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Figuring out what you want to do in life isn't an easy task. Sometimes it takes people years to conquer their professional goals and ambitions.
Other people may have things figured out, until they discover a passion for a new journey in life.
This was the case for one of our mentors, Dr. Adan Fuentes.
Fuentes talked to the group at Mentors Matters on July 20 and told them the importance of prioritizing activities in their life.
He also told them that no matter how hard life may be, if you work hard, you can create opportunities for yourself that will pay dividends in the long run.
Fuentes caught the attention of many eyes when he told the group his story. He grew up poor in southern Texas, surrounded by drugs, gangs and other bad influences.
However, because of the positive attitude created in his household by his parents, he and his siblings all went on to achieve levels of professional success.
He graduated from high school, but wasn't sure what he wanted to do beyond that point. He realized that he had a passion for acting and theater, so he decided to pursue the craft in college.
Dr. Fuentes said that he didn't perform well academically in high school, but that by the time college rolled around, he "learned how to learn."
That and a pact he made with a friend to continuously push each other toward a degree helped Fuentes graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in only three years.
Fuentes explained to the kids that it usually takes four years to earn that type of degree. However, because he prioritized his life to make earning his degree his top priority, he was able to finish early.
Fuentes took his degree and became a professional actor. For eight years he appeared in plays and in commercials, until life took an unexpected turn.
During minor surgery, Fuentes became extremely fascinated with the entire medical process. It intrigued him so much, he decided he wanted to go to medical school.
Acting was a passion of Dr. Fuentes, but now he had a new passion, and he wanted to pursue it.
Because he wasn't required to take science classes as a theater major, Fuentes needed to go back and take all of the required courses necessary to apply to med school. To top that off, there wasn't even a guarantee he would get into a med school because the field is so competitive.
Nonetheless, Dr. Fuentes was motivated to reach his goal. He gave it his best shot and was accepted into the medical school at Ohio University.
Prioritizing his days were again a big part of his life. Becoming a doctor was his mission and he wasn't going to let anything stand in his way.
Instead of playing golf or shooting hoops in his free time, Fuentes hit the books.
He also followed the advice his father once gave him. "Be the first one there, and the last one to leave."
This attitude showed everybody at the school that Fuentes had a worth ethic that was unmatched by any of his peers.
After three years of undergraduate schooling, four years of medical school, and five years of additional medical training, Fuentes finally reached his goal of becoming a doctor.
After being placed in Dayton for training, Fuentes decided he wanted to stay in the area and raise his family here.
He continues to look back fondly on his acting career. He told the Mentors group about how he once auditioned for General Hospital.
Everyone laughed.
Now he's a doctor who tried to play a doctor on TV. |
