Alum Profile: Mson Gongora ‘steps up’ in his education pathway through love of dance
Story by Heather Porrello. Photos by Ric Getter.
Mson Gongora talks with PCC Board Trustee Mari Watanabe.
Mson Gongora, 22, graduated from Portland Community College last spring with dual associate degrees in Science and General Studies. And while he likes to think of himself as just a regular guy, his story is anything but ordinary.
A child of immigrant parents, he is half Mexican and half Chuukese and is the first in his family to graduate from high school and attend college. For him, school is the practical path, one he hopes will someday land him a job in social media marketing. But his real passion lies in the performing arts — singing, acting, music, and dancing.
Gongora started dancing at the age of seven after seeing a movie called “Step Up” with Channing Tatum. In the movie, Tatum lives in low-income housing, and dance becomes his outlet.
“That, for me, is why representation matters,” he said. “Although he doesn’t look like me, the character’s upbringing (growing up in Section 8 housing) represented how I felt.”
As a young kid, Gongora was very shy: head low, eyes jutting towards the ground. But dancing gave him confidence.
During his time off from school, he plans to spend time training in Los Angeles and visit The Bronx.
“It made me feel good like I can be myself and can express myself freely,” he said.
Gongora describes himself as self-taught and didn’t take his first dance class until he was 17. He learned how to dance by watching YouTube tutorials and mimicking the moves he saw in music videos. He took a break from dancing for a few years in high school when he discovered musical theater, which fulfilled all his interests: music, singing, dancing and acting.
“Acting forced me to sit with conversation, to speak slowly with intent and annunciation,” he said. “I got to portray other people… I got to make people feel things.”
In 2020, Gongora was accepted into AMDA, a performing arts college in Los Angeles. But with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, he could not justify spending thousands of dollars to sit through a Zoom class from his home in Portland.
Then, in his senior year, he learned about a scholarship opportunity through his high school’s college career center. He applied and was awarded a scholarship through PCC’s Future Connect Program, a program for students who identify as first-generation or low-income.
“I was jumping for joy because I could potentially go to college for cheap, if not free, which is what any student wants,” Gongora said.
For the essay portion of the application, Gongora wrote about the positive influence his grandmother had on him growing up.
“She’s the type of woman who would give you the shirt off her back,” he said. “When she was diagnosed with cancer, I took it out on everybody.”
But then he had a wake-up call: “This is not how she raised me. Let’s try to be a better person.”
His scholarship essay also described the impact he wants to leave on his community.
“When I was younger I didn’t see a lot of people who look like me on TV,” he wrote. “I don’t think anyone should look up to anyone because we are all our own people, and also, I’m just a regular person. But I think it’s important to see people who look like you doing things that you would want to do. Whether that be acting, singing, being a lawyer, being a cook, being a doctor, as long as you see someone who looks like you who can do that, it gives you hope. Like okay, if he or she or they can do it, I want to do it.”
Gongora with PCC President Dr. Adrien Bennings.
PCC’s Future Connect Scholarship made up the biggest contribution towards his education but he also received funding from other sources like the Oregon Opportunity Grant, the Pell Grant and a PCC Foundation scholarship. He incurred no debt, having paid for college solely through grants and scholarships.
“Higher education won’t magically give you the job, but it gives you the tools to help you get there,” Gongora added. “It opens the door for you and you’re the reason you have to walk through it.”
His path to graduation hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. He has had to combat seasonal depression and burnout, which is one reason why he plans to take a two-year break from school after graduating to pursue his aspirations in the performing arts.
During his time off from school, he plans to spend time training in Los Angeles. He also plans to go to New York, specifically The Bronx, which is a place of significance for him: It’s the birthplace of hip-hop and his introduction into dance.
Gongora has already had some time in the spotlight, having gone to the state competition with his high school choir and singing with Avi Kaplan, the original base vocalist for the acapella group Pentatonix. He also had a stint dancing with the Rip City Crew, the dancers for the Portland Trail Blazers, from 2021 to 2023 while attending PCC full-time.
Gongora chatting with former Portland Mayor Sam Adams (left) and Director of College Success Programs Josh Laurie.
Performing has taught him to have thick skin.
“Entertainment is really shallow,” he said. “That’s one harsh aspect of what pursuing performing arts can give you, but think of the benefits it gives you: community, a sense of belonging, people you would not want to trade for anything, new friends, and new opportunities.”
Though he started with hip-hop, through this community, he has found so many other different styles and says it is important to educate yourself on something you love.
He hopes to one day land a role in an Off Broadway show, and says that for him, Broadway is not the be-all and end-all. He just wants to perform–to keep singing and dancing. “Dancing is everything to me,” he said.
Gongora wants to inspire other kids like himself, urging them to go against the grain.
“Specifically, first-generation students: Your parents will tell you to be a doctor or something with a higher paying wage because they fought to get you where you are,” Gongora explained. “But I think it’s important for kids to pursue what they want because they love it.”
When he’s not performing or in school, Gongora can be found working at The Grotto, playing video games like “Mass Effect 2,” or eating pineapple pizza. He’s looking forward to trying the big New York-style slices.
“When I go, that’s the first thing I’m going to do: pizza first and dance class second,” he said.
Whether it’s applying for scholarships or performing on stage, Gongora says it’s best to be authentic. He recalls a quote he heard while watching the film “Fighting with My Family,” starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson: “Don’t worry about being the next me, be the first you.”