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CSUB graduate recalls college career, a stepping stone for life

50th anniversary alumni spotlight: Lynece Edwards

By California State University, Bakersfield

March 15^th, 2021

“Nothing in my life to date has shaped me more than the personal, educational and professional relationships that are intricately woven into my CSUB journey,” said CSUB alumna, Lynece Edwards.

While it might not have necessarily been her decision to go to the California State College in Bakersfield, it was an introduction to her young adult life.

“Growing up, I knew without a doubt that I would go to college,” said Edwards.

Every Fourth of July, her uncle, Lynn Edwards, who served as captain with the Bakersfield Fire Department, would take Lynece and her cousins to Bakersfield College to see the fireworks show in the football stadium.

That was the closest she’d ever been to being on a college campus, until a recruitment officer from Pepperdine came to her school.

“I was glued to every word the college recruitment officer from Pepperdine spoke during an assembly held for high school juniors when I attended Arvin High School,” said Edwards. “I dreamed of the journalism major that I would pursue and the stories, lives and places I would be compelled to extend a written voice … I would produce profoundly informative, imaginative documentaries.”

CSUB graduate recalls college career, a stepping stone for life

However, when the new community school opened in Bakersfield, her plans were shifted.

“There’s a perfectly good brand-new school right here in Bakersfield and you’re going there,” she was told by her family.

That’s what Edwards did.

“The next step was to board the city bus bound for the good brand-new school on a Saturday morning in the early spring of 1971, my senior year at Foothill High School, to take the SAT exam,” said Edwards.

Edwards grew up on an agricultural farm 45 minutes south of Bakersfield with her aunt and uncle after her mother died.

“From kindergarten through eighth grade, I walked a dirt road mile to and from the house to catch the bus to school. The mailbox was about two miles away from where we lived,” said Edwards. “Neighbors would be identified by patches of trees in the distance.”

Edwards said she could almost see the orange ball that marked the location of the Union gas station at the base of the Grapevine at night with the head and taillights of cars traveling down Highway 99.

“California State College (CSC), that perfectly good new school, was a really big deal,” said Edwards.

After completing her general education requirements, a number of life-changing events, getting married and giving birth to a son, in the winter quarter of 1973, they influenced Edwards in picking a practical major, liberal studies, in order to attain her elementary school teaching credential.

While attending CSC, she became a wife and mother, she was also carrying a full-time load of classes and working part-time. Her husband did, as well. She and her husband also took summer school classes.

Edwards recalled a lot of construction during her time on campus, as well as the squirrels and the occasional real-life roadrunner scurrying past the area where the Icardo Center now stands tall today.

During that time, students would gather in the quad for meetings, to chat, study or eat when the weather permitted.

“It would not be unusual to see groups of students gathered and perhaps even ‘protesting’ beneath the ever-fragrant blooms of the wisteria outside of President Paul Romberg’s office. A representative of the student group might hand to him a document of some sort or proposal outlining a strongly-held position or ideas to consider,” Edwards reminisced.

Student organizations, such as the Black Student Union, also met regularly, held fundraisers, study sessions, dances and picnics. The basketball games were held at the Civic Auditorium, where Edwards noted that their voices were lost cheering the `Runners to victory.

The evening of the graduation ceremony from California State College Bakersfield in June of 1975, Edwards spoke to the audience attendees about the life lessons that came from attending college.

“For me, the life lessons associated with entering into a marriage, having and raising a child, attending classes full-time during the school year and picking up needed units during summer school, and working proved to be exhausting and complicated. The coursework could often be characterized in the same way,” said Edwards.

The first job Edwards held was at the very first Burger King in Bakersfield, noting the “brightly-colored uniform and a large matching hat.”

“I somehow managed to convince the interviewer a family and bills to pay was reason enough to hire me in spite of my weeks-old Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies. And besides, I knew how to correctly count change,” said Edwards.

When she and her husband, who also graduated with his masters degree in counseling, relocated to Fresno, her husband began working in financial aid at Fresno State.

“Having missed the hiring season for teachers, I accepted a position as a claims adjuster for Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. A year later, I returned to Bakersfield as an unmarried single mother. That fall, I began my teaching career in a bilingual first grade classroom in Wasco,” explained Edwards.

