Joel Gonzalez
Name: Joel Gonzalez
Major: Molecular Environmental Biology, UC Berkeley
Emphasis: Environment and Human Health
3rd Year
Organizations: BSP (Of course!), Chicanos in Health Education, DULCE Coordinator, Kerry’s Kids Volunteer
by Juan Magana, current BSP Member
Getting to know Joel
Juan: So joel…where you from?
Joel: Well the first 12 years of my life I lived in Oakland, and from there we moved to Alameda to be closer to my brother's family.
Juan: A brother ah…how big is your family?
Joel: Well its not that big…I have one brother and one sister, I am close with my younger sister but I am not really that close to my older brother. I think the reason being is that he is 31 years old and he has his own family. I also have a nephew that is 12 years old.
Juan: What does success mean to you?
Joel: Being able to fulfill your hopes and dreams despite the obstacles that anyone faces/ Juan: What obstacles?
Joel: Well my career goal is to be a doctor. And being that I come from a family that does not have any family members in that field, I feel like I am at a disadvantage. I lived in a neighborhood where minorities were not expected to attend a 4-year university right after high school. The only way out was to either attend a community college (not necessarily graduate) or go to Heald Business School. My mother was the only person in the family that raised me and my siblings. Not to mention that I am one of a handful of my family members that have had the luxury of graduating high school, and now here I am…at UCB. I pretty much support myself.
Juan: Damn Joel…that’s gangster…so what inspires you to be a doctor
Joel: In high school I really liked the bio and physiology classes, but I really became passionate and inspired to become a doctor after I starting working at a clinic in Oakland that predominately serves the underserved. Most of the patients spoke Spanish, so I had to learn how to speak Spanish too. As a fourth generation Mexican-American, it is harder to learn the language everyone assumes that you already know. The experience inspired me because I saw a big problem: many Latinos did not have health insurance. I see the problem in medicine, and I WILL do something about it.
Juan: Interesting…so which field of medicine do you think you’d like to get into?
Joel: I really haven’t decided yet. Medical school is still a long way from here. Right now, would say either Internal Medicine or Family Practice. As a person who wants to get make medicine as a career choice, I think those two would fit with being me as a “people person”, not merely a doctor who just diagnoses a patient and sends them home. Each person is unique in their own way and I believe one way or another, it connects to that person’s health, or their well-being. I am interested in Internal Medicine because that is important in helping patients in the emergency room, where many people go as a source of primary care, which also saddens me.
Juan: Wow Joel, that’s crazy, seems like you are down to make serious changes. I am glad to know theirs people like you out their.
Juan: all that aside…lets get to the serious questions…what your favorite T.V show.
Joel: The Simpsons…homer rocks! I’ve been a Simpsons fan since I can remember.
Juan: So what’s unique about you?
Joel: I like to collect funny movies…for instance; I have almost every Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey movie ever made.
Juan: Damn!
Joel: I also can’t eat anything without Tapatio.
Juan: Tapa…me too…
Joel: Not to mention I like playing the Violin on my spare time.
Juan: Really?
Joel: Yeah… I was in an Orchestra for a couple of years.
On Campus
Juan: How did you find out about BSP?
Joel: When I got my admission letter, I also received a letter that said I qualified for a diversity program. i.e. BSP, PDP,CSP…etc. And then when I went to Calso and I checked it out. I was compelled to join a program that was different- a program that helps other people succeed at an institution where the “cutt-throat” mentality is considered acceptable.
Juan: So what was your BSP experience like at Calso?
Joel: I was taken to 2063 VLSB, and I was told that I was going to take a math test. And my response was what the heck! If I would have known that I was going to be tested, I would have studied for it. And then after the test John Matsui came into the room and explained to us the importance of placing yourself in the appropriate classes that will give you a better chance of succeeding at Cal. After all, he informed the people in the same room that Cal will be hard and competitive. Nevertheless, he offered us a helping hand for the academic and the social challenges that I and the 30-40 other people in the room would face as I entered college. And after all was said and done, John offered everybody in the room an application for BSP. I took it because the things he said made sense to me.
Juan: What do you like the most about BSP?
Joel: The fact that there is support, no matter what kind of ditch I’m stuck in. I can rely on people in BSP because at some point, there are people who have struggled in the same classes…either that or outside of class, whether it’s a bad roommate situation or a personal problem. College students helping each other out in a very competitive atmosphere is so incredible, I can’t even imagine how I could survive at Cal without BSP- mentally, or socially.
Juan: You’ve been here for two years now…what’s your favorite activity?
Joel: I would have to say playing football with my roommates at Underhill Parking Lot at 1AM in the morning until the Berkeley PD kicks us out of there for having too much fun.
Last Word
Juan: You have any famous quotes you want to put out there for everybody else?
Joel: “The biggest risk in life,
is never taking one!”
By “Some random guy”
