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ALUMNI STORIES: STEPHANIE CHRISTIAN

STEPHANIE CHRISTIAN

When did you/your family come to California and why?

My maternal grandmother’s family came from Council Grove Kansas in the 30’s to find work and a better life. My grandfather soon followed as he could not be without my grandma and they soon married in California and had three children.

What did you do before coming to Fullerton College?

I was a high school student from La Mirada who loved theatre, dance and speech.

When were you at FC? What were the principal concerns, activities, and events in which you were involved?

I first attended FC after my sophomore year in high school (summer of 1986) and participated in that year’s SRO program, “The Wiz”. I continued the following two summers with “Fame” and “Anything Goes”. After graduating, I attended Fullerton College from Fall of 1988 through Winter 1990 and again as a returning student in 1995 studying graphic design and again prior to transferring to CSUF in Fall 2004. I was most involved in the theatre department, mostly in musical theatre productions and also worked in the theatre department administrative office with Pat Babcock.

Who were some of the most memorable people you met then at the college?

Considering that I am still friends with many of my FC teachers and companions, I would say everyone there made an impression on me. Probably the two MOST influential people for me were one of my directors, Gary Krinke, and my boss and mentor from working in the theatre department office, Pat Babcock. I have great memories of working with Tom.

Is there one story that is most memorable?

One of the most memorable experiences for me was the winter break trip to New York over New Year’s with many friends and instructors from the theatre department. It was my first trip to New York City to see a Broadway show and I will never forget it. The first show we saw upon arriving was Jerome Robbins’ Broadway….the lyrics made an impression on me “New York, New York……it’s a helluva town!!” I think we saw more shows in a week than I had seen in my entire life up to that point at age 19!

What advice do you have for our current students?

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” —George Eliot

It’s wonderful to have dreams as a young person and to pursue those dreams to the best of your ability. However, it’s also okay if your dreams change and grow as you change and grow. And as your dreams change, it’s never too late to go back to school and learn something new to get to where you want to be.

What should be the college vision for the future, or what ideas should we incorporate in that vision?

My vision of college for the future is pretty much what Community Colleges in California offer, a place that is affordable, offers a great education and is available to people throughout their entire lives to return and continue learning whenever they decide to pursue something new.

"...as your dreams change, it’s never too late to go back to school and learn something new to get to where you want to be."