MEDIA RELEASE

Hard Work Pays Off for Students as They Prepare to Graduate

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., May 9, 2008) — Graduation 2008 will break a California State University, Northridge record with 10,051 students invited to participate in this year’s commencement ceremonies.

The ceremonies celebrate not only the academic achievement of the students, but also their tenacity and determination to get a college education.

"Our students have worked hard to get to this day," CSUN President Jolene Koester said. "Many of our students are the first in their families to go to college. Some have juggled two jobs and full course loads. Others have dealt with family obligations, 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 opportunities for individuals to achieve their dreams."

Below is a short list of some of the extraordinary graduates:

• Kerry Nicole Bobeczko, B. A., Journalism

When Kerry Bobeczko, 24, was looking at colleges, she said CSUN, with its deaf and hard-of-hearing program, made choosing the university "a no-brainer."

"I am hard of hearing, and have been raised orally," she explained. "I lived a different life of not having the typical ‘deafness’ that the majority of the deaf population has. My doctors have often called me a ‘medical mystery’—they have yet to discover a solution. Most deaf adults lack their hearing and that is all. My deafness is accompanied by severe tinnitus (ringing of the ears), vertigo, and severe inner ear pain that can take months to dissipate."

Because there is no cure and her symptoms come and go without warning, the Orange County resident sometimes found it difficult to attend class, perform in school and complete assignments. When she was relatively symptom-free, she worked overtime to catch up. She started CSUN in 2002 intent on becoming an audiologist, but switched to marketing and public relations. "I took a few classes…and fell in love with P.R."

An incident early in her academic career, in which an instructor criticized her public speaking ability, did not discourage her dreams, but did make her hesitant about speaking in front of a group.

She remained silent until her last semester at CSUN, when her advisor, public relations professor Lori Baker-Schena, helped her overcome her fear and finally persuaded her to talk in class.

"Now we have a joke about how when she first met me I wouldn’t talk and now she can’t shut me up," Bobeczko said. "She gave me the confidence I needed. And, because of the confidence she gave me in my presentation skills." She now travel across the country making presentations for the printing company for which she works.

Bobesczko said one of the most important lesson’s she learned at CSUN was that one person’s opinion is not everyone’s opinion. "Don’t let one person’s ignorance prevent you from developing what could potentially be what you’re made for," she said. "Once I realized that people could really understand what I was saying, I learned that I had a real passion and a knack for presenting."

Bobeczko completed her course work in December, and will take part in the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication’s ceremony at 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, May 21.

• Jose A. Garcia, B. A., Anthropology

Jose Garcia, 25, will begin work on a master’s degree in forensic anthropology this fall at Cal State Los Angeles and plans to pursue a doctorate. He hopes to return to Cal State Northridge as a professor.

"Isn’t that everybody’s dream? This is why we made it, because of them (the faculty), because of the department and because of the university," Garcia said. "If it wasn’t for them, who knows what would have happened?"

Few, including his mother, expected him to succeed after he joined a gang at the age of 12 shortly after moving to South Los Angeles from Mexico. His activities landed him in Juvenile Hall. When he got out, his mom put him out. Homeless at the age of 16, Garcia spent a week on the streets until his aunt took him into her home in North Hollywood.

"That side of the family really stressed education," he said. His cousins were going to college; including one at Northridge. Garcia decided that’s what he wanted to do as well. But first, he had to finish high school after falling behind by more than a year.

To graduate on time, he took a heavy class load, and for extra credit volunteered as an autopsy assistant at the morgue of a local hospital. While working with the medical examiner, he "fell in love" with forensic anthropology.

"There are situations where you are working with homicide investigators and you find human remains. The forensic anthropologist has to figure out when that person died, how they died, age and ancestry," Garcia said.

He attended Los Angeles Valley Community College and transferred to Northridge three years ago.

At CSUN, Garcia depended on financial aid and jobs, while continuing to live with his aunt. A year ago, a relative died and he was asked to pay for the funeral and back rent for family members who had lost their main provider. Financially burdened but determined, he refused to give up. He brought lunch from home because he couldn’t afford to buy food on campus.

