On the 16th day of May in 1984, I was born Anwar Malik Montgomery. My first name is very unique. It is often mistakenly mispronounced as Armoire (the furniture) or purposely pronounced as Arm-War (Bronco’s Gym’s nickname for me). The truth of the matter is that my namesake was in honor of Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated three years prior to my birth. Though my name is of Arabic descent, I was born and raised in New Jersey.

I was educated publicly throughout Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s school system until I received my diploma in 2002. To further my education, I attended Montclair State University. In the fall of 2007, I received a bachelor of science with a concentration in business management. Being that my mother is a doctor of psychology and a professor, education was a highly stressed topic in my household.

As far back as I can remember, the phrase “education is key” was fundamental in molding me as an individual. But as I push my memory bank back slightly further, I can remember that sports were the very origin of influencing me as a person. As most children do, I experimented with all sports until football and basketball stood out as my strengths. I played both sports in high school and pursued basketball on the collegiate level. Through my journey as an athlete, I have been blessed to meet and be influenced by many people. Coaches and teammates of all walks of life have taught me the importance of hard work, perseverance, preparation, teamwork, equality and many other invaluable life lessons. As I approached my final year of college, I began to ponder on how grateful I was as a person to be educated not just academically, but also via athletics. Coincidentally, I met the latest coach who was able to give me an opportunity to take my knowledge and experiences to better educate others by way of fitness and health. That coach was Michael Bronco. Michael took me on as an apprentice in his gym throughout my final year of college. A former athlete himself, Michael took the same life lessons he had experienced and bettered the health of many individuals and athletes. Not only did I observe this first hand, I eventually took action by working with athletes and individuals from all walks of life. My apprenticeship was completed when I became certified as a personal trainer by American Council on Exercise. Now I am considered a full-time personal trainer, but I like to see it as a health coach and a teammate waiting to influence the next life.