CSUN'S BRIGHTEST; ALUMNI SHINE, GO ON TO TAKE LEAD ROLES IN THEIR FIELDS.Byline: Sharline Chiang Daily News Staff Writer One is an immigrant from China who became one of the nation's leading role models in education reform. The other started flying a plane as a boy and pursued a career that would take him higher - to the stars. Another started a multimillion-dollar technology company - before turning 30. Yet another was a young artist and activist who would spend her life using artistry to empower the downtrodden down·trod·den adj. Oppressed; tyrannized. downtrodden Adjective oppressed and lacking the will to resist Adj. 1. . They are among the more than 100,000 alumni of 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 . And most share one thing in common: they came because it was close to home, affordable and a place to get a good education to pursue their dreams. Today, Yvonne Chan is practically a household name among education leaders. Chan received her master's degree master's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree. Noun 1. in special education from CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge in 1976 and her teaching credentials in 1981. The award-winning principal of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, a charter school in Pacoima, is known for her energy, confidence and ruthless dedication to quality learning, particularly for underprivileged youth. But the Hong Kong native said she wasn't always this way. At CSUN, ``the first time I had to present in front of class I almost fainted. My voice was so soft and I had zero poise,'' said Chan, 54. ``After all those teacher training classes that forced you to do `show and tell,' now I can speak in front of thousands.'' Scott Horowitz received his bachelor's degree in engineering from CSUN in 1978 and his Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology, in Atlanta, Ga.; coeducational; state supported; chartered 1885, opened 1888. It is a member school in the university system of Georgia. Significant among its facilities and programs are the Frank H. by 24. He became a NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. astronaut at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Since then, he's piloted two space shuttle missions <onlyinclude> This is a list of missions flown by space shuttles. As of 2006, only the United States has flown human spaceflight shuttle missions, in the Space Shuttle program, while the Soviet Union flew one unmanned flight of the Buran. , including helping to repair the Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the first large optical orbiting observatory. Built from 1978 to 1990 at a cost of $1.5 billion, the HST (named for astronomer E. P. Hubble) was expected to provide the clearest view yet obtained of the universe. last spring. When he attended CSUN ``it was like 95 bucks a semester. It was one of the best bargains going and it had a strong program that I could use to get into a big-name university for my graduate work,'' Horowitz said. ``Also, you could kind of put your courses together to build your specialty. Plus, it was close to the airport and I liked flying at Van Nuys.'' At 27, Dirk Gates co-founded Xircom, a Thousand Oaks-based company that specializes in mobile computing. The company developed the first PC card for notebook communication and earned nearly $10 million by the end of its second year. Gates received his bachelor's degree in engineering from CSUN in 1983. ``My buddies in large institutions used the same textbooks for the same classes,'' Gates said. ``But I believe I got the better education because CSUN offered smaller class sizes and high levels of interaction with professors.'' Judith Baca's education at CSUN went beyond classroom lectures. She remembers vividly watching police burst out of the administration building during the days of student activism in the late 1960s. Always drawn to capturing societal issues using art, Baca grabbed a camera and fired away. ``One learns as much from what you react to as you do against,'' Baca said. ``People are always thinking about role models as what you want to be like, but I think some of the most important role models are those who show you what not to be.'' Today the 53-year-old is a world renowned muralist, designer of the Great Wall of Los Angeles The Great Wall of Los Angeles is a mural designed by Judith Baca and executed by community youth and artists coordinated by the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC). . The founder and artistic director for Social and Public Art Resource Center
Baca received her bachelor's degree in arts from CSUN in 1969 and master's degree in art in 1980. Four years ago, she created a scholarship for young Latino students at CSUN. Some successful former CSUN students Paula Abdul Singer, award-winning choreographer and dancer. Choreographed music videos for Janet Jackson, ZZ Top, INXS INXS In Excess (band) INXS Internet Exchange Service and Whitesnake. Was a cheerleader at Van Nuys High School Van Nuys High School (VNHS) established in 1914, is a high school in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles, California, belonging to the Los Angeles Unified School District: District 2. and CSUN. Became a Los Angeles Lakers girl before getting big break with dance and music career. Attended. Yvonne Chan Principal of Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Pacoima. Educator, child development leader and aggressive advocate for public school system. Master's in education, 1976. Teaching credential earned in 1981. Richard Dreyfuss Academy Award-winning actor who starred in the 1996 film ``Mr. Holland's Opus,'' which garnered him another Oscar nomination. Attended. Teri Garr Television and film actress who starred opposite Dreyfuss in the 1977 film ``Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'' Attended. Florence Griffith-Joyner Two-time Olympic gold medalist in women's track and 1993 Clinton appointee APPOINTEE. A person who is appointed or selected for a particular purpose; as the appointee under a power, is the person who is to receive the benefit of the trust or power. as chairwoman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports is an American government organization that aims to "promote, encourage and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sports". , replacing actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Attended. Mark Lester Filmmaker whose credits include ``Double Take,'' ``Public Enemies,'' ``Extreme Justice,'' ``Armed and Dangerous,'' Stephen King's ``Firestarter'' and ``Commando.'' Bachelor's in political science, 1969. Cheech Marin Award-winning film and television actor most famous for comedy team of Cheech and Chong; now co-stars on television show ``Nash Bridges.'' Attended. Bob Samuelson All-America honorable mention for CSUN's volleyball team in 1989. Went on to become an Olympic volleyball star. Attended. Carol Vaness International opera singer with New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Metropolitan. Master's in music, 1977. Debra Winger Actress in Oscar-winning ``Terms of Endearment'' and star of ``A Dangerous Woman,'' which earned her a Golden Globe award for best actress in 1993. Attended. Robert Englund Actor best known as Freddy Krueger from the ``Nightmare on Elm Street'' films. Attended. Dirk Gates Founded Xircom, which developed the first PC card for notebook communication. Bachelor's in engineering, '83. Judith Baca Muralist, designed Great Wall of Los Angeles. Bachelor's, '69, and master's, '80, in art. Scott Horowitz Space shuttle pilot. Bachelor's in engineering, '78. Source: California State University, Northridge CAPTION(S): box, 14 photos PHOTO (1) Paula Abdul (2) Yvonne Chan (3) Richard Dreyfuss (4) Teri Garr (5) Florence Griffith-Joyner (6) Mark Lester (7) Cheech Marin (8) Bob Samuelson (9) Carol Vaness (10) Debra Winger (11) Robert Englund (12) Dirk Gates (13) Judith Baca (14) Scott Horowitz Box: Some successful former CSUN students (see text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion