June 13, 2008 Cerritos - 32 Graduating High School Students from the South East Regional Occupational Program (SEROP) received $250 tool scholarships from the SMCDA. The students can trade their scholarships for up to $500 in MATCO tools through MATCO's student discount program.

There is a catch, the students need to be enrolled in one of the four automotive tech programs held at Cerritos College. "We already have commitments from a dozen students who want to pursue a career in our industry", said SMCDA Executive Director, Todd Leutheuser, "Thanks to all of our dealers and affiliate members, students dreams are becoming a reality."

The high school ROP program is taught to high school juniors and seniors on the Cerritos College campus.  Scholarship recipients are a dedicated group as most have completed up to four  semesters of automotive education by attending school 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.