By Dr. Patricia L. Prado-Olmos Vice President of Community Engagement California State University San Marcos
California State University San Marcos is proud to play a role in shaping the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. As the North County region’s only four-year institution of higher learning, we’re dedicated to not only preparing leaders, but also building great communities and solving critical issues.
The University’s enrollment surpassed 14,000 for the first time in 2015-16 and CSUSM conferred nearly 3,200 degrees and credentials at its 25th commencement ceremony in May, making the Class of 2016 the largest in University history.
And it was an impressive group of people who received diplomas. In the College of Education, Health and Human Services (CEHHS), Jamaela Johnson went from being a bit of an introvert when she arrived on campus to a standout scholar who transformed herself into an engaged community advocate. Jamaela, who graduated with a bachelor’s in human development, had a long list of accomplishments at CSUSM, including serving as vice president of Student and University Affairs and helping charter the University’s first African-American Greek organizations.
Jamaela wants to take the skills she honed at CSUSM and make a difference in the world.
“My experience with the various student organizations helped me discover methods for mediating social problems, responding to the needs of underrepresented groups, promoting social justice and equity, and enacting social change,” Jamaela said.
In the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences (CHABSS), Petrona Gregorio is a living reminder that anything is possible.
Petrona, who received her bachelor’s in psychology, spent her early years in Guatemala, an impoverished country with the lowest literacy rate in Central America. She immigrated with her family to the United States when she was five years old, speaking only her native Mayan language. At 15, Petrona began working full-time to support her family before returning to school a decade later to renew her commitment to learning.
Petrona transferred to CSUSM from Palomar College in 2014 and impressed her peers and professors with her scholarly drive, achievements and her promise as a researcher.
“What I value the most is helping out those in need and encouraging young children and adults to pursue a higher education,” she said.
In the College of Business Administration, Laureta Koxha’s journey to a bachelor’s in business administration, global supply chain management, began in the spring of 1999 when she and her family were forced to flee their home in Ferizaj, Kosovo, during the Serbian-Albanian War. The family found shelter in a refugee camp before finding a home in San Diego.
“When we got off the plane, my father was wearing one brown shoe, one black shoe and had only four U.S. dollars in his pocket,” she said.
But Laureta’s parents instilled the importance of a higher education, hard work and perseverance – and she was on the Dean’s List every semester at CSUSM.
In the College of Science and Mathematics, German Alberto Mendoza was a first-generation college student who arrived at CSUSM after serving four years in the Marines, including one year of combat duty in Iraq.
German, who received a bachelor’s in biological sciences, worked in the laboratory of Julie Jameson, assistant professor of psychology, as a research assistant.
“He has a true knack for science along with a drive that I find truly astonishing for his age,” said Jameson, who added she would place him in the top 1 percent of all the undergraduates she has worked with, including during her time at The Scripps Research Institute. “He is incredibly reliable and innovative in his work, and I expect amazing things in his future.”
All of us at CSUSM expect amazing things from our students and these graduates are typical of those we work with every day. Their stories provide inspiration on a daily basis as we proudly prepare tomorrow’s leaders, build great communities in the region and solve critical issues that impact us all.