“Feria Deja Huella” Draws Thousands to
CSU Dominguez Hills

The first Univision KMEX 34 and Telefutura 46 “Feria Deja Huella” (Leave Your Mark Fair) drew approximately 20,000 people to campus Saturday, Aug. 22, from noon to 5 p.m. The Spanish language education fair – the first and largest such fair in Southern California – was part of the Univision’s “Deja Huella Edúcate” (Leave Your Mark, Educate Yourself) campaign to increase the involvement of Spanish-speaking parents in their kids’ education.

“CSU Dominguez Hills commends KMEX Univision 34 and KFTR TeleFutura 46 on their efforts to promote education and wellness within the Latino community,” said CSU Dominguez Hills President Mildred García. “CSU Dominguez Hills shares that commitment and we are extremely proud to host this first ‘Feria Deja Huella.’ ”

The layout of the fair was designed to guide parents through the U.S. educational system, starting with Pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle, high school and then college. The fair also helped build awareness of the many non-profit resources that are available to support families on their educational journey. Other activities included reading gardens, science activities, mentors and a visualization area for careers, vision and dental screenings and an immunization station.

The event made history with the largest one-day book giveaway, distributing more than 25,000 books donated by the Molina Foundation and Mexican Consulate. There were additional give-aways and participation by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chivas USA and Univision Radio. The feria was sponsored by Univision, the California State University system, CSU Dominguez Hills, First 5 LA, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, LA Universal Preschool and Preschool California.

Raoul Freeman, professor of computer information systems at CSU Dominguez Hills, contributed a chapter titled "Goals, Measurement, and Evaluation of E-Gov Projects" to "The Handbook of Research on Strategies for Local E-Government Adoption and Implementation: Comparative Studies," (ed. Christopher G. Reddick, University of Texas) which was published earlier this year by IGI Global.

Freeman says that users of e-government have helped lighten the load for county employees due to the users' ability to fill out forms and find answers to questions online.

"Face-to-face services continue, and the levels of service have not been reduced," says Freeman. "However, less staff time is now required for face-to-face [service] as the volume is lower."

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When he was 19, Andrew Rafkin (Class of '72, B.A., economics) was asked by a friend to take his place on his father's commercial fishing boat on a four-day trip off the Santa Barbara coast. A storm of epic proportions arose during the voyage, with the waves that reached 20 to 30 feet, placing him and the crew of the Diana in a 24-hour fight for their lives that included the boat being knocked on its side, crew members going overboard, and one dying in Rafkin's arms.

After decades of telling the story and having listeners urge him to write down the harrowing tale for posterity, the San Pedro native finally did so. His book, "Red Sky Morning," won Rafkin a Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) 2009 EVVY Literary Award.

"Red Sky Morning," which was published by Outskirts Press in 2008, is the first book Rafkin wrote (in 2006), but not the first book he published. The second book he wrote, "Creating Madness," was published in 2007. Rafkin, who originally shopped "Creating Madness" to traditional publishers, fell back on his education from CSU Dominguez Hills and natural business acumen to steer himself through the choppy waters of promotion.

Rafkin is enjoying the spoils of fame, appearing at book signing events at San Pedro's Williams' Book Store, the Literary Guild of Orange County's Men of Mystery Tour, and the 2008 L.A. Times Festival of Books.

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