U.S. Marine studied international relations up close
Michael Ginn was a 19-year-old UCI freshman and a member of the Marine Corps reserves in September 2001. But a few months later, his studies were put on hold when his Marine unit was called to duty. Following in both his father and grandfather's military footsteps, Ginn gladly accepted the opportunity to serve his country, but admits he never anticipated being called on so soon. Over the next two years, he filled assignments in the U.S. and Kuwait, and was among the first troops to enter Iraq. The experience was an intense one, he says, that forced him to reexamine his priorities - and to fully appreciate life itself. Upon returning to UCI in 2003, Ginn took classes in U.S. foreign policy and intelligence, and chose to major in international studies. After graduation, Ginn will head to Quantico, Va., to accept a commission as an active duty officer. He hopes to return to graduate school in the future and continue a career in national security.
Drama degree paid off before graduation
Yvonne Same will earn her diploma this month, but her musical theater career has already taken off. When Same participated in UCI's New York City satellite program for drama majors, she auditioned for Miss Saigon (primarily to fulfill a course requirement) and after several months with no word, assumed she didn't make the cut. But just weeks before rehearsals were scheduled to begin, she received the call that sent her singing and acting across the country. As an ensemble member and understudy for the lead role of Kim in the touring production of Miss Saigon, Same performed for 18 months as many as eight shows a week across the country from Washington, D.C., to Portland, Ore. Now, with degree in hand, she will be ready for the next stage in her career - with real-life experience that should put her toward the front of the casting line.
Computer science lights the way for former electrician
Years ago when David Lamb was working at a poultry company, he became fascinated by computer science when he saw how small devices embedded with software could replace entire walls of control panels. But without a college education, Lamb became an electrician, installing traffic signals and street lights. He would still be doing that if it weren't for a hernia and nerve damage from surgery that made him unable to do the physically demanding work. Turning adversity into opportunity, Lamb started through an algebra book at home, then enrolled at Yuba City College and later transferred to UCI. Now, at the age of 45, Lamb is graduating with his bachelor's degree, prepared to enter the lucrative computer science job market, where he says he would like to create software for automatic machinery - a job that will blend his new computer skills with knowledge he gained as an electrician.
Immigrant dreams of helping others become Americans, too
Vilma Palma has a dream: go to law school so one day she can defend and promote the rights of immigrants. The dream is rooted in Palma's childhood where, as a Salvadoran emigrant raised in Coachella Valley, she watched as family members paid exorbitant fees for help filing paperwork required for permanent residency and U.S. citizenship. Now she is not only the first in her family to graduate from college, she also has won a coveted Merage American Dream Fellowship, which provides $20,000 to pursue the dream of her choice. With the scholarship, Palma plans to attend law school before returning to her hometown and opening her own resource center for immigrants to provide affordable translation services and assistance processing documents.
Future doctor crosses borders to care for kids
Vivek Mehta is a pre-med student with a mission to help children. That's why, while volunteering nearly 500 hours at a medical clinic in Costa Mesa, Mehta used a scholarship from the Donald A. Strauss Foundation to develop a series of seminars designed to reduce childhood obesity. He also spent weekends traveling to Mexico to aid physicians running a free primary care clinic. In February, Mehta was named to USA Today's All-USA College Academic First Team as one of the nation's top undergraduate scholars, an honor conferred on only 20 college students nationwide each year. After graduation, he will continue working with kids, traveling to India to study how infant massage may reduce mortality by enhancing the immune system of sick newborns.
Water works for this engineer
It seems as if water was always in Sara Huber's future. As a child, she spent summers cruising around Catalina and Baja with her family aboard a 52-foot trawler, while her father - who served on several water management boards - would engage her in talks about water politics and policy. Then in high school, she became intrigued with how water is managed in Southern California. Now, after completing her honors thesis on how caffeine can be used to trace raw sewage in the environment, she will receive a bachelor's degree in civil engineering with a specialty in water resources, and be honored as the student speaker at The Henry Samueli School of Engineering's commencement. Next year, she will pursue her master's degree in water law and policy at Scotland's University of Dundee's Centre for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy, and may eventually return to UCI to pursue a doctorate in environmental engineering.
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