President Napolitano and UCR Chancellor Wilcox inspire students to reach educational goals
April 18, 2016 •
President Napolitano and UC Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox made two appearances in the Inland Empire on April 14 to discuss the value of a college education and highlight the affordability and accessibility of UC for California students and their families. The visits to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale and Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga are part of a statewide effort by UC to boost the enrollment of Californians by 5,000 in fall 2016 and another 5,000 by 2018.
At Roosevelt High School, the largest school in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, the president and chancellor took questions from 45 UC-admitted seniors before addressing more than 400 students who plan to apply in the future. Eastvale Mayor Ike Bootsma; Kenneth Young, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools; and other school and community leaders attended.
In her speech, President Napolitano encouraged students to get ahead in their college preparation and outlined the affordability of UC. She highlighted the achievements of several alumni who were first-generation college students, including Marigold Linton, who in 1954 became the first Native American student from a California reservation to attend a university. Linton graduated with a B.A. in psychology from UC Riverside and completed her doctorate at UCLA.
“These are living examples of the transformative—game changing—power of the University of California. It’s a place where smart, hard-working students can challenge themselves and their peers, and graduate ready to succeed in any endeavor they choose,” President Napolitano said.
Chancellor Wilcox, who was in the first generation of his family to graduate from a university, shared a personal story about how the help he received as a young student shaped his academic future.
“As much as we think of our problems as our own, it is very likely that someone has had the same problem as you, and it’s even more likely that there is someone there to help you,” he told the students.
