Stop whining out there, young folks. Sure, university study costs a lot these days. It may require a job or even two or three. The academics are never easy. Student life likely is more complicated than its ever been, especially in multicultural, multi-ethnic Southern California. But how much does that education matter? If it meant seeing any and all scholarships evaporate, would that be the time to dig in? If it meant going hungry and losing a place to live, how much fortitude would go on display? And if it came to the private spectacle, a desperation so great that the only shelter available would be the practice rooms in the music building, how much tenacity would remain? For Brian K. Smith, a senior studying Spanish translation and music and carrying a 3.65 GPA, those dire circumstances all came true -- and with his own perseverance, determination, grit and the grace of some supportive friends and faculty, they're over. He's just won a trustee's award that will let him escape homelessness and advance toward his goals of becoming the first in his family to earn a degree and even maybe the Ph. D. he covets.
A once homeless scholar hopes trustees' award will boost him toward a dream Ph. D.
