BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Texas Southmost College helped shape Martin Jaramillo’s future as an architecture student. More than a decade after he first arrived on campus, Jaramillo has returned as a full-time architecture and design instructor preparing the next generation of architects.
Jaramillo said TSC gave him the skills and confidence to continue his education and introduced him to fellow architecture student Celia Padilla, who later became his wife.
“I’m teaching in the same classroom where I was 10 years ago,” Jaramillo said. “It’s rewarding teaching students and making them grow and feel confident. Architecture is not just about drafting or drawing. My job is to teach them how to design anything or communicate their ideas.”
Discovering Architecture at TSC
Jaramillo’s path to TSC was influenced by an architecture teacher at Mercedes High School. The teacher’s son had studied architecture at TSC, prompting Jaramillo to visit the college and learn more about the program.
He saw TSC as an opportunity to build a foundation before transferring to a four-year university. “It was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to do two years and then if I feel ready, I can transfer and I don’t have to start from zero,’” he said.
His experience at TSC gave him the confidence to continue pursuing architecture. “Without TSC, I don’t think I would have continued,” he said. “I think just the instructors that I had, the way they taught me and how confident I felt once I graduated, really made a big impact on me.”
Building on a TSC foundation
After earning an associate degree in architecture from TSC, Jaramillo transferred to Texas Tech University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field.
Jaramillo said his TSC experience gave him the skills and confidence to compete with peers who had already spent two years at Texas Tech. “I felt confident and the programs that I had learned, the software, and how to express my ideas and design really helped me compete on that level,” he said.
He said a student’s success is shaped less by an institution’s name than by the dedication of its instructors. “The name of the college or university doesn’t really matter. It’s the people who are teaching,” he said. “TSC offers that, in my opinion. It offers that perspective of love from the instructors to the students.”
Bringing industry experience back to TSC
After completing his degrees, Jaramillo worked on projects along the East Coast ranging from small restaurants to major retail developments. Before joining TSC’s faculty, he was invited to review student work and later became a part-time instructor in 2025. He accepted a full-time teaching position at the start of the current academic year.
“Coming back and being on this side and being able to push my students to be better than me, that’s my goal,” Jaramillo said. “I want them to be better than me because they’re the next generation.”
Jaramillo said his industry experience helps students understand the details and terminology they will encounter in the field, including architectural drawings, symbols and abbreviations. “They’re learning what you have to learn in school, but they’re also learning what they’re going to see out there,” he said. “School and the profession are two different things.”
In addition to teaching full time at TSC, Jaramillo works for HFA, an architecture and engineering firm based in Arkansas. He said maintaining an active role in the industry allows him to bring current experiences into the classroom.
Finding purpose through teaching
Inspired by the instructors who shaped his own future, Jaramillo said he is committed to helping students succeed after they leave TSC.
“I have a purpose and that purpose is my students,” he said. “If they go out there and their work doesn’t look good, that means I failed as an instructor. If they go out and shine, that means I’m doing something right.”
For Jaramillo, returning to TSC is an opportunity to give back to the institution that helped launch his journey through mentorship, industry experience and a commitment to teaching.
Source: Texas Southmost College press release
