Excerpt from Turning on the Lights: Part II.5 Purpose for the Learning – Freedom!
Yet another MESA success story is Beto Vasquez, the youngest – and the only US-born, of four children born to Mexican parents. He was the product of a dysfunctional home, and he grew up in a low-income community riddled with gangs, drugs and violence. Expectations were low for him to graduate from high school. He became a high school dropout, and he experienced homelessness, incarceration and addiction in his youth. He was not considered to be college bound or most likely to succeed. But his life circumstances did not define him!
When Beto began his college studies at San Diego City College, it was not easy for him to be an older student with a very colorful background. He often questioned his ability to be a first-generation college student and to break the mold of expectations. However, when he joined the MESA Program, he learned that student potential is not questioned in the learning culture, which meant that he too had many strengths and great potential! In MESA, Beto became part of a STEM family, and the MESA Center became his home on the City College campus. Yet, it was all new to him, and he confessed, “Honestly, when I arrived at MESA I thought, ‘what a bunch of nerds’ – I mean people were just sitting around ‘enjoying’ casual math conversations or tutoring each other in physics.” Through training in the MESA learning culture, Beto was provided with the necessary tools and support to succeed that he had not experienced anywhere else. Beto fully owned the learning culture, and he expertly used it to create his own success. The learning culture also became his constant reminder that he had – and continues to have, what it takes to succeed.
Beto now defines himself, and he lives a rewarding life. Despite the many challenges that he has faced, he has earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in biology from UCSD. He is an adjunct community college professor in biology, and he leads efforts in UCSD CREATE’s STEM Community Outreach & Engagement Program to increase diversity in STEM. He is an extraordinary educational advocate for marginalized groups and a great proponent of diversity in STEM fields. He is driven to continue fighting to make a “place at the table for others” because, according to Beto, “after all, if we are not at the table, then we’re on the menu.” He is also completing the doctoral program at San Diego State University (SDSU) in Educational Leadership, where he is examining 4-year STEM faculty attitudes and perceptions about students. His plan is to ultimately pursue a career as a college administrator. Since he began his college journey, he has also worked in local government, and in education and non-profit sectors. As a professional in higher education, Beto is strongly motivated by his commitment to serving as a role model for his four kids and his community.
Reflecting on his journey, Beto identified two lessons that have impacted his life. The first lesson is that “hanging around with people that have different or no aspirations can stymie you from reaching your potential,” or as he was taught by his compadre, “You’ll never fly with the eagles, if you just hang with turkeys.” The second lesson is related to the definition of insanity, i.e. doing the same things over and over, and expecting different results. The MESA learning culture taught Beto to broadly challenge his mentality overall and to apply that same thinking outside of academics. Is this easy to do? No, but as Beto is demonstrating, success is certainly well worth the struggle, and he added, “We can strive to expect the best from ourselves and simultaneously remain true to who we are by embracing all the facets that make us unique – academically, personally, culturally, and socioemotionally. Don’t you want to breathe?” Enjoy meeting Beto in his TEDx Talk on Redefining Normal at the Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego (July 13, 2017), available at tinyurl.com/3z9u3pbj.
Dr. Vasquez is currently a SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science) national board member!