"His cage was located at the end of the row of cages that held the other puppies," she said. "When the employee at the SPCA opened the cage so that I could pet him, he literally jumped into my arms. That was the last time he was ever in a cage."

Traci named the little dog Lucky and describes him as a beloved pet who was endearingly "needy."

Eleven years later, on the morning of May, 31, 2001, she received a job offer from Financial Aid at Fresno State. Later that evening, her beloved dog Lucky, who had been ill for a few months, passed away.

Lucky is gone now, but her love for animals inspired Traci to write a poem that won first place in the "Community" category of the Inside Poetry contest held during the Madden Library Special Collections 9066 Exhibit, Japanese American Voices.

Photo of Lucky shown with Traci's Service Awards. "Every year, when my anniversary 'start date' rolls around at Fresno State, I celebrate not only another year in my career at Fresno State, but I also celebrate Lucky and the wonderful memories of his spirit and unconditional love and joy that he brought to my life while he was in it," said Traci.

On campus 16 years, Traci is an admission adviser in Undergraduate Admissions. She says she has been surrounded by the best co-workers anyone could ever ask for.

Working on campus is a natural fit. Fresno has always been home for Traci.

"I graduated from Fresno High School in 1986," she said. "I was a cheerleader/pep girl all four years and loved the arts and dancing. After high school I decided to use my artistic ability and supported myself by decorating and embellishing women's and children's clothing with artwork and sold them at local craft fairs which were in abundance during the late '80s and early '90s. I got a business license and became a one-woman clothing decorating operation until 1995."

Later, she was employed in the non-profit sector before coming to Fresno State.

"I became interested in being an adviser so that I could assist prospective students get a positive start on their college career at Fresno State, she said.

As an undergraduate admission adviser, she is responsible for admitting new and returning undergraduate students who meet the CSU requirements necessary for admission to Fresno State.

Traci finds it very rewarding to be able to advise new first-time freshmen students and then see them graduate and begin a new chapter in their lives.

Her most important responsibility is helping new students begin their dream of getting into college to pursue their goals of a higher education.

She brings her compassion for a dog who was discarded into play for students who might feel discarded.

"The Fresno State Admissions Office is one of the first points of contact for many new and prospective students, thus I feel it is very important for the staff in the Admissions office to provide the best service possible to the new students," she said.

Traci says she owes everything to her Japanese-American parents and grandparents who remained loyal to America during their incarceration at relocation camps and never gave up on America.

"I truly believe that because of the way that my grandparents and parents handled such a difficult time in their lives with courage, humbleness, hard work and never blaming anyone for the situation that they were in, they eventually gained a place back in American society as loyal Americans, which in turn has made my life experience in America as a younger generation Japanese American much better than what they experienced," she said.

Despite the passage of time, Traci never lost her artistic streak.

"One of my colleagues told me that I possess an artistic eye for snapping a photo and bringing out beauty in simple things such as clouds, flowers or trees in a way that amplifies and captures their natural beauty," she said.

Traci appreciates the employees who maintain the lush green lawn areas, trees and floral at Fresno State on a daily basis so everyone can enjoy a beautiful campus.

"The campus is filled with an abundance of different species of trees and floral that make it easy to photograph natural beauty throughout the changing seasons," she said.

Besides photography, Traci loves baking cupcakes, cakes and pastries for parties.

Traci is in a committed relationship with a retired Fresno City Police officer and has one nephew, Corbin.

Traci Obata with Victor E.