University Advancement

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NEWS RELEASE

Determination Pays Off as Nearly 10,000 CSUN Students Prepare to Graduate

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., May 21, 2007) — A record-breaking 9,823 students have been invited to walk across a stage at Cal State Northridge later this month to celebrate their graduation from the university.

At the ceremony, university officials will recognize academic achievement, but also the tenacity and dedication of people determined to get a college education.

"Our students have worked hard to get to this day," said Northridge President Jolene Koester. "Many of our students are the first in their families to go to college. Some have juggled two jobs and a full course load. Others have dealt with family obligations—such as single parents—cultural barriers or physical challenges. Regardless of what they encountered, these students were determined to complete their education. They are truly what Cal State Northridge is all about—providing an opportunity for individuals to achieve their dreams."

Here is a short list of some of these extraordinary graduates:

• Rene Fleischbein, M.A., English

Fleischbein credits her 15-year-old daughter, Savana, with getting her where she is today, on the verge of earning her master’s degree in English with a spot waiting for her this fall in a doctoral program at the University of Southern Mississippi. "She’s been my rock, and a reminder of why I need to work hard to achieve my dreams," she said.

Life hasn’t been easy for the 38-year-old Oxnard resident. She was taking community college classes in the late 1980s when she met Savana’s father, a German national. They married in 1990 and moved to Germany. The marriage didn’t work out, and Fleischbein returned to Oxnard in 1994, small child in tow, and resumed her studies at the local community college.

That’s where she met her second husband, a native Palestinian from Jordan. They were married in 1996. She then transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her bachelor’s in English in just over a year. Fleischbein said her second husband could be supportive at times, but he was also emotionally abusive.

Things got worse after 9/11, when her husband was deported and the family moved to Jordan. The abuse escalated into physical assaults. She said she was lucky in that her in-laws realized that her husband was dangerous, and supported her decision to leave him and return to the United States. "He could have easily killed me, claimed it was an honor killing, and gotten away with it," she said.

Fleischbein said she realized that she wanted to set a better example for her daughter. She returned to Oxnard, began working as a substitute teacher, and with the support of her parents, Robert and Mary Fleischbein, applied to Northridge in 2004 to get her master’s in English. "My parents basically said ‘You do what you need to do, and we’ll be there for you,’" she said. "I hope to some day return to CSUN as a professor."

Fleischbein will be taking part in the College of Humanities’ commencement ceremony at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 31, on the lawn of the Oviatt Library in the center of the campus.

• Osvaldo Larios, B.A., French

The desire to share the benefits of a natural born American citizen drew Larios to Northridge. "I was not about to let my disadvantaged background and my family’s income status prevent me from achieving my dreams," he said.

Larios enrolled at CSUN in the fall of 2002 and soon discovered French. "I knew I wanted a career in the medical field, but I felt it was important to major in something I enjoyed," he said.

Larios’ family moved to the U.S. from Mexico in 1991, when Osvaldo was 7 years old, enduring many hardships along the way. His father fixed appliances while his mother cleaned houses, relying on public transportation to get to their jobs and send their kids to school. "Growing up in the U.S., being from another country, has been really difficult," he said.

Complicating matters was the cost of a college education. "The first two years of my education, my parents paid for, which was really difficult for them since my brother was going to a two-year college and my sister was about to graduate from high school."

Larios took a job, which helped ease the burden during his last two years. "Thanks to the installment plan, we were just barely able to make it work," he said. "Every three or four months we had to go through the same routine of making those payments, but it was helpful.

"Having to struggle economically each semester has made me appreciate the value of my studies," the 24-year-old said.

After graduation, he plans to apply to medical school. He wants to become a cardiovascular surgeon.

Larios will take part in the College of Humanities’ commencement ceremony.

• Patricia Lawrence, B.A., Liberal Studies

Growing up, Lawrence, 47, regularly encountered obstacles as she tried to navigate the world and deal with her cerebral palsy. Add to that a barrage of negative comments about her dream of going to college, and it seemed like a bachelor’s degree was out of the question. But appearances can be deceiving, for Lawrence was determined to prove people wrong.

Dissuaded from pursuing an independent life by some people, the Northridge resident set herself a goal to develop the skills to be as self-sufficient as possible.

"A friend of mine who also has cerebral palsy earned her master’s degree in education when there were no ‘special accommodations’ like there are nowadays," said Lawrence. If her friend could do it, then Lawrence was convinced she too could exceed the limits others imposed on her.

Her experiences made her determined to help people transcend mental, physical or social barriers. She enrolled at Cal State Northridge in 1995. She said she has drawn some of her strength from the faculty at CSUN who worked with her and supported her efforts to get her degree.

"A person who has a disability has two choices: either they could lay in bed all day and let someone take care of them, or the person, meaning me, can get up each and every day and do the best I can to show the people around me that I am trying to live a life with a disability," Lawrence said. "My disability does not control me, I control my disability. I am still a person with dreams, goals and desires of the heart, just like an able bodied person!"

Lawrence’s work as a tutor for young children gave her goals focus. "Students are being passed on to the next grade without mastering the subjects from the grade they are presently in," she said. "I want to work one-on-one with students who are lacking in basic skills so they can succeed."

With her graduation this month, Lawrence said she has proven not only to herself, but to others that she succeeded on her own merit. "I have come to believe that until they are in my shoes, people should never tell someone else what they can’t do," said Lawrence. "It wasn’t easy, but I persevered and here I am, ready to graduate."

