I grew up in San Diego in a single parent household. My mother was a hairdresser with a high school education. My father did not complete high school and left our family when I was in elementary school. My grandfather, who was a huge influence in my life, had attended college but didn't think women needed to be educated. Education was never a priority in my home. Although I always did well in school, I was tracked out of the college prep courses. My senior year of high school, my English teacher (Beverly Lane---I will never forget her) told me she thought I was smart and asked why I wasn't planning to attend college. With her encouragement, I decided to attend the local community college. After two years at the community college I decided that the only way I was going to truly grow was to leave San Diego and put myself in an academic environment. A friend told me that "there is a great school in Northern California called UCSB and all the students live in apartments on the beach." I laugh now because we're not in northern California but when you grow up in San Diego, everything north of LA is northern California!
I am married to Fred Przekop, a UCSB grad that I met while playing intramural softball on the Orientation Staff softball team. We have two sons, two dogs, and a home in paradise. I've been working in Admissions now for 20 years and still love my job. I'm active in the community and have served as the Advisor to Lambda Sigma Gamma Sorority, Inc. since 1994. I am constantly inspired by the women in this organization and love them dearly.
My first interaction with EOP was a phone call from Pete Villarreal when I was a transfer applicant. I had just been accepted to UCSB and I really wanted to attend but the $100 SIR fee was a major problem for me. I was starting to talk myself out of attending because I figured if I couldn't come up with the initial $100, paying fees and housing was just not going to be possible. EOP assisted me in waiving the fee and Pete was my hero that day because he convinced me that the financial aid would work out and that UCSB was really within my reach.
My first week of school was a disaster because I didn't know a single person on campus, I had never been away from San Diego, and I had a lot of doubts about whether I had made the right decision about coming here. It can be tough being a transfer student at UCSB because in many ways you are going through frosh experiences but I was reluctant to ask for help because I thought that as a college junior, I should have things figured out. I called my grandfather and told him that I thought I had made the wrong decision in coming to UCSB and I wanted him to come pick me up. He convinced me to stay for at least one quarter. A couple of days later, an EOP Peer Advisor knocked on my door to introduce herself. She cheered me up, answered all my questions, and gave me the reassurance I needed. It obviously worked because I'm still here!
I was very active on campus. I served as a Resident Assistant in San Nicholas Hall, was very involved in CAB, served one year as a student staff member and one year as Student Coordinator on the Summer Orientation Staff. My advice to students is that you have to push beyond your insecurities and try new things. Apply for your dream internship even if you don't think you're qualified (because you probably are!). Surround yourself with mentors of all ages who will guide and push you to achieve your goals. Consider studying abroad---I never did and have always regretted that I didn't take advantage of the opportunity.
I am currently the Associate Director of Admissions at UCSB. Former Dean of Students Leslie Lawson and current Dean of Students Yonie Harris guided me into my career and I will always be grateful to these wonderful women. During my final quarter at UCSB, I had a discussion with Leslie Lawson about an idea I had to do outreach to students. I related to her that I had been a good student in high school but nobody ever talked to me about college and I was under the impression that only the "rich kids" went to college. I wanted to put a proposal together to present to someone on campus with the hopes of getting the funding to do outreach to the many students who came from similar backgrounds. After a short laugh, Leslie informed me that there was already an entire office on campus whose purpose was to provide outreach. She put me in touch with the Office of Relations with Schools (now part of the Admissions Office). With encouragement and support from Yonie Harris, I applied for a position as an Admissions Counselor and I've been here ever since! There is nothing better than working with a student who doesn't see college as a possibility and within a year, see them walking across campus. It’s the best.
My most wonderful memories are the great times I had with friends, my learning experiences as a Resident Assistant and Orientation Staff member, good (and bad!) roommate experiences, and the opportunities I had for academic and personal discovery. I've maintained my friendship with a lot of the friends I made at UCSB and it's been wonderful to become professional colleagues with the people who served at mentors to me as a student.
My hope for future students and recent UCSB alumni is to remember to always give back! Involve yourself in community projects and influence young students in a positive way. Just by virtue of the journey you've made to become a UC student, you have built yourself into a role model for younger students and your experience can make the world of difference to them.