California State University, Northridge

May 16, 1997

Contact: Carmen Ramos Chandler,
(818) 677-2130
cchandler@exec.csun.edu

Despite Odds, Students Realize Dreams

"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 to deal with family obligations, often as single parents," said Ron Kopita, vice president for student affairs. "But the thing they all have in common is the fact they have met and conquered whatever the obstacle was to get an education."

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

• Jo-ana and Monique D'Balcazar, B.As. in Speech Communication
  Only last year, 16-year-old Monique and her 35-year-old mother, Jo-ana, received their associate degrees from Valley College. The Panorama City duo will receive their bachelor degrees together at 8 a.m. on May 30 on the Oviatt Lawn.

  Monique was an honors student at a private school in Los Angeles when her teachers encouraged her to graduate early and go to college. Worried that her daughter was too young, Jo-ana decided to join her.

  The D'Balcazars, who will graduate from CSUN with honors, plan to continue their education together, pursuing either masters' in public administration or law degrees.

• Carmen and Jose Gallardo, Masters in Engineering Management
  When Carmen Sotelo and Jose Gallardo first enrolled in the university's masters program in 1992, they were single and working full-time at Hughes Aircraft Co. The classes were being offered, via television, in a classroom set aside in the defense company's facilities in El Segundo.

  A lot has changed since then. Carmen and Jose, who still work full-time on a missile detector program at Hughes, got married two years later, and the following year had a little girl. In the meantime, as enrollment dropped, the interactive television program at Hughes was discontinued and the Gallardos were forced to finish their studies via the internet. They took their last two classes this year at Cal State Long Beach.

  "It was closer than driving all the way to Northridge," said Carmen Gallardo, who lives with her husband in Paramount. "The professors at Northridge realized it would be easier for us."

  "After we had the baby, I was seriously considering not continuing on for my degree," said Carmen Gallardo. "But I was so close. W were lucky that we were in the program together because we supported each other and encouraged each other to finish."

  The Gallardos will drive out to Northridge on May 29 to receive their masters degrees in the College of Engineering and Computer Science commencement ceremony at 11:30 a.m. at the University Club.

• Jacqueline Greene, Masters in Early Childhood Special Education
  Northridge resident Greene had been a social worker for several years, working with physically disabled adults. But that wasn't what she wanted to do. So in 1995, Greene-who is visually impaired-returned to college to fulfill her dream of working with parents whose infants or toddlers are disabled.

  Using public transportation, Greene has spent the last year fulfilling her student teaching requirement by taking the bus to Liggett Street Elementary School in Panorama City where she taught preschool.

  Greene, 30, will receive her diploma at 11:30 a.m. on May 30 during the College of Education's commencement ceremony at the University Club.

• Hsifang Huang, B.A. in Economics
  Five years ago, Huang was a soldier in the Taiwanese army working as secretary for a colonel and undergoing special military training. But he dreamed of getting a "good education at someplace like Northridge," he said.

  Huang came to CSUN in 1993. He admits the first year was tough. Lectures were often hard to understand because of language difficulties and adjusting to American culture took a little getting used to.

  "In the army, you have no freedom," he said. "In the U.S., you have more freedom than we do in all of Taiwan."

  Huang will receive his diploma on May 28 with the College of Business Administration and Economics at 8 a.m. on the Oviatt Lawn after acing (and we don't mean with anything less than an A) his economics, finance and math courses. He will be going to graduate school in the fall.

• Vinh Tung Pham, B.S. in Environmental Chemistry
  Pham can still remember her first thoughts when she saw Los Angeles six years ago. As a refugee from Vietnam and the daughter of a former South Vietnamese army officer, she said she had lost hope for her future.

  "I remember when I walked out of the L.A. airport. The streets were full of cars. There were lights everywhere. It was at night," she said. "I felt so overwhelmed. I really can't explain the feeling-for the first time, I felt hope for the future."

  Terrified that her rudimentary English was incomprehensible, Pham spent her first year in the United States in an adult school studying English and taking college preparatory classes. She eventually attended a community college, and enrolled at Northridge in 1991.

  Pham, 24, has been accepted by USC's Pharmacy School and will begin work on her graduate degree this fall. She will receive her diploma from the College of Science and Mathematics at 11:30 a.m. on May 28 at the University Club.

• Alfredo Torrijos, B.A. in Business Administration
  Torrijos, 23, is the first in his family to graduate from college, and it hasn't been easy. He works 30 to 40 hours a week while attending college full time. But his dedication has paid off. He scored in the 97th percentile in his Law School Admission Test, and has been asked by Yale Law School to apply to their program.

  Torrijos' parents, who came from Mexico, have always stressed the importance of education. His father, a truck driver, refused to let his son get a truck driving license, insisting that education come first. Instead, Torrijos works 8-12 hours a week as his father's mechanic and bookkeeper.

  The Granada Hills resident also works 24-26 hours week at Litton Industries, helping design the company's new accounting package. The job started as an internship but, when the senior accountant on the project quit, Torrijos was offered the job of overseeing the package's implementation.

  Editors Note: If you are interested in contacting these students, please call (818) 677-2130.
  

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