Ramon Montero graduated high school in 2014 and began searching for answers.

“I wanted a change. I got out of high school, I was just working, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in school,” Montero said. “Somebody talked to me about joining the Army and I did. It was the best decision of my life.”

Montero served as a diesel mechanic in the United States Army for five years, fixing trucks, tanks, and other military vehicles.

“You get to see a different world outside of what you’re used to. There’s bigger, better things out there that you can discover. When I joined the military, I found good people, mentorship, and I became more responsible,” Montero said. “I got to experience different things in life, and I grew up as a person.”

Joining the United States Army was not the first time Montero took a leap in to a new life.

Montero and his family moved to the United States from Dominican Republic when he was fourteen. That experience, he says, was a challenging one, learning a new language and adapting to a new way of life.

“It was very different, I was used to a lifestyle back in Dominican Republic, and then when you come here it’s like a little bit slower,” Montero said.

Serving the country he now calls home, Montero said his experience in the Army gave him new direction and an idea of where his future could take him. After his retirement, Montero moved to Florida and is now pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Forensics from Keiser University New Port Richey.

“I’m good at reading and solving stuff, figuring out stuff, so I was like, maybe I should be a detective or something. And then I found cyber forensics and I was like, there you go. I can work on computers, and at the same time investigate crimes.”

Montero says after earning his degree, he plans to continue living in Florida and hopes to begin a new career solving white-collar and computer crimes.

“I need to be somebody, accomplish something in life,” Montero said. “I’m going to try and work hard for it.”

Keiser University is a private, independent, non-profit university serving nearly 20,000 students at 21 Florida campuses, online, and two international sites. Co-founded in 1977 by Chancellor Arthur Keiser, Ph.D., and Evelyn Keiser, Keiser University currently offers more than 100 degrees from associates to the doctoral level. Keiser University is a  designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, and was ranked No. 5 in the U.S. in Social Mobility by U.S. News And World Report in 2022.