Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Montanez.
Hi Carlos, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey working with young adults and serving my community began at a young age. I grew up on the Lower East Side of New York City, where Henry Street Settlement has been a cornerstone of the community for generations. Henry Street is a nonprofit organization that provides education, employment, social services, arts programming, and other resources to New Yorkers, particularly individuals and families on the Lower East Side.
Long before I ever worked there, I was one of the young people coming through Henry Street’s doors. I participated in after-school programs, received college advisement, and accessed resources that helped shape my future. Henry Street gave me opportunities, connections, and financial support that helped make college possible and allowed me to pursue my dream of working in broadcasting.
Growing up in public housing, I wanted to prove that where you come from does not define where you can go. I was fortunate enough to live that dream and build a career in radio. Along the way, I wanted other young people from communities like mine to see someone who came from where they came from and know that those opportunities were possible for them too.
More than a decade later, my journey brought me back to my roots at Henry Street—but this time, I returned as a staff member to help the next generation. Today, I have the opportunity to provide young adults with the same type of guidance, resources, connections, and encouragement that once made such a difference in my own life.
For me, this work has truly come full circle. I know firsthand how one opportunity, one resource, or one meaningful connection can change the trajectory of a young person’s life because Henry Street did that for me. Now, I get to be on the other side of that experience, creating those opportunities for the young people coming behind me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. At one point, I uprooted my life and moved to Nashville to continue pursuing my career in radio. I was far from home, away from my support system, and taking a chance on myself to pursue something I had dreamed about for years.
After being laid off from my full-time radio position, I was determined to make it work. I didn’t want to give up on the life and career I had built, so I took whatever opportunities I could find. At one point, I was working three jobs simultaneously, including positions with Salem Media Group, Cumulus Media, and the United States Postal Service. There was also a period when I stepped outside of broadcasting altogether and became a manager at a local Chick-fil-A. That experience humbled me. It taught me to put titles and pride aside and do what was necessary to support myself and keep moving forward.
One of the biggest challenges after being laid off was also losing access to affordable healthcare. Not having consistent healthcare created a tremendous amount of anxiety for me. I was constantly worried about what would happen if I got sick or needed medical care while already trying to keep myself financially afloat. That uncertainty became another source of stress on top of everything else I was carrying.
My determination to make things work eventually became unsustainable. For nearly 11 months, I worked seven days a week without a real break. I lost about 45 pounds during that period and became completely burned out, physically and mentally. I kept telling myself that if I worked harder and kept pushing, eventually things would turn around. Instead, the exhaustion, isolation, financial pressure, anxiety around healthcare, and nonstop schedule eventually caught up with me and contributed to a period of depression.
In the middle of all of this, my great-grandmother, who helped raise me, passed away. Her passing wasn’t the cause of what I was already experiencing, but losing someone so important to me while I was already struggling made an incredibly difficult period even harder. Being so far from home and not having the opportunity to say goodbye is something that has stayed with me.
For a long time, pride kept me in Nashville. I had left New York to chase a dream, and I convinced myself that coming home meant admitting I had failed. Eventually, I came home for a visit and reconnected with my family, friends, and the support system I had been missing. Being around the people who knew me best helped me recognize something I couldn’t see while I was in survival mode: I didn’t have anything left to prove.
Coming home wasn’t giving up. It was choosing to start again.
Looking back, Nashville became one of the most transformative chapters of my life. I got to pursue my dream of working in radio, but I also learned about resilience, humility, burnout, grief, and the importance of having a support system. I learned that there is no shame in doing whatever honest work is necessary to survive, and that changing direction doesn’t erase everything you accomplished along the way.
Those experiences influence how I work with young adults today. When someone tells me their original plan didn’t work out, they’re working a job that isn’t part of their dream, or they feel like they’re falling behind, I understand that feeling. My journey taught me that sometimes the path you planned isn’t the path that ultimately gives you purpose. Coming home and starting over eventually brought me back to my community—and gave me the opportunity to use what I went through to help someone else find their way forward.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Today, my work focuses on helping young adults navigate education, employment, career training, and the barriers that can sometimes make those goals feel out of reach. At Henry Street Settlement, I serve as a Pathways Resource Navigator, connecting young people to opportunities and, just as importantly, helping them figure out what direction they want their lives to take.
