DREAMS, DRIVE REALIZED AT CSUN CLASS OF 2007 MARKS SUCCESS.

Byline: SUSAN ABRAM

Staff Writer

NORTHRIDGE -- Some come in hope of changing their lives after years of abuse.

Others come seeking a new purpose after working and raising their children.

And some, such as Hugo, Patricia and Christian Olano of Woodland Hills, come to prove that the family that studies together graduates together.

Among the record 9,823 students who will graduate this week from California State University, Northridge, stories abound about challenges, determination and the sense of accomplishment that comes with a college diploma.

"Every time I mess up in my life, I go back to school," said Rene Fleischbein, a 38-year-old Oxnard resident who is set to receive her master's degree in English.

Fleischbein attended the University of California at Berkeley after her first husband was unable to support her and their daughter. She later converted to Islam and married a Muslim, uprooting her life and traveling with him when he was deported to the Middle East after the Sept.11, 2001, attacks.

The man's family was good to her, but her husband changed for the worse.

"He was dragging me to a window that was on the fifth floor," Fleischbein recalled. "He was going to throw me out the window. I looked at him and said, 'Think about what you are doing!' and he stopped."

Freedom to move on

With the help of friends and the U.S. Embassy, Fleischbein returned to California. She settled in Oxnard and enrolled at CSUN, where the English department instructors offered kindness and support, she said.

When she graduates this week, Fleischbein said, one chapter of her life will be closed while another one will open. She plans to work on a doctorate degree.

"Part of it is finishing old business, but part of it is freedom and moving on and letting go of the past," she said. "I want my daughter to see that even though (diplomas) are just pieces of paper, they are really important for marking success."

For Elaine Paletz Nashick, a 66-year-old grandmother of six, her diploma represents determination.

Raised in Burbank, Paletz Nashick enrolled in 1959 at San Fernando Valley State College, the forerunner of CSUN.

But she eventually dropped out, married, had children and entered the work force. Still, she always hoped to return some day to get her diploma.

Now, nearly a half-century after she first enrolled, Paletz Nashick will graduate with a degree in English, thanks to a combination of online and on-campus classes.

"I was so headstrong on getting this degree that I never second-guessed it," she said.

And she has a story for her grandchildren, who range in age from 10 to 19.

"I would tell them, it's never too late, whenever you do decide to go to college," she said. "I think it's given me more knowledge. I feel more intelligent. I feel I can express myself a lot more than when I was younger."

Family graduation

Hugo and Patricia Olano were inspired by their son, Christian, who was 16 and a student at El Camino Real High School when he started taking college courses. His parents thought he was too young to walk the CSUN campus alone during night classes, so they went with him.

As it turned out, Christian led his parents toward college degrees of their own.

This week, all three Olano family members will attend the others' graduation ceremonies. Christian will receive a bachelor's degree in biology. His dad has earned a degree in information systems, while Patricia is getting a master's in business administration.

"We were all going to school at the same time," Hugo Olano said. "My wife started taking French and Italian. I started taking Italian with her so that we could be there while Christian was at school.

"I saw my wife studying, and I thought, I have to do something, as well," he said. "I learned from both of them."

Hugo and Patricia officially completed their courses last semester.

Daughter Alexandra Olano is expected to graduate next year.

"We're just trying to savor everything," Hugo said of the upcoming ceremonies.

"My wife already has her diplomas on the wall. I have mine there. We're waiting for Christian's."

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The Olano family, son Christian, mom Patricia and dad Hugo, are all graduating from CSUN.

(2) -- Rene Fleischbein, below, a 38-year-old Oxnard resident who is set to receive her master's degree in English from CSUN

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer