Fall 2010/Winter 2011
While a middle school student in Stockton, Somporn Boonsalat was headed down the wrong path. He struggled in all of his classes and was not a model student. He'd heard of MESA, but didn't think it was for him – until a cousin made him attend a MESA Day competition.
Boonsalat ended up joining MESA in high school and eventually became the president of the Stagg High School MESA club in his senior year.
“At that point in my life I could have strayed away from becoming a productive member of society,” said the 26-year-old assistant engineer for the City of Stockton Municipal Utilities District. “MESA provided me with an outlet to focus all of my knowledge and energy.”
His involvement and volunteering in MESA led to a scholarship at the University of the Pacific. Without that help, college may not have been possible for Boonsalat, who graduated from Pacific in 2007 with a civil engineering degree.
“I came to my parents and let them know that college could cost upwards of $30,000 a year. When they heard that they said, ‘Why are you even going to school? High school is it. Why would you pay to go to school? You should get a job.’”
After he graduated, though, his parents were very proud and now understand the significance of all of Boonsalat’s hard work. He is the first in his family to attend college.
“I'm glad I get to set that bar for my siblings,” he said. “Now everyone after me knows they can do it too.”
And they are doing it. One of Boonsalat's younger sisters recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara while another sister currently is a MESA engineering student at the University of the Pacific.
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