Cerritos College News Release

Photo of Steve Arias NORWALK, Calif. - July 29, 2008 - 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. His mother worked 18 years as a bankruptcy clerk and 10 years for an insurance company in downtown Los Angeles where she commuted by bus every day. Since his parents couldn’t afford two cars and there was a direct bus route to work, his mother took the bus to work every day for 28 years without ever complaining. Although his father’s English was not strong, he managed to attain a job at La Opinion, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in the U.S. He loved his job as a machinist. Both of Arias’ parents struggled in their lives, but he never heard them complain about their hardships.

Given their attitude toward life, he thinks he owes all of his success to his parents. “My parents are extremely proud of my accomplishments,” says Arias. “They tell me that all of their sacrifices paid off and they will continue to support me in any future venture.”

When Arias completed high school, he was out of school for one year without caring about his future plans. However, working what he describes as a “dead end” job, or harassing people at the mall asking them to fill out surveys all day long, forced him to start thinking about his future. He soon figured a community college was a good start and enrolled at Cerritos College.

Since he was in high school, he always had an interest in economy and business operations. However, he wasn’t sure what major in business would fit his interest. He took various introduction classes, spoke with many professors and came to a conclusion that accounting was the best fit. The accounting courses provided him with a good understanding of how businesses operate and how they generate cash flow.

The relationships that he established with his professors and peers at Cerritos College were what guided him to where he is today. Arias believes that the ability to establish genuine long term relationships with people is what separates successful people from ordinary individuals.

Contributing to his belief was Professor Peter Moloney who Arias thinks has played a significant role in his success. One day Arias spoke with Moloney about an upcoming job interview and his worries about not having a suit to wear. Growing up in a blue- collar family, Arias had little idea of how to buy an appropriate suit for job interviews. Moloney offered to take him to a tailor and guided him to buying his first suit.

In the fall of 2003, Arias transferred from Cerritos College to the University of Southern California where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

He has been working for Ernst & Young, one of the world’s leading accounting services firms, for almost two years which translates to being a “Senior One”. Senior Ones are responsible for the day-to-day activities of the audit. Some of the day-to-day activities consist of reviewing the staff’s work and testing various balance sheet accounts to ensure GAAP compliance. He aims to become a manager at Ernst & Young.

Aside from his full-time job, he is interested in helping minority business major students reach their potential. He plans to mentor those students by continuing to attend recruiting events and being involved at Cerritos College.

In his free time, Arias stays active with hiking and snowboarding. He is also an avid basketball player.

Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college’s district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 200 areas of study in nine divisions. Annually, more than 1,200 students successfully complete their course of studies, and enrollment currently averages more than 20,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at www.cerritos.edu.

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Cerritos College

Releases 2008