AVONDALE, Ariz. — 18-year-old Jaime Gamez thought he was just taking a tour of Universal Technical Institute in Avondale. Instead, he was led into a garage full of cheers.
“I am ecstatic to tell you that 100% of your tuition has been paid by the generosity of this room. Congratulations,” Kim McWaters, UTI president and CEO, told an emotional Gamez.
“Very overwhelming, it's an awesome thing to have all this granted. I literally thought I came in today just to do my financial aid work and I got surprised with this,” said Jaime Gamez.
Gamez battled cancer last year and is now in remission. Make-A-Wish Arizona granted him a wish. He wanted to attend UTI and get trained as a diesel mechanic. He didn’t expect to receive a full-ride scholarship.
“Yeah, paying for it. That’s crazy. That’s like, almost $50,000 paid for. That’s more than I could ask for,” said Gamez.
The scholarship was funded by charitable gifts to Make-A-Wish Arizona and UTI was able to bring together industry partners to ensure Gamez’s training as a diesel technician will be at no cost.
“This is an entire village of folks who have come together to help make Jaime's dream come true,” said McWaters.
A growing trend among kids granted wishes from Make-A-Wish Arizona has been to improve their lives or opportunities. Rather than wishing to meet someone famous or take a trip to Disneyland they’re wishing for something more meaningful.
“I picked this to be my wish more because I thought of long-term situations instead of short-term act. I want it to be something I can go forward with my whole life. Instead of like, ‘Oh, I saw someone one day and that was it,’” said Gamez.
If you would like to learn more about Make-A-Wish Arizona, visit arizona.wish.org
