Salutatorian Eric Garcia CCHS Class of 2023
“ I ’ m not a perfectionist . People talk about doing the bare minimum . I ’ d like to say that I do the bare maximum . I do efficient and quality work .” his brothers would step up to the plate , providing motivation and encouragement that fueled his desire to be successful at school , in sports and in the family business .
“ We ’ re farmers . And that life , it ’ s a laborious life . You ’ re always doing something . During school I work minimally , not too much . As soon as summer starts , I ’ m working . So , when my father or my mother couldn ’ t talk to me , my brothers would ,” Garcia explained . “ They essentially served as one unit , one unifying force to push me if I ever needed to get something done in school . They were like , ‘ Hey , we love when you work , but if you really need to get this done , we want to see you succeed . We are always going to be here for you .’ My family , they are the only ones I can attribute my success to .”
Garcia said people regularly told him the number of responsibilities he had during his high school career seemed like too much work for one person . However , he never felt burdened or overcome while balancing school , athletics , a job and social life , simply because he believed , “ you ’ ve just got to do what you ’ ve got to do – get it done .”
Garcia was in the running for valedictorian as far back as ninth grade . He worked tirelessly to maintain his high grades , despite losing the spot the following year .
“ I was actually number one that first year , and I saw that I was in contention for the spot . In tenth grade , I saw that I dropped , but I knew that the recognition was still there . My hard work would still be valued .
JULY 2023 MoultrieScene 25