Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Residence: Byron.

High School: Peach County High School, where he played the drums in marching band, jazz band, and concert band.

Family: Mother, Elvira Cervantes; sister, Jessica Martinez; brother, Luis Martinez; sister-in-law, Courtney Martinez; and nephew, Christopher Martinez.

Current Employment: Outback Steakhouse.

Degree Objective: Bachelor of science in business with a major in management.

Macon State Activities: Phi Beta Lambda (secretary), and International Students and Studies Association.

Career Goals: “I will be going to graduate school for my MBA. My career goal is to be an executive for a corporation and one day manage a diverse group of people.”

He chose Macon State College because … “Macon State impressed me with the phenomenal reputation it has established in Middle Georgia. It is also by far the best value for an undergraduate degree and provides a great foundation for my master's degree. The passion of my professors and the quality of education are characteristics that attracted me.”

The one thing that surprised him about Macon State was … “The number of activities and organizations that are available on campus. With the expansion of the college, more activities have become available for traditional students. It was surprising to me how many friends you can make.”

His favorite professor is … “This is hard to say, honestly. The School of Business has an amazing faculty. Lucas Hopkins by far is one of the best motivators for success. His teaching style is very down to earth and challenging at the same time. Dr. Francisco Lopez is also one of my favorite professors. He has really challenged me in his classes. He even inspired me to take advanced production and operations management as an elective - something I wouldn’t normally do if it weren’t for his jokes about ‘tequila shots.’”

His favorite place to study is … “Upstairs in the Professional Sciences building because normally it is very quiet and relaxing. Also, the second floor in the library is like my second home. It’s a great place to get away from everything and get lost into studying.”

One thing people don’t know about him is … “I don’t like being alone. The only time I’m alone is when I’m running and even then I don’t feel alone because it clears my head.”

His friends make fun of him because … “I butcher songs. I tend to sing songs without even knowing the words so I make them up as I go.”

The one person he’d most like to meet is … “This question was really hard for me to answer because I’d like to meet a lot of people. Stephen Covey is by far at the top of the list. I recently started a ‘Seven Habits’ workshop with a great mentor and Covey is by far one of the most influential people as to how to live life inside and outside of the workplace.”

Five years from now he sees himself … “Hopefully sharing knowledge that was taught to me to others and hopefully starting a family and having a great career. Starting on a PhD is also a goal in mind. I want to continue to learn more about the world and about myself.”