2026 Outstanding Graduate, Jose Manlapaz

Falls Church, VA

60 year old veteran proving it’s never too late to finish what you start

Jose Manlapaz

2026 Outstanding Graduate

In 2023, Jose B. Manlapaz, 60, fulfilled a promise decades in the making by earning his Bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of Management and Technology. His journey, first kindled during his military service in the 1980’s, was patiently deferred before UMT's online program allowed him to bring his ambition full circle. This achievement proves that determination has no expiration date and that a soldier's discipline provides the perfect foundation for a business graduate.

For years, a dedicated Assistant Manager at a small medical office, his academic achievement immediately transformed his professional trajectory.

Recognizing his newly formalized expertise, his supervisors promoted him, entrusting him with key project management initiatives to optimize office operations. He now plays a pivotal role in strategic improvements and is integral to plans for the practice's future expansion, demonstrating how perseverance can directly catalyze meaningful advancement.

Jose's vision for the future is one of integrated growth and streamlined leadership, a path made possible through the flexibility of online education at UMT. He is actively preparing by augmenting his recent degree with an Executive Certificate in Project Management and current enrollment in an Executive Certificate in Information Technology, both pursued through UMT's accessible platforms. He aims to implement an expanded network of offices, managed centrally to efficiently share resources and replicate best practices. With plans to subsequently pursue a Masters in Business Management, he will apply this cumulative knowledge to ensure a robust strategic framework that fuels sustainable expansion and elevates operational excellence across the entire organization.