Mount Vernon Nazarene University - News Mount Vernon NOW Spring 2008 international alumni Juan Fernandez Costa Rica WNZR radio

Juan Fernandez ('06) - COSTA RICA

Juan (far right) with his family Juan Fernandez knows what it’s like to be a missionary. His parents, Drs. Ruben and Monica Fernandez, have served as pastors and educators in their homeland, Argentina, and missionaries for the Church of the Nazarene since 1995 in Central America.

Since MVNU, Juan has served in numerous jobs using his communication degree. First, he volunteered as interactive media coordinator at the SAM (South America) regional office of the Nazarene church, hosting a radio program that is still being broadcast in over 1,000 radio stations throughout the Spanish-speaking world. He later moved for the opportunity to work at the Haggai Institute’s Regional Office for South America, preparing thousands of Christian leaders around the world to better serve their local communities. Currently, Juan is exploring new professional grounds, and has returned to Costa Rica, where he is teaching 7th-9th grade history and coaching basketball at International Christian School.

Juan is also working on his dream of starting a Christian radio station. The Nazarene Seminary in Costa Rica has a professional radio studio, no longer used, though well preserved and waiting to be used again. Juan has formed a group that envisions a professional station in partnership with the seminary. This station would, in many ways, be modeled after WNZR, MVNU’s radio station, where Juan worked for four years as a student broadcaster. He also dreams of creating a communication degree for the Nazarene Seminary of the Americas where students could gain on-air experience in conjunction with their academic studies.

While at MVNU, Juan served at WNZR as Morning Thing and NZ Top 10 host, sports broadcaster, graphic design director and production Director. He was also a resident assistant and participated in campus ministries as a small group leader.

"Marcy and Joe Rinehart, along with a great group of lifelong friends at the WNZR family, taught me to dream big and let God take care of the rest,” Juan said. “Nothing is impossible with God—nothing.”