Fernando graduated from high school at the age of 16. His mother wouldn’t let him
quit school, so he took summer classes which enabled him to graduate early. “I had
a reason for graduating early – I wanted to go to work so that I could help my family
financially.”
As soon as he became of age, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Infantry. He served four
and a half years of active duty with two tours in Iraq and an additional two years
in the National Guard.
Fernando got out of the service in 2008 and enrolled at OC to start getting his basics.
He said his plan was to get his degree, but he wasn’t certain in what field he wanted
to get his degree. A friend was working on his Fire Technology degree and suggested
that Fernando consider that field, but that didn’t appeal to him. Instead, Fernando
decided to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). He successfully completed
his course work and got his certification, but he said that it didn’t take very long
for him to realize that being an EMT was not for him.
Over the next couple of years, he worked for two of the larger oilfield equipment
and oilfield services companies in West Texas. Eventually, he was hired as a nuclear
security officer with a company in New Mexico that is an international supplier of
reliable uranium enrichment services for the civil nuclear industry. Fernando has
worked for that company for the last 13 years and has received promotions during that
time. However, two years ago, he reached a point in his career where he needed to
have a bachelor’s degree to progress further. Two of his coworkers who had college
degrees kept pushing him to get his degree, so he decided it was time to return to
OC.
Fernando has now completed his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice
and will continue his studies at OC as he pursues his Bachelor of Applied Arts and
Sciences Degree with an emphasis in Criminal Justice. He is the first in his family
to complete a college degree, and he looks forward to the doors that getting his BAAS
degree will open for him in the future.