Honorees were nominated by faculty or staff and endorsed by their college’s dean. Here is a closer look at each award recipient:

Alexis Medina, human development

President’s Outstanding Graduate Award

Dean’s Award, College of Education, Health and Human Services

Medina was lauded as an exceptional scholar, mentor and advocate whose achievements reflect the highest ideals of CSUSM and the CSU’s mission of social mobility.

His academic excellence culminated in a 3.97 grade-point average and summa cum laude distinction. But it was his hands-on commitment to advancing student success for others that most distinguishes him.

Across more than 1,200 hours of community-engaged service, Medina has worked directly with K-12 students in under-resourced schools, providing individualized academic support, facilitating small-group instruction and mentoring young learners as they navigate their own educational journeys. In dual immersion classrooms, he leverages his bilingualism, supporting Spanish-speaking students in developing both academic confidence and a sense of belonging in spaces where they are often marginalized. He intentionally creates inclusive learning environments that affirm students’ identities, reinforce their capabilities and encourage persistence in the face of challenges.

Beyond the classroom, Medina extends this impact by guiding high school students, including first-generation and multilingual learners, through college and career exploration, helping them envision pathways that may have once felt out of reach.

Wendy Hardy, linguistics

Dean’s Award, College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences

Hardy, who also has a minor in French and American Indian studies, was praised for leaving a lasting impact academically and culturally across the campus community.

Hardy’s work demonstrates the transformative power of language to build understanding, preserve culture and advance justice. Graduating with a 3.958 grade-point average, she displays academic excellence that's matched by the depth of her applied work, from contributing to the Kawaiisu Language Documentation Project in support of Indigenous language revitalization to advancing research on linguistic justice through faculty-led scholarship. She is also a gifted educator, serving as a teaching assistant in French, teaching at the San Marcos Senior Center, and bringing creativity and care to tutoring and mentoring.

As founder and inaugural president of the Linguistics Collective, president of the French Club and a leader on the CHABSS Dean’s Student Advisory Council, Hardy has created spaces for belonging, professional growth and community that will endure well beyond her time at CSUSM.

Casey Budlong, business administration marketing

Gerevas Family Dean’s Award, College of Business Administration

Budlong has made a difference across many student groups on campus, and she was hailed as a purpose-driven student leader whose academic excellence and professional growth reflect the very best of CoBA.

Graduating with a 3.915 grade-point average, Budlong has distinguished herself as a top-performing marketing student with a strong foundation in both the analytical and creative dimensions of the field. Business professor Kristin Stewart said from her experience working with Budlong through a Professional Sales Center social media micro-internship, along with consistent feedback from her professors, she is repeatedly described as reliable, independent and collaborative. Budlong also was lauded for consistently taking initiative and producing work that is both thoughtful and results-driven.

Beyond the classroom, Budlong has made a meaningful impact on campus and in the broader community through leadership and service, including supporting environmental efforts through the Surfrider Foundation and serving as a volunteer board member for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America San Diego Chapter.

Isabel Serrano, biochemistry

Dean’s Award, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

Graduating with a 3.95 grade-point average in a demanding major, Serrano has distinguished herself through academic excellence and the depth and impact of her research.

In the lab, Serrano has made meaningful contributions to the field, developing novel compounds with potential applications in areas like medical imaging and next-generation technology. Her work has led to a peer-reviewed publication and a patent contribution through her internship with Novartis.

Serrano was lauded for how she brings others along with her. As the founding president of Out in STEM and a leader in multiple student organizations, she has created opportunities for her peers to connect and see themselves in STEM fields. She has helped raise funds so fellow students could attend conferences, mentored first-generation students and built communities where people feel like they belong. Outside of campus, she has carried that same commitment into her community, using her bilingual skills to advocate for others. Serrano’s journey is already opening doors for those around her.

Callie Steppat, biological sciences

Dean’s Award, Graduate Studies and Research

Steppat is completing a master’s degree with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and will continue her education in a Ph.D. program at Cornell.

In the lab, Steppat has built an extraordinary track record by finishing her degree in one year, an unprecedented achievement in the program. She has led five research projects, contributed to six peer-reviewed manuscripts and introduced entirely new lines of inquiry that will continue shaping the lab’s work long after she leaves, according to biology professor Dennis Kolosov.

Kolosov praised Steppat for being an outstanding teacher and mentor, someone who creates supportive, inclusive spaces where students feel comfortable asking questions and building confidence in science. She has co-mentored undergraduate and graduate students in the lab and the classroom, truly embodying the teacher-scholar model, helping lead them to conference presentations and publications.

Outside the university, she volunteers in her community through beach cleanups, supporting dental care for underserved populations and working with veterans in need.

Nayelie Ortiz, sociology

Dean of Students’ Outstanding Leadership Award

Ortiz has built a strong academic record, but Interim Dean of Students Norma Larios said what stands out most is how Ortiz has used her time at CSUSM to lift up those around her.

Since her first year, Ortiz has been deeply involved with the COMPASS Center, supporting undocumented, mixed-status and immigration-impacted students through mentorship, advocacy and day-to-day care. She has helped students navigate challenges and persist to graduation, often stepping in during moments of real crisis to make sure no one feels alone. Whether organizing support for a peer in need or simply showing up consistently with empathy and encouragement, Ortiz leads in a way that is both powerful and personal.

That commitment to others extends far beyond campus. Ortiz mentors first-generation students, coaches youth soccer and volunteers in community safety patrols to support families in her hometown. Even while facing personal challenges, including the impact of devastating fires affecting her own community, she has remained focused on showing up for others.

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It wasn’t until she had a conversation with Robert Iafe, one of her biochemistry and chemistry professors, that she gained the confidence to pursue it.

“He was the first professor where I actually went to his office hours and we talked human to human instead of purely professional,” Newell said. “We talked about issues I had going on in my life at the time, struggles with self-doubt and feeling like maybe I want to do medicine but I'm not sure if I can. And he was really supportive of me. I felt like if Dr. Iafe believes in me, then why don’t I believe in myself?

“My conversations with him played a formative role in me changing the trajectory to end up where I am now.”

That would be UC San Diego, where Newell is a first-year medical student. And now that she’s in medical school, Newell is working to help other undergraduate students understand that they belong in the medical field.

It’s what led Newell back to CSUSM on April 18 to participate in the university’s second annual North County Aspiring Medical Professionals Conference (NCAMP). The conference, a one-day event for CSUSM and community college students, is supported by a grant through the California Medicine Scholars Program. CSUSM is a partner in the grant, which is led locally by UCSD.

“The purpose of the conference is to help students learn about the different steps that are needed on their pathway to medical school,” said Richard Armenta, who is the associate director of the Center for Training, Research and Educational Excellence (CTREE) and leads CSUSM’s efforts on the grant. “We have workshops on applying to medical school, transferring to four-year universities and just helping students think about the different things they need to do to be successful in getting into medical school.

“We want students to be able to be here and know that we have the resources and support for them to become medical students and future doctors.”

The conference this year drew about 80 participants, primarily from CSUSM, Palomar College and MiraCosta College. In addition to hearing from Newell and other medical students, participants got firsthand experience with clinical skills, including ultrasounds and medical evaluations.

“I think they really enjoyed it, especially the interactive session,” said Newell, who graduated from CSUSM in 2021. “I didn't use an ultrasound until I got to medical school, so a lot of them had never used it before and never seen it before. They got to see their blood vessels and the inside of their eye. It's very illuminating for them. Especially as undergrads, I remember you feel so far removed from that kind of thing unless you have a special job, which is hard to get. So it was nice to give them that perspective of the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Newell was joined at the conference by two fellow CSUSM alumni who are in medical school at UCSD: Vince Adair and Austin Powell. Seeing people from a similar background is an important part of showing current CSUSM and community college students that they, too, can successfully navigate the path to medical school.

