WOMAN ROCKS AT LONG-AWAITED GRADUATION PARTY.

Byline: Melissa Schmitt and Peter Hartlaub Daily News Staff Writers

Like most other college girls, Jenny Van Vliet has always enjoyed a good party.

Sitting on a shelf in her bedroom in Encino is a picture of the now 29-year-old, beautiful brunette with the warmest of brown eyes, embraced in a passionate kiss at a college fraternity party in 1989 with her then-boyfriend Jeff. On her desk is a collection of photos taken with her sorority sisters.

But Sunday night, the graduation party she and her family threw at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard was no ordinary bash.

Called ``Rock at the Roxy with Jenny,'' it was a testament to Van Vliet's will to overcome the obstacles she's faced since emerging from a coma in 1991 blind and nearly unable to use her limbs.

While dozens of people stood in line a few doors down at another trendy Sunset Strip club to see 1980s glam rocker Sebastian Bach of the band Skid Row, two members of Smash Mouth, a more recent success on the pop charts, appeared at the Roxy to see Van Vliet and about 150 of her friends.

``She introduced herself to us. She just wheeled up and we met her. We've been friends ever since,'' said guitarist Gregory Camp, who came down to Los Angeles from his home in San Jose for the party. The band's lead singer also came to congratulate Van Vliet.

Dressed in a black, low-cut gown and clearly elated to be the center of attention, Van Vliet actually robbed the spotlight from the band members, whose breakthrough hit was last year's ``Walkin' on the Sun.''

That's typical for Van Vliet, her friends say.

``It's funny. Some people start off talking to her like she's slow,'' CSUN psychology student Jeff Mesnick said. ``But you can't be with Jenny more than a minute and be anything but grateful to have a friend like her.''

With six months to go until graduation eight years ago, Van Vliet suffered a severe asthma attack. She was rushed to the hospital, where she fell into a coma.

``No one knew how far she was going to come,'' said her stepmother, Katheryn Van Vliet. ``Once we were told she was never going to come out of the coma. She was in two years of rehabilitation. She looks at this party as a celebration of life. It's a very touching thing.''

Fran Goldman, Van Vliet's friend and teacher at California State University, Northridge, said people could learn a lot from her because ``her attitude is, I don't find anything difficult about life.''

With her foot, she can operate the various electronic appliances she uses to communicate. Using Morse code, she surfs the Web. Even though she is blind, she uses a speech synthesizer and screen-reading software to read, do research, write papers and letters.

``A lot of people don't believe blind people can use Microsoft Windows,'' Goldman said. ``She is a perfect example of a blind person who is using Windows.''

In one of her classes she moved her computer into the room so that it could read her words while she sat there moving her head.

``Music is her love,'' said Goldman, who teaches English at CSUN.

``Music is the one thing she can control. She can hear it. She can enjoy it. When she goes to a concert, she is a participant. It makes her alive,'' Goldman said.

Van Vliet's favorite band, quite obviously, is Smash Mouth. Corresponding with the band members by mail, she tells them how much it means to be a friend of theirs.

She is interested in a job as a music critic or with a radio station programming music so she can take advantage of her heightened sense of sound.

``I like so many bands I can't even tell you - (but) I hate country,'' Jenny said at Sunday's party.

Although there is nothing wrong with Jenny's mind - which stores a vast amount of musical knowledge - or her broad vocabulary, her speech impairment makes it difficult for people to understand her.

``She calls radio stations because she knows the answers to their quizzes and could win prizes, but they can't understand her and they hang up,'' Goldman said.

Goldman said Van Vliet has a lot of friends because of her positive attitude.

``She knows everyone on campus,'' Goldman said. ``It's fun being with her. People really want to be with winners. She has this attitude: There's nothing that I can't do.''

``You get around her and she's an inspiration,'' said her uncle, Ron Misrach of Van Nuys.

Van Vliet said even though she graduated with an A average, she was overwhelmed when she received her bachelor's degree in liberal studies in front of the college's Delmar T. Oviatt Library on May 28.

``I still can't believe it. When they called my name, I was in a daze,'' she recalled.

Dina Lemus, who lives with Van Vliet and helps care for her, said it's Jenny who often winds up assisting others.

``She is like a psychologist, helping other people with their problems,'' she said. ``People forget that she is in a wheelchair, she is so normal. Being in a wheelchair is nothing for her.''

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Jenny Van Vliet visits with friend Jeff Mesnick at a party on Sunday, at which they celebrated her long-delayed graduation from college.

(2) Jenny Van Vliet, 29, talks to friends during a graduation party held Sunday at the trendy Roxy nightclub.

Hans Gutknecht/Daily News