For Will Velez Jr., the journey to becoming a seventh-grade English teacher at The Villages Charter School was anything but traditional. A former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who served 14 years and survived serious combat injuries, Velez now uses the lessons he learned through hardship, discipline and perseverance to guide his students.

Now in his third year teaching English at the Buffalo Ridge campus, Velez believes education should prepare students for far more than tests or grades.

“I tell the kids all the time, just stay learning,” Velez said. “That’s important. I stay learning every day. I read stuff, and kids say, ‘Mr. Velez, how do you know about that?’ Because I read about it. I learn about it.”

Velez’s path to the classroom began long before he ever stepped into it as a teacher. Growing up in the Bronx, he said several teachers shaped how he viewed education and personal growth. One history teacher dressed in historical costumes to bring lessons to life, while another introduced him to psychology and the power of the mind. A gym teacher, he recalled, instilled a sense of responsibility and perseverance.

“All these teachers kind of had an impact on me at such a young age in high school,” Velez said. “It kind of cemented my fact … maybe I’ll come back and be a teacher.”

But first came the military. Inspired partly by the comic book hero Captain America and a family tradition of military service, Velez enlisted at 18. He went on to serve 14 years, including time in Special Forces, before suffering serious injuries during combat.

After leaving the military, Velez said he spent years trying to find his path — working in oil fields, attending culinary school and later working for the state of Florida. Eventually, with encouragement from his wife, he returned to school at age 47 to earn a degree in English and language arts.

“The first year was rough,” he said. “But then I got in a groove.”

Soon after graduating, he applied for teaching jobs and eventually landed at The Villages Charter School.

Inside the classroom, Velez emphasizes honesty, discipline and resilience — values shaped by his own life experiences.

“Just tell me the truth. Just be honest in this moment,” he tells his students. “Because this is the moment that you’re going to learn right now that being honest has its benefit.”

He also tries to help students understand that failure and setbacks are part of growth.

“I can’t judge you off of one bad test,” Velez said. “Everybody has a bad day. Now what are you going to do after that bad day? That’s what makes it a good day the next day.”

For Velez, the most rewarding moments are when students finally grasp a lesson.

“The love of it is the ‘aha’ moment,” he said. “It’s like when you see something through someone else’s eyes. That’s one kid I know that’s going to understand this for the rest of their lives.”

Ultimately, he hopes students leave his classroom with more than knowledge of English. He wants them to develop the habits and responsibility they’ll carry into adulthood.

“We’re setting you up as problem solving,” he said. “We want you to be able to learn and be someone in society that people look at and say, ‘Oh, that person’s educated.’”