(February 15, 2021- Torrance, CA) - Theology teacher Gabe Hernandez '12 invited fellow alumni from across three decades to visit his ninth and eleventh grade classes to share their paths from Bishop Montgomery to college and graduate school to employment. Their visits weren't to flaunt successes and accolades, nor to hammer home unsolicited advice; instead, they shared heartfelt wisdom and lessons learned post-high school. They spoke to their younger counterparts just like big brothers and sisters who were sitting in the same (virtual) desks they sat in just a few years ago. Watch their videos here.
For Hernandez, assembling these alumni over Zoom and bringing them to his classes created an opportunity for his students to see, face-to-face, real vocations of students just like them. It also provided manifestations of what they hear daily in his class. "I always tell them to be open to God in everything they do," says Hernandez. "I want them to understand that God isn't always going to be some booming voice from the clouds... that He often directly speaks through the people and the opportunities He places before you." Hernandez says that these alumni helped convey that message to his students, that following God's path can sometimes mean just being open to a new direction or calling, however different or unusual that may seem at the time.
Despite the different educational and career paths these alumni took, remaining open to a new vocation or a new pathway to get there was certainly a common theme across all of the virtual visits. The other main theme that shone through, despite different graduation years and very different vocations, was undeniably Bishop Montgomery-- "Don't be afraid to ask, people are here for you."
It's what many of our freshmen hear from their senior locker buddies on the first day of school; what shadow hosts tell prospective 7th and 8th grade students visiting campus, what Mrs. Fitzpatrick tells students from her receptionist's desk in the front office; and, what has kept the Bishop Montgomery community so incredibly united for over 60 years. Thank you to these alumni for stepping up when asked, and for being there for our next generation of Knights:
Alan Gutierrez '98 LMU, Sports Marketing
Sionan Barrett '12 UMass Amherst, Fox NFL Sports
Amie Gonzales '12 LMU, Law School
Devin Kent '12 UCLA, 3rd Year Medical School
Matt Kurata, '14 UC Berkeley, Google Brand Marketer
Peter Sarmiento '14 USC, Medical Sales Boston Scientific
Maddie Miller '14 UC Berkeley, Law School
Farley Anunciacion '15 CSUDH, Business Owner
Kennedy Dierks '19 Seton Hall, B.S./M.D. School
Kayla Padilla '19 UPenn Women's Basketball/Wharton School of Business