Jesus Castrejon '99

I'm so proud to have graduated from California State University Long Beach. It was a journey of self-care and hard work that got me to where I am today. I remember fondly sitting under the trees in the quad and doing my homework in the liberal arts building. I was so poor that I would go to the library to take advantage of the air conditioning in the summer and the heat in the winter. It was my safe space to study and focus. The library was also an amazing resource for any books or materials I needed. I remember one time they even emailed me a copy of a book from Europe! I also took out movies from the library when I couldn't afford to go to the movies. I'm the only one in my family of 10 to have graduated with a degree and I'm grateful for the programs at CSULB that helped me along the way. Programs like Upward Bound and the one for first generation students. My counselor was also a great help. I remember the president of the school would call and ask for 40 students from inner city high schools to get a full ride scholarship to CSULB. It was an amazing experience and I'm so proud to have gone there.