“It took me until almost the end of undergrad to build up my confidence and say, ‘Yes, I want to pursue medical school. I want to be a physician. And I believe that I can do it,’ ” Newell said. “I feel like if there had been something like NCAMP back then, I could have gone and actually mingled with medical students and realized, ‘Oh, they’re just regular people. They don't have some special thing that I don't have.’ I think that could have helped build my confidence earlier.”

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But before putting the finishing touches on your list of New Year’s resolutions, let’s take a look back at some of the most-talked-about stories of 2025.

Hunter Industries Gives Transformational $10M Donation for ISE Building

In September, CSUSM announced a transformational $10 million philanthropic investment from Hunter Industries, one of the largest gifts in university history. The donation is supporting the construction of CSUSM’s new Hunter Hall of Science and Engineering, a cornerstone of the university’s commitment to preparing the next generation of engineers and scientists.

Perfect Chemistry: Campus Wedding 16 Years in the Making

If getting married at one’s place of employment seems unconventional, it shouldn’t to those who know biology professor Elinne Becket and chemistry professor Robert Iafe. The passion they have for their students is the same passion they have for the university, so it makes sense that the tied the knot on campus at the McMahan House on campus.

CSUSM Kicks Off Historic $200 Million Fundraising Campaign

Through the largest fundraising campaign in university history, CSUSM is aiming to raise $200 million to support student success and power the region’s future. The university officially launched its “Blueprint for the Future” campaign on Sept. 19. It’s an effort that combines philanthropy with grants and research funding. The campaign’s theme reflects both the physical growth on campus and the forward momentum building at CSUSM. 

Professor Elevates Samoan Language, Culture as Consultant for "Moana 2"

Professor Grant Muāgututiʻa never could have dreamed that linguistics would take him to the shores of Oʻahu as he rubbed elbows with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and other stars of the Disney glitterati before the world premiere of the animated film “Moana 2” in 2024. Indeed, Muāgututiʻa was more than a little caught off guard when the filmmaking team behind the sequel to the wildly popular movie “Moana” from 2016 contacted him out of the blue two years ago.

Construction of New Wellness and Rec Center Underway

CSUSM held a Construction Kickoff on Nov. 12 to celebrate construction being underway for the Student Wellness and Recreation Center (SWRC), which is expected to open by summer 2027. CSUSM is partnering with Sea Breeze Properties – developers of North City, which includes CSUSM’s North Commons, The QUAD and the Extended Learning Building – on the SWRC, which will be the latest addition to campus life.

Faith, Resilience Help Athlete Through Life-Threatening Crisis

It all started with a headache. A seemingly normal ailment, but Malachi Wright doesn’t get headaches. And he definitely doesn’t get headaches that force him to leave work early or have him confined to the couch and throwing up for three straight days. That's when his mom, Ivonne Mancilla, knew this was something more. Wright spent the next 40 days in the hospital, undergoing three brain surgeries with no idea what the future would bring. But Wright defied all odds. 

Alumna Finds Purpose in Advocacy for Native Children and Families

As Maya Goodblanket reflects on her time as a student, she vividly remembers the day she found the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center at Cal State San Marcos. Little did she know that she was meeting mentors that day who would help her achieve the career she has today. Goodblanket, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, serves as an Indian Child Welfare Act court advocate for the Valley Center-based Indian Health Council, which provides health and wellness services for American Indian communities in north San Diego County. 

Ask the Expert: A Scientific Perspective on the L.A. Fires

When the hills above Los Angeles exploded in flames early last month, Matt Rahn snapped into action. Rahn, though, isn’t a firefighter who was called into duty to help battle what became one of the biggest and most destructive fires in California history. Rather, he’s a wildfire researcher at Cal State San Marcos who, in 2019, created a unique degree program called Wildfire Science and the Urban Interface. He’s also the executive director of the Wildfire Conservancy, a nonprofit research foundation dedicated to serving the state’s firefighters and protecting its communities.

Cougar Care Network Marks 10 Years as a Campus Hub for Connection

Built on listening first and guiding without judgment, the Cougar Care Network enters its second decade as a trusted stop for students seeking practical help, community and a path forward. The Cougar Care Network (CCN) launched in fall 2015 as part of Cal State San Marcos’ Early Support Initiative within the Student Outreach and Referral (SOAR) program. 

Chronic Illness a Journey of Strength, Self-Discovery ... and Salt

The first time Emmi van Zoest rode in an ambulance was in May 2024. She was in the middle of her 10:30 a.m. Communication 200 class when she realized her vision and hearing were failing. She couldn't keep her legs or arms straight and she couldn’t speak. The full memory is hazy, but she found herself sitting outside of Crash’s Market in the University Student Union with a handful of salt packets and on a Facetime call with her parents, who live in Tennessee. This experience didn’t come out of nowhere. She has postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, a chronic condition that she has lived with since her junior year of high school.  

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“It’s incredibly meaningful to give students with intellectual disabilities an inclusive college experience,” Brooks said. “My greatest hope was to obtain funding to expand our cohort size and ensure the long-term sustainability of this program. These grants make that vision a reality.” 

Funding at this level is highly competitive nationwide, yet faculty and staff at CSUSM like Brooks continue to stand out, securing awards that support innovative projects and create transformational experiences for students. 

“Our faculty and staff are pursuing some of the most-sought-after grants in the nation, alongside leading institutions,” said Charles De Leone, dean of graduate studies and research. “It’s exciting to see their ideas recognized and to watch how their work enriches our students’ experiences, strengthens our campus and serves our broader community.” 

Examples of projects funded this academic year include: 

• Supporting chemistry and biochemistry students: A $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund student scholarships in chemistry and biochemistry as well as a Vertical Mentoring Learning Community (VMLC). Led by Robert Iafe, Afra Panahi and Aswad Allen, the program blends mentoring, research opportunities and priority enrollment for up to 30 students each year, with eight first-year students eligible for renewable $15,000 scholarships.
• Making exercise more accessible: Kinesiology professor Todd Astorino received a $442,590 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore how reduced exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT) – two short 20-second sprints within a 10-minute workout – can improve health and make exercise more attainable for inactive adults.
• Expanding mobile making in local schools: Funded by the National Science Foundation, this project led by Edward Price, April Nelson and Sinem Siyahhan of the Center for Research and Engagement in STEM Education (CRESE) expands the university’s Mobile Making program. Through after-school “making” clubs across North County, undergraduate STEM ambassadors bring hands-on activities and equipment to schools, libraries and community centers.
• Helping students with intellectual disabilities experience college: Brooks and psychology professor Allison Jobin received $2.5 million in grants to expand Aspiring Scholars with full-time staff, a dedicated campus space and additional peer mentors.
• Adding water refill stations: A grant from CalRecycle will enable CSUSM to reach its goal to have a water refill station on every floor of every building. Led by Juliana Goodlaw-Morris, director of sustainability and climate justice, in partnership with Facilities Development & Management, this grant will fund 10 new water refill stations and replace five older stations across campus. The project’s progress will be measured through station usage, recycling volumes and waste audits. 

“Each of these projects reflect the spirit of innovation and collaboration at CSUSM,” De Leone said. “They also give students meaningful opportunities to engage in hands-on research that prepares them for their future careers.” 

Research funding is an integral part of CSUSM’s “Blueprint for the Future” campaign, helping advance the university’s $200 million goal through both philanthropy and grants.

