Written by: Juliet Karam, Marketing Manager
Meet Tony Garcia. Marine systems student by day, and talented musician by night.
After growing up in Virginia with his family, sharing a passion for music with his friends, and studying computer science in college, Tony knew that when he was older he wanted to travel and do something different. While exploring travel options, he came across a Peace Corps opportunity and quickly realized this was the best option for him.
For 2 years, he lived in Tonga on a tiny island in the South Pacific. Here he helped locals with their computers, taught Spanish to students of all ages, and helped start Tonga’s National Basketball Association. In between basketball, Spanish, and computer projects, Tony became friends with other travelers coming in and out of the South Pacific.
During his time there, he met a group of Australians who he became particularly close with. They had a small sailboat and invited him along for island-hopping adventures. “Learning to sail with them and experiencing being on the water was a big turning point in my life”, says Tony.
After his time in the South Pacific, he decided it was time to return to the U.S. to get his masters in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) since he enjoyed traveling and geography so much. After graduating from Clark University, Tony was hired as a GIS Specialist for a firm in Virginia. During the workday, his entire focus would be on digital mapping, but during the evenings, his focus would shift towards his real passion - music. He practiced daily with his bandmates and was always searching for inspiration to write his next song.
One night after performing with his band, a music producer from Nashville approached them. He invited Tony and the band to Nashville to record a few songs and get an album in the works. “Pretty soon after that, we just quit our jobs and moved to Nashville. I quickly realized that Nashville was the perfect place for me to grow as a musician.”
Tony spent many years songwriting, recording and touring both as a solo artist, later with his band The Double Intenders, and eventually starting and playing in different bluegrass bands. In between songwriting and playing music, Tony bought a Hunter 22’ sailboat named Sunshine and would spend many nights and weekends sailing around Percy Priest Lake in Nashville with his two furry companions - Daisy and Buddy.
Tony became fascinated with how boats work and how they’re built and maintained. Interested in learning more, he decided to purchase a set of tools for himself and a book on how to build a 16’ wooden canoe. As he built the canoe, Tony thought to himself, “There must be a way I can learn how to make a living doing this….”
Soon after he finished building the canoe, the pandemic hit and the world started to shut down.
He thought to himself, “what do I really enjoy that I want to spend the rest of my life doing?” The answer? Fixing, building, and being on boats.
This is what inspired him to switch careers and look into The Landing School. “Just from looking at the website, I could tell it was the place for me. It looked fun, different, hands-on, and challenging which is exactly what I was looking for”.
Tony is enrolled in the Marine Systems program and plans to return to The Landing School next year to be in the Yacht Design program where he will receive his associates degree. When he isn’t in class and working on boats - he spends his time practicing and playing with The Landing Boat School Band which grew out of a shared love for playing music with several other Landing School students.