CSUN GRADUATES DEFY OBSTACLES TO GARNER DEGREES.Byline: Carolyn Saraspi Daily News Staff Writer At age 69, Delphine Lucero fulfilled her lifelong dream of earning a college degree when she graduated cum laude cum lau·de adv. & adj. With honor. Used to express academic distinction: graduated cum laude; 25 cum laude graduates. from Cal State Northridge in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in liberal studies. But for Lucero, that wasn't enough. Four years later, Lucero will receive 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 linguistics from the university Wednesday - making it through school despite heart problems, surgeries and a cancer scare. ``I'm 73 and I'm not ashamed of being old and still learning,'' said the Chatsworth resident. Lucero is one of the more than 6,300 students, many of whom have overcome personal obstacles to continuing their education, who will receive CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge diplomas in a series of commencement ceremonies beginning Wednesday. About 5,318 bachelor's and 1,037 master's degrees will be conferred. Lucero, who had been teaching English as a second language before attending the university, is developing her master's thesis on accent reduction Accent reduction, also known as accent modification, is a systematic approach to reducing or eliminating a foreign accent. It is the process of learning the sound system (or phonology) of a language or dialect. into a book titled, ``Speaking Like an American.'' ``I have taught students from 49 different countries, many of them are Spanish speaking. My students always say, `I want to speak like an American.' I tell my students they don't have to lose their heritage. You have to reduce your accent only so much so we can understand you,'' Lucero said. ``I went back to grad school not only to write this book, but because I do feel younger when I'm in school,'' she said. Like Lucero, 23-year-old Pamela Hieu-Thi Tong said attending the university was ``a dream come true.'' Tong fled Vietnam in 1981 with her brother and two sisters at age nine, and spent months in Malaysian and Philippine refugee camps before immigrating to 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. . ``I know what my family sacrificed. That was what I was here for - my education,'' said Tong, who will receive a bachelor of science Noun 1. Bachelor of Science - a bachelor's degree in science BS, SB bachelor's degree, baccalaureate - an academic degree conferred on someone who has successfully completed undergraduate studies in accounting Friday. An honor student, Tong was a nominee for the California Society of Certified Public Accountants Certified Public Accountant (CPA) An accountant who has met certain standards, including experience, age, and licensing, and passed exams in a particular state. Award, which recognizes the top five accounting students in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . ``I know a lot of people who are in my same situation. I know there are a lot of refugees who have gone through the same things I went through, some of them worse. I felt my story is (only) an example, but is inspiring as well,'' she said. Tong, Lucero and the rest of the class of 1996 had the added burden of adjusting to changes in campus life in the aftermath of 1994's Northridge Earthquake. ``After the earthquake, I liked having class in the trailers because I felt safe, but you had to learn all these new directions to class,'' Lucero said. But at the same time, Lucero said a few good things emerged, like the shuttle buses between campus and the parking structures. Nursing student Maria Zambrano, 42, said she and her other classmates Classmates can refer to either:
``We didn't seem to belong to the university. It made it really nice when we came on after the earthquake,'' Zambrano said. ``Most of us had been nurses for a long time, and it was difficult for us to become students again. The atmosphere of being on campus is great. It's great being part of the educational program again after so many years,'' she said. Zambrano and the 20 other nursing students slated to graduate are the first class to obtain bachelor of science degrees in nursing from the Health Science Department. The two-year program trains working registered nurses in community health, leadership and management. A special convocation ceremony for the nursing class will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the Grand Salon of the University Student Union. Cal State Northridge will also graduate its first class of genetic counselors Thursday. The five students graduating in the program were trained to act as liaisons between families and medical professionals, providing information and support concerning birth defects birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. or genetic conditions. The Genetic Counseling Genetic Counseling Definition Genetic counseling aims to facilitate the exchange of information regarding a person's genetic legacy. It attempts to: Purpose Program is one of only three offered in the state. CAPTION(S): Photo, box PHOTO ``I'm 73 and I'm not ashamed of being old and st ill learning.'' Delphine Lucero, CSUN graduate student who is about to earn her master's degree in linguistics Myung J. Chun/Daily News Box: CSUN COMMENCEMENT SCHEDULE |
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