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That commitment received a boost recently, as CSUSM was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a learning community for chemistry and biochemistry majors and award scholarships to qualified students. The program will incorporate a Vertical Mentoring Learning Community (VMLC) for up to 30 chemistry and biochemistry students each year, with eight first-year students receiving a renewable $15,000 scholarship based on financial need.

The program is led by chemistry and biochemistry professor Robert Iafe, the principal investigator, and co-principal investigators Afra Panahi, a chemistry and biochemistry professor, and Aswad Allen, CSUSM’s chief diversity officer.

Together, they plan to create a community of high-achieving, motivated students recruited from introductory chemistry classes. Students who prove proficient and committed to their studies will be invited to join the learning community, and those who qualify financially will be able to apply for the additional scholarship to help with tuition and housing.

“The community aspect of it gives it a supportive place to really go for your goals, but also a safe and secure place to experiment,” Iafe said.

Students selected for the VMLC also will receive priority enrollment for chemistry classes and labs required for their major.

The vertical mentoring learning experience highlights a discipline-specific learning community of students supported by each other, faculty members and professionals. This offers students a comfortable learning environment filled with like-minded individuals guiding them toward their futures in STEM, whether that be graduate school or pursuing a career.

“We make sure they participate in professional development activities so they can build a strong science identity and become more competitive for graduate school and the job market,” Panahi said. “The supportive environment from their peer mentors, academic advisers and professional mentors can really help them build a stronger network.”

The smaller, more intimate setting of the vertical mentoring program provides a comfortable space for students to ask questions freely and create a closer relationship with faculty. This environment creates a rewarding experience for all and promotes a sense of happiness and job satisfaction among the faculty involved.

“There are concrete benchmarks along the way for students to actually see themselves progressing,” Allen said. "Vertical learning allows students to visualize their futures and see themselves where they want to be.

“We're going to create the right atmosphere, the right environment and all the right ingredients for them to thrive.”

Learn more on the Vertical Mentoring Learning Community website.

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Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, is the world’s largest multidisciplinary honor society with an international community of scientists and engineers dedicated to research excellence, promoting public engagement with science, and cultivating the next generations of researchers.

Maya Qaddourah, a graduating biochemistry major, helped start the CSUSM chapter. She first brought the idea up to the Committee of Undergraduate Research (CUGR) in November 2023. She helped create a student organization through the Student Leadership and Involvement Center. It was a complex effort that involved bringing together groups across departments, colleges and divisions. As an informal honor, Qaddourah’s was the first student nomination accepted in a brief ceremony on May 6.

Robert Iafe, associate professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry, is the president of the new chapter. He will lead a group of founding members through the early years of chapter development. The chapter’s other founding members include David Barsky, Charles De Leone, Erika Díaz Almeyda, Kang Du, Sajith Jayasinghe, Julie Jameson, Jane Kim, Dennis Kolosov, Afra Panahi, Betsy Read and Deanna Schmidt.

At CSUSM, Sigma Xi will provide a platform to celebrate STEM students while opening new avenues of support for grants, networking and presentation at professional STEM conferences.

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Honorees were nominated by faculty or staff and endorsed by their college’s dean. Here is a closer look at each award recipient: 

Alexandria (Alli) Mulqueen, psychological science  

President’s Outstanding Graduate  

Dean’s Award, College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences 

Mulqueen is engaged on campus and in the community, where she demonstrates unique commitment to her passion around disability inclusion, equity and justice. She serves as co-president of the Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance (also known as the CSUSM Best Buddies Chapter), which is aimed at empowering people to become advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to bringing awareness to the disability rights movement.  

As the only student organization on campus focusing on neurodiversity and disability justice, Mulqueen’s leadership has provided a voice and place for community building, belonging, learning and advocacy for students with disabilities and allies. 

Learn more about Mulqueen. 

Tyler Glasser, business administration 

Gerevas Family Dean’s Award, College of Business Administration 

Glasser was selected for his collective leadership contributions to the college and the student community, including helping to advance the Cougar Fund. Through his leadership and knowledge, the Cougar Fund has enhanced its investment strategy and rebalanced the holdings of the fund’s portfolio.  

The diversification has helped mitigate risk and established a foundation for the financial sustainability of the Cougar Fund. As important, the knowledge and techniques introduced by Glasser will move the Cougar Fund’s chief investment officer position forward, motivating future leadership to new levels of performance. It has also enhanced student hands-on learning, a cornerstone of CoBA degree programs, better preparing Cougar Fund students for their future investment careers.  

Nathan Lenski, master's, public health 

Dean’s Award, College of Education, Health and Human Services 

Lenski has consistently demonstrated exceptional research skills and a deep commitment to improving public health, particularly among vulnerable populations. Additionally, he has taken up the mantel of the department’s student organization, Graduate Organization of Public Health. He has accomplished this over the course of CSUSM’s accelerated Master of Public Health degree program while still employed full time for the County of San Luis Obispo.  

Lenski was lauded for his research capabilities and for being both intuitive and open to learning. His commitment to public health is not limited to his academic work but is also reflected in his actions. He seeks to leverage his research and leadership to create meaningful solutions. 

Maya Qaddourah, biochemistry  

Dean’s Award, College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

Qaddourah has shown a remarkable commitment to leading efforts to support and encourage her peers and her community at a time when her peers were consumed by isolation, fear and self-doubt with all that is happening in the world. She did this all while balancing a heavy academic load and performing at an exceptionally high level in the classroom, demonstrating a deep commitment to interdisciplinary biochemical research that resulted in working in multiple labs across campus and bringing her research to the point of publication, almost unheard of at the undergraduate level.  

She also served as a teaching assistant in several advanced courses where it is unusual to have even one of these experiences. Even with such extraordinary academic and research accomplishments, what set Qaddourah apart was her insight into the importance of community and sense of belonging and her exceptional persistence that led her to develop a personal mission of leaving an enduring impact that fosters inclusivity, innovation and career readiness in STEM at CSUSM. 

Kate Carlson, master’s, kinesiology 

Dean’s Award, Graduate Studies 

Carlson’s work ethic, attention to detail, professionalism, communication, reliability, leadership and organization skills are impressive to her peers and professors.  

These qualities were on full display during Carlson’s thesis defense on Feb. 20. Following the presentation, the committee unanimously agreed that it was the most exceptional master’s thesis project, defense and written document they had encountered in their academic careers. One committee member even noted that Carlson’s performance was on par with Ph.D. dissertation defenses from former students who now hold full or associate professor positions at top-tier research institutions. 

Miyah Walker, psychological sciences 

Dean of Students Leadership Award 

Walker’s ability to provide a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for residents, while promoting wellness, has been a hallmark of her time as a resident adviser. Additionally, she has demonstrated exceptional counseling, mentorship and facilitation skills, leading educational conversations that center on personal development, cultural understanding and co-curricular programming in a diverse learning environment. 

Walker is a rare student who has integrated her studies, co-curricular experiences and embodies a holistic student experience at CSUSM. She has taken what she has learned in psychology and applied it to her RA and peer educator roles. After graduation, in the near term, Miyah intends to become a registered behavioral technician to work with autistic children. Her long-term goal is to earn a doctoral degree and work in underserved communities as a psychologist. 

Learn more about Walker. 

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Green chemistry is the design or creation of chemical products and processes that reduce and eliminate the generation of waste and/or use of hazardous substances. This responsible approach to chemistry reduces the chemical footprint by utilizing methods that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly.  

“We have something that's going to save us, but if the production of this material will harm us, then it actually doesn't do an overall good for the environment,” said Robert Iafe, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We have a choice to not use carcinogens in a synthetic method; we have a choice not to make compounds that could be released downstream; we have a choice to not release something into the environment that could later cause harm.” 

