Mother of Two is C.W. Post's Valedictorian
Valedictorian Jamila Dallal
with Dr. Joseph Shenker, Provost of the C.W. Post Campus.
Jamila Dallal of Great Neck, NY was not sure she could succeed in college
so late in life. But in 1995, she enrolled in an undergraduate program
at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, a lifetime and half-world
away from where she attended high school. Now, the mother of two grown
sons will celebrate Mother's Day as valedictorian of the Class of 1998
when she graduates with 1,100 students on the Great Lawn of C.W. Post Campus
in Brookville on May 10, 1998.
"I entered university five years ago filled with uncertainty at
how I would fit in and whether I would be capable of handling school work
after so many years," she said. "I soon realized that I was among
students very much like myself, from a wide range of ages and different
cultural backgrounds."
Born Jewish in Iraq, Jamila Dallal was raised in Tehran, Iran. When
she graduated as valedictorian from an American missionary high school
in 1966, opportunities were extremely limited for young women in Islamic
countries. She trained for secretarial work and got a job, but soon married
and had children. In 1979, the Islamic Revolution prompted her to take
her children and flee her country. She sought refuge in the United States,
and waited for her husband to join her.
"I really didn't think there was anything for me as a woman in
the Middle East. I never had the opportunity for higher education until
I came to America. It is here that every girl goes on to college."
In 1981, Jamila's husband joined her and their two sons in Great Neck,
NY. Their son Mayer, 25, is now a stock broker, and Michael, 23, is graduating
with a B.S. in engineering from a local college this year.
In 1993, Jamila decided it was time to return to school. She earned
an A.A. in office technology at Nassau Community College, then enrolled
in a bachelor's program in psychology at C.W. Post. Simultaneously, she
began the American Bar Association-approved paralegal program at C.W. Post,
graduated in December, 1997 and earned a certificate with distinction.
Since then, she has worked full-time as a paralegal at law offices in Mineola
while completing her degree in psychology and maintaining a perfect 4.0
average.
She plans to continue at C.W. Post for a master's degree in college
student development counseling, and will participate in family and divorce
mediation training this summer as part of her career as a paralegal.
"When I gave my valedictorian speech at my high school, I thought
it would never happen to me again," Dallal explained. "It was
always my dream to go to college, and now my dream has come true."
For more information call the C.W. Post Public
Relations Office at (516) 299-2333 or e-mail cwpostpr@aurora.liunet.edu
or send mail to: Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, 720 Northern
Blvd., Brookville, New York 11548-1300.
