A HARVEST OF 'BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS'.Byline: Jason Kandel Staff Writer NORTHRIDGE - As the sun set over the university quad at CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge , more than 1,000 students began closing a chapter in their lives Tuesday, receiving medallions at an Honors Convocation in the first of several commencement ceremonies. ``What a wonderful evening this is as we kick off this week of celebration and graduation,'' said university President Jolene Koester Jolene Koester is the president of California State University, Northridge. The California State University Board of Trustees announced her appointment as president on November 16, 1999, and she took office as the fourth president of the University on July 1, 2000. in her convocation address. ``All of you got here because the world of ideas motivates, interests and sustains you.'' The California State University, Northridge CSUN offers a variety of programs leading to bachelor's degrees in 61 fields and master's degrees in 42 fields. The university has over 150,000 alumni. It's also home to a summer musical theater/theater program known as TADW (TeenAge Drama Workshop) that leads teenagers through an , students were recognized with gold medallions for their high grades, community achievements, curiosity and intellectual interest. Ushers and school police officials tried desperately to clear aisles as family members and friends elbowed in for good photos of their loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl as they lined up to receive their acknowledgments. ``It's a symbol of blood, sweat, tears, frustrations and joys,'' said art student Thomas Crawford, a 45-year-old father of four, who juggled family, work and studies en route to receiving his honor Tuesday. The Palmdale resident, who paints large abstract free-form paintings, maintained a 3.5 grade point average. He completed his undergraduate work at various community colleges while raising four children and working in retail at Wal-Mart. ``It was extremely difficult,'' said Crawford, whose youngest daughter is graduating from high school in a few weeks. Some like Nick Hamlin, who earned a 3.99 grade point average in biology at CSUN, just can't seem to get enough of school. He is set to pursue a doctorate at the University of California, San Diego UCSD is consistently ranked among the top ten public universities for undergraduate education in the United States by U.S. News & World Report.[3] It is a Public Ivy. [1] For graduate studies, most of UCSD's Ph.D. , in the fall. ``This is nice. It's exciting,'' said the 22-year-old San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. resident who also ran track. ``We're getting recognized for all our hard work. Sometimes you forget that when you're in the drudgery of semester after semester, class after class ... 'Oh, my God, why am I doing this?' ``It feels good to be recognized for it.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Jennifer Smith There are at least six prominent individuals named Jennifer Smith:
John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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