When Jonathan Woodbridge ’25 was a high school student in Livermore, California, he had a few goals in mind: relocating to Southern California and pursuing a legal studies-focused business education.

The proximity to beaches and major employment centers and a legal studies concentration prompted Woodbridge to turn down acceptance at UC Riverside and Cal Poly Pomona in favor of the bachelor’s program at Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics.

“I knew Cal State Fullerton had a distinguished business school when it came to alumni success stories and overall reputation,” he says. “I got here and started my classes and felt accepted and knew this was my place. My professors were outgoing and welcoming in the best way possible.”

Just two days before moving on campus last August in preparation for the fall semester, Woodbridge’s father passed away. Despite the tragedy, Woodbridge has remained focused on completing his degree early. At the start of spring 2023, he was nearly at sophomore status, thanks to taking six courses per semester and previous credits before enrolling as a Titan.

Benefiting From Alumnus John Nguyen’s Financial Literacy Campaign

Cal State Fullerton communications grad and financial planner John Nguyen ’09 is focused on mentoring Titan students through the Get Personal With Finance campaign, which includes a YouTube channel, free online learning community and guest lecturing at his alma mater.

Woodbridge was introduced to Nguyen through Marina Zarate, former senior undergraduate advisor at the College of Business and Economics, who was teaching a college orientation course.

“John Nguyen came to our class and told his story of having immigrant parents, taking seven years to graduate, coming back to CSUF, completing his degree, and now having an amazing career, two beautiful children, and a wife, and now supporting his parents,” says Woodbridge. “John gave us so many links to his personal websites and financial worksheets to practice on. I still use his worksheets today. He offers a helping hand to anyone so they can succeed. He truly inspires service-mindedness!”

The Impact of Business Advising

When first-year students arrive at the College of Business and Economics, they take the Foundations for College Success course and Lifelong Learning, an introductory college course often taught by lecturers from the Business Advising Center, such as Zarate.

Woodbridge says he gained immeasurably from this experience.

“She helped me get into a calculus course I need to graduate on my schedule, which I’ll be taking at Fullerton College this summer,” says Woodbridge. “And in her course, she had my classmates and me do presentations, speak in front of class, set goals, and really get out of our shells.”

The course’s final paper on the student’s chosen career path was a particularly impactful assignment.

“I wrote 10 pages on my goals to be a lawyer. Marina reviewed everything with us and encouraged us to make sure we were in the right direction as far as career outlooks, starting salaries, educational plans and personal hutzpah.”

A First-Year Undergrad Looks Ahead to the Future

Even more so than the average first-year student, Woodbridge leads a busy life. In addition to six courses per semester and summer school, he works 30 to 35 hours per week at the Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Fullerton. And he’s already starting to canvass Southern California law firms for an entry-level part-time opportunity to prepare for his future career path.

“There are so many corporate litigation firms in Southern California. There are a lot of opportunities and options out here,” he says. “If I were up in Northern California where I grew up, I could easily find a job at a law firm now because of family connections, since my grandmother and uncle have legal careers, and my dad was in law too. But I’m trying to pave my own way. And Cal State Fullerton’s business college is helping me do that.”