Oak Lawn Dad Awarded Scholarship To Finish Education At Moraine Valley

OAK LAWN, IL — An Oak Lawn father-of-two and returning student Hugo Garcia was awarded a scholarship from the National Fluid Power Association. The scholarship, worth $2,000, was the first Garcia has received in his lifetime, and will be used to continue his education at Moraine Valley Community College.

Garcia first attended Moraine Valley in the early 2000s for an associate degree in automotive technology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he lost his job and signed up for the workforce program at Moraine Valley to forge a new path. He’s working toward an associate in integrated systems technology, with the goal of completion in spring 2023.

“I’m building on what I know from being an industrial generator mechanic and learning more of the science behind things,” Garcia said in a news release.

The NFPA is a U.S. industry trade association that works to advance fluid power technology and strengthen the field. Fluid power describes hydraulics and pneumatics technologies that use liquid or gas to transmit power from one location to another.

Garcia learned about the opportunity from his instructor, Neil Barker, Moraine Valley integrated systems technology program coordinator. Barker brought this up to students in class and invited them to meet with him if interested. He encouraged and helped Garcia brainstorm what to write for the scholarship essay.

“This is the first time I’ve gotten a scholarship, and it feels good. It was a great honor and will help with expenses and in my upcoming advanced classes,” Garcia said. “It will motivate me to keep achieving a high GPA.”

Once he completes his degree, Garcia wants to work in industrial construction or the mining industry.