Student set for Stanford

Stockdale graduate's father, Mozambique native, came to U.S. for education.

Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Stockdale graduate Joseph Sithole will attend Stanford this fall.

Filed: June 6, 2001

By TIM BRAGG
Californian staff writer
e-mail: tbragg@bakersfield.com

Joseph Sithole would like to visit his father's home country of Mozambique someday.

But for now, he has academic goals in mind, like his first year at Stanford University. He will attend the university this fall and plans to major in electrical engineering.

"I look at the opportunities I have here as opposed to what life would have been like in Mozambique, and it really opens my eyes," said Sithole, 18.

Sithole will be one of the members of the class of 2001 who will graduate from Stockdale High School at 8 tonight at Bakersfield College's Memorial Stadium.

Sithole has impressed his teachers and administrators at Stockdale with his academic skills and interest in technology.

"He's worked hard to get where he is," said Stockdale High School Principal Randy Grueber.

But it's his parents who remain especially proud.

Sithole's father came to the United States to study agriculture and economics at California State University, Fresno.

Located on Africa's east shore on the Indian Ocean and bordered by the countries of South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, Mozambique has weathered tides of civil unrest.

It was that unrest that led Sithole's father to change his plans.

"I put going back to Africa on the back burner," Joseph Sithole Sr. said. "I wanted my children to have a better education than what they would have had over there."

Sithole has made sure that he makes good on his family's hopes.

While at Stockdale, Sithole's accomplishments have led him to be ranked 11th academically in his class.

He will travel to Oklahoma this summer to participate in a national forensics tournament and is active in Stockdale clubs including the math club and the Black Student Union.

He also participated in the Boy Scouts, earning a Merit Badge in electricity and becoming an Eagle Scout.