JOHN GIBBINS / Union-Tribune On Friday, Marlene Moore helped her son Anthony move into a dorm at San Diego State. Mother and son will be students at SDSU this fall.

Mother and son are entering San Diego State University today – he as a hospitality and tourism management major, Marlene Moore as an English major. The mother of four has decided to go back to school more than a quarter of a century after she dropped out as a SDSU senior.

“I think it's great,” said Anthony, a recent graduate of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. “She's worked for decades, and like, it just proves to me that even if you're older you can go back and get a higher education and be whatever you want to be.”

Anthony Moore is among 4,134 freshmen entering the university this semester, the smallest freshman class in five years. Last year, SDSU boasted its largest freshman class in history, but over-enrollment, combined with budget cuts, led to the smaller numbers.

Overall, roughly 34,000 students will be attending SDSU in the fall semester.

Among them are plenty of people like the Moores.

Since her last stint at SDSU 28 years ago as a business administration major, Marlene Moore, 53, has done accounting work at the University of California San Diego and has been a homemaker.

“I've always said, 'One of these days I'm going to go back and finish, but I'm not going to study accounting, but something I'm passionate about – writing and English,' ” she said. “I'd like to get a master's and then maybe write a book.”

Of entering SDSU with her son, she said: “If I see him on campus I may wave to him, but I told him I won't embarrass him.”

This year's freshman class has an average grade-point average of 3.47. Nearly 47 percent of the new freshmen are non-white.

One newcomer is Jose Zuniga, who is entering SDSU as one of the President's Diversity Scholars, an award covering tuition for local low-income, high-achieving students.

Few have overcome as much as Zuniga.

He was a sixth-grade dropout caught in a downward spiral. He was a homeless runaway for three years, living on the streets of Tijuana, addicted to drugs and alcohol. He became a gang member.

Ultimately, Zuniga reunited with his family, and at San Diego's Hoover High School got his act together.

“My father kept telling me, 'Do you want to be the one out of 10 that are most prosperous or the one of the many people who are going to be stuck in the hole,' ” he said.

Zuniga also wanted to be a role model for his younger sister.

“I'd been such a bad image for her, and I thought I just have to change for myself and others around me,” he said.

Zuniga earned a 3.67 grade-point average by graduation. He was on the swim team, played soccer and became a varsity football captain. He capped off his senior year with the “Mr. Cardinal” award for all-around talent, dedication, sportsmanship and leadership.

Still, Zuniga didn't see college as an option until recently because he didn't believe he could afford it.

His father is a supervisor in a mailing house and his stepmother is a school cafeteria worker. Zuniga is the first member of his family to go to college.

“If I had not gotten that scholarship I would not be in college at this moment,” said Zuniga, 19, who enters SDSU as a construction engineering major.

SDSU has drawn plenty of out-of-towners, as well.

Alex Howe arrived at SDSU from Nottingham, N.H., where he played varsity soccer and graduated high school with a 3.78 grade-point average. At SDSU, Howe will major in biology.

“I have a brother living in San Diego, and visiting him and visiting there with my family even before that, I fell in love with California,” he said. “I decided to apply to schools only in California.”

Howe turned down UC Santa Barbara in favor of SDSU.

“They have a better science program, and I liked the atmosphere on campus a lot,” he said.

Sherry Saavedra: (619) 542-4598; sherry.saavedra@uniontrib.com