From Building Engineer to Computer Science Student

Edgard Jara often wondered what it was like to work *in* the offices he maintained as a building engineer in the Bay Area. He polished and repaired facilities for tech giants like Apple, Amazon, and Quora, constantly surrounded by software engineers and computer scientists. Jara imagined a different future for himself.

Today, at 37, Jara is a computer science senior at Chico State. He’s closer to that future than he ever thought possible.

His path to higher education hasn’t been easy. Jara, a first-generation college student, grappled with his parents’ separation and a traumatic childhood. He dropped out of Santa Clara High School in 2006. After earning his diploma from a continuation school in 2009, he enrolled in trade school to become an electrician and fund community college. But as an undocumented immigrant from Peru, he couldn’t secure an apprenticeship.

In 2014, Jara received Deferred Action for childhood Arrivals (DACA), granting him work authorization. He continued taking courses when he could, but at 27, he was hospitalized with ulcers that caused internal bleeding, halting his progress.

Recovering, Jara returned to work as a maintenance technician, eventually becoming a building engineer. Working inside major tech campuses showed him the possibilities in computer science.However,he struggled with math courses at community college.

Fall 2023 brought another challenge. While retaking calculus at Evergreen Valley College in San José, Jara was laid off from his job at Google, shortly after learning he was going to be a father. Unemployed in a tough job market and failing the crucial calculus course, he faced a crossroads.

“I got fired, and I had an F in the [calculus] class, but I now had a new motivation: my son,” said Jara, who received his green card in 2020. “I