Sometimes life surprises you by giving you more than you ever thought possible. Armando Hernandez is a living example of that.

Prior to coming to FGCU, Armando served in the U.S. Marine Corps, ultimately deploying to Iraq. As it is with most veterans, transitioning back to civilian life was challenging. But Armando found relief and release through exercise along with a good diet.

Having earned an associates degree from another school, Armando came to FGCU with the intention of getting a degree in accounting. But then he had an epiphany—if diet and exercise did so much to help him, then maybe he could help others the same way.

So Armando pursued a degree in exercise science with the goal of working with elite athletes. In his senior year, Marieb College set him up with an internship with the Boston Red Sox, who do their spring training in Fort Myers near FGCU’s campus. His dream was achieved, but unbeknownst to him, a bigger dream was unfolding that would bring him even greater meaning.

While interning with the Red Sox, he was approached by team officials with an idea to set up a rehabilitative program for veterans in Florida in partnership with The Red Sox Foundation’s Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. Suddenly everything in Armando’s life coalesced into an amazing opportunity to help design and implement a program for veterans just like him. Soon after the program started, they approached FGCU, which now provides consulting and the use of its facilities.

Just a few years after graduating, Armando is leading a program that helps war veterans transition back to civilian life. His job draws on everything he’s learned in life and everything that matters to him. He is a shining example of what The FGCU Effect is all about.