2026
May
12,
2026
|
12:00 PM
America/Los_Angeles
As Karen Julian prepares to take the stage for graduation, she looks back on her life and recalls the many hardships she has faced to bring her to this moment. The journey wasn’t easy, but she couldn’t be prouder of the person she has become.Julian, …
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2025
October
31,
2025
|
08:00 AM
America/Los_Angeles
Sometimes even the smallest things can be taken for granted. Many students never have had to worry about affording a meal or squeezing in hours of sleep between their work and school schedules, but that’s not the case for Alexus Foster.Alexus was in …
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2024
December
09,
2024
|
06:45 AM
America/Los_Angeles
“Once in ACE, always in ACE.” Those were the words said by Leigh Quijada, director of ACE Scholars Services, that helped welcome Deborah Hawkins back to Cal State San Marcos. A sociology major, Hawkins began her college journey at Mt. San …
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2018
January
12,
2018
|
08:00 AM
America/Los_Angeles
Damien Brantley’s foster mother always told him he should attend college.
Despite her encouragement and his desire to pursue higher education, there was still the matter of preparing for the rigors of college as a first-generation …
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2017
June
19,
2017
|
08:55 AM
America/Los_Angeles
Nationally, less than five percent of former foster youth attend college and less than half of those who start will see it through to graduation. It’s a startling statistic and one that CSUSM has been on a decade-long mission to change – …
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June
19,
2017
|
08:54 AM
America/Los_Angeles
Nastassja McDonald - Biological Sciences, 2012
Nastassja was a familiar face across campus by the time she graduated. Not only was she active in numerous campus organizations, but she became the first ACE Scholar featured as a student speaker at …
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March
06,
2017
|
14:00 PM
America/Los_Angeles
The odds seemed insurmountable.
He spent most of his childhood being shuffled from foster home to foster home in the impoverished neighborhoods of southeastern San Diego, but today Aaron Acosta is being honored as an educational innovator for his …
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2015
February
12,
2015
|
14:30 PM
America/Los_Angeles
Home to a one-of-a-kind program that provides support to former foster youth pursuing their college degree, the new Jan and Esther Stearns Center for ACE Scholars officially opened its doors at a grand opening celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
In …
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February
05,
2015
|
16:52 PM
America/Los_Angeles
What: Official grand opening and dedication of the Jan and Esther Stearns Center for ACE Scholars, home to a one-of-a-kind program at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) that provides support to former foster youth pursuing their college …
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2014
December
15,
2014
|
16:15 PM
America/Los_Angeles
Jan and Esther Stearns announced plans during fall semester to donate $1 million support ACE Scholars Services, home to a one-of-a-kind program at CSUSM that provides support to former foster youth pursuing their college degrees. In recognition of …
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September
04,
2014
|
16:48 PM
America/Los_Angeles
Jan and Esther Stearns have announced plans to donate $1 million to name the Jan and Esther Stearns Center for ACE Scholars, home to a one-of-a-kind program at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) that provides support to former foster …
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