She taught for three-and-a-half years before living in Oakland and Berkeley.

“I worked for two different non-profit organizations in San Francisco and, for the first time, found myself traveling to other states where there were grassroots organizations who received seed grants to fund the non-political activities in their communities,” Edwards added.

When Edwards’ aunt died in 1983, she felt it was her responsibility to move back to Bakersfield to help care for her uncle, since they’d had no children of their own. During that time, she worked part-time and completed her clear teaching elementary credential.

“In the summer of 1985, I received a telephone call from Lee Adams who was the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) director. He told me about a brand-new initiative launched by the California University System called Summer Bridge,” explained Edwards.

She was asked to go to work and call potential incoming freshmen, first to attend college from underrepresented backgrounds and talk to them and their parents about attending the four-week residential orientation to college and academic boot camp to improve the attendance in the fall.

It was also a chance introduce students to the support serviced available to help attenuate some of the barriers of receiving a college degree.

“After receiving permission from the principal and the district administration to vacate the third-grade classroom assignment I held, I applied for and accepted a position in student affairs,” said Edwards.

Edwards began working in the Academic Advancement Center on her birthday in September 1985, guiding subject peer tutors, EOP peer counselors, math and English specialists and related professionals engaged in the activities to assist students in completing the area of study they’d chosen.

Every summer thereafter, the staff greeted a new cohort of 125 underrepresented college students for the four-week Summer Bridge Program.

“At the end of 1998-99 academic year, I made the difficult but thoughtful decision to resign the position I had held for 14 years. This decision necessitated a professional change of course,” said Edwards.

“I had long embraced the support extended to me by the School of Education. During my tenure at CSUB, I was periodically assigned one or two student teachers to observe and provide feedback and I was happy to do so. The provision of such opportunities was in preparation for me to pursue a doctorate in education and hopefully join the faculty at CSUB as a teacher of teachers,” added Edwards.

Throughout her time working at CSUB, Edwards made an impact on the students and colleagues she worked with, including then student Emile “EJ” Callahan, who is now the director of the Student Union and Organizational Governance.

“I just remember Lynece making the Academic Advancement Center a family environment. Everyone felt welcomed and we she made sure we knew that the work we were doing would have a lasting impact on the students,” said EJ Callahan.

Callahan added that he viewed Edwards as a role model and mentor for of the EOP students.

“She was very task-oriented and being on her staff was a privilege that not too many were able to enjoy,” said Callahan. “Lynece showed me love and believed in me. Her love gave me the confidence that I needed as a first-generation college student to continue to press forward at the university.”

After the decision to resign, Edwards put her teaching credential to use, updating her resume and letters of recommendation. She applied to the Vallejo City Unified School District and was offered a fifth-grade assignment, where she worked until her retirement in June 2016.

Although Edwards is retired, she has remained involved with organizations close to her heart.

“Over the years, I have been associated with NAMI in Bakersfield and Solano County as a board member at large, Faithnet Coordinator, NAMI WALKS participant and Trainer for the Family to Family initiative,” said Edwards.

Her worship affiliation provides the congregants and community opportunities to participate in health-related workshops and has served as the director of health ministry.

At Edwards' retirement luncheon with three of the close educator friends she taught with - the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

Her passion for mental health advocacy has been fueled by her son's mental health journey. Kevin experienced a psychotic break and was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

“A lot of tearful days, nights and weeks later, Kevin completed his GED and illustrated a published children's book. Prior to the onset of his illness, he wrote music, poetry, played saxophone, guitar and keyboard. He enjoyed surfing and snowboarding, as well. His dream, now deferred, was to attend Cal Arts and become an animation artist,” said Edwards.

While Edwards has moved away from Bakersfield and doesn’t visit CSUB often, she thinks back on it fondly.

As CSUB celebrates 50 years in the community, Edwards said, “The ‘perfectly good brand-new school’ has matured to become something greater than Dr. Ken Secor, Dr. Homer Montalvo, Dr. George Hibbard, Dr. Richard Swank, Dr. Steve Herndon, Lee Adams, Charlie Craig, Dr. Jim George and Dr. Bobby George, Dr. Willis Hill, Dr. William Perry, Drs. Flachmann and so many others could dare to imagine.”