 |
|
April 18, 2005 Vol. 76,
no. 13S
 |
|
CIVIL SUCCESS:
Francisco Castillo (B.S.'95 M.S.'97 CEE) works as
a civil engineer on projects around the Bay Area. "I do
engineering because it's as fun as the first day I was in
class," he says.
|
The dream
Castillo built
Civil engineering alum finds success through
energy and fortitude
In his Oakland office, Francisco
Castillo (B.S.'95 M.S.'97 CEE) talks passionately - and voluminously
- about three things. One is family: his wife, Sonia Rocha Castillo
(B.S.'02 IEOR, whom he met on campus), his parents, and nieces and nephews.
The second is the 49ers, which Castillo insists will make a comeback
this year. The third is work. Castillo has been a civil engineer in
the Bay Area since he left Davis Hall in 1997. "I do engineering because
it's as fun as the first day I was in class," he says. "I don't take
it too seriously."
Which is only partly true. Castillo takes his contributions to the designs
of prominent Bay Area buildings quite seriously. As serious, say, as
translating for his Spanish-speaking mother during her cancer operation
when he was 14 or getting a degree from Berkeley Engineering, with few
resources. He approaches it all with a mix of humor, thought, and enterprise.
"I always take pride in the fact that you can open doors if you struggle
and work really hard," he explains.
In 1986, Castillo's family emigrated from Nicaragua, settling in the
Bay Area. His mother worked as a nurse's aide in people's homes making
minimum wage; his father worked for a company that prepared airline
meals. Castillo went to inner-city Mission High School. While he struggled
to learn English and adapt to a new culture, he cruised through math
and science. Extra-curricular programs like the Mathematics, Engineering,
Science Achievement (MESA) and Early Academic Outreach
Program (EAOP) challenged him and gave him his first exposure to engineering.
He even came to Berkeley as a high school student, taking extra classes
in math and science through the EAOP program. Castillo credits these
early academic programs to sparking his interest and giving him an academic
boost.
Back in Nicaragua, Castillo's grandfather, a civil engineer himself,
predicted that his grandson would go to Berkeley and become a civil
engineer. The prediction rang true. "I didn't want to go anywhere but
Berkeley," Castillo remembers. "It was close to home and familiar because
I'd already spent time there. And for the dollars you pay for the education
you get, it's the best school."
Castillo applied to the CEE department and was accepted in 1991. He
worked incredibly hard, teaching himself the math and science he didn't
get in high school as well as staying on top of his regular coursework.
The most difficult thing, he says, was the economic challenge. "I couldn't
afford a computer so I did everything by hand," he says. He also remembers
sitting in a chemistry lab one day and overhearing a girl complain because
her father hadn't bought her a new BMW that year. "Wow," he thought,
"what am I doing here?"
The economic disparity didn't intimidate Castillo for long. Being an
underrepresented minority in the College is a matter of overcoming real
barriers as well as barriers you create in your own mind, he explains.
He became involved with the Charles Tunstall Multicultural Engineering
Program (MEP) and the Hispanic Engineering Society (HES), he says, making
friends who were like him. By finding people he was comfortable with
and by working hard, he succeeded. When he looks back on it now, Berkeley
Engineering "was a real home to me. It helped me realize all my dreams."
Despite an interest in doctorate work, Castillo left the College in
1997 with just his master's degree so he could get a job and help his
parents financially. Castillo entered the industry in 1998 and found
his niche at Structural Design Engineers (SDE). The highlight while
at SDE, he says, was to help in the construction administration of the
$186 million Moscone West Convention Center in 2002. According to the
San Francisco Business Times, the building went on to help stimulate
the sluggish San Francisco convention and hotel industry still recovering
from the dot.com bust. Castillo holds up the article. "I'm proud we
had an impact on the city."
While at SDE, he also helped with other projects, including the retrofit
of a building in Oakland now used by the District Attorney's Office,
the design of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Community
Center in San Francisco, and the new dorms for the California College
of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.
Castillo now works at OLMM Consulting Engineers in Oakland. Work is
fun, he says, and he's grateful that engineering not only provides him
and his family with a good living, but keeps him passionate. "That's
the thing about engineering. You never stop learning," he says.
Castillo's life has come full circle. He now passes his enthusiasm for
engineering on to local high school students, where he introduces them
to engineering. He also volunteers with MEP and advises current student
engineers. Castillo doesn't think twice about the extra time volunteering
takes. "If someone gives you a hand, you have to return the favor."
|
|
