Proud Moments in Oxnard

Not so long ago, 28-year-old Monica Moran made a living by dressing up in colorful costumes and singing songs at birthday parties in her hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico.

She also toiled for a while as a receptionist, took a few business classes, and for a change moved to Canada for a year to study and work.

But one thing remained constant in Moran’s life. Every summer she would come to Oxnard to visit family members who had immigrated north to the bustling seaside community to make a living picking produce.

During those trips, Moran learned a little English, participated in community events--she was Oxnard’s Fiestas Patrias queen in 1991--and became increasingly disenchanted with hopscotching through life.

On Wednesday evening, Moran stood on stage in a royal blue cap and gown and accepted an associate of arts degree from Oxnard College.

Each of the 300 students who attended the ceremony--held in a packed gymnasium filled with bouquets of cellophane-wrapped roses and colorful bunches of balloons--was allowed five seconds at a microphone after accepting his or her degree.

Moran used her time to thank her mother, Alicia Fuentes, one of many people who encouraged her to move to Oxnard in 1999 and settle into an academic career focusing on international business.

“I admire her so much,” the smiling, green-eyed Moran said before the ceremony. “She is not only my mother but she is my friend and she has the biggest heart in the world.” Fuentes came to Oxnard when Moran was a child, leaving her with her grandmother.

Moran was one of about 600 students who graduated from Oxnard College this semester--the largest graduating class in the 26-year history of the college, campus spokeswoman Cathy Garnica said.

Garnica credited the record to more students taking accelerated classes and part-timers pushing to finish after several years of course work.

The relief of many students was evident, as some gushingly thanked parents, teachers and God, while others smiled and waved frantically at friends. One graduate let out a small howl after telling the audience it had taken her 19 years to earn a two-year degree.

After a 20-minute procession into the gymnasium as “Pomp and Circumstance” sounded from the public address system, Channel Islands High School student Samantha Padilla performed a moving rendition of the national anthem, inspiring roars from the crowd.

“Be passionate and find something you want to do,” math professor David Magallanes told the graduates before they filed onstage. “Find something deep inside of you and go after it.”

During her two years at the Rose Avenue campus, Moran was one of several hundred students who had to start her college career by first learning the language.

In fact, English teacher Karen Sutton is one of the instructors Moran credits most with her success.

“She was one of the people who really influenced me,” Moran said. “I was working as a waitress here and I thought I would probably go home to Mexico in a year or so. But she helped me understand I could do it.”

Sutton was equally complimentary.

“It’s the method I use. You decide what you want to do and focus on a goal, and the English just comes along,” Sutton said, calling Moran a great student.

In a typical semester, about 200 students enroll in English language courses at Oxnard College, Garnica said.

Under sunny skies, with proud family members strolling around with video cameras, Moran stood in line to enter the gym with Asami Imagake, a 21-year-old Japanese exchange student Moran had met more than a year ago in English-language classes.

Imagake, who has studied at various schools in the state for four years, will return to her home outside Okinawa in June and look for a job as a secretary for a large company, preferably one specializing in international business.

For four years Imagake has lugged a giant dictionary around, struggling to learn English.

“It has been very hard but it was very important,” Imagake said. “I need it because it will help me get a job.”