Joshua Oquendo, a Heavy Duty Truck Technician student at College of Western Idaho (CWI), has been named a 2021 New Century Workforce Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship.
“Scholarships have helped me with my mortgage and to pay bills, so I was able to work less and focus on my school and continue to get good grades,” Oquendo said.
Oquendo enjoys the challenge of diagnosing and repairing big trucks and mega engines.
“I like solving problems, and taking things apart and fixing or finding the broken piece and putting them back together and watching them run,” he added. “My classes gave me a lot of exposure to the different systems that we are going to work with on the job. The instructors are great, they really care for the students and want us to succeed in the program, and the curriculum is extensive and detailed.”
New Century Workforce Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Over 2,000 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country. Only one New Century Workforce Scholar was selected from each state.
This scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate degree-granting institutions on a national scale as they plan to enter the workforce upon the completion of a degree or certificate. The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
“We congratulate Joshua for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with The Coca-Cola Foundation to recognize his outstanding achievements,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s President and CEO Dr.
Next month, Oquendo graduates from the Heavy Duty Truck Technician program and he recently started a new job at Western States Cat.
