Petty Officer 2nd Class Jose Miguel Chevalier earned his Associate degree while serving in the Navy. Now he\u2019s looking to life after the service, with his sights set on medical school.<\/p>\n
SAN MARCOS \u2014 As a boy growing up in the Dominican Republic, Jose Miguel Chevalier knew a plastic surgeon. He recalls how the doctor provided reconstructive surgery for women who had undergone mastectomies during breast cancer treatment.<\/p>\n
He knew when he came to the U.S. in 2007 that he wanted to follow suit. And so, after finishing high school, he enlisted with the Navy to help fund what he knew would be a costly medical education.<\/p>\n
In 2016, Chevalier walked into Palomar College\u2019s Camp Pendleton Center to enroll in his first college classes. Last year, he finished his Associate of Science (AS) in General Studies: Emphasis in Science and Mathematics at Palomar.<\/p>\n
On Friday, May 24, he will walk across the stage to receive his degree as the Class of 2019 Valedictorian.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I move on to more complex subjects, the foundation I\u2019ve received at Palomar is helping me push through and move into the future,\u201d said Chevalier. \u201cI feel confident, with the knowledge that I\u2019ve received here at Palomar.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Navy, Chevalier currently serves as a Hospital Corpsman, Second Class (HM2) and manages a dental clinic at the Las Pulgas Camp on base, providing preventive care to Marines who are about to deploy.<\/p>\n
He said he plans to leave the service in April 2020 to transfer and pursue his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering\u2014hopefully at UCLA, he added.<\/p>\n
As an active-duty service member, Chevalier said he quickly realized the value of a college center located at Camp Pendleton.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat center is very convenient for service members like myself. It\u2019s tough to get out of work to drive 45 minutes out here\u201d to San Marcos, he said. \u201cEvery time I speak to fellow service members about school, I personally take them down to the education center at Camp Pendleton, and introduce them to the staff there. They\u2019re able to register, enroll, and get financial assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s super-important for service members of all kinds to get an education, so they have options when they get out, and can do something they love,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
As he prepares to stand as one of Palomar\u2019s top-ranking graduates later this month, he reflected on his time at Palomar: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t have made the rank of E-5 without my Associate\u2019s,\u201d said Chevalier. \u201cI never thought I would see myself in this position (as Valedictorian). This honor has given me the confidence to understand I can accomplish anything I can set my mind to.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"