WBL Student of the Month: Briana Lopez

There are many different activities at The Grove. Some students in particular, have a love for cars and machinery. Briana Lopez, Work Based Learning (WBL) Student of the Month of August shares this interest. 
by Makenzie Bass

Briana Lopez (12) does Work-Based Learning here at Walnut Grove. She works at WOW Express in Monroe, working on all sorts of cool cars. She says, “[WBL] is kind of hard, but if you want to work, you make time.” Not only does Lopez do WBL, but she also does dual enrollment at the Athens Tech campus in Monroe.

Dr. Ellis, one of the WBL coordinators here, shares a little bit on why Briana was chosen for this award. “Briana was selected as WBL student of the month because, when visiting her at work, I could not deny her interest in growing at her place of employment. And when talking to her supervisor at WOW, he mentioned her drive and passion for auto mechanics and how she will be the next person to be promoted to the automotive area of the business. This and the fact that she is taking welding classes through dual enrollment makes her an ideal candidate for the WBL program. We are so delighted to have her.” 

After graduation, Lopez plans to finish up at Athens Tech and fully dedicate her life to working on cars. “My biggest goal is to graduate and become a full time mechanic,” Briana says. “[WBL] helps prepare you for the real world because it allows you to gain work experience and learn how to make money… If you know you're going to put in effort and work, I’d say to do [WBL]. But if you are going to be unmotivated and lazy, don’t.”