news/blog

Michael Gonzalez, one of the recipients of the Tropicana Properties series of scholarships awarded in 2022, has graduated with honors from the Western Tech Welding Program. Back in November 2022, Tropicana Properties awarded two residents with over $60,000 in scholarships to attend Western Community College. The recipients, Michael Gonzalez who just graduated and Richard Oquendo were each presented with their checks by Bobby Bowling IV and Randy Bowling, owners of Tropicana Properties. The company plans to award four more scholarships in 2023.

A resident of Castner Palms for over 5 years- Michael is a success story. He was homeless at the time that he was able to benefit from the affordable housing program through Tropicana Properties. He is a single parent of three ranging in ages from 12-17 yrs. and has been an active and stable parental figure for his children. Through his journey, he would like to show them that it is never too late in life to fulfill your dreams. Michael will be interning at Bobas Welding this summer.

As an apartment management company, Tropicana knows firsthand the importance of having skilled individuals that can maintain, troubleshoot, and repair the units on their properties. The scholarships are offered to help educate the community and address the shortage of skilled technicians in the industry, while also providing opportunities to residents to pursue careers as a pathway to self-sustainability and personal success. The scholarships include full certifications in areas including Advanced Welding Technology and Refrigeration & HVAC Technology.

To qualify for these scholarships, Tropicana Properties residents are required to submit an online application, 2 letters of recommendation and a 300-word essay. The dates for the upcoming 2023 scholarship submission deadlines will be announced at the Tropicana Properties website soon at www.tropicanaproperties.org