Meet Jesus Magana of Mind+Hand in Southwest Side

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesus Magana.

Jesus, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up on the southwest side of Chicago in the West Lawn neighborhood. This area’s demographics have changed drastically over the last 30 years but is still relatively known for being a family-oriented neighborhood with lots of small businesses. Growing up, my parents kept me involved with as many activities in the community as possible, ranging from boy scouts and summer camp to soccer and baseball. I also attended the local Catholic school through the end of 8th grade.

High school allowed me to explore other parts of the city as I attended Jones College Prep, downtown. Instead of living on my block, my new friends lived in places like Ukraine Village, Rogers Park, Austin, Little Village, and the far southeast side. This opened up my world to new people and cultures.

After high school, I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I majored in Political Science & Communication. During my time there I did a lot of community and outreach work around education and immigration issues, including organizing the campus community around immigration reform and creating a mentorship program for the Urbana High School.

I started off my career in post-secondary advising at a CPS high school, allowing me to learn about the college process in depth and work with students & parents on things like FAFSA completion, college applications, and planning for after high school.

After several years, I moved over to the other side of the aisle to work admissions for UIUC. This gave me perspective on how universities target & reach out to students, in addition to evaluating their academic profiles and shaping each incoming class. Around the same time, a group of friends and I co-founded the DDLR Scholarship Fund, a scholarship organization that provides funding to undocumented students who don’t have access to traditional forms of financial aid. The organization was created in honor of a really good friend that passed away. We are moving into our 5th year running the scholarship fund.

All of these experiences led me back to Mind+Hand. Our first location is here in the West Elsdon neighborhood, next to West Lawn. After years of interacting with students and examining existing educational and training opportunities, I knew that we needed something different. Not only do we need a bigger emphasis on technology, but we also have to provide students with hands-on training and provide real skills that are relevant in this day in age.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I faced a ton of challenges along the way. While on the surface, I grew up in a supportive family environment and was afforded some amazing opportunities, being both the oldest and a first generation student came with a lot of doubt, trial & error, and a real lack of social capital.

College was the true test. I had always performed well academically, and it was in college where I oftentimes felt like I didn’t belong and inadequate. I ended my first semester with a 0.9 GPA. The only positive thing about this experience was that things could literally only get better. The following semester I was matched with a mentor/graduate student. Every semester after that, things got easier. I learned how to better navigate campus, manage my time better, how to become a better self-advocate, and developed my leadership skills.

Please tell us about Mind+Hand.
MIND+HAND is a nonprofit learning center with an intentional emphasis on technology. Our goal is to become the premier skills accelerator for under-resourced communities. With our community-based platform approach, we are able to maximize outcomes by collaborating with best in class service providers. Our makerspace allows students and community members alike to be introduced to modern technology & software, in addition to working hands on.

My specific role is to identify and develop partnerships that allow us to scale up our programs, along with managing the day to day operations of the center. This collaboration piece is what I’m most proud of. We’re not even a year old yet and we have made significant strides in both working with partners and building a presence in the community.

Something that sets us apart is that we have an innovative space that values teamwork and learning. It feeds off community input and provides individuals the support they need to see their ideas grow.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
2 things: I would have gotten someone with grant writing experience from the jump. Grants move fast and slow at the same time. Have that level of expertise on staff is crucial. The other would have been to connect with a wider range of employers sooner.

Pricing:

• Using the space and our resources (seating areas, technology, makerspace, etc.) are typically free
• Renting out the conference room is $25/hr and the multipurpose room is $40/hr
• Intro level courses range from $5-$50
• In-depth certification courses are around $1,000-$1,500

Contact Info:

• Address: 5400 S Pulaski Rd, 2nd Floor
  Chicago, IL 60632
• Website: www.mindhand.org
• Phone: 312-857-8115
• Email: info@mindhand.org
• Instagram: @MindAndHandChi
• Facebook: MindAndHandChi
• Twitter: @MindAndHandChi

Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.