At age 13, Tonantzin Oseguera and her father left Mexico City to be with her mother, who had already come to the U.S., and to seek a better life stateside. As a non-English speaker, life in Southern California was very different for the teenaged Oseguera, who was an undocumented minor in the U.S.

But thanks to a transistor radio, which enabled her to pick up the language by listening to local music stations, Oseguera quickly excelled, becoming an honors student and taking advanced-placement classes at La Mirada High School, and pursuing track and field athletics.

An undergraduate scholarship to attend another CSU – Colorado State University – would change Oseguera’s career trajectory.

Three decades later, she was selected to serve as Cal State Fullerton’s vice president for student affairs, following seven years of leadership with Titan student programs.

Oseguera today leads more than 400 employees and serves about 41,000 students. She’s been a proud and engaged U.S. citizen for 15 years and has worked in academics for two decades.

And it was the challenges and high points of her life that motivated her to pursue student affairs as a career path.

“I experienced both sides of what I refer to as the ‘life-curve’ ‒ events that enhance and elevate you, or that distract and deplete you,” she says. “Year after year, I hear stories from students that sound similar to my own.”

Read more about Oseguera’s story and what she and Student Affairs are doing to improve the Cal State Fullerton student experience and make it more diverse and accessible in this CSUF News article.