Jmar Akai Montgomery

Name: Jmar Akai Montgomery

Age: 22

College: California State University Los Angeles


Major: BS - Mechanical Engineering


Highlights: CSULA's Early Entrance Program (EEP), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Engineering Computer Science &Technology Student Council, Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc




About Jmar: I am the youngest Engineer in my field for over 2 years. I started college at 14, and graduated Class of 2008 with my Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the age of 19. I was accepted into CSULA’s highly exclusive Early Entrance Program, (EEP), which allowed me to start college at a young age. While in college, I served in many capacities and was a member of numerous organizations. Graduating early was a great accomplishment but came with some adversity, my age proved to be an obstacle for me in the academic and professional world. I was competing with his peers, who were at least 4 yrs older than me, and vying for their respect to be recognized as their peers. I learned that through hard work and professionalism, people would see my young age, not as a detriment, but as an asset to innovative thinking; and would see me not for my age, but for my work. 

I'm currently studying for the Professional Engineering exam to become a licensed engineer in California. This license will allow me to achieve my goal of opening my own engineering consultation firm. This firm will not only provide consultation services, but also contract design and rapid prototyping services to small to medium sized business that do not have these capabilities. The idea of opening a consulting firm came from my father, who at one point, owned a successful screen shop and held a contractor’s license. My dad always said that 'it is better working for and paying yourself, than to have someone else dictate what you should be paid'. After working for the government, I see exactly what he meant. Also, while achieving this goal, I've applied for the Fall 2011 semester to various graduate mechanical engineering programs to specialize in either nanotechnology or fluid dynamics. I believe that an advanced academic foundation will better ensure a strong entrepreneurial future.

In the midst of my career and academic goals I try to maintain a healthy personal life as I am a student pilot working on obtaining my private pilot’s license, with a future goal of obtaining my commercial pilot’s license. Also, I'm an avid shooter who plans to start shooting competitively in various shooting matches in California. 


What is your life's mission?
I feel that my mission in life is to be a man that people look to for consultation. I believe that the only way to become cultured through life’s experiences is to not only network with others, but also understand their perspective on life. I want to always be accessible, in one form or another, so that if people need my help, I am there with an open ear and/or wise words. I am on the road to excellence and want to share the map with others along the way.


What does being a black man mean to you?
Being black means pursuing excellence in every endeavor and being disciplined enough to complete the task. It means operating with integrity and honor so that no one has a valid reason to NOT respect you in your field. It means extending a hand, arm, leg, torso etc. to those who need your help and going the extra distance to make sure that your people succeed. I wouldn’t have made it as far as I have if was not for those who went out of their way to help me, and it is only necessary that I do the same for those who come after me. I have come to realize that having a good relationship with God has been the foundation for all of my successes; while, not utilizing the knowledge and wisdom of others as the culprit for my failures. Being black means understanding that the playing field isn’t fair, but never using that as an excuse to not give your best. What they would call excellent, I call my average; I always have to set my bar higher and higher


"What they call excellent, I call average; I always have to set my bar higher and higher"

Contact Jmar:
Email

Black History Month

I celebrate my history all year long, but since it's PC to celebrate it in February I decided to do some things a little different this year.

How many of you are TIRED of hearing the SAME stories about Martin Luther King JR, Malcolm X, W. E. B. Du Bois, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and the Black Panthers Etc. I know I am. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE and appreciate their individual struggles and triumphs BUT they do not solely represent Black History! There are hundreds of great African Americans that have helped create change, shape our futures and add to the greatness of our people, why aren't THEY talked about? But even if we eliminate all that from the equation, is anyone else tired of talking about the things they (MLK, Malcolm X, W.E.B. Du Bois etc) have done? Their contributions have made a lasting impact but what about our contributions? Can we look at those? Have WE made a lasting impact? Are we working to make one?

I am all about progression. Let's acknowledge the work that was done and let's move forward. Let's talk about the 'here' and 'now'! As my AVID teacher said, "let's press 'pause' on the past and 'play' on the future!" I am dedicating this month to talking about where we are now and where we are heading. I want to look at us from all angles and see where we can improve. WE (because I want to engage you all) will talk about and look at our: education, health, finances, families, careers & aspirations. And the flip side to that is we will also look at and talk about gentrification, nihilism, genocide, & self-hate as these are all things that have added to the destruction of the black community. I will have a couple of individuals guest blogging about certain topics and it is my hope that you, yes YOU participate in the discussion.

Another crucial piece to my celebration of Black History Month is highlighting professional African Americans and business owners that. Most of the time when we look at our black figures they're in positions so high that it's almost impossible to reach out to them. I want to expose you all to some dynamic African Americans that are just like you and I. I think the black image gets perverted and distorted a lot in the media. For some, all they know about African Americans is that we are: pro athletes, rappers, singers, models, producers etc. We are so much more than the entertainment industry. We save lives (doctors), we seek justice for others (lawyers), we build/create/invent (engineers), we help you buy homes (real estate agents), we listen to and help you solve problems (therapist's), we educate your children (teachers) and we own businesses (Entrepreneurs). My vision is so big I can hardly contain it sometimes but one part of my vision is exposing African Americans to other careers outside of entertainment. We can do and be so much more than what we see on TV, which is why I created 'Spotlight on Greatness - African American's in Business'. I've hand selected multiple, professional black men and women who I see as being stellar, to be featured on this blog. They have each inspired me in different ways and they are shining examples of black men and women of excellence! Stay tuned...

Also, Im looking for guest blogger's for the month of February. If you have a topic that pertains to the black community let me know that you would like to write about, please let me know via Email