Many of the young people I serve come from very low-income families, immigrant families, public housing, or communities that have historically had fewer resources and opportunities. They are growing up in New York City, where tremendous wealth and opportunity can seem like it is everywhere, yet access to those opportunities can be incredibly unequal. For some young people, going to college isn’t simply about getting accepted—they may be the first person in their family navigating the process, trying to understand financial aid, worrying about tuition, or balancing school with the need to work and contribute to their household. Others may be dealing with housing instability, mental health challenges, involvement with the justice system, or simply not having a professional network that can help them get their foot in the door.
Those barriers can affect everything from accessing higher education and career pathways to finding quality mental health care, securing a first job, or even knowing what opportunities exist. Talent and ambition are not the problem. Often, what is missing is access—to information, resources, networks, and someone who can help navigate systems that were not designed to be easy to navigate.
That’s where my work comes in.
I specialize in building relationships and meeting young people where they are. They might be preparing for college, searching for their first job, looking for career training, struggling in school, trying to get back on track after a setback, or simply unsure of what comes next. My role is often about connecting the dots—introducing them to the right person, program, employer, college, training opportunity, or resource and then continuing to support them after that initial connection is made.
I think what I’m most known for is being a connector and someone who will find a way to help. I’ve built relationships across Henry Street and throughout New York City with employers, colleges, training programs, community organizations, and other professionals. Part of my job is helping young people gain access to networks they may not have been born into. When someone comes to me with a goal or a challenge, I want to be able to say, “I know someone we can call,” or, “I know a program that can help,” rather than simply handing them a list of resources and sending them on their way.
What I’m most proud of are the moments when young people come back and tell me they got the job, enrolled in college, completed a training program, earned a certification, or accomplished something they once weren’t sure was possible. But success doesn’t always come with a job offer or an acceptance letter. Sometimes the biggest accomplishment is watching a young person who has experienced setback after setback regain confidence, recognize their own potential, and start believing that there is a path forward for them.
What sets me apart is that I understand this work from both sides. I was once the young person sitting across the table looking for guidance and opportunity. I grew up in public housing and benefited from community programs and people who helped me access opportunities I might not have reached on my own. I went to college, pursued my dream of working in broadcasting, experienced success and significant setbacks, and eventually found my way back home.
Because of that, I don’t just tell young people that their circumstances don’t have to define their future—I can show them through my own journey. I also understand that telling someone to “work hard” isn’t enough when they are facing barriers that other people may never have to think about. Sometimes people need someone to help open a door, explain a system, make an introduction, advocate for them, or simply remind them that they belong in rooms they may never have imagined themselves entering.
For me, this isn’t just a job. It’s full-circle work. Every young person I help reminds me of the people who once took the time to help me, and I’m proud that I now get to create some of those same opportunities for the next generation.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something that might surprise people is just how much of my life has been shaped by making connections and being willing to step into unfamiliar spaces.
When I was in high school, I learned about the 4-H program through Henry Street Settlement. Through 4-H, I participated in community service projects around New York City with other students. At the time, I was simply a teenager getting involved, giving back, and meeting people outside of my normal circle. I had no idea that one of the students I met through that experience would become my wife about 15 years later.
That experience was one of my earliest lessons in the power of relationships and connections. You never really know where saying yes to an opportunity, meeting someone new, or putting yourself in a different environment might lead.
That mindset followed me into my career in radio and broadcasting. Radio was my dream growing up, and I was fortunate enough to spend years actually living that dream. The industry pushed me even further outside of my comfort zone. It taught me how to walk into a room where I didn’t know anyone, start a conversation, listen to people’s stories, communicate with people from completely different backgrounds, and build genuine relationships. It also taught me that sometimes one conversation or introduction can lead to an opportunity you never knew existed.
Those experiences have shaped the person I am today. People who know me through my work probably see someone who is constantly networking, making introductions, and trying to connect young people to opportunities. What they may not realize is that I believe so strongly in the power of connections because I’ve seen what they can do in my own life.
A connection through Henry Street led me to 4-H and eventually to the person who would become my wife. Connections helped me pursue and build a career in broadcasting. And now, more than a decade later, I’ve returned to Henry Street, where a major part of my work is creating those same types of connections for young people.
I’m incredibly proud of my radio career and how it helped shape me, but I’m equally proud that the skills I developed while pursuing one dream—communication, listening, relationship-building, and networking—are now tools I use to help other people pursue theirs.
My life is a reminder to me that you never know where one opportunity or one conversation might lead. Sometimes it leads to a career. Sometimes it leads you back home. And apparently, sometimes it even leads you to your wife.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisiscarlosanthony?igsh=ZHFxdXpiZWd4eTU%3D&utm_source=qr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosm88?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
