I was somewhat surprised when I was accepted into the same film program as Steven Spielberg. He's always been a tremendous inspiration to me. The campus of California State University Long Beach is absolutely amazing as is the weather.

I made a lot of good friends and even learned a thing or two during the two years I was there. My major was Film & Electronic Art and my specialty track was production management. While I was there, I was part of the team on several large productions and supported the film club on several others. It was all very familiar and memories from high school came back quickly. I didn't let my ego get in the way when I was there and I always encouraged the younger kids to step-up and have the experience. I probably could have taught some of those classes but I was there for the satisfaction of earning a degree after all those years. I sat in the front row, was always on time, and never missed a single class. It was fairly expensive just to go, there was no way I would pay then not not attend. I had perfect grades and would have earned Summa Cum Laude honors if not for failing to withdraw correctly from community college courses twenty years earlier. However, I did receive Magna Cum Laude honors and was in the top 2% or so of a graduating class of around six thousand. It was a big personal honor for me to be the first person from my family to graduate from an academic university.