For Martín Vargas-Vega, a career in tech started with an egg drop competition, a few bridge-building projects and a MESA advisor who promised a field trip.
Growing up in Watsonville as the son of farmworkers, Martín joined MESA at Lakeview Middle School, where hands-on STEM activities offered something different from traditional classroom learning.
“We didn’t have many electives, and science was less experimenting and more reading,” he recalls. “This was hands-on and dynamic. The college students who came made it fun.”
What initially seemed like a fun afterschool program became the foundation for a remarkable journey. Through MESA and other college access programs, including EAOP and COSMOS, Martín discovered opportunities he hadn't imagined were possible.
“MESA was a big part of it,” he says. “I didn't think I could go that far.”
Photo from The Pajaronian/Inspira Studios
His path was anything but straightforward. During the recession, his family lost their home and he nearly didn't graduate from high school. He eventually enrolled at Cabrillo College, where he became student body president, but his ambitions in software engineering still seemed out of reach.
A connection with Digital NEST, a Watsonville nonprofit expanding technology opportunities for young people, changed his trajectory. After developing his coding skills and completing an Adobe training program, Martín took a chance on a career in tech. He eventually joined a Latino-founded startup that was acquired for $200 million in 2023.
Today, Martín is a software engineer, tech mentor and the subject of Las Mismas Manos (With These Same Hands), a documentary chronicling his journey from Watsonville's strawberry fields to Silicon Valley. The film premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival and recently made its West Coast debut at the San Francisco Latino Film Festival.
Photo from Lookout Santa Cruz
For Martín, the story is about more than professional success. It's about access, opportunity and the programs and people who helped him see a future beyond what he knew.
And it all started with an egg drop.
Learn more about the documentary here.