MEDIA RELEASE

CSUN Students Receive Recognition for Service

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., March 26, 2008) — Cal State Northridge students Jasmine Rausch and Irving Bernal were recognized by the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) for their outstanding service and involvement within the community.

Rausch has been awarded the Scholar of Promise and the President’s Volunteer Service Awards for completing more than 100 hours of youth-community service over a 12-month period. Bernal also received the Scholar of Promise Service Award for dedicating more than 50 hours of service.

"The Scholar of Promise Award is a great way to recognize students for their commitment to service, which is one of the pillars of NSCS," said the program’s executive director Stephen E. Loflin. "Both Rausch and Bernal are excellent examples of what making a difference is all about."

NSCS supports individual service efforts to improve the lives of children and recognizes those who do as Scholars of Promise. In partnership with America’s Promise — The Alliance for Youth, NSCS encourages members to provide young people with the fundamental needs that every child deserves.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to go to college, being the first in my family to do so," said Bernal. "This recognition will be of great benefit to me in the future. It is the beginning of a future in which I will achieve bigger and better things."

Rausch was pleased and surprised to discover that NSCS had recognized her efforts in bettering the community, but felt the true reward came from knowing that she made a difference in the world.

"I volunteer to tutor kids who don’t get enough one-on-one attention in their everyday classes," she said. "If you have something that others don’t it is rewarding to be able to help and give back."

California State University, Northridge has 35,200 full- and part-time students and offers 64 bachelor’s and 50 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.