51萝莉

When Oscar Moreno was 12-years-old, he slipped into a white lab coat and shadowed his physician uncle as the man made rounds in a hospital.

Those moments stayed with Moreno throughout his life, even after high school when he went to work for his family鈥檚 handyman business.

鈥淓ver since I was little, I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to work in the medical field,鈥� he said.

Moreno finally took a leap of faith in 2024 and began pursuing his dream at Chaffey College.

The Fontana resident now splits his time between working as a full-time entrepreneur and majoring in biology. He hopes to eventually follow in his uncle鈥檚 footsteps.

鈥淚 want to dedicate my life to medicine and helping others,鈥� he said.

Moreno, a San Bernardino native, graduated from Cajon High School in 2011. As the lead mechanic for Cardenas Markets at the time, Moreno鈥檚 father knew how to fix a wide variety of equipment used in grocery stores 鈥� from commercial ovens to air conditioning units. He passed on that knowledge to his son.

The pair eventually formed a business called O&B Maintenance and Repair and have repair contracts with 40 Inland Empire grocery stores. But while Moreno enjoys his job, he acknowledges it is very physical.

鈥淲hen I get older, it鈥檚 going to be a lot harder,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome of these machines are like 4,000 pounds.鈥�

He knows that pursuing a medical career comes with its own challenges, but he is ready for them. Moreno has started his journey, taking a Spanish and English class his first semester 鈥� and to his surprise he got As in both. He currently holds a 4.0 GPA, earning A+ grades in all the classes he has taken since then.

Now he鈥檚 excelling in an honor鈥檚 English class, despite being surrounded by traditional-age students who took honors courses in high school.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little intimidating, but when we got our first paper back, I was one of the students who got a perfect score,鈥� he said.

51萝莉 Dean of Arts, Communication and Design Leona Fisher said she considers Moreno鈥檚 story to be inspirational.

鈥淥scar is such a profoundly inspiring person. He鈥檚 a biology major, pre-med and a successful business owner who is rewriting his story here at Chaffey,鈥� Fisher said. 鈥淧eople like Oscar are why we all do what we do.鈥�

Moreno hopes to transfer to a UC school for pre-med requirements, and go to medical school from there.

鈥淚 want a better future for myself,鈥� Moreno said. 鈥淚 want to show myself that I can be a doctor, and I also want to show people that it鈥檚 never too late to achieve your dreams."