Michael Kellum / Roundup
History Professor Richard McMillan was recently honored by former student Mario Corona, 29, at the San Fernando Valley Faith Committee’s annual community summit.
McMillan and several other teachers who helped inspire Corona, received a certificate of appreciation.
Corona, who was known as “Big Spider” when he was a gang member, now works for a North Hills-based gang intervention and neighborhood advocacy organization called Communities in Schools.
Corona, originally from Pacoima, was told to come to Pierce College by his teacher from Cleveland High School, Dorly Goodman.
Corona didn’t know after high school what he was going to do with his life. He was asked if he wanted to go to college.
He was told go to Pierce because it was the only school in the area that he could afford at the time
McMillan first met Corona during when he first started teaching Pierce in 1996. Corona took McMillan’s Latin American history class. “It was funny because we just connected,” said McMillan, “We got along great.”
Corona ended up taking a couple of classes taught by McMillan while he was going to school at Pierce.
One day, though, Corona, who was rarely absent, was suddenly not in his seat.
A few weeks later, McMillan saw Corona on campus in a wheelchair. It turned out that someone broke into Corona’s skype problem with recording device house and while Mario was trying to defend himself and his home, the suspect shot him twice in the stomach.
To this day, McMillan has only given out one incomplete and it was given to Corona because of his situation.
Remarkably, Corona came back the next semester and finished up his units.
He got his degree from Pierce and something else, a special award.
McMillan went to “Rocky” Young, who was then president of Pierce, and said that Corona deserved some type of an award for what he went through and how he overcame it.
Young agreed with him and they gave him a special cash award, calling it a “Special Student Award.”
It was a one-time thing. McMillan presented Corona with the award at graduation.
After graduating from Pierce, Corona would then go to attend CSUN, where he got his bachelor’s degree in sociology.
Then he went to USC, where he got a master’s degree in social work.
He is still attending USC and is now starting on his Ph.D in criminology.
After Corona got his master’s earlier this year, he came by McMillan’s office and told McMillan that he was going to receive a certificate of appreciation.
“Mario must have felt that I did something,” said McMillan.
The ceremony was attended by Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca as well as other top brass from the Sheriff’s Department and the LAPD.
It was also attended by religious and community leaders. The summit was held at Shepherd of the Hills church in Porter Ranch.
The Los Angeles Daily News was there to cover the event.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done, but I’m more proud of Mario and what he’s accomplished,” McMillan told the Daily News.
“On those days when you’re out there, swinging, wondering if what you do matters, you think of Mario and you know it does,” McMillan added.
“I am really honored and flattered that I was being recognized,” said McMillan.
“In a way, I’d like to think that I’m accepting this for all of those teachers who are out there who are doing the same thing I’m doing.”
McMillan also went onto say, “We don’t do it to get an award, we do it because that’s what we do… they didn’t get a certificate and I was just lucky enough to get one.”
McMillan, who has received other awards, noted “it is one that definitely means the most to me without a doubt.”
Richard McMillan with his award for inspiring Mario Corona, a former gang member, to earn his degree and give back to the community. (Sonia Gurrola / Roundup)
