24 Trade-Tech Students Selected for Scholarships Program

Bruno Mesta, a former East Los Angeles gang member, will be receiving the wrenches, screwdrivers and safety glasses needed to launch him into an auto mechanics career as part of a nationwide scholarship program born at a vocational school in downtown Los Angeles.

“I grew up in the barrios,” said the tattooed 27-year-old. “I wanted to break away from the gangs I got involved in. I love fixing cars and developed those skills. I am rebuilding my life.”

Mesta, who will be awarded a box of 68 tools valued at $4,000, is one of 24 students selected from Los Angeles Trade-Technical College this week as part of the “Tools for Success” scholarship program that provides vocational graduates with the equipment to continue their careers in 17 trades. The equipment, valued from $1,500 to $4,000, range from an auto mechanic’s tool set to an industrial sewing machine for a fashion designer.

“Without a toolbox, you can’t go out and get a well-paying job as an auto mechanic,” Mesta said. “I have a wife and four kids and I’m on welfare. I can’t afford to buy these tools I’m getting.”

The program, sponsored by Miller Brewing Co., operates trade schools in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Wisconsin and Ohio. In California, the program has been initiated in Los Angeles, Baldwin Park and Fresno. Future program locations include Chicago, Oakland, Bakersfield and San Diego.

Since its inception five years ago, more than $2 million worth of tools have been awarded to 450 students in eight cities.