Orange Coast College alum bikes from Seattle to L.A. in fundraising quest, personal challenge

For Juan Pablo Garces Ramirez — a Costa Mesa Excessive graduate and Orange Coast School alum who attended UCLA and can begin graduate faculty at Harvard in July — life is a sequence of milestones that put together you for what’s subsequent.

A Dreamer born to Mexican immigrant mother and father, Garces is simply the second in his household to graduate from highschool and the primary to attend school.

“I’m mainly first-generation all the things,” he stated in a latest interview.

His time at OCC instilled in him a want to work in training that was additional honed as he attended UCLA and commenced to show and mentor at-risk youth. At Harvard, Garces will pursue a grasp’s diploma in training, management, organizations and entrepreneurship that’s certain to open new doorways of alternative.

However earlier than his departure in a number of quick weeks, there was yet one more objective the Costa Mesa Excessive grad felt compelled to perform, and did, on Saturday.

An exuberant Juan Pablo Garces Ramirez pedals down Santa Monica’s Ocean Avenue Saturday on the finish of his 1,100-mile, 17-day journey from Seattle.

(Spencer Grant)

Garces, 30, accomplished a grueling 1,100-mile solo bicycle trip from Seattle to Santa Monica he’d begun 17 days earlier for a number of causes logistical and private. For lodging all through his travels, punctuated by driving rain and exhausting 45-degree inclines, he sofa surfed or pitched a tent.

Accompanied by pals and former UCLA roommates Noemi Garcia and Bryan Villalpando on Saturday for the final leg of the journey from Malibu to the Santa Monica Pier, Garces was greeted by a small phalanx of supporters, together with mother Marie Ramirez and pop Eugenio Garces, who’d assembled to rejoice yet one more milestone in an already standout life.

“I’d informed myself it doesn’t matter if I accomplish it or not, I’m simply going to strive my hardest to do it,” he stated by cellphone Monday. “However now that I see that it’s doable for me — it’s positively given me numerous perspective on my capability as a human.”

Garces not solely set a objective to make it from Seattle to L.A. intact, however to additionally assist increase funds for grad faculty tuition and help local people schools, like Orange Coast School, that function packages to assist college students efficiently switch to four-year universities.

He established a GoFundMe marketing campaign with an bold $100,000 objective that, as of Tuesday, had raised $1,346. He plans to donate half of no matter he raises to assist college students who should typically overcome great private obstacles to reach school.

“Being a neighborhood school switch, in numerous methods, it was like a weak point,” he stated of his personal expertise beginning UCLA as a sophomore. “You’re form of on this different group, the place it’s essential to create alternatives and social mobility for your self.”

For Garces, the bike trip was greater than only a fundraiser. It was a private problem to check the bounds of his bodily and psychological endurance after a debilitating motorbike accident in September 2019 left him with accidents from which it will take greater than a 12 months, and a number of other surgical procedures, to recuperate.

Mother Maria Ramirez and pop Eugenio Garces proudly {photograph} their son Juan Pablo Garces Ramirez in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park on the finish of his 1,100-mile bike trip from Seattle.

(Spencer Grant)

Garcia and Villalpando aided Garces on the highway to restoration, becoming a member of him on bike rides that rapidly superior from 10 to 50 to 100 miles. Garcia credit the group’s progress to Garces’ sheer will to push himself and others to the restrict of what’s doable.

“Juan was the one who stated we must always bike 100 miles (in a single trip) and we must always do it inside a month,” she recalled. “He made it outdoors our consolation zone — 35 miles this week, 50 the following and 75 the week after, then we’d do 100 — and we did it.

“Juan stated it will get simpler each week and it did. Juan stated we might end, and we completed,” Garcia continued. “We adopted him as a result of he finds methods of getting these items carried out.”

Dr. Edward Wong was principal of Costa Mesa Excessive College, the place Garces served as captain of the college’s soccer and monitor and subject groups and helped take the Mustangs to the CIF championships for wrestling and soccer earlier than graduating in 2009.

Now retired, Wong has stored in contact with Garces through the years and is proud, however not stunned, of all of the younger man has completed since leaving Mustangs Subject for greener pastures.

“I at all times stored an eye fixed on him as a result of I knew this child was going to do one thing. He’s not intimidated by issues, and when he makes up his thoughts to do one thing, he does it,” Wong stated of the standout pupil. “He’s simply a tremendous child — wonderful.”

Garces is spending the week recovering from the lengthy trip, taking ice baths and fascinating in delicate power coaching to ease leg pains. It could take a while earlier than the teachings gained throughout his travels set in. However he’s already discovered one necessary lesson.

“I may and I can do extra,” he stated Monday. “The sky’s not the restrict. You may go a lot additional than that.”

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