Commissioner Barbara J. Jordan Meets Nurse She Helped a Decade Ago

When Luis Garcia Jr. learned that Miami-Dade County Commissioner Barbara J. Jordan was going to be visiting Holtz Children’s Hospital, he did not want to miss the opportunity to meet her in person. It was because of her, that his schooling was paid for through a Firefighter Apprenticeship Program she created in 2005, administered by Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Garcia, now a senior emergency department technician at Holtz Children’s, was attending Miami-Lakes Educational Center when the program was offered and he took the initiative to enroll, seeking a better future for himself and his family.

“The program, which was highly successful, was designed to give youth in our community an early start in pursuing careers in the field as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) or firefighting,” Commissioner Jordan said.

Luis was just 8-years-old when his house burned down. Although he was terrified and shocked, it was the passion and the determination of the firefighters who helped his family safely escape the blaze that most impacted him.

“I wanted to give people that same feeling I felt when I was rescued by the firefighters,” said Garcia. “They were real life heroes and I wanted to take part in that notion.”

Ever since his freshman year of high school, Garcia was determined to succeed in the program. However, with the economic downturn of 2009, jobs were scarce and the program was discontinued.  But Commissioner Jordan did not want the graduating class’ future to be in jeopardy, so she paid for the college tuition of those ten students, which included Garcia.

“The whole group was thankful,” said Garcia. “It meant I still had a chance; EMT was not covered by financial aid, so this was crucial to begin my life-long career.”

When Garcia met Commissioner Jordan during a recent event at Jackson, he was eager to share his personal story with her and tell her how much she helped change his future. Commissioner Jordan was just as humbled to meet the young man.

“It felt great,” said Commissioner Jordan. “I was so proud to see that he has continued to pursue his goals and dreams of helping others.”

As a senior EDT in the pediatric emergency room at Holtz Children’s, Garcia is sharpening his medical skills and learning invaluable lessons in helping sick children and their worried family members—all of which come in handy as he pursues his ultimate dream of working as an EMT for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.