OC Register, "Nicholas Academic Centers hold alumni reunion"

The following information was submitted by Fernando Martinez, director of academic services for Nicholas Academic Center II in Santa Ana.

More than 50 recent high school graduates from the Santa Ana Unified School District, all alumni of the Nicholas Academic Centers, came together on Jan. 5 in celebration of having taken the road less traveled when they chose to attend college.

The annual event featured students from the Santa Ana community who now attend colleges across the nation, including Georgetown, Allegheny, Grinnell, UC Berkeley, and Cal State East Bay, among others. During the event, students shared anecdotes and common experiences in their chosen path to college.

Mariana de Vicenzo, a Santa Ana High School graduate and current student at Georgetown University, said that attending college on the east coast helped her “meet people from all over the world,” adding that the experience “just blows your mind because it really changes your perspective on not only your home, but also your own mentality and how you view other people and other cultures.”

Mariana is one of 150 NAC graduates now attending college, including many of the nation’s top schools. In addition, NAC alumni have earned a total of more than $2 million in scholarships and financial aid.

The centers were established in 2008 by Dr. Henry Nicholas, co-founder and former co-chairman, president and CEO of Broadcom Corporation and retired Orange County Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel.

Over the last two years, 100 percent of NAC seniors have gone on to college, compared to 61 percent for Hispanic high school students nationwide, and 96 percent of NAC graduates who attend four-year colleges are still enrolled, with many excelling academically.

By contrast, according to the College Board, national sophomore retention rates for all students are less than 80 percent, and only 46.8 percent of Hispanic college students graduate within six years.

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OC Register, "Nicholas Academic Centers alumni share college tips with teens"

Home from college on winter break, alumni from the Nicholas Academic Centers shared experiences and advice with over 100 current NAC students at the annual “College Knowledge Alumni Panel” held at NACII on the Valley High School campus. On the panel were students from private colleges such as Haverford, Smith and Colgate, and public institutions such as UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Santa Ana College. They discussed academic experiences, the culture shock of being away from home, and the many community activities they engage in to enrich their college experiences. - HTN Foundation

Nicholas Academic Centers alumni share college tips with teens

THERESA CISNEROS / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

In this photo Erik Chavarria, a 2010 graduate from the Nicholas Academic Centers in Santa Ana who attends Morningside College in Iowa, shares his experiences with current NAC students.

"Alumni from the Nicholas Academic Centers (NAC), home from college for winter break, shared experiences and advice with over 100 current high school students from the centers on Dec. 22 at NACII on the Valley High School campus in Santa Ana.

The annual "College Knowledge Alumni Panel" included students from private colleges such as Haverford, Smith and Colgate, and public institutions such as UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Santa Ana College.

Topics ranged from academic experiences to culture shock to contributions students are making in their communities. Alumni panelists encouraged NAC students not to be discouraged by economic and cultural obstacles.

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Huffington Post, "Universal Day of Human Rights -- Implementing Its Ideals"

Supporters of Marys's Law in California and victims' rights everywhere take note: December 10th was International Human Rights Day recognizing the United Nations' adoption 63 years ago of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The Declaration was established in the aftermath of World War II and, for the first time, delineated rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled. The 30 articles contained in the Declaration have since been codified in laws and treaties worldwide. The rights proclaim that all are equal before the law, entitled to equal protection of the law, and have the right to effective remedies for violations of fundamental liberties. In 1976, the International Bill of Human Rights, which includes the Declaration and other documents, became international law. To mark this year's anniversary, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights hosted a global conversation on human rights. - HTN Foundation

Universal Day of Human Rights -- Implementing Its Ideals

Today I am going to take the liberty of using the precious space I have on this screen to introduce you to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, because Saturday is the International Human Rights Day.

How many of us really know what the Declaration stands for? It was established in December of 1948, at the end of an eventful year during which Gandhi was assassinated while on a fast-unto-death protest in Delhi, Warner Brothers showed its first color reel, the pillars of NATO were set to restrain the Soviet Union, the Supreme Court ruled (in McCollum v. Board of Education) that religious instruction in Private Schools violates the US Constitution, Harry Truman signed the Marshal Plan, and the Arab-Israeli conflict escalated to the 1948 war that drove the Egyptians from the Negev and began the exodus of Jewish people from Arab lands into Israel.

It was a tumultuous year that came on the heels of a world war that pitted hemispheres against each other and placed ideologies at odds with one another. The winner would be measured by the burden of human bloodshed.

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ABC/KGO-TV, "Victim's rights groups get thousands from inmates"

Marsy's Law expands the rights of crime victims in California to restitution, adding to the impact of restitution laws already on the books. One law passed in 1990 requires inmates to turn over 20% of the money they earn at prison jobs to victims of crime. After paying the restitution, the remainder of their earnings goes to community organizations. This year, prisoners earning minimum wage assembling medical supplies at San Quentin State Prison collected $38,000 in restitution payments, which meant that seven victims' rights organizations each received checks of $4,500. - HTN Foundation

Victim's rights groups get thousands from inmates

SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (KGO) -- Several victim's rights organizations received checks for thousands of dollars Monday straight from the paychecks of inmates.

he prisoners earn minimum wage assembling medical supplies at San Quentin State Prison. A law passed by voters in 1990 requires that 20 percent of their salaries be given to victims of crime. Once the inmate pays restitution, the excess goes to community organizations.

"It has to be used for direct services to crime victims, things such as emergency shelter, food, transportation," explained Chris Jacobs with the Prison Industry Authority.

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OC Register, "Her words brought a courtroom to tears"

AJ Egan's husband was killed in 2007 in a botched robbery at the Home Depot in Tustin where he was the manager. Nearly five years later, Egan says she found closure in delivering a victim-impact statement that the prosecutor called one of the most eloquent and articulate ever in Orange County. After hearing her speak, the judge agreed with jurors and sentenced Jason Richardson to death in the murder of Tom Egan. AJ Egan was exercising her right under Marsy's Law to speak during sentencing.  "That chapter of my life is finished and I hope to move forward into a new chapter," she said. - HTN Foundation

Her words brought a courtroom to tears

By LARRY WELBORN / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

AJ Egan, the widow of Thomas Egan, talks to the media after the sentencing of Jason Russell Richardson in Santa Ana on Nov. 28. Richardson was convicted of the special circumstances murder of Tustin Home Depot manager Thomas Egan. Richardson received the death penalty. PAUL BERSEBACH, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTERAJ Egan worked on her victim-impact statement for years.

When she was done telling Superior Court Judge William Froeberg about the enormity of the impact her husband's murder in 2007 had on herself and her family, spectators were crying.

It was one of the most eloquent and articulate victim statements in an Orange County courtroom, Deputy District Attorney Cameron Talley said. To read her remarks, click here.

She was entitled to give her remarks under Marsy's Law, which guarantees victims and their families the right to speak during sentencings and at other appropriate times during the legal proceedings.

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