In an effort to be more personalized with my students, I
feel it is important to share more about myself with all of you. I get to
know each one of you pretty personally, and I don’t always share too many
details of my life with you. I keep myself very private online… I don’t
have Facebook, I’m not on twitter, I’m not on LinkedIn, I don’t post any photos
of myself online, but I have friends that do, so I am out there somewhere I am sure.
I keep my life very private from the online world. But I would like to
change that for the few select people that are my students. You deserve
to know who is helping you every week and a little more about me. I hope
this will help build our relationships as well as show you, who I am and why I
am the way I am.
I currently live in Dania Beach, FL. I've worked as
a mentor for WGU for about 5 years and love what I do. I have lived
in this area for a few months. Prior to the move, I lived in Salt Lake City, UT, for about 10 years. I am originally from Ventura, CA. I earned my
A.A. degree from Ventura College (Junior College). It took me 2.5 years to get
through my general education courses. I earned my B.A. degree in Computer
Science from California Lutheran University, which took me 1.5 years to complete.
Because I was behind when attending my 4 year university, I completed 56 units
in 1 calendar year to make up the time. I took winter school and summer
school to make up for the lost time. My G.P.A. was 3.0 cumulatively. I
graduated in 2001 at the age of 22. I earned my MBA through WGU in
the summer of 2012, at the age of 33. I am now 35 and have possible
intentions of earning another master’s degree in Educational Design, but I am
not 100% sold on if that is the road I want to pursue academically.
Prior to working at WGU, I was in the banking world for about 10 years, doing a
wide variety of IT and banking functions. I could try to describe my
work, but if you aren't in the banking world, it may not make sense. I
started work at 4 a.m. and was off by 1:00 p.m. I would have to wake up
around 3 a.m. every morning to get to work on time. During that time I
worked as a bookkeeper part-time for a small local business. I decided to
do that because I was bored in the afternoons. Everyone I knew was at
work until 5, so I found something to keep me busy a few days a week.
Thankfully now I am at WGU full-time and don’t have to wake up that early
anymore!
I am married to my wife and best friend Brittany and have a
16 year old daughter from her 1st marriage. We have both been
through divorces and are much better spouses because of it. She was a
single mom and at the age of 25 decided to attend college for the first
time. She earned her B.S. Degree in Biology in 4 years and continued on
and earned a Master’s Degree in Biology with an emphasis in Marine Conservation
the following 2 years. She is currently enrolled in her 2nd Masters Degree in Marine Biology. We moved to Florida so she could continue to pursue her academic goals. She is allergic to dairy, meat, and
tomatoes. So we tend to stay in for our meals and cook a lot. There
are not many places that we can dine out at that has something for her.
So we have learned to be creative in our cooking time and can make some pretty
good meals with alternatives to dairy and meet. I’m not allergic to
anything other than bullets wounds, snake venom, and shark bites! Also,
we have 2 Labrador Retrievers and they are great dogs. My family is my
priority and there is not anything that I wouldn't do for them.
My mother was born in Iowa and raised on a 100 acre
farm. She moved to CA when she was 18 because she wanted a life much
different on the farm. My father is from Casablanca, Morocco. That
is a country on the North-West side of Africa. He came to the United
States when he was 13 with his family to avoid persecution occurring in the
country at that time. He went to school and lived in Kansas City, MO for
a short time with his parents and siblings. He did not know a single word
of English when he arrived to this country. Both of my parents ingrained
into my older sister and I the value of an education. My mother was
passed over many times for higher positions in her career because she did not
have a college degree. She had a high school diploma and managed the Risk
Management department for over 30+ years for the local government.
Speaking with her, you’d never know she did not have a higher education.
My father was an automotive mechanic for over 25 years. He turned
wrenches for a living repairing cars. He was also very good at what he
did. I am a first generation college graduate because of the hard work
and sacrifices they made to provide our family what we had. They are a
lot of the inspiration for me and examples I follow. They are the reason
why I work as hard as I do. They are both retired now and have earned
these golden years.
I am a pretty disciplined person. Over the years, I've
taught myself to play the guitar, but I can’t read music. I had uncles
and cousins that played and I just wanted to do it as well. I never
thought I couldn't do it, so I just struggled my way through it. I was
awful for a very very long time, then I became less awful. Now I enjoy
what I do know how to play and am glad I put in the time to learn. I can play
the piano a little, but still, can’t read music. I was athletic growing
up. I was heavily involved in soccer and football throughout high
school. In recent years I started boxing to stay healthy. I love
the physicality of it, but don’t like getting hit. Also my wife does not
allow me to spar anymore; so that sport is something I can admire from a safe
distance and stay with punching bags. I tend to pick up on things pretty
quickly, and am good at a lot of the things I try. It is not because I am
gifted or special; I just put a lot of effort into most things in my life.
That’s the main reason why I was able to earn my MBA in the time frame that I
did… I just put a lot of effort into that aspect of my life. In 2013 my
wife and I remodeled and added an extra bathroom in our home. I had no
idea what I was doing at first, but we asked for help and advice from the local
stores and people we knew, watched a lot of YouTube videos, and were able to
finish our project, learning what to do and what not to do, the whole
time. I enjoy fixing things, making things, solving problems, and
helping others if I can. This gives me a sense of accomplishment and that
is something I enjoy. It keeps me motivated. That is why I love
working with students at WGU, I get to help and be a part of your
accomplishments. Although I know I don’t put in the hard work in your
studies, I thoroughly enjoy being a part of your success. I have found
over the years that I am not motivated by money. I know it is something
we need to survive, but I get excited when I get to help and have an impact in
whatever I am involved in. If you have ever received an email from me
late at night, or a call on the weekends or from my cell phone, it is because I
am committed to your success, and I know that when you need help, it doesn't
always happen during Monday – Friday from 9-5. I've even called a student
from Disneyland because there was a critical issue that could not wait until I
was back in the office from my vacation. I try to be as available as I
can to ensure all of my students have the opportunity to be successful.
I'm glad I could share
with you a bit more about myself, what I have done to be successful as a
student, in hopes that you can relate to me a little better and I can help
inspire you to fulfill the commitment you made to yourself when you enrolled at
WGU, which was earning your degree.
I enjoy working with you and am looking forward to sharing
in many more of your successes this year and continuing on until we both meet
your goal of graduating.
We often have mental images of the people we interact with
over the phone. It is fun to see what we look like in comparison to what
our mental image is. Here is a photo of my wife and I.
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