Lawrence will walk in the College of Humanities’ commencement ceremony.

• Cynthia Lieberman, B.A., Cinema and Television Arts

With a graduation announcement titled "Degree at Last! Degree at Last!" Lieberman holds firm to the belief that "it’s never too late to become what you might have been."

Her educational career began in 1977 shortly after a tragic car accident that claimed the life of her best friend. After months of physical therapy, she entered Los Angeles Valley College, earning her GE degree. She then entered CSUN with an interest in radio, television and film.

In the midst of her educational pursuits, Lieberman was already gaining headway with a career in the entertainment industry. She started at age 19, as an assistant to the head of the payroll department for Warner Bros. in 1978. She got her first break into management at Columbia Pictures Television in 1984, and by 1989, she had moved up to head of corporate communications for Fox Inc. where she reported directly to the chairman of the studio.

"Life became complicated very quickly. I was offered this great job. My husband and I also had a two-year old at the time. I didn’t really see the need to finish," she said. Years later, Lieberman went on to top tier positions in marketing and publicity for every studio except Disney.

Now the vice president of media relations for Sony Pictures Television, Lieberman decided it was time to take care of some unfinished business. She returned to CSUN in fall 2005 to complete what she had started nearly three decades earlier.

"I have more experience this time around. I felt I really understood the subjects and it was enlightening to see how far I had come," said Lieberman.

Though elevating, Lieberman said that finishing her degree has not come without sacrifice. Two-thirds of her education was earned taking night classes, all the while developing a career and raising a family. "The hardest part has always been juggling a family life and ambition, and that hasn’t changed," she said.

Lieberman recalled standing in line for her cap and gown as an emotionally charged experience. "When I reached the head of the line, I looked at the girl with the roster, thinking ‘my name’s not going to be on it." Then I saw it, and burst into tears. I had to go outside and collect myself," she said.

She is planning to pursue a second degree in sociology. "My long term outlook is to take all this education and experience and use these gifts in an organization which focuses on benefiting others from a sociological perspective," she said.

Lieberman will take part in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication commencement ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30, on the lawn of the Oviatt Library.

• Alejandro Molina, B.A., Theatre

For much of his life, Molina dreamed of establishing a theater company that put on its own productions featuring local talent. It would also provide an after-school cultural center for young people that would inspire them to break out of the poverty that marks much of the northeast San Fernando Valley. But without an education, the 41-year-old native of Mexico said his future "looked chaotic."

Molina came to the United States in 1989 from Arteaga, Michoacán, with an invitation to study and perform with the Los Angeles-based bilingual Latin-American theater collective, Tatalejos. He began teaching after-school drama classes to children in Pacoima and San Fernando and co-founded a community-based theater group, Tres Culturas. To make ends meet, he worked in a drapery company, restaurants and as a swap meet vendor.

"I knew I wasn’t going to really succeed if I didn’t get a proper education," Molina said. The first step was to learn proper English, "the most difficult thing I ever had to do," he said.

He enrolled in English classes at the North East Valley Occupational Center, and then Mission College, which was particularly challenging "because I had to put in an extra effort to practice my lessons and pay my expenses," he said. "Many times, I found myself studying and repeating the lessons like a weird character speaking to itself on the bus to and from school."

With the support of his wife, Maria Santa Cruz, whom he calls his "angel," Molina quit his jobs and devoted himself full time to his studies while his wife worked as a housekeeper to pay their bills.

When he transferred to Northridge two years ago, Molina was terrified "because I knew the challenges would be even greater, particularly since English is my second language."

"I wasn’t sure where the money would come from, but luckily the unconditional support of my wife, the motivation of my teachers, financial aid and the desire to influence children positively through theater gave me the strength to continue," he said.

Molina will be taking part in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communications’ commencement ceremony.

He hopes to open a theater company in the Northeast San Fernando Valley that offers after-school programs for children. In the meantime, he’s preparing to support his wife as she applies to college.

• Elaine Paletz Nashick, B.A., English Literature

Nashick said her mother has been her inspiration throughout her life. And now, about to receive her bachelor’s degree at age 66, she hopes she can become an inspiration to her children and grandchildren.

"My mom lived until she was 92, and she lived to the fullest," said Nashick, a native of Southern California. "She was a homemaker for years and then went to work after my brother was born. The old ways left her and she came out of her shell."

Nashick’s mother always told her it is never too late to follow dreams. Nashick shared her mother’s energetic thirst for life. "I’ve always been really good at multitasking, I can do a bunch of different things at once," she said. Case in point, the past two years have seen her juggling full time school, job and family.

Nashick first enrolled at what was then San Fernando Valley State College (now CSUN) in 1959 straight out of high school. "Back then it was not a priority," she said. After only two semesters, she dropped out of school to marry and pursue a career in accounting.

Nashick’s first marriage lasted 17 years and included the adoption of two sons. Her second marriage lasted 22 years, resulting in two more children.

The demands of wife and mother were matched by the weight of a full-time job.

As her career seemed to level out, Nashick suspected it was because she hadn’t finished college. "I always regretted not having my bachelor’s degree; I couldn’t advance in my career without it," she said.

Her career plateau, coupled with the need to distract herself from the pains of a second divorce, spurred her to return to school. Nashick tested the waters, enrolling in an online class with her daughter at College of the Canyons. "I did well and started taking other classes and before you know it, I earned my associate’s degree," she said. She was readmitted to CSUN in 2005, 47 years after first setting foot on campus.

Nashick will participate in the College of Humanities’ commencement ceremony.