KU special education major a role model for all

By Samantha Holmes

KU senior Alexandro Magana balanced his education, work, relationship and military deployment so he can now graduate in spring 2017.

He’s a special education major with a focus in teaching science and social studies for grades 4-8.

In the past year, Magana worked for Active Learning Centers (ALC) at the location in Breinigsville, Pa. as a teaching assistant.

Magana’s college education started in 2011 after a long debate in whether or not to go to a tech-nical school. His army training set these original ideas aside.

Magana is in the U.S. Army and has wanted to be since he was six. He was deployed from Nov. 5, 2014 to Sept. 28, 2015. He wanted to be the first to enlist in the military over his friends because he “always wanted to lead from the front, [he] never wanted to do the norm,” he said. Juan, his older brother, who is also a Marine, also influenced him.

Juan had made a difference in Magana’s life as a father figure since he never met his father. He was an inspiration to be a role model for others.

“I wanted to be Juan in their eyes. So I chose teaching,” Magana said.
Currently, he teaches at Lower Macungie Middle School in Pa., for his professional semester, while working at FedEx in the evenings. Lower Macungie is the first suburban setting that he has been in.

Magana pushes for teaching social issues, the importance of the environment and staying healthy. “I want to be a significant role model for our youth,” said Magana.

He practices this advocacy for health in his own lifestyle, too. His favorite hobby is going to the gym, and he enjoys running an occasional 5k race. For his meals, he cooks with fresh ingredi-ents. Environmentally, he stops at no expense to get eco-friendly house cleaners, detergent and personal hygiene products.