For FNU Graduate Jorge Montiel, an undeniable passion for serving our country and getting a quality education led him past turmoil. Jorge is a veteran of the United States Air Force and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 from the Langley Air Force Base as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After coming back to the United States, Jorge wanted to continue his personal development and pursue higher education. After sacrificing so much for our country, it was time to focus on himself. Jorge entered FNU in 2007 and finished with two different Associate’s degrees, one in Health Services Administration and one in Radiology. When asked about who influenced him the most at FNU, Jorge had some special praise for a certain person: ”The person who influenced me the most since I came back from military and in my career is Dr. Almonte. I related to him because we are so similar. We are honest people, down-to-earth, always willing to help. Always watching out for everyone else. Intentions are always pure.” One imagined that after going through such experiences, Jorge would have had some troubles during schoolwork. But his military background and structure put him in a position to succeed: “I’m the type of person who prepares in advance. I make sure I won’t have to struggle, so to be honest, I felt prepared for everything in my academic career. I respected every professor and was always ready.”
Once he graduated FNU, Jorge immediately put his education to the test, becoming the CEO and MRI Technologist at Hialeah Imaging Corporation for 5 years. Even though he found success, Jorge wasn’t satisfied with just having an Associate’s. He craved more. When opportunity struck, he moved to Ohio and earned a Bachelor’s in Biology from Ohio Dominican University. He graduated Summa Cum Laude. He now works at Ohio Health, which is the biggest healthcare company in the city of Columbus. After finding such success, we asked Jorge what advice he had to give: “Never give up. Never surrender. Always move forward. No matter how many doors close, there will always be another one that will open. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Surround yourself with good people. Everything will be possible.”
