tests for airframe and powerplant certification. 

“This contribution will directly benefit aviation students by expanding financial access to this high-demand training program that leads to meaningful employment opportunities within the region’s growing aerospace sector,” said Josh Stewart, TCC’s chief development officer for foundation, at the Oct. 8 work session. 

Embraer’s new maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at Alliance Airport, expected to be completed in 2027, will employ about 250 aviation professionals. The company is already recruiting TCC students and graduates.

A five-member faculty committee selects recipients based on financial need, academic performance, progress toward certification and career goals.

The gift follows a $25,000 contribution in 2025 that similarly supported 15 students, including Ortiz and Cynthia Kopec. 

With less worry about money, Ortiz can focus on his grades, classmates and exams. He hopes to specialize in avionics and turbine engines, then move into an aviation maintenance leadership role, he said. 

Kopec said her father and grandfather began taking her to air shows before she could walk.

Three years ago, she moved from Massachusetts to Texas, without a job lined up, to enroll at TCC. She now helps maintain World War II aircraft with the Commemorative Air Force and travels the country as a flight crew member. 

She wants to keep those planes flying. 

“They are living history,” she said. 

Kopec expects to finish the program in December. Together, she and Ortiz are mentoring classmates while pursuing their own certifications. 

The scholarships are helping them complete their dreams — and support others in fulfilling theirs. 

Dang Le is the higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected]. 

The Fort Worth Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

The Report’s higher education coverage is supported in part by major higher education institutions in Tarrant County, including Tarleton State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&M-Fort Worth Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas at Arlington and UNT Health Fort Worth. 

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