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though she already knew how to ride, she took additional lessons. She got so good that she began to compete in barrel racing. She even won several awards.
    As Aundria got older, she branched out beyond stereotypicalfemale obsessions. Despite a definite feminine exterior, Aundria accepted her masculine side. She especially loved working on cars. She was not just some weekend warrior wanna-be either. She knew her way around the inside of an engine block and even learned how to change an alternator. She met some boys who were also into cars and racing and she started to attend various car races around Fresno Valley and Bakersfield.
    Aundria attended Bullard High School in Fresno and made several friends. She also began to slip while she was there. Some of her friends ran in some interesting circles and were not the best of influences. She allowed too many distractions to take away from her schoolwork and soon fell behind. She was not into drugs or alcohol; she just liked to hang out. Her grandfather Don Crawford stressed the point that “she did not do drugs and she didn’t drink. She was just a good girl.”
    Gail and Aundria relocated to Clovis, California, in 1996, her senior year. By then, Aundria was prepared not to graduatewith her classmates. Her grades had fallen so far that she had to attend a special home-study program known as ReStart to help get her back on track. Embarrassed by her lack of discipline,she took her studies seriously this time. Her ReStart instructor, Joy Cravens, met with Aundria once a week and went over her assignments to make sure she showed signs of improvement. Cravens explained that Aundria was studious, considerate, and quiet, but had a tendency to show up late for their meetings. Cravens also stated that Aundria did not leave much of an impression on her because the teacher mainly remembered the bad students.
    Aundria’s efforts paid off. She upped her grade point averageand walked in her senior high school graduation ceremony with all of her classmates.
    She was extremely proud of her redemption and was determinedto continue the cycle.
    Aundria’s first collegiate adventure took place at nearby Fresno City College. After a year of doing well there, she was ready and eager to be on her own. With financial help from her grandparents, she packed up her 1988 white Ford Mustang and headed out to Central California. San Luis Obispo was her destination. Her ultimate goal was to attend Cal Polytechnic Institute, but first she would have to earn her way in one more time. Aundria’s high school and junior college grades were not quite good enough for Cal Poly’s standards, so she had to registerat another junior college and work her way up. Aundria was used to obstacles and looked forward to the challenge. She enrolled at Cuesta College, located on Highway 1, less than five miles from Cal Poly. On the surface Cuesta College appeared to be the rougher of the two colleges—a smaller campus, with older, more run-down buildings, and more students standing around smoking and flashing multiple piercingsand tattoos. In many ways it is the polar opposite of Cal Poly, which exudes a more polished exterior. Its student body is populated by the Hollywood stereotype of the surfer dude jock types and beautiful blond California girls.
    Underneath the rough outer shell of Cuesta College lies a launchpad for better and brighter things. Cuesta has one of the highest transfer rates for its students in the state. Many students attend the junior college to get their grades back up so they can attend colleges such as UCLA, USC, and Cal Poly. Aundria was fully aware of Cuesta’s exceptional transferrate. She planned to take full advantage of the opportunity.
    Aundria began in general studies but switched to interior designing. She exhibited a knack for how to make a room look good—if it involved furniture positioning, drapery hanging, or color schemes, it coursed through her bloodstream.Her favorite class during