Academics

Mitchell Ramos and Ruben Cabrera will be starting their automotive careers with a distinct advantage. Yesterday these new graduates of Palm Beach State College’s Automotive Service Technology program received professional toolkits as part of the Grainger Tools for Tomorrow^® scholarships they won in December. The supersized kits contain a huge assortment of tools used in the automotive industry – tools which would take a new technician years to accumulate.

Ramos and Cabrera graduated from the program last week, and both are amazed by the gift of tools.

“I’m excited to start in this industry with real tools, instead of looking around, fussin’ and stressin’ myself. Now I’ve actually got tools,” said Ramos.

Cabrera agreed wholeheartedly. “It’s awesome to have this many tools to start off. It’s a great opportunity and will take me really far.”

Grainger, a leading distributor of maintenance, repair and operating products, started the Tools for Tomorrow program 10 years ago and has since donated more than $3.1 million in scholarships to community college students in skilled trade and public safety programs, with half going to veterans. Each year, the company works with the American Association of Community Colleges to offer two scholarships of $2,000 each at 125 community colleges across the country. Scholarship winners receive the monetary award when selected and the toolkit upon graduation.

“I’m very proud of Ruben and Mitchell,” say Eligio Marquez-Veray, director of PBSC’s Automotive Service Technology program. “They applied for this scholarship and won all these tools, which will help them build successful careers.”

Read the original News Center story about the scholarship winners.