The situation looked grim.
Tiffany
Steinert had undergone a prolonged seizure, was placed in
a medically-induced coma, and then failed to regain consciousness
in the expected timeframe.
Doctors at UCLA Medical Center feared the 13-year-old Lancaster
native had suffered permanent brain damage.
Several days passed before Steinert awoke.
“I was a bit out of it,” she said. She couldn’t
remember the president’s name, the date, or other facts.
When she tried to walk, “My legs were like Jell-O.”
That was the beginning of a long journey for Steinert as
she battled through years of seizures and side effects –
including memory loss -- from medications. She was able to
make it through high school, but dropped out of Antelope Valley
College eight years ago as her seizures grew out of control.
Much can happen in eight years.
Honors graduate Tiffany Steinert is congratulated by college President Dr. Jackie L. Fisher Sr. at commencement.
When Antelope Valley College held its annual commencement
several weeks ago, Steinert was among the graduates. Not only
did she graduate with an Associate in Arts degree, but she
did so as Summa Cum Laude, with highest distinction, carrying
a 3.85 grade point average. She was among a select group of
graduates qualified for permanent membership in Alpha Gamma
Sigma, the California Community College Honor Scholarship
Society.
“Amazing,” she said of the graduation ceremony.
“I had a great time.”
After college governing board President Betty Wienke related
Steinert’s story to the audience, the graduate was recognized
with a standing ovation.
Steinert, 27, is working to complete three summer term courses
at AVC before transferring to California State University,
Fresno in August. There she hopes to pursue her dream of becoming
a forensic scientist.
The turnaround for Steinert came after going to a neurologist
who diagnosed her as having juvenile myoclonic epilepsy –
contrary to an earlier diagnosis.
“From that day on, I haven’t had another seizure,”
Steinert said. “Just the fact the seizures stopped …
I can remember telling my doctor, ‘Thank you for giving
me a life.’”
So after dropping out of her first semester at AVC in 1999,
Steinert returned in 2002. In the meantime, she had gotten
married.
“Unfortunately, the new medicine he added messes with
(my) short-term memory” – a major challenge for
any student.
Nevertheless, Steinert took the issue in stride, developing
her own study methods for coping with the memory loss and
getting assistance from Disabled Student Services. She found
that teaching others helped her remember information, thus
she would go home to share with her husband what she learned.
Through it all, she found faculty and staff members willing
to help her along the way.
“Our teachers here are really cool, very helpful people,”
she said.
She is enrolled in 12 units of courses at Fresno for the
fall. She hopes to complete a bachelor’s degree in chemistry
and then move on to a master’s in forensic science.
What’s her dream job?
“I’d like to work for a state crime lab.”
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