Returning Toros Get Fresh Start on Graduation
Stephanie Esquivel enrolled at CSUDH in 2007 straight out of high school. She remembers the excitement she felt as a first-generation college student, eager to graduate and make a positive impact on the lives of others.
However, her optimism soon gave way to an overwhelming sense of displacement.
“I remember feeling lonely, undeserving, and even guilty for abandoning my family to focus on my own goals,” she said. “I stopped attending classes and quickly found myself in a downward spiral.”
Esquivel never completely lost the ambition that initially inspired her. Through fifteen years of personal and economic challenges, she took classes when she could at several community colleges, including a short stint at Arizona State University that allowed her to be closer to her family.
Now she is back on campus and starting her junior year as part of the first cohort of CSUDH’s Once a Toro, Always a Toro program.
Launched earlier this year, the program supports the California State University (CSU) Graduation Initiative 2025 and removes many of the barriers that prevent students who stop out of college from re-enrolling.
In addition to simplifying the process for reenrollment and waving application fees, CSUDH has mobilized advisors and tutors to smooth the transition back into academic life.
“We created a high-touch reengagement campaign with the goal of creating a sense of belonging to former CSUDH students,” explained Sabrina Sanders, director of the Toro Reengagement Program, who oversees the Once a Toro initiative.
Some 3,500 former Toros that stopped out of college in the last five years were invited to return this fall semester. About 390 answered the call, including many like Esquivel whose college dreams have remained unfulfilled for more than a decade.
President Thomas A. Parham formally welcomed the returning Toros during a reception on Sept. 14. He acknowledged that life can often get in the way of even the strongest aspirations, but that CSUDH will always be there to support them.
“I want to say how proud I am of you for accepting our invitation to come back home, because this really is your home,” Parham said. “We are not about to let you fail. You are not on this journey alone.”
A report on enrollment for the academic year 2020-21 nationwide found that 39 million Americans had received some college credit but stopped out before getting a degree. California was among four states that accounted for a third of all such students, more than half of whom come from African American, Latinx, or other underrepresented communities.
The educational non-profit group California Competes identifies this community as “potential graduates” and notes in a report last year titled Untapped Opportunity that the state has about 6.8 million former students aged 25-54.
Among the report’s key findings was the fact that Californians of color represent most of the state’s potential graduates, and that improving educational access would not only increase social mobility but help meet the state’s growing demand for skilled and degreed workers.
“California is preparing the next generation for the jobs of the future,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said last month during the launch of his new $54 million K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Program. “We’re closing equity gaps, providing more resources to help our students achieve their career goals right in their own communities, and streamlining the pipeline from K-12 to higher education to careers.”
In his address at the reception, CSUDH Provost Michael Spagna concluded by commenting on how committed the university is to educational equity and mobility for students of color. “That’s what Dominguez Hills is all about. Social mobility is the equity issue of our generation,” Spagna said.
For Esquivel, returning to CSUDH is about finishing what she started. It has given her a new sense of purpose and a desire to give back. She is just two years shy of her degree in child development. Law school is next. After that, she wants to create a non-profit organization to mentor girls and young women in underresourced communities in Los Angeles.
“It is only through programs such as Once a Toro, Always a Toro that our deepest need is met – to feel a sense of belonging, acceptance, and the ability to contribute our own voices and experiences to create opportunities for generations to come,” she said.
Latest News
- 2024 Faculty Awards Honor Six Outstanding Educators2024 Faculty Awards Recognize Six Outstanding Educators The 2024 Faculty Awards Reception was held on April 30, with six members of the CSUDH faculty receiving honors for their contributions to the university. The awards are presented each year to selected faculty members for outstanding achievement in a variety of areas—from research and scholarship to lecturing […]
- KABC: Little-Known Program Offers Steep College Tuition Discounts for Some Colleges in Western StatesSource: KABC (Video) Out-of-state tuition: Four words that often influence a family’s colleges choices. But there’s a little-known program that might open a lot of opportunity. The Western Undergraduate Exchange, or WUE, is an agreement between over 160 colleges and universities to offer steep tuition discounts for students in the West. Last year, 46,000 students saved roughly […]
- Clean Earth Challenge: CSUDH Day of Service Campus CleanupSource: Clean Earth Challenge As part of the CSUDH Day of Service (California State University, Dominguez Hills, CA) and the Clean Earth Challenge, 20 student volunteers participated in a campus cleanup. The goal was to collect trash to make their campus environment cleaner and to spread awareness about how important it is to prevent trash […]
- CSUDH to Hold Inaugural In-Person CIF Esports Initiative Championship Finals(Sacramento, CA) – The California Interscholastic Federation announces the first-ever in-person CIF Esports Initiative Championship Finals to be held on April 27, 2024 at the California State University, Dominguez Hills Toro Esports Academy. The statewide CIF tournament is hosted and managed by NASEF, the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations. The popularity of esports […]
- Senate District 35: Senator Bradford’s Legislation to Create a Designation for Black-Serving Colleges Passes Senate CommitteeSource: Office of California State Senator Steven Bradford Senator Steven Bradford’s legislation to establish a state-level designation recognizing institutions of higher education that excel in educating and serving Black students has passed the Senate Education Committee 6-0 with bipartisan support. Black students in California and nationally are historically underrepresented in higher education. SB 1348 would […]
- Ed Source: Teacher Diversity is an Investment in Students Worth Making and KeepingSource: Ed Source Representation matters, especially in the classroom. Students can do better when they are instructed by a person who looks like them. As California is challenged by fiscal uncertainties, school districts are bracing themselves to establish their own budget priorities. Now more than ever, it is time for school districts to protect and realize […]