Midland College helps military vet pursue dream of helping children

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Adopting a child led Juan Dominguez to realize his calling was to help children, which he’s pursuing by returning to school.

Juan and his wife, Jassmine, learned about abuse and neglect some children faced when they were adopting their daughter, a grand niece. His goal to work in child protective services as an investigator is taking shape at Williams Regional Technical Training Center, Midland College’s branch campus at Fort Stockton, the  college reported.

He entered the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from Fort Stockton High School in 2000. He served overseas in Japan, Australia and the Philippines before going to the front lines during the invasion of Iraq.

Juan enrolled in Everest College in Phoenix, Arizona after his discharge in 2004. His college days ended when Jassmine became pregnant and he need to support his family.

“I wanted to raise my family in a small-town atmosphere, so I convinced Jassmine to move to Fort Stockton," Juan told Midland College. "It was good to get back to West Texas and family connections.” 

Jobs in the oil and gas industry were followed by work as an electrician for Qualitas Health, an algae farming company.

He started talking to his wife about getting back to school. With three children he felt the need to find a stable career where he can help people. Around the same time, they adopted his great niece.

“Through the adoption process, I learned about some of the abuse that children have to endure before they are placed with loving families through adoption and foster care,” Juan told Midland College. “That’s when I decided that I wanted to become an investigator for child services, but first I needed a degree.”

Advisors at WRTTC helped him enroll in courses. He was intimidated at first, having been out of school for more than 15 years. But the staff and faculty made him feel welcome.

So, Juan met with advisors at the Midland College WRTTC and soon found himself enrolled in courses.

“My family has also been very supportive," Juan said. "My daughter Natalie even told me that I could borrow her backpack!” 

He still needs to support his family while taking classes, so Juan works full-time at Wallace Lumber in Fort Stockton. Juan gets more exposure to what he’ll be doing in his future career by working at the Lila Smith Safe House women’s shelter on Friday and Saturday nights. Once he completes five more classes, he’ll have earned his associate degree.

The Dominguez family includes son David, 15; daughter Athena, 11; daughter Natalie, 9; and adopted daughter Judith, 2.