News Release
SF State: exceptional graduating students profiled
SAN FRANCISCO, May 13, 2009 -- San Francisco State University will confer degrees on 8,515 students at its 108th commencement on Saturday May 23. Below you will find stories about outstanding graduates, including this year's hood recipients, who are top graduates chosen to represent their fellow students from each of SF State's academic colleges, Liberal Studies Program and Division of Graduate Studies. For assistance in contacting any of these students, call the SF State Office of University Communications at (415) 338-1665.
First graduates from Willie L. Brown, Jr. Leadership Center
Ruslan Filipau, Judy Chea and Prentiss Jackson are among the first cohort
of students to complete the public service internship program run by the
Willie L. Brown, Jr. Leadership Center. Established to prepare a new generation
of political leaders at the local level, the Center’s first 15 participants,
many of them from disadvantaged backgrounds, served as paid interns in
San Francisco City Hall, training them on how local government functions
and launching their public service careers.
- Ruslan Filipau fled his native Belarus in search of a better life and arrived in the U.S. five years ago with no family and no English language skills. He enrolled at SF State to study environmental studies in fall 2007. Filipau has worked on energy efficiency issues during his internship at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. He plans to pursue graduate studies in environmental planning.
- Urban studies major Judy Chea grew up in a disadvantaged home in the Tenderloin. She is the first in her family to graduate from college. Chea's internship at the San Francisco Municipal Transportion Agency has inspired her to pursue a career in public service so she can improve life for residents of the Tenderloin.
- Prentiss Jackson found his vocation in the community, working with youth in the East Bay, and is committed to improving the community where he lives in East Oakland. Having majored in urban studies, he has completed an internship at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which has hired him to provide project management for water construction projects, including overseeing contractors, resolving disputes and organizing community consultations.
Kody Cullum, breaking through life's challenges
Graduating with a double major in political science and international relations
and a minor in criminal justice studies hasn't been easy for Kody Cullum.
He has a genetic disease called Norries Syndrome, making him blind since
birth and causing gradual hearing loss during the last 12 years. While
Cullum is modest about his accomplishments, those around him believe he
is extraordinary. When he first enrolled at SF State in 2007, he commuted
to campus daily by BART from El Cerrito. He has memorized the campus layout
in order to travel independently and has studied using e-text versions
of books which he then reads using screen reading software or by converting
the files to Braille.
Cullum has a unique perspective on his disability. He considers the sheer volume of academic work as his main challenge. By taking up this line of thought, Cullum says he realizes that he is not alone and faces the same challenges as all other students. Cullum aspires to a career in international law and negotiation and has applied to several law schools. He is a native of Chatsworth, Calif., and now lives in San Francisco.
Marilyn McClain-West, returning to pursue her passion
Marilyn McClain-West returned to college to earn the music degree she began
nearly 50 years ago. As an 18-year-old McClain-West studied piano at the
prestigious Oberlin Conservatory of Music before leaving after one semester.
She continued playing piano and organ in churches and teaching private
lessons while pursuing a career as a rehabilitation counselor. When she
retired in 2005, at age 66, McClain-West, a Richmond resident, enrolled
in SF State's School of Music and Dance to study piano. During her time
at SF State, she excelled in classes and concluded her studies with a senior
piano recital that included works by Bach, Mozart and DeBussy.
Hood recipients:
Susan Estrada (Behavioral and Social Sciences), first generation
college graduate
Seeing her parents work physically demanding jobs in the Los Angeles theater
scene made Susan Estrada determined to get an education. She is the first
in her family to graduate from college and has excelled at SF State, appearing
on the Dean's List every semester. Taking a class in Variations in Human
Sexuality sparked her interest in gender and race, choosing to major in sociology.
Estrada plans to apply for doctoral programs in sociology so she can one
day become a professor. She is a native of Burbank, Calif.
Igor Ryvkin (Business), aiding community at tax time
After emigrating from Ukraine at age nine and breaching the language barrier,
Igor Ryvkin found his time at SF State to be a journey of self discovery.
Ryvkin initially tried marketing, then finance before settling on accounting
as his primary major. He dedicated himself to helping the community, serving
as a volunteer for SF State's Volunteer Income Tax Association (VITA) which
prepares tax returns for low income families in the Bay Area. This year,
he worked as a volunteer supervisor, overseeing shifts of VITA's volunteers. During
his two years with VITA, Ryvkin helped the organization prepare nearly 1,000 tax returns for low-income
families. Following graduation, he will pursue an MBA in accounting at
SF State.