While green chemistry principles can substantially help the environment, they’re not widely known or accepted because they’re frequently thought of as a side discipline. The American Chemical Society (ACS) Student Chapter at CSUSM, however, is changing this narrative.  

During the fall 2022 semester, members of the ACS Student Chapter had their minds set on increasing green chemistry recognition and practices. In January, they were recognized by Beyond Benign’s program for minority serving higher-education institutions’ (MSI) ACS Student Chapters.  

Beyond Benign is a public charity organization that equips MSIs with the “tools, training and support to make green chemistry an integral part of chemistry education” with the intent to ensure the next generation of chemists and scientists are prepared to address sustainability globally. 

“I think this is really the direction where chemistry should be heading in the future because green chemistry addresses several major issues, like pollution, environmental racism and sustainability,” said Gabby Martinez, a senior chemistry major and president of the institution’s ACS Student Chapter.  

“Chemistry is beautiful in terms of how powerful its applications are because the knowledge of science can help people better their lives. Students are the catalysts for change on campus, and that’s really empowering.” 

ACS has already started making changes, bringing Beyond Benign representatives to campus to share insight with students. In the future, ACS plans to host a green chemistry summit, with hopes of having John Warner, one of the founders of the field, as the host. This summit will hopefully bring together campus leaders, students, CSUSM deans, and even local colleges to discuss what green chemistry is, what efforts will help fulfill goals, and which changes are urgently needed. Their efforts last year also led the organization to being recognized as an Outstanding Student Chapter nationally. 

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is also continuing to explore approaches to green chemistry within the curriculum. Leaders within the department are frequently making innovative efforts to replace reagents to be more “green” while still producing the same result. This is especially true in CHEM 150, CHEM 201 and the biochemistry laboratories. 

Students are encouraged to participate in problem solving, where they find solutions to large issues, such as their need to use plastic within labs. But the solution, switching to reusable containers, raises another problem: Reusable containers must be frequently washed, and the overuse of water is a large concern with California in a drought. 

“I see potential to use (concerns within the classroom) as a way to teach students how to think about the problems of the world and how to use chemistry to solve them,” said Sajith Jayasinghe, department chair of chemistry and biochemistry. “This generation (of students) really cares about (using innovation to tackle) these big issues.”

These mindsets and practices align with Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Commitment, which states that the university agrees with the Green Chemistry Student Learning Objectives. CSUSM was the first California State University school to sign the agreement. 

In the future, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry plans to continue fulfilling this agreement by soon adding a green chemistry or environmental chemistry minor, which would include courses in toxicology and green chemistry. Such an addition would make graduates highly marketable, as few local programs offer these specializations, particularly in green chemistry.  

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He thought the only way to tell if he was cut out to be in college was to put everything into his next test. If he failed again, he would take it as a sign to pursue a different path. 

“I studied obsessively, and ended up getting a B on that next test,” said Rodney, a biochemistry major at Cal State San Marcos. “It wasn't an A or anything crazy. But I thought maybe I can manage this if I keep studying. I learned what habits and what time of day to study that worked for me. It was really self-doubt because I felt like I was faking it. But that went away slowly.”

This wasn’t the first time Rodney felt like he didn’t belong in the classroom. He was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade, and was told to take medication every day with little explanation about his diagnosis.

“It kept me from thinking that I could do well in school,” Rodney said. “That's why I graduated from a continuation high school. I would think to myself, ‘I have ADHD, so, why bother?’ ”

Struggling academically wasn’t the only challenge Rodney faced while growing up. Early in Rodney’s childhood, his mother suffered from drug addiction, which led to the separation of his parents. 

“My mom and I went through a phase where it was rocky between us because we never discussed it,” Rondey said. “I joined the Navy and we faded away and I sought counseling when I was at the University of Memphis. I talked to her about our relationship, and we got to have open conversations about it. And it's helped a lot. She's happily remarried and doing awesome now.” 

Rodney persevered and he’s doing things he never thought he could as a child. Rodney was honored as the university’s  2022 Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement recipient on Sept. 13. He is planning to apply to medical school and become a family medicine doctor or psychiatrist so he can help those with addictions after he graduates next spring.  

Serving in the United States Navy for five years drew Rodney to the medical field. It gave him the opportunity to provide for himself and his family. It was also a way for him to thank the programs that helped his mother. 

Rodney worked as a Navy hospital corpsman and also treated post-surgical patients and postpartum mothers at the Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms. Rodney also collected forensic evidence as a volunteer sexual assault forensics assistant. 

“Sexual assault is one of the most traumatic things somebody can go through,” Rodney said. “If I can be an advocate the rest of my life or somehow help people or figure out other ways to help, then that would be great.”

Rodney started his journey to becoming a doctor at the University of Memphis because it was near where he was stationed. But Rodney knew he wanted to move to California, and he felt the pandemic was the perfect time to transfer. 

“I looked up good schools for veterans,” Rodney said. “And San Marcos was one of the top ones. I made the right decision because we have a really good veterans program here.” 

Rodney has certainly made an impact at CSUSM. He has taken active roles as president of the Student Veterans Organization and he coordinates volunteer activities at Ivey Ranch, a nonprofit that helps with the recovery of children with disabilities and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Not only did joining the Navy find his passion, it also led him to his fiancee, Kurumi. He is planning on getting married later this year. 

“I'm in a really good place,” Rondey said. “That's what I say every day, no matter what happens. I think things turned out way, way, way, way better than I expected. Overall, I'm always happy. I'm so happy I met Kurumi as well. She's just been a huge blessing that showed up out of nowhere.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Students are selected for demonstrating superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and financial need. Awardees have all demonstrated inspirational resolve along the path to college success, and many are the first in their families to attend college. 

The CSU recognizes 23 students every year – one from each campus – with the Trustees’ Award. Rodney was named a Trustee Emeritus Kenneth Fong Scholar, which includes a donor-funded scholarship of $7,000. 

Rodney and the other awardees were recognized during a ceremony as part of the CSU Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 13.

“These 23 remarkable scholars wonderfully exemplify the ideals of the California State University,” CSU Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester said. “Their inspirational stories are connected by a common thread of intelligence, perseverance, resilience and the transformative power of higher education. Our communities, state and nation — indeed, our world — will long reap the benefits of their academic, professional and personal achievement.”

Rodney is a student veteran majoring in biochemistry. He has taken active roles as president of CSUSM’s Student Veterans Organization and he coordinates volunteer activities at Ivey Ranch, a nonprofit that helps with the recovery of children with disabilities and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Rodney served five years as a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman and worked directly with post-surgical patients as well as postpartum mothers at the Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms. Rodney also collected forensic evidence for sexual assault victims as a volunteer sexual assault forensics assistant. 

After earning his bachelor's degree, Rodney plans to apply to medical school and become a family medicine doctor or psychiatrist so that he can help those with addictions. 

More than 500 students have been honored with the Trustees' Award since the scholarship program was established in 1984 by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. In 1999, the Hearst Foundation partnered with the CSU Board of Trustees to supplement the endowment with contributions from CSU Trustees, CSU Foundation board members and private donors. Each student scholarship bears the name of a donor. 

She wasn’t 100 percent sure on her career path, but she wanted to explore what the program touts as “the global literary experience.”

She took GES 100 (“The Physical Science Around Us”) for a general education requirement, but had no intention of doing anything in science beyond passing the course. That was partly because although she enjoyed science in high school, she had what she described as an “awful” chemistry teacher.

“I swore I was never going to take another chemistry class again,” Araiza said.

As fate would have it, a few CSUSM professors had something else in mind for her. Araiza’s GES 100 professor convinced her to take his Chemistry 150 course the following semester because he “called me out for not working to my potential.”

That’s when she also met Jackie Trischman, who would serve this time in Araiza’s life as her lab instructor but eventually would progress to her mentor, colleague and friend.

