Alex Gonzales

Hello, my name is Alexander Gonzales. I am eighteen years old and throughout my short time living I have lived between the cities of Ventura and Oxnard. As a child, I believe I grew up with the last generation that played outside until dusk. I have two brothers, one being twenty-two, and the other being fourteen, thus leaving me to be the middle child. Throughout my K-12 schooling career, I went to Portola Elementary, Anacapa Middle School, and graduated from Buena High School. During my time going to Buena, I noticed many of my friends looking to go to universities and trying to become some kind of specialist. While they were all thinking far into the future I was worrying too much about what I was going to do since I had no real thoughts on what I could see myself doing for a lifetime.

            Luckily for me, I actually found a job that I would like to turn into a career.  Currently I am working for the City of Ventura on the Urban Forestry crew as a Tree Maintenance worker. Every morning I wake up at six and leave at four. For some, work may be something people might find dreadful or tedious, but for me I absolutely love doing what I do. Just do not call me a tree hugger. Besides work, I am a caring for two juvenile bearded dragons. I recently got the two critters after years of wanting some. These guys are almost as hard as taking care of a newborn child. On top of work and school, I am currently working on my Commercial Driver’s License. It is all very stressful when added one after another, but in the end  I know all my hard work and determination will pay off for me.

            For my not so distant future, I plan on getting an AA degree and putting in the extra time and work to become a certified arborist. As far as going to a university, that is still to be determined… I hope to remain with the City of Ventura and helping the forest grow. However the question, “where do I see myself in a few years?”, is a question I think only a few people can answer. Anything can happen meaning anything can change. I live day by day only to see what opportunities arise and what unfolds. This is just a little information I thought would help you get a feeling of what kind of person I am. Thank you for your time.