Christopher Serrano wins Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship
HFC student Christopher Serrano has earned a national 2024 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship.
Serrano, who lives in the Downriver area, is one of 210 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) members across the United States who earned this scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship helps PTK students defray community college expenses. It is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.
“I was at work when I received the email telling me that I had won this scholarship. As soon as I began reading it, I felt a sense of relief because I no longer had to worry about my tuition. This will relieve some financial stress,” said Serrano.
“The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has a long history of providing financial assistance to outstanding students at community colleges,” said Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation President Jane Hale Hopkins. “We are proud to partner with PTK to make it possible for more deserving students to achieve their educational goals and support tomorrow’s leaders of the global community.”
Dad inspired him to go into engineering
The youngest of two, Serrano graduated from Summit Academy North High School in Romulus. He enrolled in HFC, where he is in the pre-engineering program. He is expected to graduate from the College is in 2026. Then he plans to transfer to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to complete his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
“My father inspired me to go into the field of automotive engineering because of his astute knowledge about cars and his willingness to learn about them, while also teaching me the different mechanisms cars use,” said Serrano. “I decided to attend HFC due to its affordability and ease of transferring to other 4-year schools. HFC has prepared me academically by giving me experienced teachers who care about their students and offer sound advice about the real world.”
Assisting the elderly with mobility
At HFC, Serrano is a member of PTK and the HFC Engineering Club. He considers HFC pre-engineering program director Dr. Hassan Mohseni Nameghi his mentor.
"Christopher is an outstanding student and an influential leader. In my class, he led a team to build a robot designed to assist the elderly with mobility," said Nameghi. "His team secured a top position in the engineering competition. I admire his discipline, positive attitude, and unwavering spirit of hard work and collaboration."
“It is wonderful to see an academically outstanding student such as Christopher being awarded this scholarship, as his excellence inside the classroom is matched by his participation in student organizations like PTK,” said PTK faculty advisor Chardin Claybourne.
For Serrano, the best part about attending HFC has been the people.
“Everyone seems much more down to earth here, and there is more of a sense of community involvement with the professors,” he said. “If I had one thing to say to high school students about beginning their college education at HFC, it would be that the College is a great place to start because HFC provides a lot of options, and the help is here – all you need to do is to ask for it.”