This feature originally appeared in the Summer edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.



The walk he took in 2017 would not have been possible without the walk he took in 2000.
 
Former Cal distance runner Ivan Gonzalez graduated in 2017, walking across the stage in the Pauley Ballroom to receive his diploma from the greatest public institution of higher learning on the planet. Seventeen years earlier, he took a much more uncertain walk – one that presented danger and hope at the same time.
 
It was the year 2000 that Antonio Gonzalez decided it was time to take his family from their home in Mexico City and cross the border into the United States in search of a better life. Ivan, Antonio's son, was only 5 years old at the time but the family made the trek to California nonetheless – with Ivan's mom, Patricia, pregnant with a soon-to-be younger sister.
 
It was a harrowing journey. The family drove close to the border then spent about four days making the rest of the trip on foot - only traveling at night to make it harder to be seen.
 
"My dad told me we are going to play a game of Cops and Robbers," Ivan said. "He just said to make sure I was quiet at all times."
 
That wasn't always easy. Because they only traveled at night, one time Ivan got poked in the eye by a stick. He wanted to scream, but his dad put his hand over his mouth.
 
"My dad knew if I were to scream, we would probably get caught," Ivan said. "I probably wouldn't be here today."
 
Ivan is here, and serving as an inspiration to undocumented immigrants in Kern County in California's Central Valley. The inspiration is a result of a resolve and spirit that leaves those around Ivan Gonzalez overcome with admiration.
 
"He gives you hope," said Ivan's girlfriend, Angelica Rojo. "He wants to go back to his community to help out students like himself. Anywhere he is, people love him."
 
The Gonzalez family made it successfully across the border and into San Ysidro, where they were met by his aunt and uncle who lived in Los Angeles. They lived in an apartment in L.A. for three years before ultimately settling in Bakersfield, where Ivan negotiated a challenging childhood, learning a new language while trying to fit in as an undocumented immigrant.
 
His life took a new course when he began playing for the soccer team at Ridgeview High School. Cross country coach Adam Setser, who had Ivan in his freshman health class, spotted him doing a two-mile run as part of conditioning for the soccer team. Setser had already thought Ivan would make a good runner because of his tall, lanky physique.
 
"Ivan was running all by himself. Literally, a minute later everyone else came running by," Setser said.
 
Setser asked if he was interested in running for the cross country team, but Ivan declined. When Setser asked him again the following year, Ivan took him up on his offer.
 
"I've been doing it awhile. I could see some talent there," Setser said. "I told him he could be a section champ in the 800."
 
Setser knew what he was talking about. Ivan won the CIF Central Section 800-meter championship as a junior and the CIF state title his senior year.
 
Because of his undocumented status and his later development as an elite runner, Ivan didn't receive much attention from Division I colleges. But Cal head coach Tony Sandoval watched him run at the state meet and immediately took notice.
 
"I didn't know anything about him until we got to the state meet," Sandoval said. "He was very impressive. We sought him out after the race and he told us that he wasn't getting a lot of interest, and he thought it was because he was undocumented."
 
With help from the California Dream Act, Gonzalez was able to secure a full scholarship to attend Cal.
 
"It felt like something out of a movie," Antonio Gonzalez said. "Honestly, we could not afford to pay for Ivan's education at that university. I'm incredibly proud of my son. I had no doubt he would accomplish any goals he had established and had arranged for his life."
 
Ivan was a dependable member of the Bears' stable of runners during his time at Cal, and got involved on campus as a research assistant for Kasra Sotudeh of the Athletic Study Center and with the UndocuAlly program that trains faculty and staff about the issues facing undocumented students. He earned his degree in social welfare.
 
"If you would have told me as a 5-year old kid crossing the border that I was going to be able to graduate from the best public university in the world, I would have thought it's a joke," Ivan said. "I remember sitting down on the first day of summer bridge and the guy told us we were at the best public university in the world. I wanted to run out. I thought there was no way I was going to make it."
 
Ivan is now enrolled in a master's program at Cal State Bakersfield and in the spring was awarded the Oscar Geballe Postgraduate Scholarship, a $10,000 stipend for postgraduate studies that's given to a current or former Cal student-athlete that combines scholarship and athletics. He's also a program coordinator for Youth 2 Leaders, a nonprofit organization in Bakersfield that helps low-income and underrepresented students plan and pay for college.
 
"He has a very good story that connects with a lot of kids and families that we work with," Youth 2 Leaders Executive Director Frank Ramirez said. "He wanted the opportunity to help kids in the same situation he was in – help them learn how to access post-secondary education. He has an amazing story and he's grown to be very inspirational to many people. His story never loses its impact."
 
Ivan never considered going anywhere else other than back home after earning his degree. He hopes to create a parent center for undocumented immigrants that provides resources about going to college.
 
"There are a lot of parents who have a lot of fear for something they shouldn't even be fearful about," Ivan said. "It goes back to a lack of knowledge and awareness. I want to work with parents and make them aware of how these programs help their students, and that they are backed up by acts that protect their information."
 
"He's got a huge heart," said Setser, choking up as he speaks about him. "The steps he took to go to a university, period – much less, Cal – is just phenomenal. He knew how hard it would be once he got there. To be able to do it and graduate in four years is just amazing. Now, he just wants to do what he can to help kids and help people."