May 18, 2007 :: No. 211

Joyce Zurn has been a wife, mother, grandmother, business owner and a community supporter. On Sunday, May 20, she adds the title college graduate as she takes part in Cal State Fullerton’s commencement ceremonies.

Although it’s taken 15 years, the Placentia resident believes it has all been worth it.

“I’ve learned all kinds of things that have helped me with my business — from putting together a website to marketing,” said Zurn. “I’ve met a number of people from the full gamut of the campus — from deans and professors to fellow students. All of it has been rewarding.”

Zurn grew up in Whittier and attended one year at Cerritos College before getting married. With her new husband, she relocated to San Diego where, at age 21, she became “the youngest top real estate agent for Century 21 in San Diego.” She was successful until the market crash in the early 1980s.

By the time she was 35, Zurn had begun her own souvenir business, the Cola Corner in Buena Park, “but I had not a clue of how to run it or make it survive,” she says. “That is when I decided I needed to further my education.”

So, she returned to Cypress College, then Cal State Fullerton, following in the footsteps of her daughter, Melissa, who earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2002.

Zurn is a member of the Golden Key honors society and Soroptimists, and volunteers for the Boys and Girls Club.

“Every moment here has been a rewarding one,” Zurn notes. “I would never change one moment of the journey here at Cal State Fullerton.”

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