Opening Upthe RoadOpportunities are madea s m u c h a s t h e y c o m e k n o c k i n g.Probably more. Pa u l M a t a , K i m b e r l e eB e n t o n , J a m i e Le e H o s e a n dC h r i s Pe r e z a l l k n o w i t t o o w e l l.Something simple inside hasd r i v e n t h e m a n d h a s p u s h e d t h e mpast obstacles from the small tot h e g r e a t : T h e y h a v e d i s c o v e r e dw h a t t h e y wa n t , w h a t t h e y n e e d,a n d t h a t ‘Come Here, G o A n y w h e r e’is more than a slogan.Photographs of <strong>Paul</strong> <strong>Mata</strong>, Kimberlee Benton <strong>and</strong> Chris Perez byRobert Whitehead. Photograph of Jamie Lee Hose by Lori Krueger.14 | summer 2008
<strong>Paul</strong> <strong>Mata</strong>By Joshua HobbsTowering five stories high with its rigid exoskeleton,the Pfau Library can be intimidatingon first encounter. That was evident on<strong>Paul</strong> <strong>Mata</strong>’s first day of classes at Cal State SanBernardino. No stranger to college life, <strong>Mata</strong> hadalready attended Chaffey Community College inRancho Cucamonga. It was not the sheer size ofthe library that intimidated him. It was what thePfau Library represented: he was not in juniorcollege anymore.“I thought <strong>about</strong> circling the driveway in frontof campus <strong>and</strong> heading home once I saw the library,”<strong>Mata</strong> said <strong>about</strong> approaching the campusin the summer of 1985. “I didn’t feel like I coulddo [<strong>CSUSB</strong>].”As if the Pfau Library was not enough to faceeven from a distance <strong>and</strong> the shelter of his car,<strong>Mata</strong> had to attend classes in the very buildingthat instilled dread. He would emerge, <strong>how</strong>ever,armed with a renewed sense of self-efficacy.The same day <strong>Mata</strong>’s uncertainty almost compelledhim to turn around <strong>and</strong> head home wasthe same day his life turned around. His unlikelysource of inspiration: an accounting class taughtby Elaine Everson.“She made the subject easy <strong>and</strong> interesting,”<strong>Mata</strong> said. “I found that if I just studied, I couldunderst<strong>and</strong> more. What a revelation! … I guess Ifinally matured when I came to <strong>CSUSB</strong>.”For <strong>Mata</strong>, both school <strong>and</strong> job were full-timecommitments – working days at Mervyn’s distributioncenter <strong>and</strong> attending classes at night.But despite the time constraints, <strong>Mata</strong> saw‘I thought <strong>about</strong> circling the driveway in front ofcampus <strong>and</strong> heading home once I saw the library’extracurricular activities as an opportunity toimprove campus life. In 1985, <strong>CSUSB</strong>’s College ofBusiness <strong>and</strong> Public Administration had a totalenrollment of 1,648 students, <strong>and</strong> only 182 wereHispanic. “Hispanics typically went into education,maybe nursing or the medical fields. Myprimary goal was to see more Hispanics get intobusiness,” <strong>Mata</strong> said of his decision to developan organization to promote enrollment. Withhelp from David Bellis, a public administrationprofessor who died in 2006, <strong>and</strong> a zealous cohortof students, <strong>Mata</strong> established the LatinoBusiness Student Association.But simply starting a club would not leave<strong>Mata</strong> satisfied.“One of my primary objectives was to makeLBSA club of the year,” <strong>Mata</strong> explained. Wastingno time, he <strong>and</strong> club members coordinatedevents to increase club awareness <strong>and</strong> arrangedto bring high profile speakers such as social activistCesar Chavez <strong>and</strong> vice presidential hopefulHenry Cisneros. The hard work paid off. Bythe time <strong>Mata</strong> graduated with his bachelor’s infinance in 1987, LBSA had been honored withclub of the year. Even more rewarding for <strong>Mata</strong>is that 20 years later Hispanic students accountfor <strong>one</strong> of the largest groups of business majorsat 34 percent.Although the young club was important to<strong>Mata</strong>, there was still the matter of school. Theonce-intimidating library now served as a sanctuaryfor tireless nights spent studying, attendinginformal club gatherings <strong>and</strong> the very eventsthat developed LBSA. “A lot of my studying wasd<strong>one</strong> at work. As long as I kept my grades up, themanager would let me use a portion of my shiftto study,” <strong>Mata</strong> said. In 1987, <strong>Mata</strong> was namedoutst<strong>and</strong>ing undergraduate student in the businesscollege.Shortly after graduating, <strong>Mata</strong> attendedAmerican Management Association training inNew York with graduates from across the country,including some from Ivy League schools.“I remember some of the stuff being taught tous, they said, was ‘cuttingedge,’” <strong>Mata</strong> recalled. Butit was nothing new to him.“This is what we did everyday in our classes.” He soonwent to work for AmericanExpress. Yet while his passionfor business provided plenty of opportunitiesto work for the world’s top companies, <strong>Mata</strong>was an entrepreneur at heart.Working with two <strong>CSUSB</strong> <strong>alumni</strong>, <strong>Mata</strong> becamethe franchise owner of Ameriprise FinancialServices, which provides advice on financialplanning <strong>and</strong> retirement investment. Followingthe very advice he gives his clients, <strong>Mata</strong> treatshis degree much like stocks <strong>and</strong> bonds. “I investedquite a bit in my education,” <strong>Mata</strong> said. “Overcsusb magazine | 15
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