Jonathan Dauermann (Creative Arts), studying abroad, starring at SF
State
Jonathan Dauermann was a regular on the stage at SF State. Dauermann, who
will graduate from the School of Music and Dance with an emphasis in vocal
performance, gave exceptional performances on the SF State stage as Seneca
in "L'Incoronazione de Poppea" and Jupiter in "Orpheus in
the Underworld." Faculty noticed his talent and leadership, awarding
him the School of Music and Dance's Presser Award, which is bestowed annually
on one exceptional student. Dauermann was also named the winner of the 2006
SF State Concerto Competition. During the 2007-08 school year, Dauermann
was selected for the CSU study abroad program. He spent a year studying at
a prestigious music conservatory in Southwest Germany where he learned German
and polished his vocal skills. The Los Angeles native will return to Southern
California where he plans to pursue a career in vocal performance.
Chikako Fujii (Education), helping children communicate
Graduating with a degree in communicative disorders, Chikako Fujii's academic
achievement has been complemented by her community work, providing childcare
for three autistic children and working as a teacher's aide. Fujii and her
family moved to the U.S. from Japan when she was five. This experience, together
with her work with local Japanese families, has fueled her interest in how
cultural issues relate to communicative disorders. This fall, Fujii will
begin a master's in communicative disorders at SF State, enabling her to
become a speech-language pathologist. Fujii is a resident of San Jose.
Jessica Aguilar (Ethnic Studies), student speaker, community activist
and educator
Presidential Scholar Jessica Aquilar, a native of Vacaville,
will graduate with a double major in Raza studies and sociology. The daughter
of emigrants from El Salvador, she found her calling as a community activist
after having volunteered as many as 40 hours a week for Clínica Martín
Baro, a free clinic in the Mission. She has accepted a position at the
Urban Promise Academy in East Oakland where she has tutored Spanish-speaking
students over the past year. Her plans also include advanced degrees
in teaching and a career devoted to serving new immigrants and disenfranchised
communities. Aguilar was selected to be this year's student speaker at
commencement exercises.
Annie Leong-Chan (Health and Human Services), entrepreneur and foster
mom
Keet Yee (Annie) Leong-Chan's road to a college diploma took more than two
decades. Although the native of Malaysia excelled in school and dreamed of
going to college, all of her family's resources were devoted to her brother's
higher education. Chan worked as a tutor and gradually built two businesses
that employed disabled workers before moving to the U.S. Once Chan began
her studies for a degree in kinesiology, she tutored fellow students until
she and her husband began to provide long-term foster care for children who
had been removed from their homes. Upon graduation Chan will devote her time
to an adopted son with special needs before moving on to a graduate degree
in nursing or physical therapy.
Karina Roitman (Science and Engineering), exploring science's big
questions
A native of Argentina, Karina Roitman moved to San Francisco in 2006 and
began studying physics and math at SF State. Her professors recognized her
innate intellectual talent and natural curiosity, supporting her efforts
to develop her abilities at the graduate level. While at SF State, Roitman
has conducted research alongside faculty at the Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and has presented
her research at a professional scientific conference. Graduating with a double
major in physics and mathematics, Roitman wants to explore the questions
that continue to challenge physicists. This fall she will begin a doctorate
in physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Stephanie Miller (Liberal Studies/Special Programs), renaissance
graduate
Stephanie Miller chose to major in Liberal Studies so she could pursue her
wide-ranging interests in art, architecture, science and the humanities.
Raised in Germany by an American father and German mother, Miller moved to
the U.S. in the 1990s, eager to experience life in America. The move interrupted
her education and Miller was determined to return to studying. After attending
community college, she transferred to SF State where she has received outstanding
results. Miller plans to apply to master's programs in either museum studies
or humanities. She is a resident of San Mateo.
Sarah Morris (Humanities), journalist and storyteller
Sarah Morris, a native of Maine, held dead-end jobs until she decided to
pursue a college degree. She has since excelled in the journalism program,
lauded by faculty for producing crisp, thoughtful and accurate articles
for the [X]press student newspaper, where she earned a stint as the managing
editor. A passion for storytelling has led the Santa Cruz resident to work
on her first novel.
Jordan Hayes (Graduate Studies, Humanities), scholar and educator
Jordan Hayes, a native of Oneonta, N.Y., and graduate of Oberlin College,
will receive a master's degree in literature and a certificate in composition.
With a passion for teaching, Hayes was employed as a tutor for an educational
consulting company before developing his own tutoring agency devoted to
young, special needs learners. Throughout his graduate studies at SF State,
he also volunteered as a tutor at the University's English Tutoring Center.
Hayes, whose master's thesis concerned how apartheid was covered and portrayed
in South African media, has already presented his research at distinguished
humanities and literature conferences. He plans to teach English at the
college level.
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