Esmeralda Adame works in a field that is something of a boy's club.

The 29-year-old instructor in South Texas College's precision manufacturing club has long worked in a predominantly male career.
Adame, who holds a certificate in the drafting software AutoCAD, a bachelor's degree in engineering and an MBA says some people discouraged her because of her gender as she pursued her career.

Now, she's on a mission to prove them wrong.

Adame, along with other STC students and staff, was recently honored by the National Institute for Metalwork Skills with a "certificate of special merit," held by less than 2 percent of members accredited by the trade group.

The certificate required Adame to build projects for inspection by the organization; the work has to be accurate within one thousandth of an inch. "That's how precise those projects are," Adame said.

While she was a student at University of Texas - Pan American, Adame worked at Mission-based Hinojosa Engineering as well as an architectural firm that built the Edinburg baseball stadium.

"I liked what the job was about - the process where you start from scratch, draw something ... and then you can go see it," she said.

Adame, who has taught at STC for nearly five years, said her intention was never to go into teaching. But she said she enjoys seeing her students gain the skills they need to work in manufacturing.

"You actually see how the students are lost, then you explain to them the theory behind it," Adame said. "After the end of the semester, you see everything they've learned. It's satisfying."

As the only female instructor in the program, Adame has taken a special interest in her female students.

"We try to encourage females to go into the program," Adame said. "Some of them tend to be really sharp at it. They're good at the math. They can be more patient."

Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956)
683-4446.