Uriel Montoya has been part of SOS since his elementary school years and reconnected with the organization a year after graduating from high school, when the alumni network began in North Lake Tahoe. Since then, Uriel has been involved in Tahoe as the program assistant and recently moved into an alumni ambassador role for the last two seasons.
Currently in his junior year of college for mechanical engineering, Uriel wants to focus his degree towards the automotive industry. When he is not involved in SOS, he is working and spending time doing his hobbies. He says, “I love cars and have tons of hobbies. I’m currently in a small local band that plays shows and am working as a car salesman at Carmax!”
According to Uriel, one of his favorite memories from his time as a participant was, “When I was teaching one of my peers as a junior mentor how to do S-turns, he was struggling for a couple days, and I took the time to show him a couple tricks on how to do it, and he got it down instantly! It was awesome seeing his face and how happy he was to start doing S-turns like his friends in the group!”
When asked about a core value that Uriel uses in his life, he said, “Discipline is the one I use the most, and I believe it is one of the most important core values to be successful in life, as it has gotten me through college through projects and homework. Discipline to me is being able to do the right thing even when no one’s watching, and remembering why you do the things you need to do helps a lot to stick to having discipline.”
Heather Schwartz, the Program Manager in North Lake, has had many positive things to say about Uriel. She said, “I have been really impressed watching Uriel grow into these new roles with SOS, first as a program assistant and then an alumni ambassador. He has shown a curiosity to learn and is willing to jump into new opportunities. He has brought forward ideas to help grow the alumni network in North Tahoe and keep alumni connected. He has also been a huge asset in assisting at program days – helping volunteers, ensuring that complex programs run smoothly, and training younger alumni volunteers. I am so lucky to have him in the region advocating for alumni and supporting our programs, and I am excited for what the future holds for him.”
Uriel has expressed how much SOS has impacted his life and how he has taken what he’s learned and paid it forward. “SOS has taught me a variety of things: being able to connect and have relationships with people from all types of situations and backgrounds. Not only that, but I also feel it has taught me the importance of talking to others and how to socialize and make friendships. It has opened doors that I never thought were possible thanks to the skills I developed from being in the program! I try to make an impact in the community whenever I can, especially by sharing how important it is to make connections with people, especially with any of the youth currently in the program. I used to be super closed off and shy when I was younger, so I love helping anyone who is in the same position as me; it is important to learn how to have those connections.”