By Mark Muckenfuss

Michael Parr says if he wasn’t a veteran, he’d probably be in trouble. 

Parr, 36, who graduated from California State University, Monterey Bay in 2018 with a bachelor’s in kinesiology, grew up in a rough area of Salinas, where he was surrounded by peers who were often involved in gangs and illegal activity. 

“I was fortunate enough to have good mentors,” Parr said, “like my football coaches.”

Some of those coaches were veterans steeped in military discipline and training. 

“They came back and instilled a lot of that in us,” Parr said. 

For him, it provided a direction in life, one he particularly appreciates when Veterans Day rolls around each year and he recalls his good fortune, much of which he attributes to taking advantage of lucky breaks. 

After he “barely graduated” from high school, Parr spent six years in the Marine Corps Reserve, where he was assigned to force reconnaissance. He was primarily based in Alameda and in Hawaii where he spent a significant amount of time underwater as a military diver. He was deployed to Africa and spent time in Cameroon, Senegal and the Seychelles. It was one of the better assignments he could have gotten as a Marine.

“It was a matter of luck as to what area I was in,” he said, adding that his military service allowed him to escape his low socioeconomic status. “That’s why I would like to give back.”

Initially, as a kinesiology major, he considered going into physical therapy or another medical profession. But a mentor with the Minorities in Medicine program at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula convinced him that being a physician was not out of reach.

He lacked some essential courses for applying to medical school, so he went back to Hartnell College and, eventually, CSUMB to fill in those gaps. He’s currently in the process of applying to medical school for Fall 2024. 

Parr finished his additional courses last spring and said he has always appreciated the learning atmosphere at CSUMB.

“The classes are smaller and you have the chance to ask questions,” he said. “It’s a more intimate relationship with the professor.”

Once he completes his medical training, he said he would like to stay connected to his roots.

“I would like to come back to this community,” he said. “I’d like to do more preventative and awareness care. I’d like to work with the communities that I resonate with, helping them stay active and healthy.” 

The CSUMB Veterans Center is marking Veterans Day (Saturday, Nov. 11) with a week-long Wall of Heroes display in the Otter Student Union that will remain up until Monday, Nov. 13. 

On Thursday, Nov. 9, the center will host a Veterans Day celebration at noon on the main quad near the OSU, with welcoming remarks and the presentation of colors. A reception will follow in the OSU lobby.