Organic chemistry was next, a course she completely fell in love with. It wasn’t long before she was changing her major to chemistry and essentially altering her entire life.

In addition to earning her bachelor’s in biochemistry, Araiza recently became the first graduate of CSUSM’s master’s program in chemistry and currently teaches two courses in the department.

“As a scientist, I very much acknowledged that education is a journey and there's no end to it,” Araiza said.

Araiza’s journey through both CSUSM degree programs required equal amounts time and patience. While many of her classmates were relying on a combination of student loans and help from home, she handled the financial burden by working and earning scholarship money from a variety of sources.

In her last semester as an undergrad, Araiza worked as a TA for as many professors as she could.

Upon earning her undergraduate degree, she had no interest in going into the classroom.

“I swore I'd never teach,” she said. “But by the end of it, I was asked to come back and teach Chem 416 labs (‘Instrumental Methods of Analysis’). Even when I started teaching, at first I swore it was a transitionary job.”

However, the department sweetened its offer to keep her lecturing by offering to pay for her master’s degree tuition as CSUSM was on the verge of beginning its advanced degree program in chemistry.

While it took the next 10 years to get the master’s degree program up and running, Araiza continued to make more of an impact each year she spent in the department.

By the time that first cohort began the master’s program, she was already a year in and had access to labs as a faculty member.

“So I ended up teaching there the whole time,” said Araiza, who has a 4-year-old son. “I kind of really got drawn into it and fell in love with teaching. And then eventually the master's program opened and I figured that was the whole reason I got the job there. So I did the master's program, but it really hasn't impacted my teaching all that much because it was already what I was doing before.”

Araiza finished her master’s last summer and immediately began to rewrite the lab component for the Chem 105 course (“General, Organic, and Biochemistry for Life”) that she taught in the fall. Although students were forced to take their lab kits home because of the pandemic, she developed a program where everyone logged into Zoom sessions to share the lab experiences together.

It worked so well that a version is being developed for usage if Super STEM Saturday is forced to go virtual this year.

“She is mentoring research students, active in assembling outreach teams and doing amazing work with Chem 105,” said Trischman, the CSTEM interim dean. “This course is taken by pre-nursing students and kinesiology students. Robyn was instrumental in bringing the lab online, and her work in collaboration with Dr. Kambiz Hamadani has been shared across the system. She also developed good insights into how students approach virtual learning.”

She’s also currently teaching “Chemistry of Chocolate” (Chemistry 316) as an upper division GE course. It has 120 students this semester from every imaginable major. The class was set up as an expansion of Trischman’s natural products lecture.

“It's the idea of kind of looking at the ups and downs of natural products and how a plant can be used for positive things and negative things,” said Araiza, who said her goal as a teacher is to demystify chemistry. “And natural things aren't necessarily good. And synthetic things aren't necessarily bad. So we kind of tried to make a point with it.”

The course also has an international component.

“Robyn is working with Robert Carolin and the Office of Global Education to bring her ‘Chemistry of Chocolate’ students together with gastronomy students in Ecuador,” Trischman said. “They will learn about the science their studies have in common from Robyn and about the sustainability of chocolate production that they study in their course in Ecuador.

“Robyn is interested in reaching students across the university. She never stops thinking about the relevance of her teaching and how to improve student success.”

In a nod to her own experience, Araiza is drawn to teaching non-science majors. Even as a graduate student, she wasn’t necessarily headed toward the Ph.D. route. That’s why the CSUSM program – now in its second cohort – was perfect for her.

In addition to catering to people who are already working in the medical field, the master’s program boasts its individualized approach as faculty members typically have only one or two students to work with.

“It gives kind of a little bit more directed attention versus these really big labs at some other universities,” Araiza said. “It's also designed for people who work. Since classes are in the evenings, you can do your research on the weekends. So several of the people who ended up in the program have full-time jobs. It's a nice thing to consider that people are already in the industry.”

The private industry may come calling for Araiza in the future with a wealth of experience in a lab coupled with her leadership skills.

But it’s hard to envision her leaving the place that she has called home for the past two decades.

The one-time lit major analyzed her future, rewrote her story, and altered her life path.

Wasn’t she supposed to never want to be around chemistry again?

“I always laugh at that,” Araiza said. “I’m never going to take another chemistry class again, and here I am teaching them five days a week. No, science was not at all in my plans when I first started. The joke was on me on that one.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

That inaugural group was so impressive that it earned a student chapter honorable mention award from the ACS, which is a nationwide network of professional chemists.

Competing against collegiate chapters across the nation, the sophomore group’s year ended with another honorable mention award while the 2019-20 team took a big leap with a commendable award.

The group continues to outdo itself, recently earning the highest distinction possible – outstanding. CSUSM’s chapter was one of about 70 around the nation to earn the prestigious recognition.

“This year, particularly because there’s nothing on campus, the current officers have had the hardest task to, one, have a club at all, and two, to make it successful,” said Robert Iafe, the club’s adviser and an organic chemistry associate professor. “The six officers have done their fantastic best to keep the group cohesive and also do what they set out to do.”

ACS is a nonprofit scientific organization that was founded in 1876 and chartered by Congress. It has more than 152,000 members in more than 130 countries.

The student chapter division is a respected collaborative club that provides opportunity for chemistry and biochemistry majors to network and get involved in outreach programs. It provides a supportive environment where students can achieve their professional goals in science.

“One of the areas where academics always need improvement is, OK, you’re getting a chemistry degree, but what are you doing with it on the other end once you have this document in hand?” said Iafe, who is also the graduate program coordinator for those seeking a masters in chemistry. “The ACS Club fills that curricular gap, and what’s awesome about our student club is that it’s not only professionally driven, but they also see the value in inspiring children as young as grade school in that area as well as in outreach programs. Diversifying chemistry and creating a community of inclusion can bring amazing problem solvers from all areas of our community into the field.”

When she was in her third year at CSUSM, Alma Avila Oropeza was admittedly lost in where to steer her career path. Looking for a community to provide advice and career options, she found the campus ACS club.

Now a fifth-year biochemistry major with a minor in Spanish, she is this year’s president of the CSUSM group. She plans on obtaining a Ph.D. in toxicology in order to pursue a career as a forensic toxicologist.

“The American Chemical Society gave me many opportunities I never thought were possible,” said Oropeza, who is part of the research lab of Jackie Trischman, a professor of biochemistry and chemistry and the interim dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. “It gave me confidence as a scientist, which eventually gave me a chance to join Dr. Trischman’s research lab on campus.”

Oropeza and her fellow officers meet once a week and host meetings for the entire student organization twice a month. They hosted a Zoom session a few weeks ago on how to apply to graduate school and held a virtual social event two weeks ago to simply check in and see how everyone is doing.

Last week, they hosted an online seminar on how to apply to summer REUs, or research experience for undergraduates.

“They’re going above and beyond the call of duty considering everything that's happening,” Iafe said. “This year is particularly exciting because all of the officers are women. It shows how crucial and important it is that women are represented in the chemical and STEM field. They’re a fantastic group.”

The average level of students becoming disinterred in STEM fields, particularly math and science, is fourth and fifth grades. Therefore, outreach to elementary school students is a large focus for the ACS club.

Super STEM Saturday, an annual event held on campus that highlights outreach toward younger future scientists, draws 10,000-plus children and parents to campus for a one-day festival each spring. The ACS club’s participation includes:

• Performing a chemistry safety demonstration in which they review all of the personal protective equipment and how to use it;
• Providing tours of the science building; and
• Putting on a “Better Than Magic” chemistry show in which they do demonstrations that look like magic, but then explain the actual science behind it.

