Name: Eddie Morales

Year Attended GPC: 2007

Other education: Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, 2011

Hometown: Philadelphia native; now living in Dunwoody with wife Perla and children, Eddie, 7, and Natalie, 4.

Job: Assistant Engineer with Cha Inc., Atlanta

Best thing about GPC: The GPC professors I had the pleasure of learning from understood their job to prepare us for the long haul. They really added the confidence and tools needed to successfully transfer to a four-year university.

Favorite GPC experience: One day after lecture, I talked to GPC political science instructor Christian Montz about career options. At the end of the conversation, he suggested I become a civil engineer. I laughed. He looked at me with sincerity and said, “Seriously, you should look into it.” I felt like he overestimated my intelligence. Needless to say, I did investigate the whole engineering field.

Favorite movie: “Rocky.” I can even relate Rocky’s character to how my path to engineering played out. Rocky was approached with the opportunity to fight for the championship, kind of like I was presented with the opportunity to pursue engineering. When presented with the opportunity, he became hesitant and skeptical. I doubted whether I had the tools to finish the job. I pursued the path because I felt it was best for my personality, interests and skills set. I fought with the heart and persistence of a warrior.

Most influential people in my life: Mom and wife. Mom showed me how to never give up, cherish family and the importance of being self-sufficient. My wife, one of the smartest people I know, has helped me think through the many ideas I have come up with to improve our lives.

Most interesting thing about me: Although my mom did an excellent job raising my sister and me as a single parent, I was raised in some rough parts of Philly, made some bad decisions and dropped out of high school. Still, I managed to become a great father, husband, military vet and mechanical engineer … and I’m not done yet.