My Story

My name is Humberto but my friends and family call me “Beto”. At the age of 15 I suffered a devastating spinal cord injury practicing my favorite sport, surfing. But, with the love and support from my family and friends and a lot of faith I was able to overcome the tragedy and accomplish my dreams. Today, I am an Emmy award winning Journalist and Producer with 15 years of experience in the media as a sports reporter and anchor. I am the Director and founder of The Gurmilan Foundation and currently teach Public Relations and Communication at Southern New Hampshire University. My life mission is to help others by sharing my experiences and inspiring to live with courage. I previously had the honor of serving as Press Secretary for Chairwoman Nora Vargas, Supervisor in San Diego County and today I am a Communications Manager for a utility company here in Southen California where I lead all communication efforts related to sustainability and innovation. I am also an accomplished speaker focused on spreading a message of hope and perseverance.

Giving Back

On June 30th 2017 I made the most difficult decision in life by resigning from my dream job in the media. It was a very difficult but I knew that I had to alter my journey dramatically in order to fulfill my mission.  I made the choice because I knew that my purpose in life had changed and I needed to dedicate my life to helping others. I needed to dedicate my time to the Gurmilan Foundation, to my community and to my students.

Living With Courage

Throughout my journey I learned that the single most important part of success in life is to live, act and speak with courage. We all will encounter challenges in life and only courage will allow us to overcome time and time again. Courage has allow me to dive into the depths of the ocean and soar in the skies with the ARMY Golden Knights. But more importantly, it has allowed me to go and surf again like I once did.  So if I can accomplish these things imagine what you can accomplish!