Eastern Center For Arts & Technology Names Marcos Garcia November's 'Student Of The Month'

WILLOW GROVE, PA — The Eastern Center for Arts and Technology has named as its student of the month for November Marcos Garcia, a current senior at Hatboro-Horsham High School who is recognized for his outstanding work in automotive technology.

Garcia, whose love of cars began as a young child, is currently participating in a paid internship at the Faulkner Infiniti car dealership in Willow Grove, which is also the town where the Eastern Center for Arts and Technology campus is located.

At Eastern, Garcia, through his participation in the Automotive Technology program, has earned various industry-standard certifications, and he has future plans to enter the automotive field as a career choice once schooling is complete.

"Marcos takes pride in his work, and has an incredible dedication to learning," George Stahl, Eastern's automotive technology instructor, said in a statement. "Working at Faulkner Infiniti has made him even more committed to succeeding in the automotive field. I am proud of his accomplishments and I am looking forward to seeing him continue to thrive throughout this school year."

Following graduation, Garcia has plans to spend about five years working as a technician at Faulkner, and then has a goal of studying biodiesel to gain a greater understanding of different engine types, according to Eastern.

During Eastern's awards night ceremony back in June, Garcia was honored as a recipient of the Director's Award, which is a prestigious award given to a junior (he was in 11th grade at the time) who displays exemplary leadership skills and professionalism, according to Eastern.

Garcia has enjoyed automobiles since receiving a toy car from his father for Christmas as a child years back, Eastern said. Throughout his childhood, Garcia attended car shows with his dad and uncle, something that sparked an interest in automotive technology as a possible career path.

"He knew he wanted to get his hands dirty and solve vehicle problems," an Eastern news release states. "In high school, Marcos realized that he learned best by doing, and wanted to get his hands dirty fixing cars, and learning how to properly diagnose vehicle issues."

Ten students each year are selected to be students of the month at Eastern, a process that involves selection jointly by an operating committee and the Willow Grove Rotary Club.

Eastern Center for Arts and Technology is a half-day career and technical school serving the eastern part of Montgomery. It is open to students from Lower Moreland, Abington, Cheltenham, Upper Dublin, Upper Moreland, Hatboro, Horsham, Jenkintown and Springfield.