Vanguard University

This is Alexander Montes, otherwise known as Xander. He is currently the Media Hub Coordinator and an Adjunct Professor of Communication at Vanguard. His parents were born in the Philippines. However, he was born and raised in the Wrigley area of Long Beach, California. Xander has five brothers and one sister. His dinner of choice consists of hot dogs or burgers.

He’s a huge movie buff and some of his favorites are Back To the Future, Stand by Me, La Bamba, Young Guns I and II, Tender Mercies, Rocky, Remember the Titans, and Grid Iron Gang. Aside from that, Xander enjoys sports. His favorite sports teams include the Lakers, Raiders, Ducks and Angels. He also enjoys watching WWE. As a matter of fact, though it’s not the same, Xander wrestled in different weight classes during his time at Long Polytechnic High School. Xander won his High School League Division before getting injured at the California Interscholastic Federation tournament. 

"I grew up loving sports. I always watched sports but when I realized I wasn’t tall enough for basketball, I ended up wrestling and loved it."

When he wasn’t wrestling or studying, Xander would spend his time getting involved in the church – participating in youth group events and making videos for the youth group. It was at church that Xander discovered his passion for filmmaking. 

“For whatever reason, my youth pastor kept asking to make videos for the youth group. And for whatever reason, the church continued to let me edit on their Mac computers. So, I kept doing it. Looking back on it, this was such a defining moment for me because I fell in love with editing, filming, directing, producing and telling stories.”

When high school ended, Xander went on to attend Vanguard University where he met his now wife, Vanessa. They dated for 13 years! That’s right, 13 years. During their dating years, Vanessa attended the University of Southern California where she attained her Master of Social Work. Xander, on the other hand, attended Regent University and Fuller Theological Seminary where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Producing and a Master of Arts in Theology respectively. They were married in 2018 at Heritage Park in Fountain Valley.

Today, Xander is still making films. His recent short film Til Death debuted for the 2019 48-Hour Film Festival at LA Regal LIVE. He is consistently creating content, writing and reading scripts, and growing in his craft of producing. All this while youth pastoring for First Presbyterian Church of Santa Ana where he and Vanessa mentor junior high and high school students. 

Vanguard is so thankful for Xander's heart to serve the University and his love for the Lord that he brings every day to class.

#WeAreVU