From Failing to 4.0: A Student’s Journey to Becoming a Top Scholar
Omar Garcia will proudly don his cap and gown at a drive-thru Commencement celebration at Fullerton College on May 22; a dream that seemed far-fetched only six year
s ago. At 24-years old, Garcia, the eldest of five siblings who will become the first in his family to graduate from college, learned earlier this month that he will join a legacy of Fullerton College alumni as a Jack Kent Cooke (JKC) Undergraduate Scholar.
Garcia was surprised with the announcement on Zoom during his class on May 7. He is one of 72 recipients of the JKC Foundation’s prestigious Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, a highly competitive national scholarship that provides up to $40,000 a year to complete a bachelor’s degree. But Garcia said his road to this success wasn’t easy.
A native to San Diego, Garcia said he struggled tremendously during his last two years of high school after becoming severely injured while playing high school sports. Time spent away from class for surgery and therapy during his junior year of high school caused him to fall behind in his studies. By the time his senior year rolled around, Garcia barely had enough
Omar Garcia is a 2021 Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship recipient.
credits and a passing GPA to graduate with his high school senior class in 2015.
“I was unmotivated. All the colleges I was looking at and wanted to apply to during my junior year of high school were no longer an option after my injury,” Garcia said. “My only option was junior college – and at that time it wasn’t really talked about in high school – it was kinda looked down upon.”
For a few years, Garcia found his purpose working a full-time job and helping his single mother provide for their family. He was also promoted a few times at his job, and therefore never enrolled at his local community college, even though he had applied and completed most of the onboarding steps before registration.
In 2019, Garcia said he stepped onto Fullerton College’s campus during a brief visit to the area to visit his girlfriend and couldn’t believe what he saw and how he felt.
“The campus was so nice,” he said. “And it didn’t look like a community college,” Garcia said he left that visit and started looking for jobs near the city of Fullerton, and also applied to Fullerton College.
Because it was Garcia’s first time enrolling at a college, he qualified for the North Orange Promise which provides two years of free tuition to all first-time college students. At that point, things began to fall into place.
“I ended up getting a job at a Post Office in the City of Industry and started Fullerton College at the same time,” he said. “I just wanted something better for myself.”
While working full time and attending classes full time, Garcia said his motivation shifted into overdrive after obtaining a 4.0 GPA during his first semester at Fullerton College. “My first semester I had really good professors who got me into the groove and made me think ‘I can do this.’ So, I just buckled down.”
Garcia said at one point he took 18 units in one semester and stayed at a 4.0 GPA despite the challenging coursework and his full-time job. “During my first year, I had a counselor tell me I should try to take it easy – only take 12 units since I was working full time,” he said. “But I didn’t want to take it easy, I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it.”
Garcia did in fact “do it.” He completed 65 units, the required number of units to transfer from a community college to a university, in just two years. And if that wasn’t enough, Garcia also got involved on campus. He currently serves as a senator of Associated Students and is a member of Fullerton College Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Gamma Sigma.
He credits the counselors and staff in the Extended Opportunity Program & Services (EOPS) department and Promise Program for helping him stay focused and motivated to succeed.
“It was actually my EOPS counselor, Susan Vincent, who encouraged me to apply for the JKC scholarship and apply to multiple universities,” he said. “I was initially only going to apply to Cal State Fullerton.” Garcia has since applied to 15 universities and has been accepted to nearly a dozen, including UCLA, UC Davis, UC San Diego, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, San Francisco State, San Diego State, the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and a few more. Garcia said he is still trying to decide where he will attend next fall. The JKC scholarship is helping him decide.
“It [the JKC scholarship] definitely opens up more options for me,” he said. After reviewing financial aid packages and his academic goals, he said his top picks are currently UCLA, Cal State
Fullerton and the Catholic University of America. Garcia plans to major in communications and minor in psychology with the goal of entering into a career in local government and would like to become a U.S. Senator someday.
“When I first met Omar, I was amazed at his 4.0,” said Fullerton College Counselor Susan Vincent. “It’s very difficult to achieve such a GPA, and when he told me he worked full-time, I was shocked,” Vincent said she spent time getting to know Garcia, including some of the challenges he faced, and became more impressed by his go-get-it attitude toward his future. “He is personable, ultra-responsible, and dedicated to his dreams. He will be a great contributor to our community.”
Garcia will graduate with five associate degrees on May 22. A Drive-Thru Commencement ceremony is planned for nearly 700 students, including students from the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021 who have signed up to participate. Garcia said he is looking forward to graduation day and embarking on his next academic adventure as a Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholar.
“We know how much exponentially harder this past year has been on students. It’s an honor to award this group of individuals as they have achieved so much both in the classroom and in their daily lives,” said Seppy Basili, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. “We are proud to welcome this new class of Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars to our community and are excited to support them as they transition to four-year institutions.”
Fullerton College has a consistent record of students applying and receiving this competitive, national award. Garcia joins a legacy of Fullerton College alumni from 2019, 2018, 2017, and years beyond in earning this award and contributing to the college’s culture of transfer success. More than 1,300 students applied for the 2021 Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship and Garcia was selected as one of 72 students to receive the award.
In addition to financial support, new Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholars will receive comprehensive educational advising to guide them through the process of transitioning to a four-year college and preparing for their careers. Scholars will additionally receive opportunities for internships, study abroad, and graduate school funding, as well as connection to a thriving network of Cooke Scholars and Alumni.
