Martin Vargas-Garcia, a 2009 graduate, represented alumni as a featured speaker at the Feb. 26 Have a Heart for Students Dinner and Auction, making the connection between a scholarship he received at CSUMB and his career success.

Vargas-Garcia double-majored in Business Administration and Visual & Public Art and was the first in his family to earn a degree, after transferring from Hartnell College in Salinas. Before attending college, he worked in the fields of the Salinas Valley, harvesting vegetables.

For almost two years, he has worked at Sakata Seed America Inc. in Morgan Hill, the company’s North and South American headquarters. His current title is priming operations manager, and he is a serious photographer in his spare time.

Vargas-Garcia grew up in Salinas, where he now lives with his wife, Juanita, and their two children – daughter, Itzel, 9, and son, Diego, 5.

He credits his success in the workplace to the support of his family and the help and encouragement he received from professors. His $1,000 agribusiness scholarship also made a big difference, he said.

“That scholarship paid for my school supplies and allowed me to focus full-time on my studies at a critical time,” said Vargas-Garcia, who also received the Alumni Vision Award in his senior year.