Class of 2009 includes variety of accomplished students

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A pastor brought Edward Nanyaro from Tanzania to Ventura County, where he will receive his bachelor's degree in economics and computer science on Saturday. 

The following are some of the students who will be receiving degrees and credentials from CLU during ceremonies on May 15 and 16:

An activist is born
While studying in Thailand last year, Amy Brown of Whidbey Island, Wash., got to know women working in brothel bars while she was doing an internship. The experience motivated Brown, 22, to start a CLU chapter of Not for Sale, a group dedicated to eradicating human trafficking and slavery. In the club’s first year, hundreds of students attended the events and members raised nearly $900. Last month, Brown and several other students attended the Abolitionist Academy in Michigan to help them continue the crusade at CLU and elsewhere. A sociology major and departmental assistant, Brown plans to teach English in Morocco, India and Thailand and then wants to become a professional activist fighting for social justice and human rights.

From Tanzania to Thousand Oaks
Edward Nanyaro and his eight siblings grew up in Tanzania, where their farmer parents make about $500 a year. A Ventura pastor and his family met Nanyaro on a mission trip and brought him back to Ventura County to further his education. With financial help from the family, Trinity Lutheran Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and CLU, Nanyaro transferred in 2007 from Ventura College to the university. He has sung his native songs at chapel services, assisted with international events, led an intramural soccer team and tutored other students. Nanyaro is graduating with a double major in economics and computer science. The 25-year-old plans to work for a year to gain experience before returning to Tanzania with hopes of finding a way to help stimulate the region’s economy.

War injury makes veteran reconsider college
Andrew Wilson of Encino was a career Navy man who proudly declared he didn’t need a college education. Then, while serving in the first Gulf War, a mine exploded next to him and he was blown back and broke his back. After the first of what have been six surgeries so far, he realized he could no longer rely on his back, or his body, to support himself. Wilson found jobs in the private sector, but he couldn’t advance without a college degree. So he went back to school with assistance from the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program for veterans, first at a community college and then at CLU. He started in CLU’s traditional undergraduate program and then moved into the Adult Degree Evening Program. Wilson, 45, is graduating with a degree in business management.

First group of graduates ready to teach deaf students
The first four students in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program will receive their teaching credentials. CLU launched this unusual program two years ago at the Woodland Hills center to fill the need for teachers who can work with students who, with the help of cochlear implants, have learned spoken and sign language.