After meeting a fellow guitar player at Durant High School, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Jeremy Davis gave him a special gift.
Angel Garcia thought he was in trouble.
The high school sophomore had been called into Principal Pamela Bowden’s office at Durant High School Tuesday, Oct. 4. Bowden, along with Assistant Principal Gary Graham and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Jeremy Davis, were waiting.
One of Angel’s friends had told him the administration was looking for him. Angel was nervous — he’d managed to stay out of trouble for the entire school year thus far but had gotten in trouble his freshman year.
“I just didn’t care,” Angel said. “I was trying to find myself, but I couldn’t figure it out.”
He’d had a change of heart. He started studying in the library during lunch. He joined the school’s Guitar Club. Outside of class, he could be found strumming a borrowed beater guitar.
The school administration, including the guidance counselors, had noticed Angel’s positive changes.
When Angel got to the office, Davis — a fellow guitar aficionado — broke out a personal guitar from his collection: a Breedlove Black Magic Custom Acoustic-Electric.
“I hope you like it,” Davis told him. “Because it’s yours.”
Getting Into Treble
A few days prior, Davis was making the rounds at Durant High School. He’s responsible for supervising 26 eastern Hillsborough County schools, which includes making visits.
“I was lost,” Davis said. “I was trying to find the deputy’s office, and I went the wrong way.”
Davis walked by a nearby guidance office. As he looked in, he saw Angel with his guitar.
“It ended up being the right way,” Davis said.
Davis stopped and asked Angel if he could play the guitar. Angel’s guidance counselor, Carlisia Shepherd, told Davis about the improvements Angel had made since last year — many of which were due to his newfound interest in music.
“I did some background research and realized he has done a 180,” Davis said. “When you’re 15 or 16, you can go one way or the other. I think he chose to go the right way based on what I’ve learned from the staff here.”
Angel started to change his tune at the end of his freshman year. After learning a few guitar chords from one of his friends, he found music was his motivation for staying the course.
He’d had a tough year. After getting into trouble at school, he had considered dropping out.
“But a few teachers helped me, like Mrs. (Leah) Beveard,” Angel said.
He stayed the course. He learned guitar chords from his friends before Jorge Flores, the pastor at Pleasant Grove Assembly of God, lent him a guitar. It was an older model dotted with pink stickers, but it was the perfect starter instrument for Angel. Together, he and his friends would play guitar before and after school.
“People would watch and say, ‘Hi’ to us,” Angel said. “It was fun. A lot of people in school that play guitar are incredible. They’re artists, and they’re students. It’s just crazy.”
Davis, touched by Angel’s passion and positivity, returned to his guitar collection at home. He has six guitars, ones he had bought two years ago after picking up the instrument while recovering from an injury.
Mounted on the wall, the Black Magic Breedlove sat waiting to be played.
Davis didn’t think twice. He took it off the wall, ready to give it a greater purpose.
The Music Man
With the Breedlove in his hands, Angel looked at Davis in the principal’s office.
“I had no words,” Angel said. “I was speechless. All I could say was, ‘Thank you.’ I feel like I didn’t deserve it. I still feel like I don’t.”
“It’s one of those things where you really feel happy about doing something,” Davis said. “To me, it’s a small gift. To him, it’s a huge gift. It’s one of the reasons I’m in the schools and why I’m glad I’m in the schools.”
It’s not only Angel’s passion for music Davis believes encouraged Angel’s change of heart — it’s the care for students that can be found in the teachers, administration and resource officers at Durant High School.
“It’s obvious to me,” Davis said. “I see firsthand now the care Durant has for their students.”
“I agree with that,” Angel said. He added that his opinion of law enforcement had changed to a more positive one.
“The deputies that work in these schools want to be here,” Davis said. “These deputies love their jobs, they ask to come here. I have the opportunity now to come into schools and meet guys like Angel. This could have been a chance meeting but I don’t believe it was. You can call me an idealist, but I truly believe one person can make a difference. In Angel’s case, I believe it was a team of people.”
As for Garcia, he’s staying out of trouble and staying in school.
“It made me feel amazing, so I kept playing,” Angel said. “I play random stuff and just try to make new sounds. I feel better from last year to now. I never thought I would accomplish so much in so little time, but that’s a lot.”
He sees his future, now — one with music.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
