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¡°Scholarship support is changing my life.¡±

Student Spotlight
Jos¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez works as an electrician apprentice while pursuing an associate¡¯s degree in electrical wiring at Ë«Ó®ÓéÀÖ³Ç
Jos¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez works as an electrician apprentice while pursuing an associate¡¯s degree in electrical wiring at Ë«Ó®ÓéÀÖ³Ç. Scholarship support helps him accrue training and experience needed to become a licensed journeyman electrician. Photo: Lisa Usher.

Jos¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez, 23, immigrated to Maryland from El Salvador at age 14. He attended Montgomery Ë«Ó®ÓéÀÖ³Ç Public Schools (MCPS) and learned English while navigating high school. Unable to afford tuition at four-year schools, he worked for a cleaning company, then he enrolled at Ë«Ó®ÓéÀÖ³Ç. Currently, he works as an apprentice electrician and attends classes at MC. With scholarship assistance, he is pursuing a degree in electrical wiring. His goal is to become a licensed master electrician.

¡°I like electrical work,¡± Hern¨¢ndez says, ¡°because it¡¯s complicated. You have to know wiring and safety, how to read blueprints, and estimate costs. ... Each job is different. There is a lot of technology to it. I like that I need to think about how to make it all work.¡±

As a kid, Hern¨¢ndez broke open his own toys to see how the electronics worked. Once, he took apart an RC car he had just received for Christmas. ¡°I played with it for two days, then opened it up with a screwdriver and took out the engine,¡± he says. A few years later, he could not resist opening his cell phone; his mother wasn¡¯t happy when he was unable to get it back in working condition.

¡°I need to keep up with my electrical studies,¡± Hern¨¢ndez says. He works full time and helps his brother (also an electrician) on side jobs after work and on weekends. ¡°I still have a lot to learn,¡± he says. ¡°I want to keep going at MC. I love studying and I want to learn carpentry, so I can do more than one job. I also am
interested in engineering.¡±