Although the 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19 precautions, plans are underway for the 2021 version if it is deemed safe to host it in person.

Because students are not able to do outreach on campus right now, the officers felt they needed to do something special this semester. And it has become a huge success. Former ACS officer James Oakley, who graduated from CSUSM two years ago and is now in the graduate program at Princeton, teamed up with this year’s officers to form the CSUSM/Princeton “STEMinars.”

So far this semester, they have hosted three 45-minute Saturday events on YouTube where Princeton graduate students gave talks ranging from their research to how they became graduate students. The events have been so well-attended, they’re looking to continue the events even when campus returns to a standard learning environment.

“They started it this year because of the pandemic but because you don’t have to fly anybody out, your outreach is whoever wants to spend an hour on Zoom with you,” Iafe said. “It’s a way to connect a network of our current students with the upper echelon of graduate programs.”

As a freshman at CSUSM, Emily Lyon witnessed ACS officers visiting her GEL 101 class. They encouraged the first-year students to get involved in the organization by attending meetings and volunteering at outreach events.

Four years later, Lyon is a chemistry major and the ACS vice president because she wanted to mentor and encourage other students like those who came before her.

“My favorite part of being a part of this chapter is the people that I've met along the way and the memories I've made,” said Lyon, who is applying to graduate programs with the goal of eventually leading a research group at a pharmaceutical company. “I always look forward to volunteering at science outreach events like ChemExpo and Super STEM Saturday because of the opportunity to teach kids about science by doing fun experiments and demos.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

If the job title sounds fascinating, so does the work. Known colloquially as “disease detectives,” EIS officers are front-line public health responders who address emergent public health threats that arise in the United States and globally, including natural disasters and infectious diseases. In such cases, they investigate, identify the cause, rapidly implement control measures, and collect evidence to recommend preventive actions. 

Most EIS officers are stationed at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. But McMichael, who graduated from Cal State San Marcos in 2012 with a degree in biochemistry, was assigned to the Seattle area, specifically Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC). He worked on a variety of projects last fall before being deployed to Ghana for six weeks as part of the global polio eradication initiative.  

When McMichael returned to Washington in mid-February, it had become the epicenter of a burgeoning crisis that would consume his life and uproot nearly every facet of life around the world. 

“Since then,” McMichael said, “for me it’s been COVID-19 all day, every day.” 

A few weeks earlier, on Jan. 21, a man in his 30s from Washington state had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, making him the first confirmed case in the U.S. He had traveled to Wuhan, China, where the disease originated.  

A couple of weeks later, on Feb. 29, the first U.S. death from COVID-19 was reported, a man at Evergreen Health Medical Center in Kirkland, Wash. The initial casualties later were revised to two deaths that occurred on Feb. 26 at a nearby nursing home. 

This was the environment into which McMichael, only six months in as an EIS officer, was abruptly dropped.  

“My experiences, particularly the work surrounding COVID-19, are beyond words,” he said. “I never could have imagined a scenario like this, but honestly, I feel really fortunate to have the opportunity to work with some of the greatest colleagues I’ve ever had as we address this global pandemic.” 

During normal business operations, McMichael is the only CDC employee working at PHSKC. As the first COVID-19 case in the U.S. grew into the first cluster, however, King County quickly became ground zero for the public health response, resulting in close to 50 CDC coworkers descending on the Seattle area.  

McMichael primarily focused on epidemiological tracking of the disease – determining who was or might have been exposed, whether they were sick, and where they might have been exposed. He also helped to facilitate testing of exposed health-care workers, first responders and many others. 

“Really, it was an all-hands-on-deck situation where we did everything we could to slow the spread of the disease,” McMichael said. 

After the initial efforts in contact tracing, a pillar of epidemiology, McMichael pivoted to writing manuscripts (with CDC and PHSKC guidance) to spread the word rapidly about what he and his colleagues were learning on the ground. In mid-March, he was the lead author on a study that found that long-term care facilities can be high-risk settings for severe outcomes for COVID-19, due at least in part to residents’ advanced age and underlying health conditions. The study recommended that such facilities restrict nonessential visits, prevent staff members who are ill from working, limit the sharing of health-care staff if possible, and implement proper infection prevention and control measures.  

“There were monumental efforts by all parties to care for the patients and get our findings out as quickly as possible,” McMichael said. “I think it’s difficult to quantify how impactful our work really was, but I believe other facilities and health-care professionals were able to learn from our experiences, and hopefully save lives as a result.” 

McMichael is a American Indian scientist from the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians who says he has been passionate about human health for as long as he can remember. After a wandering academic journey that included stops at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., and Mount San Jacinto and Palomar colleges, he found a home at CSUSM about a decade ago. He excelled in the lab of chemistry and biochemistry professor Jackie Trischman, performing research on a marine bacterial strain aimed at combating tuberculosis.  

“He was always able to see the big picture better than most students, and it has carried through to his professional career,” Trischman said. 

From CSUSM, McMichael went on to Ohio State University, where he spent the next six years earning a Ph.D. in microbial pathogenesis. That achievement, in turn, helped him secure the EIS fellowship. His cohort features a variety of health-care professionals, including medical doctors, veterinarians, nurse practitioners and other doctoral-level professionals. 

Understandably, McMichael expects to be working on COVID-related health issues for the foreseeable future. After starting with long-term care facilities, he since has shifted to other vulnerable populations, such as people experiencing homelessness, minorities, health-care workers and even correctional facilities.  

McMichael admits that the physical and mental grind – his work weeks average 80 to 100 hours – is taking a toll on him. When he does get a rare day off, he tries to do laundry or find other ways to distract his overtaxed brain.  

“I believe I’m where I’m supposed to be and doing what I need to be doing, and that makes the burden much more bearable for me,” he said. “It’s during times like this that I realize I really do love my job. If I didn’t, I think I’d get crushed pretty quickly. 

“And this isn’t to say I’m happy there is a pandemic and people are dying; that’s a tragedy. I just feel honored to be in a place where I can do my part to help prevent the pandemic from getting any worse.” 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

She thinks it was three months. Her middle sister, Madina, estimates that it was closer to two. Whether it was two or three, one thing is certain – for a 9-year-old looking after a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old, it felt like an eternity.

Malika and her sisters got through those months on their own. They got through nearly two years in an orphanage. And they got through a seemingly interminable adoption process to create a new family with a loving couple from Fallbrook.

“We were meant to be,” Malika said.

Graduation day is a time of celebration and joy, but it will also be a bittersweet occasion for Malika. Crossing the commencement stage at Cal State San Marcos in May ends a six-year journey to earn her bachelor’s in biochemistry. It also means an end to driving from her parents’ Fallbrook home to campus each day with sisters Madina and Zarina, who also attend CSUSM. There will be no more daily lunches together on campus or study sessions in Kellogg Library, which they affectionately call their second home.

“We’ll have to start doing things on our own,” said Madina, also a biochemistry major who will graduate in 2021. “It’s going to be different.”

Malika won’t be going far as she enters the working world with an eye toward beginning nursing school in 2020. But considering where they’ve been, it will be, as Madina notes, different.

The road to the orphanage

Malika and her sisters grew up in Priozersk, a small city of less than 14,000 people known for a military base that is used by Russia for testing anti-ballistic and anti-aircraft defense systems.

The girls’ birth father, who was in his 60s, died of unknown causes, and their birth mother’s abuse of drugs and alcohol increased after his death. Their birth mother was prone to disappearing for days at a time before finally resurfacing to bring the girls more food. Then the temporary disappearances became permanent. The girls had no idea where their birth mother went. Malika stopped attending school so she could care for Madina and Zarina.

