Jonathan Munoz is a role model in his community. He was born raised here in Hood River along with his two older brothers and two sisters. This young man is always up to something. Jonathan volunteers as a community referee for youth soccer. He’s a hard working teenager who has worked in agriculture, landscaping, and at Safeway. He also enjoys playing soccer and weightlifting, but his favorite thing to do is simply spend time with his family.

Not only is he genuinely nice, friendly, charismatic, and hardworking, but he also seems to have his future planned out. He’s been playing soccer since he was in the first grade and played three years of high school soccer. Not only does Munoz take care of business on the soccer field but in the classroom as well. As of this semester his accumulative GPA is a 3.72. “My inspiration to do well in school is my family because they’re always there for me, encouraging me to do well in school and live a happy, successful life,” says Jonathan.

His brother Oscar Munoz motivates him the most to get good grades. “He always tells me which classes to take and reminds me that I should get good grades so I can go to college,” Jonathan pointed out.  He has taken advanced classes such as Honors Physical Science, AP Human Geography, and Honors English. His plan after graduating from Hood River Valley high school is to possibly attend California Polytechnic State University. His dream is to become an architectural engineer. He realized he was interested in this career after he took part in designing the floor plans for his parents’ house.

Jonathan works hard during the school year, but he works even harder during the summer working two jobs. He works up to 16 hours a day. He wakes up at around 4 am and works until approximately noon picking fruit. After he’s done with his first job he rushes to Safeway where he works as a courtesy clerk until around 10 pm. He finally goes home and sleeps a couple hours until he has to wake up and do it all over again.

“He’s always been a hard worker. Somehow he always manages to go to work, have fun, and still have time to get his school work done,” said his older brother Oscar Munoz. “He’s a good friend of mine. He always has time to kick it with all his friends. Whenever I ask him for help in school he always comes through. Super smart guy that’s all I have to say,” said Alvaro Ramirez, one of Jonathan’s close friends. “He’s an awesome brother, although he does get annoying at times. Whenever I need help with homework he gladly helps me. I think he’s going to be very successful,” Ariana Munoz, Jonathan’s younger sister stressed. “I don’t think people notice how hard he works to get good grades. He’s always doing homework and studying for tests,” Arnulfo Perez said.

Jonathan seems to have it all figured out. His ability to keep his schedule balanced and prioritized will indeed help him succeed in college. He does an amazing job in and out of school. He’s definitely a role model in his community. Whatever it is he chooses to do after high school, he will be, without a doubt, successful.

By: Orlando De La Torre, Talon Staff Reporter