Love my job but letting God make future plans
Hector Morales (2008)
By Kristen Manning
Graduating from college is always an exciting time for students who have struggled to make it through the many challenges they face. For Hector Morales, the summer of 2008 was extra special. Born in Mexico, Hector, knew he was very fortunate. He had made great use of a rare scholarship that enabled him to finish two degrees – one in Mass Communication, and a second in Graphic Design. The family man put aside his own goals and dreams by turning down a great job opportunity in Florida so he could remain in Grand Junction to help save the life of his brother by donating a kidney.
In addition to using his photography and graphic skills to do freelance work, Morales currently works for community radio station KAFM, which is a solar powered network that allows local community members to come and let their voices be heard.
“I was born and raised in a hostile environment, but that was where all my friends were located,” said Morales, now age 31. “I came to Grand Junction to help out my family, who were having health problems.”
He knew that he wanted to attend college, but he had no way of paying for it because he was trying to pay the medical bills for his family. “I heard about the National Association of Hispanic Journalist scholarship, so I applied with no sense of hope. Then out of nowhere I received a response saying that I have won the $5,000 scholarship,” he said.
Morales is the only MSC student to ever receive this scholarship because it is only handed out to two people in the entire U.S. and Puerto Rico once a year. “So, it was a very large competition, and I was in shock when I won,” said Morales.
Spring 2008 was Morales last semester of school. He was top of his class while double- majoring and taking on and internship in order to graduate. However, it was this semester that had changed his life.
Not only was Morales finishing his bachelor’s degrees so he could walk with his fellow seniors at the end of the semester, he gave his twin brother a kidney. “My brother was having problems with his kidneys and he needed a transplant. Thankfully I was a match to his rare blood type; so on Oct. 17, 2008, I gave him my kidney,” said Morales.
After the surgery giving his brother another chance at life, Hector’s own life took a turn for the better. “While sitting in the hospital alone, I began to realize that life is short. It’s not all about school or work,” he said.
When asked, Morales’ passion was to become a television anchorman or reporter. “I love being in front of the mic or camera,” he said. “But I would also like to look into theology or even ministry. For now, I am a freelance graphic design artist, making menus for the local Mexican restaurants, but I spend most of my time with the radio station.”
Morales began a project with KAFM to create a Spanish-speaking talk show to reach out to all Latino communities. He is allotted two nights of “air time” where he is allowed to have public service announcements, Latino music, and a talk show from Morales himself.
“I love my job. I don’t know if I plan on staying in Grand Junction, but I know that I want to go back to Miami, Fla., and work for Univision Network,” he said. “That all depends on what God has planned for me.”
