Carlos Garcia ’15 aims to inspire the next generation of Christian leaders. Garcia’s full time job is serving as an information technology specialist for the U.S. Army’s Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), and he also lives out his calling as a youth leader and worship pastor at Centro Familiar Cristiano Buenas Nuevas in Somerton, Arizona. “I want to inspire the kids by sharing the word of God and my testimony with others,” Garcia said. “We’re made to make a difference and spread the word of God, and we can all do it in various ways with our unique strengths and talents. I love worshipping God, uplifting Him, and I want to be used by God as an instrument to teach other people about what He's doing in our lives.”
After growing up in Mexico, Garcia’s family moved to San Luis, Arizona when he was 15 years old to further his education opportunities. Garcia quickly began to thrive and was placed in honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes. In addition to his AP courses, he enrolled in computer science, photography, and graphic design, as he saw a possible career path working with graphic and web design. As he approached graduation, Garcia began thinking about where he wanted to go to college. Although he could have attended college for free in Arizona, he chose APU after hearing a glowing recommendation from a friend who attended the university. “She told me how amazing it was and I wanted to be somewhere like that, somewhere where they learn about God and their career and the school’s mission is to equip students to make a difference,” he said. “I was still able to get grants and scholarships to pay for my first three years of college, so I only really had to pay for my last year.”
Living away from his family for the first time was challenging for Garcia, but he quickly adjusted, becoming fast friends with his dorm mates in Smith Hall and finding his community in the Latin American Student Association (LASA) and men’s chorale. Garcia always loved singing and worshipping, but he had to drop out of choir in high school so he could take computer classes. When he found men’s chorale at APU, he was ecstatic to use his talents to worship God again, even landing a solo opportunity to sing ‘Go Down Moses.’ Some of Garcia’s favorite APU memories include traveling with men’s chorale to sing at churches in New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C, Oregon, Washington, the Bay Area, South Korea, and even back home in Arizona. “Being a part of men’s chorale was an amazing experience,” he said. “We would minister to churches almost every Sunday. That was definitely one of the highlights of my APU career.” A decade after graduation, Garcia remains strong friends with many of his brothers from men’s chorale.
After graduating from APU, Garcia moved back to Arizona to be close to family, a decision that allowed him to spend several years with his parents before they both passed away last year. In his role at YPG, a major testing center for the U.S. Army, Garcia helps process data for all kinds of weapons and equipment the Army uses to make sure it’s suitable for combat. “I still use a lot of the skills I learned at APU, just in different ways,” he said.
Garcia works four days a week, which allows him three day weekends to devote time serving at his church. Garcia draws upon the knowledge that he learned in his Bible classes at APU, and for the past eight years he has preached and led worship with his church’s youth group.
Garcia has made connections across the country and the world that have given him opportunities to preach and worship in many new places.
In addition to being a role model for the youth he serves at his church, Garcia strives to be a model citizen. Though he’s not actively involved in politics, he jumped at the opportunity to be part of two town halls during the 2024 presidential election. Garcia traveled to one town hall in Las Vegas and another in Miami to ask questions live on Univision to President Donald Trump and former vice president Kamala Harris. “It was an amazing experience,” he said. “I was nervous to be on camera in front of the whole nation, but it felt like a big accomplishment. I wish my parents would have been around to see it, but at the same time, God put me there for a reason and I’m proud of doing it and leaving a legacy for others to follow.