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

Two Students to be Honored at CSUN's
Ventura Campus Commencement

Randy Ortiz, 40, of Ventura, and Victoria L. Palmer-Abernathy, 34, also of Ventura, will receive special recognition in the commencement program for their contributions to the campus.

"Victoria is a truly special person. Her uncompromising commitment to excellence and service to others are inspirations to all that know her," said George Morten, coordinator of student affairs for the Ventura Campus. "Randy is a remarkably talented individual fiercely committed to becoming a high school teacher. He works at a full-time job, attends college, and still has time to be a parent. He is a shining example of what sets Ventura students apart from most other students."

The ceremony is slated to begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 28, at the future site of California State University, Channel Islands, 1878 S. Lewis Rd. in Camarillo.

The commencement speaker will be State Secretary of Education Gary K. Hart.

Randy Ortiz is the child of a military family who frequently moved across the United States before settling down in Oxnard. His dream of becoming a teacher started in the sixth grade when he tutored other children to read.

Achieving his goal has not been easy. A marriage at age 19 that ended in divorce a little more than two years later and resulted in a small child. He dropped out of CSUN in 1981 to raise his son. After 17 years, he returned to the university to get his teaching degree.

In the interim he was held hostage at gunpoint during a supermarket robbery and suffered several medical problems. His graduation has special significance.

"What makes this more special is that I would not let anything stand in my way and graduation falls on the 25th anniversary of my mother's death," he said, adding that on deathbed his mother asked friends and family members to "make sure Randy gets a title, a degree."

Victoria L. Palmer-Abernathy also is graduating later in life. She attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas right after high school, but realized she wasn't ready for college and dropped out.

She returned to college a few years ago and earned a liberal arts degree from Oxnard Community College. A friend convinced her that her college education should not stop there.

Palmer-Abernathy, who is married and works full-time for the Department of Defense, enrolled at the Ventura Campus to study sociology with an option in counseling. Following her graduation, she plans to pursue a master's degree in marriage, family and child counseling with a focus on parent education.

"The advice I have for students newly embarking on an academic career is to stay focused, believe in yourself and when the times seem too hard to bear, don't give up, take one day at a time, and trust in God to be your strength," she said.

CSUN's Ventura Campus will be moving to CSU Channel Islands this summer and taking on a new name - CSU Northridge at Channel Islands.

The Ventura Campus has been located adjacent to the 101 Freeway on Alessandro Drive in Ventura for the past 10 years. Overcrowding this year forced the campus to rent additional space at nearby Ventura High School and Anacapa Middle School.

Classes at CSU Northridge at Channel Islands will begin in the fall.