Cerritos College
Katelyn Hamasaki, a double-major American history and nursing student at Cerritos College, is one of millions of uninsured Americans that have no choice but to spend money they don’t have in order to stay healthy. After being awarded the Robert C. Hughlett Scholarship from the Cerritos College Foundation, Hamasaki got medical assistance from an unlikely source...(more about Katelyn Hamasaki...)
Susanna Clemans has been fascinated by books since she was little. Her mother taught her how to read when she was only three years old. Her mother also knew that little Susanna would go into teaching profession since she loved playing school. The two, however, did not come together until a couple of decades later...(more about Susanna Clemans...)
Marcelino Saucedo is one of the first-generation children from parents that fled their homeland of Tepehuanes, Durango, Mexico for Santa Catalina Island in the 1920's. He decided that the history of Mexican immigrants was an important part of California history so he took it upon himself to write a book detailing the mark that immigrants have left on California, and Catalina... (more about Marcelino Saucedo...)
Yen Chun (Gina) Chang began drawing almost as soon as she could grip a crayon. Every year from elementary through middle school, her art teacher would call her mother and question what private art lessons Chang was taking. She never took any formal art class until she was in high school, but her drawing skills were far beyond impressive...(more about Yen Chun Chang...)
One telephone call from Cerritos College changed it all. It was January 2008 and Ruben Gonzalez, who lives in Lakewood, had no idea what he wanted to do or what he could do with his life. After both of his parents were arrested for drug use when he was five years old, Gonzalez and his four younger siblings moved in with his grandmother who became their foster parent...(more about Ruben Gonzalez...)
Tuan A. Dao never thought he would "dare to care," but now he knows he has it in him. Dao was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam. He came to California as a high school exchange student a few months before he started at Cerritos College in 2000. His family still lives in Vietnam except for his mother who immigrated in the U.S. a few years ago...(more about Tuan A. Dao...)
Born in East Los Angeles, Steve Arias grew up in the City of Commerce. As his mother and father were both working when he was young, his grandparents raised him, his younger brother and his two cousins throughout their childhood years. His father and mother both came to California from Mexico in their late teens to look for opportunities for them and their families...(more about Steve Arias...)
For Rose Vasquez, the detour she took in education was definitely worth sticking out. Born in Mexico, she came to California with her parents and her five siblings when she was 12 years old. She is the second oldest of the six and the first one to get a college degree. After she graduated from Artesia High School, she wanted to become a nurse. She was pre-admitted to...(more about Rose Vasquez...)
Josh Franco was born in Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico. Shortly after his birth, he came to the United States with his mother and his older brother to live with his father in California. His interest in the leadership and public service budded early in his life. Josh served as student body president at almost all of the schools he attended, from Bellflower High School, Cerritos College and...(more about Josh Franco...)
For Alejandra Cruz Rossil, her teenage life was a little bumpy. When she came to California from Guatemala at the age of 13 with her mother and four siblings, no one in her family spoke much English. Her mother was out working night and day to support her family and Cruz Rossil spent her days all by herself. She attended St. Gertrude School in Bell Gardens from 7th to 8th grade...(more about Alejandra Cruz Rossil...)
Analie Cardoso is a humorous and outgoing young woman who enjoys helping people of all types. Born and raised in Artesia, California, as a second generation Portuguese, she is bilingual in English and Portuguese and is the youngest of three sisters. Cardoso graduated from Cerritos High School in 2005 with honors by obtaining a 4.0 GPA... (more about Analie Cardoso...)
Woodworking and education are two elements at the heart of Anthony Fortner. Fortner has served for the past 12 years as woodworking instructor at Cerritos College.While Fortner was a student at San Gabriel High School, his woodworking teacher – lifelong mentor Richard Nicholson – convinced him to go to college and become a woodshop teacher... (more about Anthony Fortner...)
For Joey Spraggins, the decision seemed natural – Growing up in a family where diabetes, cancers and heart diseases were pretty common, her career choice was already centered around the health and the medical fields when she was in the eighth grade. “I attended Long Beach David Starr Jordan High School for its excellent medical program called AIMS... (more about Joey Spraggins...)
In 2006, John Camilleri was a modest retiree with an invaluable story to pass on to the younger generation – a story of his father. Two years later, Camilleri, a Cerritos College OWL (Older Wiser Learner) Program student, published Dad and Me: Our Loving Relationship, an autobiography about an inseparable, deeply loving relationship between father and son. Camilleri depicts the rollercoaster life and... (more about John Camilleri...)
When Jasmin Gonzalez started school last month, it wasn’t just a new circle of friends, new school and new teachers she had to get used to; she also had to adjust to life in a new country more than halfway around the globe. Gonzalez, a 20-year-old political science major from Norwalk, is the first exchange student from Cerritos College to study at International Pacific College in Palmerston North, New Zealand. (more about Jasmin Gonzalez...)
“I started working on cars when I was nine or ten years old.” Steve Berklite had passion for cars even as a pre-teen. A little car enthusiast turned into a passionate automotive teaching professional whose selfless dedication and passion in teaching set a standard of excellence for the Automotive Technology Department... (more about Steve Berklite...)
Ahmed Hussain always loved cutting edge technology and had a knack for business. Born in Sri Lanka and attended school there until 7th grade, Hussain moved to Oman to finish high school. He came to the U.S. as an international student and attended Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. and moved to California to attend Cerritos College, from 1998 to 2000... (more about Ahmed Hussain...)
Determination and strong will – these are the two words that describe Peter Choi’s passion in his career. Born in Seoul, Korea, Choi relocated to the U.S. with his family when he was a year old. Choi and his family moved literally around the state from San Gabriel, Atwater near Fresno, San Francisco, and to Cerritos. Choi’s love for music took wings early in his childhood. He loved all kinds of music as a child... (more about Peter Choi...)
Gwendolyn Juarez is a Cerritos High School graduate who spent two years in the Cerritos College Scholars' Honors Program (SHP) before transferring as a business major to UC Irvine. SHP provides its participants with the guidance and extra academic requirements to successfully transfer to four-year universities such as UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine... (more about Gwendolyn Juarez...)
James Coleman came to Southern California in 2002 in search of himself. What he found was sobriety, skills and a new lease on life. Originally from Shiprock, New Mexico, Coleman is Dine, a Native American tribe, more commonly known as Navajo. Just before he came to California, Coleman had hit rock bottom as an alcoholic. He lived on the streets... (more about James Coleman...)
Richard Rodriguez attended Cerritos College beginning in 2002 and recently transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a chemistry major. When he began at Cerritos College, Rodriguez was working the graveyard shift at In-N-Out as a custodian to support himself and his younger brother while attending school full-time...(more about Richard Rodriguez...)
Saray Gonzalez was born in Toluca, Mexico and raised in Los Angeles. She faced many challenges throughout her childhood, particularly as an immigrant having to adapt to a new culture and lifestyle. But she learned how to maneuver through the educational system and eventually became the first in her family to attend college... (more about Saray Gonzalez...)
