Born and raised in Oxnard, Calif., Valentin Medina didn’t always dream of becoming an automotive instructor. Instead, his first dream was much different.

Originally wanting to pursue the culinary arts, Medina entered the Marine Corps.

“School wasn’t an option for me because of the finances and the family, and the Marine Corps was the one thing that would pay for all that, so I took it,” Medina said.

Things quickly changed after he enlisted in the Marine Corps, however. What started as a path to working in the culinary industry turned into something very different than he expected.

“I ended up in the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, which is an infantry unit,” he said. “[They] didn’t have any need for a cook at the time, so I could wait or go with them, but I had to get a B billet, which is a secondary job.”

That secondary job ended up being an instructor in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, where he earned the rank of black belt after four months of training at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. He trained with with jujitsu fighters, wrestlers of all kinds and future special operations recruits.

Quickly adapting to the military lifestyle throughout his two tours to Afghanistan, Medina gained many friends and a sense of direction with his life. He planned to re-enlist after his second tour of duty in 2011, but then changed plans. 

“My re-enlistment package actually got lost like three or four times,” Medina said. “So I figured if they were going to treat my career like that, I just don’t want to be a part of it.”

After getting out of the Marine Corps on Aug. 3, 2012, he needed a new path in life. Medina started to feel a calling after a Marine friend helped him fix up his old ‘86 Corvette. Not having any clue what he was doing, the experience sparked something inside Medina.

From then on, Medina began learning more about the automotive industry on his own and eventually decided to pursue it seriously. He attended the Universal Technical Institute in Houston from September 2012 to October 2014, where he learned about automotive and collision repair.

After finishing school, he graduated with several certificates, including his ASE certification in Nissan/Infiniti, Ford, engine repair, brakes, electrical, suspension, and light diesels. He then moved on to working in the industry and even ran his own shop, but it wasn’t exactly what he wanted in the long run.

“Being your boss isn’t the greatest sometimes and also working for people isn’t the best either,” he said. “I wanted something in between.” 

The “in between” ended up being teaching.

Medina now works as the automotive paint, refinishing, collision, practicum and soon-to-be Principles of Transportation instructor.

“I was joking with my girlfriend,” he said. “(I told her,) ‘I should become a teacher like you so we have the same schedule and we can see each other more often.’”

What started as a joke turned into a real opportunity after he saw an opening in Humble ISD and decided to apply. After interviews and consideration, he was offered the position in late November 2025.

Almost four months into the job, Medina said his focus is on helping his students gain real, hands-on experience in automotive work and building something they can be proud of.

“I do want to be able to have our students produce two to three cars a year,” he said. “I would love to build a vehicle that we can give to a veteran as well.”

Students say his personality and teaching style already are noticeable in the classroom.

“He likes connecting with the kids,” senior Logan Freudenstein said. “He has a funny sense of humor and he connects with the students well.”

Freudenstein also added that while Medina is still new in his position, he sees the potential in what Medina can bring to the program. 

Medina replaced veteran teacher Jeff Wilson, who started the program when the high school first opened. Wilson and his family died in the Central Texas Floods.

“He sure ain’t Wilson, but he’s got his own unique way to it,” Freudenstein said.

While some students quickly adapted to Medina’s teaching style, new students have loved the class after having long-term substitutes throughout the entire first semester. 

Freshman Aiden Stout, a student in Automotive Basics, said he really enjoys the way Medina explains what is exactly wrong with the cars and how you could find those problems and fix them quickly.

“He encourages (wanting to pursue automotive), and is really good at teaching us all the material,” Stout said.

For Medina, that future is exactly what he envisions. He wants to build a program where students don’t just learn automotive skills, but leave his class with real experience building cars from the ground up.