Lt. Jose MendezAmbriz

One of my favorite sections of our weekly newspaper is the Executive Profile — a Q&A with a local business leader. We always ask about their first job and subsequent career path.

We’ve had a managing principal who was a referee at a roller skating rink, a dentist who sold the golf balls that landed in his backyard and a CEO who made calzones at DiCicco’s

We’ve had plenty of people who delivered The Fresno Bee, worked in fast food or got their start in a family business.

The Central Valley is full of kids from hard-working families that go on to do amazing things.

One of them is Fresno native Lt. Jose MendezAmbriz, recently selected by the U.S. Navy as Junior Officer of the Quarter for the third quarter. He serves with the U.S. Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command at Guantanamo, Bay Cuba.

He serves as a nurse corps officer responsible for providing medical care to Navy and Marine Corps personnel and their families.

MendezAmbriz, a 2008 Central Unified East Campus graduate, joined the Navy 13 years ago. Additionally, MendezAmbriz earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from National University.

“I enlisted in the Navy inspired by the opportunity to serve my country, pay for my education and embark on a journey of global discovery that would set the stage for a fulfilling career and a better future,” MendezAmbriz told the Navy Office of Community Outreach.

That stage was set in Fresno’s service industry — MendezAmbriz worked as a dishwasher at the former California Wok and as a server at Yosemite Falls Café.  He said those experiences set the foundation for his work ethic that has taken him the historic sites of Europe to the Indo-Pacific and now Cuba.

We hope to tell these kinds of stories of success every day.

“I want to thank my parents, Nicandro and Maria Mendez, for their unwavering support and belief in me,” said MendezAmbriz. “I also want to thank my brothers and nephews for their understanding and support during my absences. And to my friends, I appreciate your continued efforts to stay connected, whether through visits or reaching out.”