Juan Vega lives his life by the Biblical saying, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” He grew up in middle class Nicaragua, but his family lost everything when they fled political unrest and immigrated to the United States. “I’ve been given so much thanks to this great country,” he says. “It is my responsibility to make sure others can have access to these opportunities.”
Vega’s ambition and motivation were developed during his childhood, which he spent in Nicaragua and Bolivia (the second and third poorest countries in the Western hemisphere) and Arlington, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in psychology, then embarked on a 10-year career in international business, traveling throughout Latin America for the electronic security industry and earning an MBA from the University of Florida along the way.
Eventually Vega decided to go to law school and enrolled at the University of Minnesota. This spring he became an assistant city attorney in St. Paul, fulfilling his dream of becoming a prosecutor so that he can approach crime prevention from another angle.
In all aspects of his life, Vega tries to lead by example: He served in the United States Marines Corps Reserves because he believes that all immigrants should give back to their adopted country by serving in the military or volunteering. Today he is undertaking an effort through his job and the Boy Scouts of America to prevent young boys, especially Latinos, from joining gangs. Vega also works to foster the creation of additional Scout troops for Latinos and to get his community more politically involved by volunteering for the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Minnesota.
“I’ve seen some really bad things in the world, and now I’m an American living in the wealthiest country in the world,” he says. “It kills me to see people in the United States not taking advantage of the great opportunities we have.” Vega hopes to open doors for others, using outreach and his life as an example.