The girls managed to get food from a local market that allowed customers to purchase on credit, but the store owner soon had to cut them off because nobody was paying the bill. Malika was forced to beg for food.

“It was humiliating because we would ask people we knew,” she said.

A neighbor took the girls in after they had already been living on their own for months, but it didn’t last long. The strain of trying to care for three young girls in addition to her own children and grandchildren was too much to bear, and the neighbor called the police after two months. Malika and her sisters were placed in a temporary group home of about 80 children before being transported to a large orphanage in Karaganda, about 300 miles north of Priozersk.

While Malika and her sisters were fortunate to be placed in the same orphanage – some siblings were split up – they rarely saw each other. The more than 400 children in the orphanage were divided into age groups. Though Madina and Zarina started off in the same group, Madina soon aged into the next group. If they were lucky, the girls might see each other in the cafeteria. More commonly, they had to wait until a big celebration like Christmas or a summer activity.

“The hardest part was not knowing what was happening with my sisters,” Malika said. “If one kid was in trouble, everyone in the age group was in trouble and got punished. Knowing that happened in my age group, I couldn’t imagine what was going on with my sisters.”

While Malika and her sisters were becoming accustomed to life in the orphanage, some 7,000 miles away in Fallbrook, Peter and Sylvia Berens had been discussing adoption.

‘Love at first sight’

Peter and Sylvia’s first attempt at adoption was stymied by a paperwork mix-up, and they never even met the children whom the adoption group had targeted. The mistake helped Peter and Sylvia move to the top of the list the following year. They received a stack of photos of children waiting to be adopted. Peter didn’t even make it through half of the photos.

“When I saw the picture, I knew,” he said.

It was a photo of Malika, Madina and Zarina.

“We didn’t plan for three kids,” Sylvia said. “But we saw them and – something in their eyes, their sparkle – we knew they were going to be our kids.”

As part of the adoption program, the girls flew to the U.S. for a six-week trial period. The girls didn’t speak any English, and Peter and Sylvia spoke no Russian.

Despite the language barrier – “It was a lot of hand signals back and forth,” Peter said – they instantly connected.

“When people say love at first sight,” Malika said, “that’s how it was with our parents. We knew we were going to be together.”

But it was an arduous process. If everything went according to plan, Peter and Sylvia knew it would be nearly a year before they would get to bring the girls to the U.S. permanently. Six weeks together made it even more excruciating to see the girls board a plane to return to the orphanage in Kazakhstan.

Malika made one request of Peter and Sylvia before departing for Kazakhstan: She asked if they would visit the orphanage at Christmas. Peter and Sylvia couldn’t make any promises, but that December, as kids in the orphanage were preparing for the holiday, Malika noticed a buzz of excitement. Children were running to the windows and Malika could hear them saying, “The Americans are here.” She went to the window to see what the commotion was about.

It was Peter and Sylvia.

“I got really emotional,” Malika said. “That made it more real because I knew they wanted us and they loved us.”

Peter and Sylvia made two more trips to Kazakhstan – once for a bonding period with the girls and a final visit to bring their daughters home. The girls officially became U.S. citizens on May 5, 2005, at the moment their plane landed on U.S. soil.

A second chance

There were still adjustments and challenges. On their first night as an official family, Zarina woke up at 2 a.m. screaming yabloka, yabloka, yabloka while running wildly around the kitchen. Peter and Sylvia had no idea what she was saying nor the severity of the problem. They called one of their employees, a native of Uzbekistan who spoke Russian. Peter apologized for waking him and explained the situation. The employee asked what Zarina was saying.

“Yabloka,” Peter said.

“She wants an apple,” he replied.

The girls’ English steadily improved, and they thrived at St. Joseph Academy in San Marcos. The only thing they enjoyed more than school was frequent trips abroad with their parents.

“I think that’s how our love of education started,” Zarina said. “On every trip, our parents would make sure we went to a museum and learned something. Then we’d go back to class and could say, ‘Oh, I saw that.’ We could make a connection.”

When it came time to choose a college, CSUSM was an easy choice. Though Peter and Sylvia each earned a doctorate in physical chemistry from UC San Diego – and Sylvia also completed her undergraduate work there – they encouraged their daughters to attend CSUSM, where they thought a smaller-college experience would be beneficial.

It was a prescient decision. Malika and Madina credit chemistry professor Jackie Trischman for providing critical mentorship throughout their time at CSUSM.

Laurie Schmelzer, the director of student services for the College of Science and Mathematics, also proved instrumental in Malika’s success at CSUSM, virtually from day one. Malika met Schmelzer through her freshman GEL Chemistry & Biochemistry Learning Community course, and Schmelzer helped Malika develop the confidence to take on leadership roles in events like Super STEM Saturday.

“She was so shy but always had questions about what needed to be done before the next class, who she should talk to about advising,” Schmelzer said. “It was obvious that she was going to make the most of her college experience, and she jumped right in.

“She has been an amazing mentor to her two sisters, and that compassion carries over into every aspect of her life. I’m going to greatly miss her visits to my office and spending time with her at outreach events, but I can’t wait to see what she does next.”

Malika is hoping to work as a certified nursing assistant before starting preparations for nursing school. She hopes to enroll in CSUSM’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in spring 2020.

Malika learned about compassion and caring at a young age, and it remains at the forefront of everything she does.

“I believe that God has a plan for everyone,” Malika said. “It might not be the plan we are envisioning, but we should always be grateful for what we have because we never know when it’s going to be taken from us. God has been a huge part of my life. I feel like being adopted was part of his plan.

“My parents have provided us with unconditional love and support. They’ve been there through the hard times. It sounds clichéd, but they’re my heroes. They’ve given me a second chance in life, one I’ll never take for granted.”

Indeed, Rosa, one of nearly 3,800 Cal State San Marcos students graduating in May, has made the most of every opportunity that has come her way – from services provided by the nonprofit Girls Inc. in high school and the MARC U*STAR program at CSUSM to the laboratory research afforded by her professors.

This fall she will make the most of another opportunity: a University of Michigan doctoral program in biochemistry.

Rosa credits CSUSM with providing the guidance to realize her goals.

“I love Cal State San Marcos so much,” Rosa said. “I got so much one-one mentoring and I was able to have the opportunities I had because of the professors here. I can’t imagine having gone anywhere else for my undergraduate work.”

The daughter of Mexican immigrants of modest means who didn’t speak English at home, Rosa faced more than her share of challenges navigating the educational system in her early years.

“I think my parents would have been happy for me just to graduate high school,” she said.

Rosa’s path changed when she discovered Girls Inc. during her senior year at San Pasqual High School in Escondido. The San Diego nonprofit’s mission is to empower girls and young women from 8 to 18 and help themsee college as attainable and a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics also well within their reach. Girls Inc. provided Rosa with a college-readiness program, which guided Rosa in applying to CSUSM, filing forms for financial aid and taking the necessary standardized tests.

“Before that happened, I knew I was going to go to college, but I didn’t know what I was going to do or what I wanted to do,” she said. “I was at one of their events and heard from a speaker who said you have to find a career in doing something you enjoy. So I thought about it, and I remembered when I was younger how excited I was about biology when I learned about stuff like photosynthesis and how I was also interested in chemistry. So I decided I would pursue biochemistry without really knowing what it was.”

It didn’t take long to learn. Rosa became a biochemistry star at CSUSM – literally – through the MARC U*STAR program, an acronym for Maximizing Access to Research Careers – Undergraduate Student Training Research. The program, funded by the National Institute of General Medical Services, is aimed at preparing undergraduate minority students majoring in the sciences to enter and succeed in doctoral studies. Only five new scholars are admitted in the honors research program annually. Students spend up to 15 hours each week during the academic year learning in a research laboratory and 40 hours per week or more in the summer. Students also take part in weekly seminars and workshops, participate in a summer research program outside of the region, and attend scientific meetings to present their findings.

