I’m from Berkeley: Jose Magana believes in your flight, despite the turmoil

José Magana, a researcher at Cal Nerds Institute, was uprooted from his life in El Salvador and forced to flee his country as an undocumented refugee. Beat the strenuous experiences of life to graduate from Berkeley this spring. (Photo courtesy of Jose Magana)

When I was six years old, I remember the earth’s shaking from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck my native El Salvador. Thousands of people were injured, and more than 900 people died. Many others lost their homes, which were completely destroyed by the landslides caused by the earthquake.

Families have fled, and everything has changed for many people. Fortunately for my family, we were fine. But from that day on, I realized the difficulties a family could face due to natural disasters. This is the main reason I studied geophysics and seismology as a student at UC Berkeley.

I would like to pursue a career in which I can continue to understand the practical application of seismology to analysis and engineering designs – to help reduce the impact of earthquakes and other natural disasters on people’s lives.

Although this kind of career has always been my dream, my journey to Berkeley was not easy.

Jose Magana and his sister Jennifer Magana grew up in El Salvador. (Photo courtesy of Jose Magana)

I never wanted to come to the United States, I lived a prosperous and privileged life in El Salvador. My grandparents ran a farm, and my parents owned an office supply store that made us live a decent life.

After I graduated from high school, I was accepted into the University of El Salvador, a prestigious university in the country, to study civil engineering. I was embracing a new journey in my life and living my academic dream. I thought nothing could disappoint me.

But during the first semester, my father received a phone call that would change my life. The country’s most powerful criminal gang leader has threatened to kidnap, or even kill, me and my sister if my parents don’t pay a ransom. The fear and stress we experienced every day was really difficult for us – we didn’t feel safe.

My parents did not want to risk anything happening to us and decided to leave our beloved Salvador. As unregistered refugees, in the summer of 2013, we traveled to Mexico to cross the border into the United States

We moved in with my aunt’s family who lived in Los Angeles. Eight of us lived together in a two-bedroom apartment. My parents will eventually find us a home to live in, but this was a difficult time for me.

I left everything in El Salvador – my relatives, friends and girlfriend. My mom had to work long hours at a local restaurant six days a week. My father was a construction worker, and they were eventually divorced after moving to the United States

My whole life, my whole world, was changing very quickly.

Jose Magana with high school ESL teacher Ms. Brzin (right) and her assistant, Mr. Orozco (left). (Photo courtesy of Jose Magana)

Also, I couldn’t even write a sentence in English. My English was so poor that I couldn’t even go to a restaurant to order food. Often my cousins ​​would come with me to the store or to get groceries. Because of that, I had no idea if I could succeed and study at an American university.

So, at the age of 18, I went back to school for two years at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles to learn how to speak English. While I was sitting in the classroom, I didn’t understand a thing the teachers were saying. I could not ask or answer questions. I was just going to take notes and copy the things the teachers wrote onto the blackboard.

It was really hard, and a lot of times I just wanted to give up. However, my passion and eagerness to learn will not allow me to.

My teacher of ESL, Mrs. Azi Brzin, truly understood the potential that I had. She was an immigrant from Iran, but she also spoke Spanish. She taught me English and convinced me to apply to college and get a degree.

She really believed in me and played an integral role in my education, staying with me after school sometimes to help with my homework, and introducing me to college prep courses.

She told me every day that I could go very far in life and be successful. For someone I liked to really believe in me – it helped me believe in myself.

After high school, she started attending El Camino College. She graduated with honors and holds five different undergraduate degrees in mathematics, pre-engineering, physical sciences, biology, and general education.

Jose Magana (center) celebrates his graduation from El Camino College in June 2019 with his cousin and friends. (Photo courtesy of Jose Magana)

I transferred to UC Berkeley in the fall of 2019. I always thought that anyone with a background like mine could not go to a university as prestigious as Berkeley. I was afraid not to meet students who looked like me, or that I wouldn’t have the resources to succeed.

However, over the past two years, being a student here has really helped me grow as a geophysicist. My research capabilities have been enriched, and I have learned a lot from the faculty and staff.

Jose Magana has said he has made lifelong friendships. Here he is with other students moving in the direction of Berkeley in 2019 (Image Courtesy of Jose Magana)

As a research assistant at the UCLA Pavement Research Center, I worked with Dr. Angel Matthews to study how traffic and climate affect pavement. Through Berkeley CalNerds I was accepted into the UC LEADS program. Last summer I worked with Professor Douglas Dreiger from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences to study the 2001 earthquake in El Salvador that sparked my interest in seismology.

I was able to study the physical properties of an earthquake and do a waveform analysis of the event. The research program is offered by CalNerds.

After presenting my findings at a seminar last August, I was offered a job I had landed last year at the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory.

My research with the lab revolves around the sequence of earthquake aftershocks, and we aim to have our work published in the journal next year.

Sometimes I feel very fortunate to have these opportunities in Berkeley. But I always remember all the hard work I did to get here.

There are thousands of people who come to the United States from Central America, and all over the world, and now believe they have no chance of succeeding here. They may think their only option is to work in restaurants or construction. But they also have the right to dream big and to have a higher education.

During the summer of 2019, Jose Magana spent time at Ohio State University conducting research and taking lessons. In this photo, he gives a presentation to faculty and other Latinx students on the program. (Photo courtesy of Jose Magana)

As a volunteer for the Raices Group in Berkeley, I reached out to other Latino students to tell them that although it was difficult for us, it was possible to succeed at Berkeley. I also serve as the Student Moving Liaison for the Hispanic Group of Engineers and Scientists in Berkeley, where I organize workshops to support incoming Latinx transfer students.

As a guide, I try to tell them that whatever obstacles you face in life, you can still make the most of them and believe that your journey will end well.

Jose Magana with his mother (center) and younger sister Jennifer Magana. (Photo courtesy of Jose Magana)

The next step in my journey is graduate school. I will join the Berkeley graduate program in earthquakes and geotechnical engineering. I hope to someday help poor communities and policymakers address the need for equity in mitigating the effects of natural disasters, and work towards equity in relief efforts for disaster preparedness.

My parents are very proud of me.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t want to share my story because it’s kind of sad. I know these are the experiences that have made me who I am as a person, but it’s very hard to talk about.

However, I hope my story shows how diverse Berkeley students are, and that students from non-traditional backgrounds can also succeed here.

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