Page 12 - Access Magazine Publication 5

Giftscan indeed CHANGE lives
BY DOUGLAS HOAGLAND
Christopher Juarez jumped at the chance to study in South Korea with help from the Study Abroad Office – one of four programs in the Division of Continuing and Global Education that benefits from the Fresno State’s annual Day of Giving.
“Studying in South Korea gave me the independence to be myself and live more authentically than at any other point in my life,” Juarez says. “I developed my personal identity, language knowl- edge, cultural perspective, responsibility, and courage.”
Fresno State student Jennifer Ruiz Garcia spent the 2019-20 ac- ademic year in Israel with the help of the Study Abroad Office. “I like to say I returned with a whole new set of eyes,” she says. “Everything that was once common is new again, and everything that is new I’ve come to appreciate on a whole new level.”
Stories of personal and academic growth resonate throughout the university’s Day of Giving, a one-day online fundraising event held for a 24-hour period; this year scheduled for November 17th, 2020
~Jennifer Ruiz Garcia
from midnight to midnight. Students, parents, staff, faculty, alum- ni, friends and community members are encouraged to donate. “The Day of Giving is not just about the money raised but sharing our impactful programs with new people,” says Katie Adamo Bewarder, associate director of development for the Division of Continuing and Global Education. In 2019 – the third year for Day of Giving – Continuing and Global Education received a record $31,000 from 120 donors. Campus wide, more than 2,000 donors gave over $500,000 in the same year.
Students directly benefit from that support, “When I chose to leave the Navy, I didn’t know how hard it was to get back and enroll in college,” says Raveena Navani, who joined the Veterans Education Program in 2019-20, Navani continues:
“Thank you for supporting small veterans like me with big dreams.” (Navani proudly stands 5 feet 1 inch tall.)
12 California State University, FRESNO