Portland State Magazine Fall 2021

32 // PORTLAND STATE MAGAZINE M y parents and I were born in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. in 1980 during the Mariel boatlift. As our boat reached the shores of Key West, the first image that I have is the American flag and that of a Marine. I was 8 years old, and to me he was this enormous African American Marine with a rifle. Growing up in Cuba, the propaganda was that the U.S. was always going to come in and invade. As this little kid seeing this Marine, I got scared. But I remember my dad saying, ‘These are the good guys now.’ When I made the decision to join the service, I easily gravitated to the Corps.This was my opportunity to serve a nation that provided so much to my family and immigrants historically. After serving honorably for four years, a combat training incident—which fractured my back— prohibited me from re-enlisting. I started taking courses at Palomar Community College on base while going through physical rehabilitation. I had this remarkable anthropology professor and Indigenous scholar named Dr. Featherstone. They were able to shed a light on so many things that are happening to our communities of color and Indigenous communities. Up to that moment, I had never been able to articulate the systemic challenges that exist and that I had experienced. I decided I wanted to be an anthropologist, but the VA said there’s no jobs. I go back and say, ‘OK, I’ll study political science.’They said, ‘Sorry, no jobs.’ So I threw my hands up in the air—‘I just need a job. I’ve got a family and will be discharged in six months. What have you got?’They literally said, ‘Obviously you’re a person of service. Why don’t you become a social worker?’ I remember taking home this book called 101 Careers in Social Work and going through it. Everything Dr. Featherstone talked about, I felt I could do with a degree in social work. So I decided then this would be my path and career. A lot of our veterans are similar to me in that they find social work to be the perfect profession. Portland State University has a long and rich tradition of serving student veterans and as dean, I take pride in continuing this legacy of serving those who have served. U.S. MARINE CORPS 1996-2001 Jose E. Coll Jose E. Coll, dean of the School of Social Work and interim dean of the College of Education, is known nationally for his research on counseling veterans and their families. PORTRAITS OF PSU VETERANS This was my opportunity to serve a nation that provided so much to my family and immigrants historically.