Major:Â Computer Science
Hometown:Â Miami, FL
Career Highlights:Â Two-year letter winner for Cross Country and Track and Field
Biography: Montoya was a member of both the cross country team and the track and field team for two years on the Hilltop. He completed the Mirog Brutus Hamilton Invitational 800m as a runner-up as a freshman at Cal's Edwards Stadium in 2012. It was the fastest time posted by a Don, with a time of 1:56:06. In high school he won the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A District 15 Championship in the 800m in 2011 and 2010. He graduated with a Bachelors in Computer Science in 2016 and works as a Software Engineer for 1Password in San Francisco.Â
Why Montoya Chose USF: "I chose USF because I felt that the recruiting process had a very personal touch to it. Everyone who I met, from the coaching staff to the team members of the Cross Country and Track and Field teams, made me feel truly special and welcomed during my recruiting visit. The Head Coach at the time, Helen Lehman-Winters, made a sincere effort to reach out when I was just a high school athlete in Florida, and took the time and care to foster our relationship during my junior and senior years. I will never forget the day that she personally called and asked, "How would you like to run in California?" Finally, I chose USF because of the ideal running conditions that San Francisco has to offer, from the weather, to the endless miles of soft-surface trails as well as the undulating topography of the rolling hills."
Favorite USF Memories: "My freshman year was one of the most memorable times during my collegiate career. Since I was new to California, every single practice was an adventure. I was awestruck everyday as I got to explore the ins and outs of places such as Golden Gate Park, Stow Lake, Strawberry Hill, Polo Field, Lands End, the Presidio and Crissy Field, just to name a few. I especially enjoyed riding the charter bus across the Bay Bridge on Saturday mornings for our longer runs. During these bus rides, I was able to get to know my teammates better and see other parts of the Bay Area. I also felt very humbled and fortunate to compete on some of the most prestigious tracks such as, UC Berkley, UC Davis, Stanford, San Francisco State and CSU Fresno, just to name a few."
The USF Student-Athlete Experience: "The best thing about being a student-athlete is the sense of community between teammates and even between all the sports. I think this began during our first semester, in our College Success for Athletes course, in which all of the freshman student-athletes were able to meet and take this course together, taught by Michael Bell."
Life After USF: After graduating from USF in 2016, Montoya lived in San Francisco for two years and drove for Uber in the Bay Area. In 2018, he relocated to Sacramento, CA to start his career as a Software Engineer. In 2020, Montoya moved to Virginia and joined Amazon as a Software Development Engineer, in their AWS Cryptography department.Â
