This is where I went to college. When I was growing up, both my parents worked hard to keep a roof over our heads and save for our family’s future. I got my first job when I turned 16, at Lucky grocery, and have worked ever since. A
fter high school, I started college at Cal State Hayward. I was paying all my own tuition and fees, because I fortunately had a steady job with flexible hours and decent pay. Then the tuition went up dramatically. I switched to Chabot College for two years for my general education courses because it was too difficult to cover the increased tuition at Cal State. I eventually transferred back to Cal State Hayward and finished my Bachelor’s degree, working nights as a waiter to pay my way. I later went on to get my Master’s degree at San José State, and now some 30 years after that first job as a grocery bagger, I have the good fortune of working for my hometown as city librarian. I’ve attended many schools and visited many university campuses, even worked at some. But this one is where I went to college. This one is home.