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President Morishita inspires parents at PIQE graduation

CSUEB President Leroy Morishita stands in front of a crowd of parents at the PIQE graduation. (By: Elias Barboza)

CSUEB President Leroy Morishita stands in front of a crowd of parents at the PIQE graduation. (By: Elias Barboza)

  • November 30, 2011 1:00am

Cal State East Bay is encouraging continuing education beyond its campus classrooms. Last month, CSUEB President Leroy Morishita congratulated over 90 parents of elementary school students for being pro-active towards their child’s education. Each parent that night graduated from the Parent Institute for Quality Education.

The graduation ceremony was held in Longwood Elementary’s multipurpose room in Hayward. Graduates cheered and applauded the president as he stood at a podium in front of the crowd, serving as keynote speaker.

“(CSUEB) congratulates all of you for your hard work,” Morishita said. “The same way my parents motivated me, I encourage you to continue with your efforts so that your children can succeed.”

Founded in 1987, PIQE is a program promoting involvement between low-income parents and their child’s education. Its signature course is the Parent Engagement Education Program, where parents meet for a two-hour course once a week for nine weeks. The free courses inform parents of elementary, middle school, and high school students about current education standards and state university requirements. It also encourages parents to support and show interest in their child’s education.

CSUEB is one of four Northern California state universities connected to PIQE’s Berkeley regional office. Each university supports PIQE’s mission of achieving higher learning.

Families who attended the recent graduation were inspired by Morishita’s keynote address and look forward to visiting CSUEB, Claudia Quezada said. Quezada serves as liaison between PIQE and CSUEB. She provides access to CSUEB resources and events and attended several courses of the engagement program and graduation.

“Longwood Elementary families now know President Morishita firsthand and enjoyed hearing about his background, which is so similar to theirs,” Quezada said about the event. “(The graduating parents) now know that coming from a humble background is not a deterrent to accessing higher education and achieving success in life.”

EB

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