For aspiring entrepreneurs campus wide, the Champions of the American Dream event provides the opportunity to get advice from successful local businesspeople. The event awards distinguished entrepreneurs who contribute to the community of the Central Valley. It also allows the community’s businesspeople to share their success stories, and gives aspiring executives the opportunity to ask them questions.
Norm Porges founded the Champions of the American Dream program in 1997, but it was ultimately disbanded in 2007. However, the event was reinstated this year under President Junn’s administration. 
At the event on April 26, CSU Stanislaus recognized Porges, who is also the founder of Prime Shine Car Wash, as the Champions of the American Dream honoree. The program’s founder was at first uncomfortable with receiving his own award, but he later accepted because he felt like it was important to share the failures that led to his eventual success.
“If you look at me as a champion of the American Dream and see I had failures, and see if I can achieve it anyone can achieve it,” Porges said.
Dr. Thomas Gomez-Arias, Dean of the College of Business Administration, explained that the program is “a way of honoring people in our community who have distinguished themselves by reaching success.” He described the program as has having two purposes: First to bring a different perspective to students, and second to expose students to other members of the community.
Some of the students who attended were interested in the extra credit offered by their business courses. “I am going to be honest, and this is going to sound bad but really the extra credit,” said Matthew Linker (Junior, Business Administration) on the reason he came to the event.
Other students were interested in the event’s less tangible benefits. Lizbeth Hernandez (senior, accounting major) explained she was attending to “hopefully get some inspiration. I don’t think I’m going to open up a business, but you never know.”
According to fast facts found on the campus website, the average graduation rate for a full-time student is 57%. Business Administration is Stan State’s most popular bachelors degree program, with 16.9% of students focusing on the major.
With these odds of success, the question remains: Do programs like this help students to stay motivated in their endeavors? “I hope so,” said Norm Porges.