Friday May 9

Perseverance pays off

Cameroon transplant makes valedictorian at Canada College

By Neil Gonzales / Bay Area News Group

No obstacle proved big enough to derail Leopoldine Matialeu from her education.

Not her background, growing up in her poor native Cameroon in west-central Africa, where her high school had no library and no computers.

Not the whole year when her home lacked electricity and she had to study early in the mornings under a kerosene lamp.

Nor the months she spent living in homeless shelters on the Peninsula with her mother and sister while still attending Canada College in Redwood City and working at a thrift store.

"I had to focus," she said. "That's what I tell myself. A lot of it comes from my dad. He always encouraged us to go to school."

Since her arrival in the Bay Area from Cameroon just three years ago, her progress has been rapid despite language, cultural and other barriers.

"It was a drastic change," she said. "It was hard to adjust to the culture and to the language. I was used to speaking French."

On top of that, she and her family found themselves living in shelters for about a year after her mom lost employment and couldn't pay the rent at their Redwood City apartment.

"It was difficult not having a stable home," Matialeu said. "I was going to school, working part-time and living with my family in the shelter. It was emotionally difficult."

Still, that couldn't compare with her life in Cameroon.

"It was not as bad as back home," she said.

In her home country, she recalled walking long distances to and from school and sometimes not having enough food. Because she often did the shopping and cooking at home following school, Matialeu would be too tired to study at night but wake up at 4:30 in the morning to hit the books.

During her last year in high school, she had to study with a lamp those mornings because her father didn't have enough money to pay for electricity.

At Canada, not only is Matialeu, 21, graduating with an associate's degree in biology, she's doing so as the valedictorian of her class. She has also been accepted at University of California, Davis, to study biochemistry and Spanish. She aspires to be a surgeon or pediatrician.

Matialeu plans to use her education to help create a better life for those living the kind of life she did in Cameroon.

Because of her perseverance, she will be able to join more than 1,700 other students who are set to graduate this month from higher-education institutions in San Mateo County.

Canada will graduate about 250 students, College of San Mateo about 440 and Skyline College in San Bruno about 450, according to those schools. Menlo College in Atherton is projected to have about 140 graduates while Belmont's Notre Dame de Namur University is expecting about 500.

Menlo and Notre Dame's ceremonies are on Saturday while those at the three community colleges take place May 30.

"Commencement is always a special time for us because it's an event that really honors accomplishments of our students and their support systems," said Loretta Adrian, Skyline's vice president of student services. "This is especially significant given that (many of Skyline's graduates) are the first in their families to graduate from college or to go to college at all."

Menlo and Notre Dame feature commencement speakers who have found success in the communications business.

Richard Li, an international telecommunications executive, will serve as keynote speaker at Menlo.

"Richard Li is not only a highly motivating speaker," said Menlo President Timothy Haight, "but he is also one of the world's most significant and inspirational business leaders."

I can't think of anyone more appropriate to speak to our students about current issues in technology, communications and entrepreneurship."

Notre Dame's keynote speaker is Lorry Lokey, founder of the worldwide media relations company Business Wire.

"He brings to our students a living example of the success of every sort, which can come from creativity and traditional 'good hard work,'" said Notre Dame Acting President Judith Greig.