"The courses offered in the Chicana/o Studies Department were without a doubt more challenging than the courses offered in Political Science, both academically and personally. I graduated magna cum laude, and I attribute much of that success to the Chicana/o Studies Department. The professors and the material assigned challenged me and helped me to interrogate my common sense, to examine the dominant discourse used in textbooks, media, and socially, and to ultimately deconstruct what I thought I knew. It was in my Chicana/o Studies courses that I grew as a writer and learned how to use theoretical frameworks in my writing and as a filter in the real world. None of this could not have been possible without the professors who pushed us to really think, to ask questions, and that know how to facilitate a conversation that makes us question our common sense. The professors are highly committed to seeing their students succeed. Every course made me feel as though I was receiving an Ivy League education at CSUF. The most important thing I learned was how to humanize those that society marginalizes. The Chicana/o Studies Department helped me to realize the course I want to go with law - to specialize in Immigration Law and Civil Rights and prompted me to transfer to the Public Defender's Office where I am currently employed. I will forever be grateful to the Chicana/o Studies Department at California State University, Fullerton."
--Melissa Padilla, Class of 2014
