COUSINS' SHARED DREAMS GRADUATION MAKES FOR A PROUD DAY IN THE TERAN FAMILY.Byline: Amy Raisin raisin, in botany and cooking raisin, dried fruit of certain varieties of grapevines bearing grapes with a high content of sugar and solid flesh. Although the fruit is sometimes artificially dehydrated, it is usually sun-dried. Staff Writer NEWHALL - With the same last name, obvious physical similarities and the closeness in age, it's easy to understand why cousins Mayra and Ademi Teran are often mistaken for sisters, even twins. The strongest evidence of their shared family history, however, is less tangible - their dedication to education, even as their family deals with a devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. loss, offers a glimpse of the foundation on which they were raised. Children of Mexican immigrants, Ademi, 23, and 22-year-old Mayra graduated Friday from College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. in front of dozens of proud relatives, the first in their family to do so. ``I can't really explain how this feels yet. I'm sure it will hit me more later,'' said Mayra, who was born in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and lives with six family members in a house in Newhall. ``Now we're just looking forward to our vacation.'' While both women speak fluent English and Spanish, Ademi's accent is a reminder that she did not leave Mexico until 1995, when she joined her parents and Mayra's family, all of whom had been living in Newhall. With their years at Hart High behind them and their junior college graduation just months away, the cousins returned from class in early February to find Maria, Ademi's mother and Mayra's aunt, unconscious in her bedroom. The 17-year Magic Mountain employee, a healthy, 48-year-old mother and grandmother, suffered a brain aneurysm brain aneurysm Cerebral aneurysm Neurology A dilated and weak segment of a cerebral artery, often located in the circle of Willis at the base of the brain, which is susceptible to rupture; BAs may be caused by birth defects or follow poorly controlled HTN Clinical and was taken off life-support machines on Feb. 10. Rather than postpone their studies in computer administration technology, Ademi and Mayra decided to honor Maria's trademark optimism and continue to hold jobs and attend classes. ``She was really an up-going person,'' Mayra said of her aunt. ``She could be really sick and she'd still say, `Let's go Let's Go may refer to: Television
Getting their hair done Friday for the evening commencement ceremony, the cousins - fans of museums such as The Getty and the Museum of Natural History - said they will continue their education later in the year. Mayra plans to major in biology, Ademi in computer networking
Computer networking is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or devices. . ``It was scary when I first came here because I didn't speak the language,'' said Ademi, who with her cousin enrolled in the ninth grade at Hart High and graduated in 1998. ``I want to get married and have kids someday some·day adv. At an indefinite time in the future. Usage Note: The adverbs someday and sometime express future time indefinitely: We'll succeed someday. Come sometime. , but I hope I can open a beauty salon before that.'' The women will travel to South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. next week to visit Ademi's sister for three weeks. In January they will embark on a Hawaiian cruise arranged through College of the Canyons, a journey that brings smiles to their faces just talking about it. ``We are a very close family and our parents have given us a lot,'' Mayra said. ``They've been very (generous) with everything that we've needed. It's definitely because of my family that we're where we're at. We both want to get married and have kids, but we want to take care of our education and careers first.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Mayra Teran has her hair done for Friday's graduation at College of the Canyons as her cousin, Ademi Teran, waits. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
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