Captain Gustavo Murillo laughed as he received his A.A. degree from De Anza College President Brian Murphy.
“It only took me 14 years,” he joked.
Murillo was a speaker for the Latinos in the Military event held last Tuesday in the California History Center.
He spoke from his prespective and experiences as a Latino in the military and what he acccomplished in it as part of the Latino Heritage Month event.
The small room was filled with students, Murillo’s family, and attendees including Dean of Language Arts John Swensson, coordinator Alma Garcia, and Instruction Vice President Judy Miner.
Swensson gave a speech introducing Murillo, and recalled having him as an English student years ago.
“In the ’90s, Murillo was one of my best students, though he was a little wet behind the ears,” Swensson said.
After Swensson booted two of Murillo’s rowdy friends from EWRT 100B, Murillo approached Swensson after class and told him that it was an unfair decision and he should take them back.
Impressed with his honesty, they began talking and having lunch together, developing a strong friendship along the way.
Swensson said “It was wonderful that one of my former students did so well. It speaks volumes about why students should keep in touch with their professors.”
Swensson advised Murillo to attend West Point, but Murillo was not a citizen at the time.
Murillo joined the US Army after leaving De Anza in 1991 and successfully completed his education at the West Point Preparatory School.
Murillo said that when he came to the US at 10 years old, his father told him that education was the most important thing.
Murillo received his citizenship shortly before he graduated from Santa Clara University with a bachelor of science degree in political science.
“Being a U.S. citizen is privilege, not a right,” Murillo said.
He was then commissioned into the US Army Reserve as a Lieutenant in the Military Police Corps because of his ROTC classes at SCU.
In Iraq, he became Captain to the Commanding Quarter Master platoon consisting of 102 soldiers. He was deployed in 2002 and stayed for more than a year.
His quarter master platoon did many jobs, such as providing security convoys, securing bases and acting as escorts.
When he returned from his service overseas, he was accepted in the Creighton University School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate.
Swensson joked at the conclusion of his speech that, “After attending law school, he is now an immigration lawyer for the INS, but he forgot to graduate from De Anza.”
At that point, Murphy stepped up to the podium to present Murillo with his degree as a fall 2004 graduate.
Murphy said “It was an uncommon pleasure to welcome you here,” and that he had deep affection for Murillo and appreciation for his accomplishments and efforts.
In his speech, Murillo described the army as a place where friendships are made, where you learn and work and become a part of something bigger than yourself.
“Fifty percent of my soldiers were either Latino or Latina descendents but the army as a whole is still predominantly Caucasian,” Murillo said.
On coming back to the De Anza campus, Murillo said, “It was wonderful. I was here in 1991 and the campus has changed beautifully.”
“For every young man or woman, I think there should be some sort of mandatory service to America, whether military or community,” Murillo said.
Murillo left with advice for De Anza’s students, “Work hard and graduate as fast as you can. The working world is so fun. Working is rewarding and it helps people, money is not everything.”
