GIVING BACK: Scholarship Recipients and Mesa Community College Tour STORY AND PHOTOS BY JIM BULTIMA, Director at Large
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ver the past year there has been a discussion about the club having an educational impact on the technicians that service our cars. It is something we all take for granted. We drop off our car, the work is done, and we pick it up, rarely ever meeting the person that turned a wrench to ensure the work was done properly. All this changed recently when Angela Manente, editor of Going Places, researched information into providing scholarships for Automotive Services students, presented her recommendations to our Board of Directors (AZPCA). After discussion, the board unanimously approved our club awarding $10,000 to Mesa Community College. It was for two full scholarships of two very deserving students. Learning how life changing this was to the students, I wanted to share our club’s effect on their lives. Austin Connally Here is a young man living in an apartment and working forty-hour weeks in his attempt to make ends meet. Our club’s donation “has allowed me to not pull any loans to pay for my education. It has helped me financially so that I can put my money elsewhere to help with either saving, or things like food or gas for transportation….Finishing my degree has been something I have looked forward to since before I even started with MCC. The Associates Degree in Automotive Service will impact my life by showing employers that I have the dedication to complete long-term goals. Thank you so much for your support.” Matthew Gregson Here is another student who never considered college as no one in his family had ever gone. He said you were expected to get a job right out of high school, and he did. Ten years later “I meet a widowed mom with two young sons, and we fell in love and got married.” After loosing his job during COVID he told his wife not to worry he would find the first job that came along. But his wife had grown up differently. She went to college as did everyone in her family and challenged Matthew to set an example for their two boys and to find out what kind of job he really wanted. As he said, “I honestly did not know. I have bounced around a little….I started MCC with welding and then jumped over to automotive. I am now applying for the Empire CAT program. The scholarship I have received has been a blessing that has allowed me to pursue this amazing opportunity. I am the first person in my entire family to attend college and I am proud of that. Thank you for your support. Recently, members from our board of directors along with Angela, were invited by Mr. Christos J. Chronis, Development Director and “Advisor to Generous People,” and Mr. Steve Skroch, the Program Director for the Automotive Service, to tour MCC so see just what our two scholarship students were being taught.
We toured the massive department with everything from 3-D printers, to robotics, to computer rooms that looked to me like something out of a Science Fiction movie. Both advisors reminded us that you don’t want to teach what was big a year ago, but what is cutting edge today, so that when the students graduate, they are familiar with the latest in automotive technology. Our small group was impressed with the education these young people are receiving. It makes one feel very honored to see how appreciative these students are now having a specific direction in their lives, soon to enter the automotive workforce prepared to advance and flourish. As a club of over 2,200, we should all step back from our busy lives and say “we made a difference” for these young people.
Special thank you to: Christos J. Chronis, Development Director & Advisor to Generous People Mesa Community College Steve Skroch, Automotive Service, Program Director at Mesa Community College Update: At their last meeting, AZPCA Board of Directors discussed the scholarship program and formed a committee to research the possibility of continued scholarships. They will report their recommendations back to the board. If you have an opinion or have an interest, contact Jim Bultema at: jabultema@aol.com or 928.607.1210 or Angela Manente at: amanente42@
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