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Reynaldo Dinulong used to
look through his schoolroom
window where he would often
see the sailors working at
the nearby U.S. Navy base.
Daydreaming of his future, he
told himself that someday he
would be in their place. Born
and raised in the philippines—
the tenth of 12 children—he’s
a firm believer that anything
is possible. “You just have to
examine your heart and know
what you need in life,” he
explains.
A faculty member with the University
of Phoenix’s Hawaii Campus, Dinulong
teaches for the College of Nursing. He is
also pursuing his Doctor of Nursing Practice
degree with Walden University. His goal,
he says, is to continue to raise his level
of expertise and thus, his impact on the
nursing field. A model of perseverance and
motivation, he approaches everything in his
life methodologically and with purpose:
“My mantra is that I take one step at a
time and make it a masterpiece.”
A Navy man
Dinulong applied to the U.S. Navy while he
was still in high school. The Navy had a nowdefunct
agreement with the Philippines
that allowed Filipino citizens to join. They
had to apply, and then pass entrance
tests before being accepted. Dinulong
earned his high school diploma and was
studying at college in the Philippines—both
via scholarships—when he was called to
write the tests. He aced them. “Out of 300
applicants, there were only two of us who
made it,” he recalls.
And that, he explains, is when “my dreams
really started to come true.”
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