“It all just came full circle,” Jose Pelagio said when asked how he became a GEAR UP Coach at Tonopah Valley High School.
Jose is the newest Arizona GEAR UP Team member, but he is no stranger to Tonopah Valley. He returns to his alma mater and hometown to positively change his community.
“I’m really excited to be part of GEAR UP. It’s amazing to see these types of programs come about and really tap into these communities. I’m excited to make a real difference,” Jose said.
As a native of Tonopah Valley, Jose says he can relate to and understand the challenges that families face when planning for college. With his background in real estate and finance, Jose supports financial literacy and educating students on how to manage money effectively.
Jose’s passion for finance began as a high school student at Tonopah Valley, where his economics teacher sparked an interest in the subject.
“I’ve told him this from the first day we reconnected, he was definitely a big proponent of me going into the finance world,” Jose said about his teacher, Mr. Valdez.
Mr. Valdez became a mentor and friend to Jose as he graduated high school and went on to attend Glendale Community College before transferring to Arizona State University and graduating with a degree in Communications. The two stayed in contact, and when Jose reached out to Mr. Valdez about potentially starting up a financial literacy class at Tonopah Valley, an opportunity arose, and Jose jumped on it.
During their conversations, Mr. Valdez was a GEAR UP Coach at Tonopah Valley and transitioning to a new role. Mr. Valdez mentioned the opening to Jose, and he was hooked.
“It was just like this natural progression. It was like it was written in the stars,” Jose said.
Jose thought the job was a perfect fit for him, and he is now Tonopah Valley High School’s newest GEAR UP Coach.