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Welcome to TMZ Live. Harvey Levin here. Charles here. So I am so excited about this.
We're bringing Eva Longoria on, and for a great reason.
And I was shocked when I heard this, but Eva Longoria
just got a master's degree in Chicano Studies at Cal State Northridge and
what I immediately thought was, oh great, you know, she probably did an online
course, or maybe she got, like, an honorary degree. You see celebrities, especially
around this time of year, always going to these graduations and they speak and they get
an honorary degree. >> Not true. >> Not Eva.
>> She put in the work. >> She went to school, she sat in those classrooms for
three years. >> At one of the most prestigious schools in the San Fernando Valley by the way.
>> Gary's alma mater, Cal State Northridge. And she was there
and frankly i'm shocked at this because i haven't really seen any
pictures of her there but she was there for three years, and she just got
her master's degree and she did it mostly
while she was shooting "Desperate Housewives." She joins us right now.
Eva, welcome to TMZ Live and congratulations! >> EVA: Thank you. Hello.
How are you?
>> We're so good. So, I just think it's awesome, but tell us what
inspired you to go back to school especially with the schedule like you have?
>> EVA: I know. It was crazy.
I, well, I was,
you know, I was doing a lot of political activism, and I just wanted to know more and
I feel like, as a celebrity if you will, people don't really take you seriously
because they think you're just a talking head, and I was like, you know, I really
want to be substantial in what I'm talking about, so I read a book called
"Occupy America," and I wrote the author and the author happened to be
the founder of Chicano studies. He's like the godfather. He said, "You should take a class,"
So I took his class and then I took another and I took another and then I decided to
enter the master's program,
and nobody knew, because I didn't tell anybody. I wouldn't tell anybody
where it was.
People knew I was taking some classes, but nobody knew were it was. >> How on earth did you
go under the radar that long where people weren't even sending pictures around?
>> EVA: It's a master's program. It's a lot less people
and my classes were from 7:00 to 10:00 or 8:00 to 11:00
at night, so, um... and my classmates
were amazing and supportive and because I was in Chicano Studies it
was very small. I was in one building, like I didn't roam around. I didn't even know
where the library was. I would go to one building in and leave, so it was,
it was fun, and I loved it. It was hard in the sense that I was exhausted because
I would go after work, after Desperate Housewives, and I would drive out to Northridge.
>> Now you face the question that all graduates are facing right now; what are you gonna do, get a job?
What do you plan to do with your degree? >> EVA: Right, I'm unemployed.
No, you know I just wanted it for me, and I'm gonna continue; I'm actually going to continue on,
taking more classes in things that I'm interested in. I really wanted to know about immigration,
so, I studied it thoroughly, and the history of immigration.
I wanted to know more about it, but um... yeah, for me it was just
a natural fit. I've always been curious, and you know, my foundation focuses on continuing
education, so I really wanted to lead by example for that
as well. >> I've got to ask you because you're a political activist going
into all of this
and now you have real credentials in a city that has a big hispanic population,
is it possible that politics might be in your future?
>> EVA: No, no, I don't likeā¦ I don't want to be
in the government. I just want to criticize it. [laughter]
>> Well, that's a fair point.
Boy those student loans must be a ball buster? >> EVA: Well, let me tell you something though.
I live a privileged life, and I've worked very hard
so for me to buy an extra book or when the fees go up, I was like,
oh, wow that's kind of crazy, but
the kids I went to school with --
I understand the broken educational system that we have in California.
Something has got to be done about rising costs,
you know, for everything, not only tuition, books, class availability.
It was *** that level for me to navigate, so I can't imagine
people who don't have the resources.
>> What do you want to do,
and I understand that you wanted it for personal enrichment and to
understand what's going on, but now
you really do have this credential. You've been in school for three years.
Is there something you're going to do with this? I mean, I have a friend,
her name is Trisha Toyota who was an anchor in Los Angeles for many years,
and she actually went to UCLA for Asian Studies, got a doctorate,
is teaching now at UCLA.
I'm just wondering if you have any plans to really use the degree at some
point in a material way. >> EVA: Yeah, you know, what I'm doing now --
my thesis is on Latina
education in STEM fields and STEM careers.
So, I definitely want it to be published, and to do that you have to have
academic credits.
It has to be academically reviewed. You have to be in academic journals,
and so I will be using it in that sense. I'll be using it as a tool for my
activism, and because of that you do you have to be
accredited somehow. >> And you're talking STEM, which is science, technology,
engineering, and math. >> EVA: Correct. >> So that's kind of what everybody's
kind of pushing right now
as a means to success. >> EVA: Yes, well that's the future, the future jobs in our country
and since the growing Latino population will be the
future job pool, I wanna make sure our community is educated in
those areas in order to fill those jobs. If not, the
United States will not be economically competitive in the global market.
>> You know, Eva, I gotta tell you something.
You know, I've so had my fill of these ridiculous Lindsay Lohan-
type stories. No, I'm serious, that to be able to talk to somebody who's really
done something really great, really interesting and great and enriching. It's awesome!
>> EVA: Thank you, Harvey.
And you know David Garfinkle tells me so many great things about you.
>> I love David Garfinkle.
We got a reality show coming up, David and me that
involves TMZ, that involves famous people. >> EVA: Oh my God. You know, I've always thought,
Harvey, that your true calling comes somewhere from you having a heart of gold
even though i don't like everything you write, I do think you have a good heart.
>> By the way, Eva, you know you sound a little hoarse. We have to ask you, how long did
the graduation party go last night?
>> EVA: It lasted a while. I had mariachis, it was fun.
>> We got you at Beso. We got you walking in with your parents, right?
>> Yes, yes. We were at Beso, my restaurant last night,
and my whole family's here. I have about 25 cousins and aunts and uncles, so
I'm babysitting them. [laughter] We just went to the Hollywood sign.
>> You took them up to the Hollywood sign? See, everybody has to do that.
What, did hike up there? >> TMZ tour, Eva. TMZ tour. It goes around Los Angeles; it's great.
>> EVA: I wanted to jump on those little trucks that you guys have to scare them. [laughter]
>> Hey, Eva, thank you so much and congratulations. >> EVA: Thank you, bye y'all.
>> Thanks. That's pretty awesome.
That's really awesome. >> This is from @Grant_Cameron37: Good for Eva!
A great role model for anyone looking to continue their education. >> Could not agree
more, could not agree more! How awesome that she did this while she was shooting the
show, because remember, she said
that she was in school until eleven at night
and then she's probably at the set at six or seven the next morning, so you
gotta love that! I guess what happens in Northridge stays in Northridge,
the fact she was there for three years
and nobody was blabbing about it. I'm feeling bad about myself.
We're slipping. [laughter]
>> It's about control uh...
[fades out]