PHOENIX — Copper is one of the five Cs of Arizona. It helped put Arizona on the map and gave work to so many.
The industry isn't what it once was, but the towns built around the industry remain and there is a new way one organization is working to help build them back up. It’s through a new scholarship launched by Chicanos Por La Causa and company BHP specifically targeting those in what’s known as the "Copper Corridor."
Brandon Garner Jr. is the first recipient of the scholarship.
"I've always been set on ASU since I was like, a little kid," he said.
Now, he’s going to his dream school after graduating valedictorian of his high school in Winkelman, AZ which is roughly 100 miles southeast of Phoenix, AZ.
"Small town, I say it provides a lot of connections and it opens more doors than you really know," Garner Jr. said about his upbringing.
Carlos Galindo-Elvira is the Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships at Chicanos Por La Causa and he said the organization recognizes the need to support small communities.
"There's a need within the Copper Corridor for support to attend either a trade school, or college, or even to obtain a certificate in a chosen profession," Galindo-Elvira said.
CPLC and BHP believe this will help pump up the mining town.
"So, this is all about retaining talent in the Copper Corridor and leveling up and skilling up,” Galindo-Elvira said.
Historically, immigrants and rural Arizonans worked in the copper mining industry. And the money is supposed to make it easier for students to reach their education goals with priority going to students from Miami, Arizona. The reason for that, according to Galindo-Elvira, is "Because they've undergone some economic conditions that are not ideal."
Garner Jr. was presented his scholarship check during graduation. His family proudly looking on. He’s studying mechanical engineering. He knows this money will help with his career goals.
"Hopefully I have my own automotive business," he added. And he wants other students like him to go for their dreams as well saying, "When you come from a small town like this and you start to do big things, it encourages other people."
Applications are now open. For requirements and other information visit
https://cplc.org/education/scholarships.php
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