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MARIELLA FREIRE Age 35
After using her Governor's scholarship and completing
our PACE program and B.S. degree at CSUN, Mariella and her family spent a
month visiting family and hiking in her native country, Ecuador. Here she
is at the top of the highest volcanic peak, Mt. Cotopaxi (She is the one on
the right).
Working two jobs and raising two children, Mariella
needed a program to help her return to school and earn her degree in the
least amount of time. CSUN referred her to the GCC Pace Program. She found
PACE Director Bob Taylor to be especially helpful in opening the doors to
other resources for her. She attended classes one night per week and all day
Saturdays, and continued working full-time as a clerk for the City of Los
Angeles. Taylor also assisted Mariella with her financial aid forms and
suggested ways to search for possible scholarship funds. Much to her
surprise, she became the recipient of the Governor’s Opportunity
Scholarship, competing with applicants from all over the state. She was one
of five recipients receiving a $5,000 award at the 2000 California
Governor’s Conference for Women in Long Beach. All money raised at the
yearly conference is used to promote awareness of educational growth for
women in the state of California. The five recipients participated in a
final drawing for a 2001 automobile, and she was the winner! The $5,000
helped with tuition and books and the car was perfect for this active mom.
Mariella was appreciative that GCC had such a flexible
and friendly program and staff to support a working mom. The prospect of
returning to school had been scary, but her questions and concerns had been
answered. In 2002, Mariella graduated from CSUN with honors and a finance
degree. She celebrated with a trip to Ecuador with her children to visit
family. Mariella is currently working at the Office of Contract Compliance
for the City of L.A. and is preparing for the LSAT—look out law school!
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