EXCELLENCE
EDDIE GARCIA
UCF’s very own superhero tells us how you really can do it all By | Samantha Rosenthal
A
t a university as vast as UCF, it is seemingly impossible for students to engage in all the opportunities presented. But Eddiedelso “Eddie” Garcia, a 21-year-old senior pursuing a public administration degree and nonprofit management minor, is taking that challenge in stride. A familiar face on campus, Garcia has been involved in university activities since his freshman year in 2009. He has been part of the President’s Leadership Council (PLC), Beta Theta Pi fraternity, Knight-Thon, SGA and the LEAD Scholars Program. Garcia has also volunteered at Boys Town and Alternative Spring Break in Birmingham, Ala., and he believes that community service has helped him grow and impact others. Originally from Queens, NY, he grew up in a different environment than most young people. “Queens, I feel, made me grow up faster,” he said. “Living in New York, it’s such a different environment than from Florida or Orlando. From such a young age, we’re independent. We’re taking public transportation, and my parents were never so worried.” Garcia is a first-generation college student who, at first, had trouble finding his place at UCF but always had the desire to help and serve others. This attitude helped him receive the President’s Scholarship and win the Orlando Magic Maker award for community service in the Central Florida area. “I felt that my parents really sacrificed so much for me to go to school, and academics were what was going to take me far in life. It’s something that my parents didn’t have, so I felt that it was up to my brother and I to be that beacon of hope for my family to get them out of the supermarket business they have worked in their entire life,” said Garcia.
14 Centric | Spring 2013
Eddie Garcia remains humble despite the many awards he’s won and attributes his success to the lessons his parents taught him.