Success Stories
Student begins speech pathology career at Lane
Story by Joan Aschim
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Maria Rosa Fabian Alvizo |
Access to an affordable education and a small class environment brought Maria Rosa Fabian Alvizo to Lane Community College. By next fall she will have completed an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree, her first credential toward a career as a bilingual speech pathologist serving Spanish-speaking families with children.
Born and raised in Central Mexico, Maria had a good high school education but when she moved to Eugene to be with family, got married and had a daughter, the prospect of university was daunting. It was expensive, big and impersonal. Friends recommended Lane Community College, known for its affordability, small classes, networking opportunities for Spanish-speaking students, and skilled faculty who cared.
“When you walk into a classroom with 20 people you know that the teacher will take care of you,” says Maria. “When you walk into a class of 500 like at the university you just kind of get lost. You wonder if you’re really doing what you should be doing.”
Maria’s husband became abusive and she was forced to take her daughter, leave school and regroup. Last year she was ready to try again. “There was no question in my mind that Lane was where I needed to continue my education.”
Marie has worked with Head Start of Lane County and EC CARES, an intervention service for children with developmental delays and disabilities.
“When I worked for Head Start I only worked with Spanish-speaking families. As a social worker one of the things we did with families was help them set goals. Every single family I had wanted to go to school, wanted to learn to speak English, and Lane Community College was always the choice. They knew a two-year degree would open a lot of doors.”
Affordability is a key factor for families, says Maria. “Having Lane as an option is what gets us going, gives us hope that we can actually do it, that it’s manageable, that we’re not going to get started and then to have to drop it because of finances. So to have this option really benefits everybody.”
Published by Marketing and Public Relations, December 2008.