Rosa’s research interests are focused on protein dynamics, including protein misfolding that can lead to diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. She has left an impression with all she comes in contact.

“She really represents the best of what Cal State San Marcos achieves, and achieves regularly, with our students,” said chemistry professor Kambiz Hamadani, who recruited Rosa to work in his research lab. “She didn’t speak great English in her household until she was a little older and she didn’t have a lot of the advantages a lot of other people have, but she is extremely bright, extremely motivated, and she is willing to engage with others to learn. And she makes it seem so simple.”

Indeed, Rosa pretty much takes everything in stride.

“You could pretty much do whatever you want in life as long as you’re willing to put in the work,” she said.

Rosa’s initial research experience was in the laboratory of her organic chemistry professor, Jackie Trischman, with a focus on discovering novel compounds with antibacterial properties against Mycobacterium marinum, the closest genetic relative to Mycobacterium tuberculosis – the causes of tuberculosis. Rosa had found her calling.

“I am extremely grateful to Dr. Trischman for inspiring me to pursue a Ph.D. in research,” she said.

Rosa will have three years of research experience when she begins her doctoral program, including a 10-week summer research program at Yale University last year, before she arrives at the University of Michigan.

“I’m really excited for her future,” Hamadani said. “I can’t wait to see what she’s going to do, and I’m really proud to have been a part of it.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Apolinar’s co-written research paper, “Catalytic, Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Azlactones with Non-Conjugated Alkenes via Directed Nucleopalladation,” resulted from his work in the Engle Lab in summer 2018 at Scripps Research through its Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) initiative. The paper details a process utilizing palladium and chiral phosphoric acids to manipulate a simple compound into something far more complex in just one step. The discovery could potentially lead to creating new pharmaceuticals.

Angewandte Chemie is a peer-reviewed journal of the German Chemical Society, and it has been published under different names since the late 19^th century. Catalytic, Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Azlactones with Non-Conjugated Alkenes via Directed Nucleopalladation appeared in the journal’s February 2019 international edition.

“This is one of the higher-echelon peer-reviewed journals for organic chemistry published today,” said CSUSM chemistry professor Robert Iafe. “Even for a graduate student, this would be an amazing feat. Only the most highly driven undergraduate could accomplish something like this.”

Apolinar said the experience has been beyond inspirational.

“I never would have imagined that I could ever have had a research paper published in a journal such as this,” Apolinar said. “It’s amazing to realize that I have contributed to the chemistry literature. It’s something that can never be taken away, and it motivates me to want to publish more original work that can lead to other discoveries.”

He should have plenty of opportunity. Graduating summa cum laude this spring with a degree in biochemistry, Apolinar, 21, already has been accepted to several doctoral programs. At the moment, he is deciding between Scripps Research, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. His ultimate goal is to become a process chemist in the pharmaceutical industry breaking new ground on developing life-saving drugs.

But first, Apolinar will spend 10 weeks this summer interning with Janssen Research & Development’s Discovery Process Chemistry Group in La Jolla.

Apolinar has been building a legacy at CSUSM since he arrived after graduating from San Marcos High School. He was selected as a California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) Presidents’ Commission Scholar in 2017, an effort aimed at increasing the number of undergraduate students who can access a full-time research experience, and it supports up to 11 CSU undergraduates each summer. He worked as an undergraduate research assistant in Iafe’s laboratory his junior year. He is a STEM Peer Educator at the CSUSM STEM Student Success Center. And he was chosen to take part in the first cohort of the TRIO McNair Scholar program, which is dedicated to boosting the number of low-income and first-generation college students who earn graduate degrees.

He will be presenting research he has been conducting in Iafe's lab at the American Chemical Society’s 257th Spring National Meeting & Exposition from March 31 through April 4 in Orlando.

When he’s not in school or engaging in research, Apolinar spends much of his time as a volunteer operating the Pier Giorgio Food Pantry at St. Mark’s Roman Catholic Church in San Marcos.

“One of the really inspiring things about Omar is despite his accomplishments, he remains a very humble person,” Iafe said.

Apolinar said he has been drawn to the sciences since he was a child. Determined at one time to work in medicine, his goals began changing during his sophomore year in high school.

“I was taking a general chemistry class and we had a substitute come in for our regular teacher, who went out on maternity leave,” Apolinar said. “He decided one day he was going to teach organic chemistry, and I was captivated by it. I was captivated by the complexity of the molecules and how it all seemed like a puzzle but was really art. I decided then that this was something I was going to pursue.”

He made up his mind after taking Iafe's organic chemistry class.

“It completely changed my career path,” Apolinar said. “Everything from high school made sense; organic chemistry truly is art.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

But when Jenny visits the families of her parents in their native Mexico, she doesn’t exactly shout out what she has done from the rooftops. She knows that an American university student who happens to know her way around a chemistry lab might be of keen interest to Mexican drug cartels.

“I’ve never heard of anyone being kidnapped for being a biochem major,” she said, “but I wouldn’t want to put myself in that position.”

Or, as Jenny wrote in the commencement speech she submitted, “Whenever I do visit my family in Mexico, I don’t speak of my major, I don’t speak of my accomplishments associated with my major because you never know what ears are listening or what mouths are talking.”

Jenny grew up in Ventura, one of four daughters of Juan and Esperanza Veyna, who both immigrated to the United States and met while working for the same agricultural company in Ventura. Every summer, the girls would pile into their dad’s truck for a road trip to Mexico, where the family would spend several weeks each at a ranch in Jalisco owned by Esperanza’s father and with Juan’s relatives in the city of Zacatecas, more than 200 miles to the north.

“I loved it,” Jenny said. “On my mom’s ranch, we would milk cows in the morning, jump in the manmade lakes, help my grandpa farm. You felt liberated. And on my dad’s side, I had all my cousins there, so I enjoyed all of it. We would find our own fun.”

As Jenny got older, though, the cartel violence grew worse. When she was in high school, Jenny remembers, the family had to cancel a planned trip to Zacatecas because of a string of grisly murders in the city. And then the scourge of the cartels hit disturbingly close to home when two individuals she closely grew up with were kidnapped, both at least four years ago. Reasons for their kidnapping or why they were targeted still remain unknown. Neither has been heard from since, she says, adding, “We don’t know if they’re alive or not.”

Jenny and her twin sister, Jocelyn, both ran cross country and track at Foothill Technology High in Ventura, and their high school coach’s connection to Cougars coach Steve Scott led to them being recruited by Cal State San Marcos. Jenny competed for two years before deciding to concentrate on academics, and during her sophomore year she switched her major from biology to biochemistry because she enjoyed the challenge.

This year, as a senior, she worked in the research laboratory of chemistry professor Robert Iafe on two projects, including a chemical education project in which her goal was to develop an alkene reduction procedure that could be accomplished in a second-semester undergrad organic chemistry lab. The challenge was that the procedure had to be safe, reproducible and limited to only five hours.

“Jenny has really impressed me as a research student,” Iafe said. “Through her experience in reaction planning and troubleshooting, she is learning to become an independent researcher. It is also great to watch her confidence grow in the research setting.”

Jenny liked her time in the lab, but she discovered that the work is too solitary in nature. A people person, she plans to go to physician’s assistant school after graduation.

And at the commencement ceremony, far removed from her parents’ native land, she will feel no compulsion to conceal her area of study.

As she wrote in her speech, “Here at CSUSM, I don’t need to hide from anyone or anything, and I can proudly say: Mom and Dad, I am almost officially a biochemistry graduate, and I hope you are as proud of me as I am of myself.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314