DEGREE DUO MOTHER, DAUGHTER GRADUATE TOGETHER.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 VALENCIA - While they never had a class together en route to their 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. degrees, mother and daughter June and Nichole Dufour admit to a few homework-fueled battles over the family computer. Aspiring as·pire intr.v. as·pired, as·pir·ing, as·pires 1. To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly: aspired to stardom. 2. schoolteacher Nichole, 20, will likely need one of her own computers when she moves into an apartment and begins studying at 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 , this fall. Far from feeling awkward, Nichole said she liked seeing her mom on campus or waving to each other from a classroom window. ``I thought it was cool. All my friends knew her, too. They'd see her and wave. It was fun,'' she said. In a show of solidarity, the 1999 Valencia High graduate skipped graduation Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the associated ceremony. The date of event is often called degree day. The event itself is also called commencement, convocation or invocation. ceremonies Friday because her mom, in a wheelchair recovering from foot surgery, wasn't able to walk on stage. Studying English and social science at the college since 1994, June Dufour said she was happy to counsel her daughter about which teachers to avoid when Nichole started two years ago. ``We actually took some of the same classes, just not at the same time,'' said June Dufour, who with her husband runs a building insurance business. ``I took my classes at night.'' The Dufour women earned degrees Friday along with more than 600 College of the Canyons students, each contributing to the average graduate age of 27.1 years. Husband and father Tom Dufour said he wanted his ladies to walk on stage, but was just happy to congratulate his scholars. ``I'm just so proud of them both. It's quite a coincidence that they graduated at the same time,'' he said. ``But, yes, they were always fighting over the computer.'' With an eye on healing her foot, June Dufour said she will take a semester se·mes·ter n. One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year. [German, from Latin (cursus) s or two off before heading back to school to become either an English or physical education teacher. Both women credited their simultaneous attendance with keeping them motivated mo·ti·vate tr.v. mo·ti·vat·ed, mo·ti·vat·ing, mo·ti·vates To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel. mo and challenged, but Nichole Dufour made sure to spotlight her mom's academic achievements. ``She got A's in everything. She earned a gold honors braid.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Honors student An honors student is a student in elementary, middle, or high school recognized for achieving high grades. Honors students are recognized on lists published periodically throughout the school year, known as "honor rolls". June Dufour of Valencia and her daughter, Nichole, are 2001 graduates of College of the Canyons, and both plan to become teachers. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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