Angelica Amezcua (Chicana/o Studies/Spanish 2011) had a hard time adjusting when her family immigrated to the United States from Mexico. Then 11 years old, she couldn’t speak English and was accidentally placed in an all-English-speaking class. She begged her mother to take her back to Mexico.
“It was really traumatizing,” Amezcua recalled. “I felt lost and frustrated.”
Angelica Amezcua, the 2015 Nathan O. Freedman Memorial Award winner. Photo by Lee Choo/CSUN
Today, Amezcua — who will be recognized this Friday, May 15, at the Honors Convocation as this year’s Nathan O. Freedman Outstanding Graduate Student, the highest honor presented to a California State University, Northridge graduate student who shows the best record of distinguished scholarship — is glad she remained in the United States. To qualify for the honor, candidates must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5. The 27-year-old Amezcua has a grade point average of 3.87.
“I’m glad my mom did not take us back to Mexico,” said the 27-year-old Amezcua. “She understood better than me that in order to achieve ones goals, one might face many obstacles.”
Amezcua credits the support she received from her family, friends and CSUN faculty and staff with her success. She grew up in the Ventura County community of Fillmore, where both her parents worked as farmworkers. Her parents placed a high value on Amezcua’s and her siblings’ education.
“My mother, Concepcion, was always involved in our education and would volunteer in our school to make sure we behaved and did well in our classes,” she said. “She (Amezcua’s mother) instilled in us the value of education, which helped me and my sisters overcome all the obstacles we have faced in our educational journey.”
The oldest of four, Amezcua served as a role model for her siblings. Her sister Mayra graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from CSUN; her sister Susana will graduate this week with a double major in Chicana/o Studies and sociology from CSUN; she is confident that her 12-year-old brother, Tommy, will follow in his sisters’ footsteps.
Amezcua arrived at CSUN in 2006 with her three best friends. They all worked together to prepare and apply to college. With the support of the Educational Opportunity Program and faculty in the Department of Chicana/o Studies, she and her friends graduated in 2011. Faculty encouraged her to remain at CSUN and pursue a master’s degree in Chicana/o Studies.
While at CSUN, Amezcua has been active on campus as a supplemental instruction leader in the Learning Resource Center, as the co-coordinator of the EOP Parent/Guardian Initiative and as a graduate assistant in the College of Humanities Mentorship Program. She served as an active member of the Chicana/o Studies Student Association, Kalpulli Mentorship Program Coordinator and graduate student representative on the CSUN Educational Equity Committee. She also has made numerous presentations and contributed to the book Latinos and Latinas at Risk [2 volumes]: Issues in Education, Health, Community, and Justice, which explores the Latino/a presence in the United States.
Chicana/o Studies professor Ana Sánchez-Muñoz, Amezcua’s thesis chair, has helped her explore the field of linguistics, focusing on the connections between language and identity. She was part of the Seventh Heritage Language Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she was exposed to different approaches within the discipline. Last summer, she was given an opportunity to work with UCLA professor Claudia Parodi as part of the Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar Summer Program.
As a result, Amezcua has been accepted into a doctoral program in Spanish at Arizona State University, in the heritage language track. Her long-term goal is to return to CSUN to teach Chicana/o Studies.
“CSUN has prepared me to go to the next level,” Amezcua said. “I discovered my potential here.”
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37 Comments
Your family is amazing Susie Amezcua
Congratulations to her hard work.
Awesome news!!
Good job
Good job
Congratulation !!!
Congrats Angelica Amezcua love you!!!
Congrats and good job
Accidentally place in English classes how can they accidentally place her on English classes.
All English speaking class.
Juan misread the English. Irony!
Awesome
Wonderful Story..
Congratulations to anyone who overcomes the odds !!!
Congratulations! !!!
Jumbo jack combo
Felicidades Angelica!! Eres un gran ejemplo para nuestra comunidad!!
Wow congratulations Angelica!! You always been a very caring, big hearted and intelligent person. You did it :) I remember when we were in high school and you were always so involved in the Chicano studies class.. Always putting in hard work. Even though sometimes some negative people would put you down smh. I am so proud you didn’t give up God bless you ♡
Congrats Angelica Amezcua I knew were going to go really far. The best wishes!
Felidades, lo lograste. Dont stop there, reach the finish line
So proud to know this woman
Cingratulations! I knew you would go far.
Wow congratulations…Felicidades por siempre creer en ti. Antonio Casas un dia
Yup great accomplishment
Congrats #sisepuede
Angelica Amezcua felicidades!!!!! Sigue adelante que eres un gran ejemplo para todos los latinos.
Muchas felicidades geli estamos super orgullosos de tus logros sigue adelante ke nosotros t apoyamos…
Muchas felicidades geli estamos super orgullosos de tus logros sigue adelante ke nosotros t apoyamos…
¡Felicidades Angelica! I’m so proud of you and I want to wish you continued success in your future endeavors.
Congrats Prima/Madrina :) so proud of you. You are a true inspiration to all of us. Keep up the great work. Angelica Amezcua
I had the pleasure of meeting her and be in classes with her while at CSUN; such a caring soul, and dedicated to her education and her family.
Way to go Angelica!
Si se puede
This is what we all should be about nothing but success because we have what it takes , so proud of this lady all the way to the top!!!!!!
Yay! Congratulations Angelica.
This is the nicest, hardest working student a teacher could hope for. So proud of you!