Hurricane Helene didn’t dim this new Tar Heel’s spirit

Last September, Mateo Magana woke up at 6 a.m. in his Swannanoa home. The power was out, Hurricane Helene was raging, and his grandparents shone flashlights at both Magana and his sister, Taya, to wake them up.

The family needed to evacuate.

By the time Magana stepped outside, the Helene floodwater was already at his ankles, rushing in from the Swannanoa River only a few hundred yards away. In a matter of days, the basement flooded, the muddied floors caved in, and the house that Magana grew up in — raised by his grandparents — was effectively destroyed.

How Magana acted next is emblematic of the kind of person he is — and the kind of character he brings to Chapel Hill as a first-year Carolina student. In the aftermath of the storm, Magana volunteered in recovery efforts. Working with the local Ingles Market, Magana helped distribute food to fellow hurricane victims in Buncombe County.

Magana’s community means a lot to him, and engaging with it is one of his key values.

“I feel like I really have dedicated so much of myself to being a figure in the community,” Magana said. “I want to be someone who people can look up to and someone who embodies what it means to be spirited.”

That spirit, essential to Magana’s identity, is why he was so beloved by his peers at Charles D. Owen High School that they voted to name him both homecoming king and prom king.

Magana was one of the most accomplished high school cheerleaders in the state, especially among his male peers. While cheering on the Owen High School War Horses, Magana earned All-American honors three times from the Universal Cheerleaders Association and was named a North Carolina all-region and all-state cheerleader.

This past year, Magana and the rest of the cheerleading team won the state title.

“I love being on the sidelines doing flips,” Magana said. “I find joy in the reactions I get from the people and working the crowd and getting them excited. I’m very dedicated to school spirit. Your school spirit says so much about who you are and where you come from, and so I feel very, very in touch with that.”

Magana’s spark hasn’t dimmed despite his trying experience with Helene. Though there’s still work to be done, fortunately Magana’s house was rebuilt earlier this year, and Swannanoa is gradually moving back toward normalcy.

Now, Magana can shift his attention toward a fresh start at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he hopes to study environmental science and political science first and eventually environmental law.

Much like he did in high school, Magana intends to bring plenty of school spirit to the Tar Heel community — though he said he’s unsure if he’ll continue cheerleading. Magana said Carolina has been his top choice since he was a child, growing up in a family that rooted for the Tar Heels and against the Duke Blue Devils.

Leaving home is a little nerve-wracking, especially after the devastation of Helene, but Magana said he loves a good adventure.

“At the forefront of my mind is fully submerging myself in the social experience at Carolina,” Magana said. “Coming from a small town, I’m really excited to meet new people and to build connections and to join various organizations at UNC. Because I am very extroverted, I thrive off social interaction.

“I can’t wait for the social atmosphere, and I’m really excited to pursue my personal passions in environmental science and political science.”