USD Magazine, Spring 2000

chrough rhe experi– ence. Jammed inco an overcrowded high school wich chousands of scudencs and few counselors, chey gee lose in rhe shuffle and lose sighc of chings like college prep courses, SAT reviews, applica– cion deadlines and campus visics. Wich– ouc anyone paying anencion, ic's easy for chem co give up or believe char finances presenc an impossible obscacle. Thar's why Criscina Gonzalez, an assis– canc in USD's Equal Opporcunicy Program office, visics wich every group of Mecca yourhs who come co San Diego. Gonzalez grew up in che cown of Thermal, Calif., jusc

The middle child in a family with five girls and one boy, Lupita Coyte '97 is the first to attend a university, but she's set the example for her younger siblings like 15-year-old Gabriella, who says she too plans a college career. "We don'c leccure chem abouc college or push coo hard co make chem calk abouc whac chey wane co do wich cheir lives, we jusc have fun and lee chem open up when chey're ready," says Tweedy. "Afcer chey see che campus and gee comforcable wich us, chey scare co chink abouc whac lies ahead for chem, whac cheir fucure mighc be." Thar, in a nucshell, is che plan. Siscer Shaffer heard abouc Mecca chrough a con– neccion wich a nun from her order, The Sociecy of che Sacred Heare, who served che church chere. When asked whac could be done co encourage che personal growch of che children, she was poinced co che confirmacion classes conducced by local residenc Escher Gonzalez. While Gonzalez caughc che children abouc religion and spiricualicy in preparacion for cheir confir– macion - che Cacholic rice of passage inco adulchood - she needed some help co gee chem chinking beyond cheir classroom and cheir cown. Overcoming the Obstacles "My scudencs aren'c exposed co many differ– enc cypes of people or poincs of view. For mosc, ic's a big deal jusc co graduace from high school," says Gonzalez. "Ir's noc so much a lack of inceresc in college, ic's more a lack of awareness. The more chey calk abouc ic and learn whac ic cakes co gee inco a uni– versicy, che more inceresced chey are." Or chey have choughc abouc college, and jusc don'c know anyone else who's been

down che road from Mecca. Her family scill belongs co che church in Mecca, and Gonzalez recurns cwice a monch co accend services. Alchough her friend Lupica Coyce was in che firsc Mecca Youch Group Projecc, Gonzalez was sore of an earlier cesc case for che projecc. She was among four scudencs from T hermal who visiced USD in high school, and che only one of che fouc co come co USD. Afcer graduacing in 1998, she scayed on co work ac che universicy. She knows mosc of che families in Mecca, and che kids who visic che campus can relace co her experiences. "I see mosc of chem every ocher week in church, so I can kind of keep cabs on chem and find ouc how chey're doing," says Gonzalez. "When I came co USD, I didn'c have someone from my own communicy co help me chrough che adjuscmenc. Now chey have me." Seeing someone familiar like Criscina Gonzalez is comforcing, buc che scudencs in Escher Gonzalez's confirmacion class also enjoy meecing chose who are differenc from chemselves. Cynchia Galaviz, a 13-year-old who already knows she wanes co be an

Esther Gonzalez works as an accounting clerk for a grape grower near Mecca, but on Sundays she's in class with her confirmation students.While the bilingual classes bring students closer to spiritual adulthood, the MeccaYouth Group Project shows them an adult education is possible as well.

SPR I NG 2 000

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