Roel is from Weslaco, TX, and has been serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve since 2014 as an Aviation Machinist Mate (powerplant Mechanic), maintaining aircraft such as the F/A-18 Hornet, MH-60S Sea Hawk, and C-130T Hercules, with a deployment to Isa, Bahrain as Air Operations facilities shop supervisor. Roel worked part-time as a general aviation mechanic while attending À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, graduating in November 2025 with an Associate of Applied Science in Powerplant and Airframe Technology and an A&P license.