NATALY BAKEERAGHA

Nataly Bakeeragha arrived in California two years ago, having escaped the violence of her home country of Syria, which is embroiled in a devastating civil war that rages on to this day. When Nataly immigrated to the United States, she did so with very little money and minimal understanding of the English language and culture. When she started at Norco College, Nataly enrolled in Basic Skills English and math courses and struggled with depression. However, Nataly does not give up and as a result of her determination to succeed, she found her way to EOPS and took advantage of all the resources available to her. Nataly credits EOPS for providing her opportunities to visit multiple universities across the state, which was not possible on her own. In fact, her motivation to major in Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona was due to her college tour experiences with her EOPS family. Nataly is also grateful for the EOPS book vouchers that helped pay for the textbooks that she was unable to purchase with her finances alone. EOPS also provided her the opportunity to work in the EOPS/CARE office, where she gained invaluable skills working in an office environment with caring professionals. Nataly says her ability to communicate in English vastly improved due to this experience. Nataly will begin her studies at Cal Poly Pomona in fall 2017 and she is sure to succeed there as she has at Norco College, due to the strong foundation she has developed as an EOPS student.