Emeriti Fellowships awarded at Fall 2003 Luncheon
Front row, (l. to r.) Emeriti Association president Barbara Sinclair; Fellowship recipients Michael Porco, Jamie Mann, Viktoria Byckiewicz and Fellowship Fund chair Janet Fisher-Hoult. Back row (l. to r.) Fellowship recipients Caroline Hannsen, Julie King, Percy Ortiz and Jose Silva.
Seven students were recommended for Fellowships by the Emeriti Fund Fellowship Committee chosen among more than 40 well-qualified applicants.Of the fellowship recipients, only one is a graduate of CSULA. All but one of he other graduate students completed their undergraduate degrees in California at Mount St. Mary's, Dominican University in San Rafael and two received degrees from UC Santa Barbara. Only one completed his undergraduate work out of state and that was at Rollins College in Florida. The undergraduate among the recipients, is transferring as a junior from Rio Hondo. All the students have been confronted with financial difficulties throughout their academic careers, yet have managed to maintain excellent GPAs and find time for activities to benefit their communities. The seven recipients received their award on September 23, 2003, at the Emeriti Association's Fall Luncheon.
Emeriti Fellowship Recipients:
Victoria Byczkiewicz is a graduate student in the MATESOL program. A teacher of ESL in the CSULA American Culture and Language Program, she has founded a new CSULA student organization � the TESOL Society. Having spent 6 years in Berlin (where she went because her mother had immigrated from Germany as a young woman), she not only developed her skills in teaching EFL, but also decided to focus her future studies on intercultural communication as well as eco-psychology and Zen psychology. Her work in counseling developmentally disabled teens and developing and administering health programs for the homeless and people with AIDS also influenced her decision to pursue her PhD in Psychology.
Julie King is in her second year as a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences. Her varied career includes high school teaching, volunteering with Birds of Prey Preservation, the Alaska Fish and Game and working at the Salton Sea/Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge. She has worked with foxes, black bears, burrowing owls, wolves and black tail deer. Julie's career objective is to become a wildlife biologist with an agency such as the National Park Service or the California Department of Fish and Game when she completes her Master's in Biological Sciences. She also plans to continue her education at the doctoral level.
Jamie Mann (graduate, English) skipped two grades, started high school at 12, and graduated at 15. Jamie has been a committed activist on many fronts and her scholarship reflects deep engagement with meaningful cultural and political issues.� Jamie's goal is pursue a PhD in Children's Literature in order to become a university professor. She is currently a tutor in the CSULA University Writing Center, working on a web page for the English Department and has variety of volunteer interests: Project Angel Food, MOCA, LACMA and the Museum of Tolerance.
Combined Emeriti and John L. Houk Memorial Fellowship Recipient:
Caroline Hanssen , recipient of a combined John L. Houk Memorial Fellowship and Emeriti Fellowship, is concurrently pursuing a Master's in English Literature with the Composition, Language and Rhetoric option. She ultimately plans to pursue doctoral studies, which will integrate the skill of writing with the study of literature. During the 7 years she lived in Zurich, Switzerland, she became �acutely aware of the correlations between migration, diversity, and integration and their effects on individual and cultural identity�. This experience for her became �the core of her academic professional motivation�. Caroline has been an ESL and EFL teacher, as well as an English tutor. She is currently working at Pasadena City College in the Writing Across the Curriculum Program.
Jane Matson Memorial Fellowship recipient:
Michael Porco (aka Mike Porco in his standup comedy routine ) is the recipient of the Jane Matson Memorial Fellowship in Counseling. He uses his comedic talents to put people at ease and expects that ability will assist him in his future roles as a counselor and therapist. In the variety of positions he has held in the past with non-profit organizations as a trainer and consultant, he also discovered the need to provide guidance for people to tap into their own resourcefulness. In working with other colleagues in his chosen field, he has already developed a talk show, videos and programs to enable people to achieve their own potential. His skills have undoubtedly proven helpful in the leadership positions he has held at the various institutions of higher education he attended.
William E. Lloyd Memorial Fellowship recipient:
Percy Armando Ortiz , a recent graduate of CSULA, is the first member of his family to attend a university. As a student of History, he is concerned about the lack of understanding on the part of residents of the U.S. about other countries. His career goals include teaching, at some point in a different country, and eventually to become a professor. He plans to become involved in international work by way of working for a company or a human rights agency. By spending this past summer in China, he has already begun to fulfill his wish to become a person who instills a desire in people to understand the world that exists outside the U.S.
David Cameron Fisher Memorial Fellowship recipient:
Jose Silva , an undergraduate student in Biology, is the recipient of the first undergraduate emeriti fellowship, established in the memory of David Cameron Fisher, son of Janet Fisher-Hoult. His career objective is to become a medical doctor. Until the passage of AB 540 by the California Legislature, he has been in the limbo so many undocumented students have found themselves � wanting an education, but unable to pay for it. When he completed high school in Pico Rivera, he could not find a job because of his lack of documentation. In 1999, he was able to enroll in Rio Hondo, but kept 2 jobs in order to pay for school and help his family. He still maintained a 4.0 and was on the Dean's list. AB 540 allowed him to be admitted to CSULA as a resident, but he still has difficulty making ends meet to pay his tuition. He is determined to continue his studies and keep the promise he made to his grandmother that he would �never give up� until he becomes great doctor.