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September 4, 2014 - Student Receives New Lease on Life with Scholarship to UTI

Ever since he was in seventh grade, Goleta native Andy Jacobs has dreamed of attending Universal Technical Institute and becoming an automotive technician. Fast forward to January 2014, Jacob’s senior year of high school, and that dream was in jeopardy after he underwent a two-day back surgery to correct a slipped disk that he had since birth. 
 
With plans of enrolling in the Automotive Technology Training Program at UTI’s Rancho Cucamonga campus in September 2014, doctors were unsure whether Jacobs would recover in time to be able to perform tasks necessary to participate in the campus’ hands-on learning, such as bending over and lifting objects. Recovery would be a major challenge but one that Jacobs was confident in overcoming to be able to pursue his passion for working with cars.  
 
A few months later, Jacobs got the news he had been waiting for – his hard work during recovery had paid off and he was medically cleared to start classes in September. But the good news didn’t end there. In addition to having a clean bill of health, Andy soon learned he had won one of 33 mikeroweWORKS/UTI scholarships to attend UTI-Rancho Cucamonga, a full-tuition scholarship valued at more than $30,000.
 
“The mikeroweWORKS/UTI Scholarship is a huge help to my family. Now I can pursue an education in a field I love, debt-free,” Jacobs said. “The scholarship is opening doors for me and allowing me to expand my knowledge into other specialties.”
 
The mikeroweWORKS/UTI scholarship program is the product of UTI and mikeroweWORKS Foundation teaming up to grant nearly $1 million in full-tuition scholarships that will help students throughout the country obtain a technical education, preparing them for a high-demand career as technicians in an industry that is facing a shortage of skilled workers. More than 270 UTI students created and submitted videos explaining why viewers should vote for them to receive the scholarship while also highlighting their passion for a career in the transportation industry. 
 
After winning the scholarship, Jacobs plans on enrolling in an additional program at UTI-Rancho Cucamonga to further his learning. In line with the ideals of mikeroweWORKS, Andy looks forward to securing a fulfilling career that doesn’t require a traditional education path. He is back on his feet and ready to fulfill his dreams.
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