Getting to Know the PAC Team: Jose Valles

I was born in a small town in Durango, Mexico. I grew up in a family dedicated to agriculture. My father planted beans and corn on the little farm ground he owned and helped take care of a small cattle herd.

As a young boy, I still remember being in third grade and rarely attended class because I had to work. I remember picking up all my schoolwork for the week on Monday and turning it in on Friday. During the week I would work in the fields picking beans, corn, or sometimes in the development of new farm ground. At the time, the pay was not great but every little bit helped. Looking back, skipping school was not the greatest idea, which probably explains a lot now.

My parents migrated back and forth to the United Sates from Mexico. Our stays in the U.S. were short and the little English I learned during the time here would vanish quickly because I never used it in Mexico.

The last few trips to the U.S. were life-changing experiences that I will never forget, but they inspired me to look for the opportunity that would allow me to achieve a better future.

It was in late September 2000 when I enrolled in Liberal High School in Kansas and met Areli, my wife for the first time. This was a big transition for me, but was the opportunity that I was looking for.

In high school I played sports and worked in fast food restaurants to buy my own sports equipment. I specifically remember senior year and everyone talking about college. It was a conversation that I didn’t want to be part of because I thought furthering my education was out of my reach.

Uneducated about financial aid and coming from a low-income family, going to a university was not an option. After high school I attended Seward County Community College in my hometown and worked for Dr. Brett Jones, our local veterinarian and helped train racehorses.

While at the clinic, I was very intrigued in veterinary science and Dr. Jones was a great teacher and supporter. At this time, Areli was at Kansas State University and was helping me find a way to transfer there through a program called Developing Scholars. I moved to K-State in the summer of 2007 and met Dr. Dan Thomson the next morning, by the way, he was late to our appointment. After our short meeting, Dr. Thomson offered me a job and I worked for him until the day that I graduated with my Masters in Clinical Sciences.

During my time at the Beef Cattle Institute I met some of the PAC members but never thought that after graduat- ing I would have the opportunity to be part of this amazing group of people. My roll as a member of PAC focuses mainly on research, bilingual education and training, and some consulting. I think back now and realize this was that one opportunity that I always wished for.

After graduating from KSU I married the girl with curly hair that I met my first day in high school. We moved to Kearney, Nebraska and started the life we always talked about as teenagers.

We have now been married for two years and are expecting our first son, Antonio Isaias in April 2016. We have a Yorkshire terrier, Lucas who will be 8 years old in March and is enjoying his last few days as an only child.

We are also happy to say that as the only Mexicans in our neighborhood, our neighbors are adapting well to us and we have truly enjoyed this journey. We look forward to the many opportunities coming our way and are blessed to be part of this amazing group.