"I rarely complain about anything, because at least…I get to eat tomorrow," he said. "I never let anything stop me. No matter how bad it is, I keep going because I know somebody’s always worse off than me."

He has a message for other young people with backgrounds similar to his. "Don’t give up," he said. "Listen to people who are trying to help you. If you want to do something, don’t just talk about it. Sit down and create an educational map to know where you are going. Keep going until you reach it. Understand things are not so easy in life. You have to work hard to reach your goal."

Garcia will take part in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences’ commencement ceremony at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21.

• Stefon A. Jones, B. S., Business Administration

Stefon A. Jones, 22, is going to be the first in his family to graduate from college. But growing up in Northern California, his life didn’t seem headed in that direction.

He bounced from place to place while his mother and stepfather struggled with drug additions. "[My mother] was in and out of rehab. That separated us," he said. When his mother was away, Jones lived with his father until his dad moved to Sacramento. "He was always there for me, but he wasn’t always in the same area," Jones said.

Jones stopped applying himself in school and his grades suffered. Needing a change of scenery, he temporarily moved to Reseda to live with an aunt and attend the ninth grade at Cleveland High School. "I loved it so much. Going there changed my whole life around. I wanted to come back to Southern California," he said.

Armed with a new attitude, he returned to the Bay Area with a goal: to go to college. "I didn’t want what happened to my parents to happen to me," he said. "I wanted to be the role model for my entire family."

He enrolled at CSUN—the only college he applied to—four years ago. To pay for school, he worked at Home Depot, took student loans, and received some financial aid.

His years at CSUN’s Department of Business Law have impressed him. "The teachers are very warm and inviting. They are also very knowledgeable. People don’t know that a lot of them have had very successful careers. Some still have them, and teach on the side," he said.

Jones will attend Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles this fall. His new goal is to become an entertainment lawyer or corporate attorney.

His advice for someone in a similar situation: "Just focus and know there are better things out there. All anyone expects you to do is your best."

Jones will participate in the university’s Honors Convocation at 6 p.m., Monday, May 19, and in the College of Business and Economics’ commencement ceremony at 8 a.m. the next day.

• Grace H. Smith, B. A., Spanish
  Steven Smith, B.S., Business Administration

Grace Smith, 45, of Canyon Country, is looking forward to donning a cap and gown for the College of Humanities’ 6:30 p.m. ceremony on Tuesday, May 20. Hours before she graduates, however, she will watch as her oldest son Steven receives his degree in business administration with a business law option at the College of Business and Economics’ ceremony at 8 a.m.

Steven Smith took the traditional route to get his college education, entering CSUN in 2003 straight out of high school. His mother took a less direct approach.

Grace Smith graduated from high school in 1980. She immediately enrolled at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, where she earned a liberal arts associate’s degree and then went on to attend nursing school for a year, got married and had three children.

"That kind of stalled me," she said.

Eager to teach at the preschool her children attended, Grace Smith completed a two-year program in early childhood education at College of the Canyons. When the school’s owner decided to expand the program into an elementary, junior high and high school, Smith had to reassess her career goals. The school’s owner asked Smith, who is bilingual, to head a Spanish program that starts in kindergarten and becomes full immersion in the fourth grade.

"That pushed me into coming back to college and getting my B.A. in Spanish so I could progress with the school, and be ready to teach high school in a couple of years," she said.

She enrolled at CSUN two years ago and scheduled her classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and in the evenings so she could continue teaching. The campus surprised her.

"It was really nice to see that all the students weren’t 20-somethings," Smith said. And she had someone at home who truly understood the demands of a college student’s life.

"I think he’s proud of me," she said, referring to her son, Steven.

"I was proud of her for going back to school," Steven, 23, said, "and doing so well. She wants her degree so she can pursue more teaching opportunities. My dad went back to school also, several years ago, to get his bachelor’s and then his master’s."

Although Grace and Steven Smith didn’t share classes, they had similar schedules that allowed them to carpool one day a week during the past semester. They took turns driving.

In the fall, Grace Smith plans to pursue a master’s degree in Spanish linguistics or literature and eventually get a Ph.D. After graduation, Steven plans to work for a while and then go on to law school.