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In The News
Sept. 19, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dominguez Hills Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award
Recipient
Succeeds As Student, Single Parent
Carson, CA –California
State University, Dominguez Hills alumnus and current multi-subject
credential program student John Shaffer has been selected
as a 2007-08 William R. Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award
for Outstanding Achievement recipient. Shaffer and his fellow
Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award scholars, each representing
one of the 23 CSU campuses, were recognized for their achievements
during a special presentation at the California State University
Board of Trustee meeting Tuesday, Sept. 18
The Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award,
endowed by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and donations
from CSU Trustees
and private donors, is a $3,000 scholarship given annually
to students in the CSU system who demonstrate not only financial
need but also academic success in the face of personal hardships.
Shaffer, a 48-year-old single father of twins, said that
the $3,000 scholarship was definitely a plus and something
that will allow him to concentrate on his studies more, but
that the recognition of all his hard work was the real reward.
“It’s really awesome because I’ve worked
really hard, and to get acknowledgement from an outside source
means so much,” Shaffer said. “I guess all that
time I stayed home to study instead of going out has paid
off in a way.”
For Shaffer, the choice between going out and studying was
never a difficult one to make: Doing well in school has meant
he can continue to receive state aid through the CalWORKS
welfare program, and the ultimate outcome will mean a better
life for him and his children. He also does it to set a good
example for his 8-year-old son and daughter.
“They see the work ethic and it helps them form good
habits,” he said. “I wish I had gone to school
when I was younger, but honestly, this has turned out to
be the right time; my kids have the opportunity to go through
this with me. I feel blessed.”
Shaffer’s return to school came during a relatively
low point in his life. He had just gone through a divorce
from his children’s mother and although he had been
granted full custody of the twins, he was not in the best
financial position to care for them.
He knew that if he could pursue his
dream of becoming a teacher he could provide for his family,
but that career
path seemed remote given his circumstances. As it turns out,
it was just such circumstances—needing assistance for
CalWORKs— that would provide the impetus for him to
turn his dream into reality: CalWORKs provides welfare assistance
for those in need who also seek to improve their situation
through education. Here was his chance.
Once accepted into CalWORKs, Shaffer
immediately enrolled in Golden West Community College and
within two years had
his A.A. degree. Shaffer said the CalWORKs program initially
allowed only two years of schooling, but as he was graduating
from Golden West they extended the program to five years.
Knowing he would have the financial support, Shaffer sought
his bachelor’s degree, applying to Dominguez Hills
because of its strong liberal studies and teacher credential
programs. He enrolled in fall 2005.
Between caring for his children full
time, volunteering at their school and working part time,
Shaffer managed to
maintain a 3.9 GPA in the two years it took to complete his
bachelor’s degree Dominguez Hills. This past May he
became the first in his family to graduate from college,
and he did so with honors. Shaffer is back in school this
semester, in the multi-subject credential program. He anticipates
completing his credential in May 2008 and hopes to be in
front of a classroom as a teacher by this time next year.
Shaffer said despite the hardships, or possibly because
of them, he believes these last few years have molded him
into a better man and, hopefully soon, into a caring and
motivational teacher.
“
I come from a middle-class white background. I had never
experienced being down and out,” Shaffer admitted. “It
was really humbling to say ‘I need help.’ I
think that will benefit me when I get into the classroom.
I can better understand the lives of my students and the
concerns of parents. I needed to experience this.”
For more information about the William
R. Hearst/CSU Trustees' Award, visit http://www.calstate.edu/foundation/hearst/
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About
CSU Dominguez Hills -- California
State University, Dominguez Hills is a highly diverse,
urban university located in the South Bay, primarily
serving the
Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university prides itself
on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered
environment.
Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing, psychology,
business administration, and digital media arts, new degree
programs include computer science, criminal justice,
recreation and leisure
studies, social work, and communication disorders. On campus
is the Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex
that hosts
world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse, and
cycling.
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