Biography

I was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where after graduating High School, I enlisted in the United States Army in June 1988. I first came to the United States to attend an English language course at the Defense Language Institute, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Graduating after six weeks of training, I then attended Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Those early years of my life most significantly influenced the person I am today.

However, it was my first military assignment to Bad Kreuznach, Germany, that gave shape to the adventure my life has turned out to be. I was only 18 back then, and for the next 20 years, it was an honor to serve our nation. My military career helped me acquire increasing responsibility and expertise through duty assignments, training, and continued education. During my time in the military, I traveled worldwide, serving 13 years overseas. I participated in combat operations three times, once in Bosnia and most recently in Iraq, where I deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to defend our nation’s interests abroad for the safety and security of our loved ones back home.

The journey that started with me as an English Language Learner (ELL) Army Private ended in September 2008 when I retired from military service as a Chief Warrant Officer Three. After retiring, I worked as a contracted Senior Logistics Management Specialist for the Army. I worked in that capacity for one year before deciding it was time to do something on my bucket list, so I resigned to attend flight training. Becoming a Pilot was a childhood dream of mine, and I became an FAA Certified Private Pilot in July 2009. Nothing is comparable to the freedom of enjoying open skies on a pleasant flight soaking in the sights of nature from above.

Later that year, I completed an Associate Degree in General Studies at Barton Community College. After graduation, I was fortunate enough to present in front of the faculty body and talk to them about Instructional Technology, Web applications, and student engagement tools. Luckily for me, they liked what they heard, and I was asked to present again twice during their Professional Development in-service days. Eventually, this led to my hiring as a Multimedia Specialist for the College, working in the Distance Learning Division under a Title III Grant to increase the use of technology for online learning.

Although this was a career-enhancing job, I decided to leave Barton Community College in June 2012 and move to Clarksville, Tennessee. I enrolled at Ashford University to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree in Instructional Design. I chose an online program because it afforded me the flexibility to continue my work as a professional speaker and technology integration consultant. After much hard work and commitment to the learning experience, I graduated in October 2016. I am the first person in my family to graduate from college. Walking across the stage to receive my diploma was undoubtedly a memorable experience. I did it for myself and to set an example for my daughter and son, instilling in them that anything is possible when you set goals and work towards them.

My job as a consultant has allowed me to present at several professional educational conferences, including the C2C Spring Forum, ElevateEdu, ICCOC Spring Forum, ISTE #HackEdu, NISOD, Pearson Cite, PET, SIDLIT, and WATC iTrac. These experiences have allowed me to network with other educators, instructional designers, and technology integrators. Above all, they have become part of my Professional Learning Network and helped me grow professionally and as a person. Undoubtedly none of this would have been possible had I chosen not to further my education. I firmly believe that learning needs to be a lifelong pursuit that transforms our way of thinking, paving the road ahead for the future. Therefore, I decided to attend Austin Peay State University and earned a Master of Arts Degree in Education: Curriculum and Instruction with an Instructional Technology specialization in May 2018.

I love to help educators become connected, grow and develop themselves with the aid of like-minded collaborators passionate about sharing their knowledge and exploring best practices for classroom instruction infused with EdTech to meet a learning need. I help them understand the use of technology for education and integrate Social Media into the learning curriculum. I look forward to learning and collaborating with you.
Best regards,
—Anibal