CONTRACTOR SUCCESS STORY II : ESCOBAR CONSTRUCTION
able to confirm that I had the equivalent of an American high school diploma , and I was able to enlist . However , I learned English in bootcamp .”
He credits his time in the Marines for teaching him how to be direct , disciplined and mission driven . For a young man who had already experienced a difficult home life and considerable violence in Guatemala , the Marines provided structure , camaraderie , confidence-building experiences and an education , all of which helped further his personal and professional development . “ I learned that you have to give permission to life or to another person to defeat you ,” he recalls , “ so you can never fail if you don ’ t quit .”
While English-language skills were initially a challenge for Ron , based on his high scores in math and analytics on the Marine ’ s Armed Services Vocational Aptitute Battery test , he was given the option to choose the field in which he would serve and decided to become a C-130 airplane mechanic . Initially , he thought he would continue in that line of work after
“ I learned that you have to give permission to life or to another person to defeat you , so you can never fail if you don ’ t quit . “
– Ron Escobar returning to civilian life ; instead , after 5 years in the service , as part of an affirmative action program intended to provide enlisted Marines with an education and then have them return as officers , Ron was offered the opportunity to apply for the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Program ( MECEP ) and have the Marines pay his college tuition . “ In addition to having had high scores on my aptitude test , in order to get the scholarship , I also had to have high scores as an expert shooter , excellent physical fitness , pass the SAT , get a recommendation from a commanding officer and attend a university that had a Naval ROTC Program . I used flash cards to expand my English vocabulary , took the SAT and scored high enough to get accepted to Auburn University and USC . USC offered me a scholarship . As destiny would have it , the Marines turned me down for the MECEP , and I decided to take advantage of the USC Scholarship . I am the only one in my family to go to college .”
He enrolled in USC as a business major , but almost dropped out in his junior year , when his mother called him from Guatemala , pleading for him to come home to help with the family business . Fortunately , Ron had a mentor , Anthony Huerta , who was also a member of the Latino Business Association and owned 15 McDonald ’ s restaurants . “ He told me if you go now , you won ’ t have a USC degree . Finish your degree , and then you can decide if you want to work in your family ’ s business ,” says Ron . “ I realized that going back was not in anyone ’ s best interest , so I stayed and earned my degree .” He would later decide not to return to Guatemala .
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