During his first year of high school, Erid Garcia and his older sister would catch the 6 a.m. bus from San Miguel to Paso Robles each morning, then they’d walk another hour to Paso Robles High School.
“Due to financial problems, there was no way to have adequate transportation,” Garcia said. “That kind of just followed us my entire freshman year … and that kind of shaped my entire high school experience.”
Now a high school graduate accepted into Cal Poly’s biomedical engineering program, Garcia is also a recipient of nonprofit Vineyard Team’s Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship—a scholarship awarded to children of vineyard and agriculture workers that exemplify hard work and grit.
Garcia said that throughout his time in high school he would slowly increase his workload year by year, taking more difficult classes to challenge himself.
“I decided in senior year to take as many AP [courses] as I possibly could, while also volunteering,” he said. “My high school experience, it was kind of me trying to find something to do.”
Being deaf in one ear, Garcia said he considered studying in the biomedical field as a way he could make a difference.
“In my right ear, I’m deaf. I’ve always just wondered what I could do with that, and I wrote a version of my college essay about that,” he said. “I was thinking about it, about who helps people like me to have a standing in life when it comes to disabilities.”
He said he thought of cochlear implants used to negate deafness.
“I kind of spiraled into, like, what if I could do something like that? What if I can fix myself in terms of disabilities and help other people in the process?” he said.
So he applied and was accepted into Cal Poly’s biomedical engineering program, with ambitions of studying pre-med as well.
Being a first-generation college student, Garcia said he is nervous for college. He worries if he will be able to handle the pressure and the higher stakes.
The Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship not only will support him financially—$4,000 per academic year up to five years—but also provide him with a designated mentor throughout his college years.
Vineyard Team Executive Director Beth Vukmanic said the scholarship has been around for about 10 years, honoring Juan Navarez, who moved to the Central Coast from Mexico in 1977. Working in the wine industry, Nevarez invested in his education and was eventually able to establish a vineyard management company and his own 80-acre vineyard.
“When we look at the scholars and how we’re selecting them, you know, we always talk about the essence of Juan Nevarez. So somebody who has grit, who’s community-oriented, who works hard in school, who gives back,” she said. “Erid’s such a great example of that, right? Super sharp person, great grades, has a game plan for his career.”
The Juan Nevarez Scholarship is awarded to roughly six new students per year and is open to any students of vineyard-working parents, although first generation students are prioritized. The scholarship is also open to students attending two-year colleges like Cuesta College, or technical schools with an award of $2,000 per academic year.
“I always had the unconscious fear of wondering if I’d be able to do it, but then I would think about it and I would dwell on the fact that I’ve already challenged myself. Like I said, in high school, I’ve always tried to do harder things and just hope for the better,” Garcia said. “I do hope to get my master’s degree in biomedical engineering, because I feel like it’d be cool to be the first person in my family to get a master’s degree in engineering.”
Fast fact
• Woods Humane Society will offer local pet parents access to four free pet vaccination clinics at both its San Luis Obispo and Atascadero locations on Aug. 2 and 16 and Sept. 6 and 20 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The free vaccines are made possible through Petco Love’s national vaccination initiative, Vaccinated and Loved, which is providing an additional 1 million free pet vaccines to existing animal welfare partners for family pets in need. Δ
Reach Staff Writer Libbey Hanson at lhanson@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jul 31 – Aug 10, 2025.