This spring, Clerihan graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and she's planning to launch her own construction billing business in the community she now calls home. She credits her professors at CSUSM at Temecula for encouraging her to pursue her educational and entrepreneurial dreams.

“I was never that student who enjoyed school, but at CSUSM at Temecula, I found myself on the dean’s list and looking forward to going to class,” Clerihan said. “My parents were amazed by the change in me.” 

Her story was highlighted by CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt at “The Power of Us” Southwest Riverside County Community Breakfast on June 30. The event brought together local business, government, education and community leaders to explore how partnerships are shaping the region’s educational and economic future. 

Sponsored by the Pechanga Band of Indians, the event was emceed by CSUSM Foundation Board directors Alisha Wilkins and Esther Phahla, both Temecula residents and local business owners with deep ties to the region. 

Before Neufeldt took the stage, Riverside County Third District Supervisor Chuck Washington reflected on the partnership that has shaped CSUSM’s presence in Southwest Riverside County. 

“It started with a simple but ambitious idea: bringing expanded higher education opportunities closer to the families of Southwest Riverside County,” Washington said. “Cal State San Marcos has listened to our communities, understood our workforce needs and invested in programs that reflect our local priorities.”  

Meeting Students Where They Are 

CSUSM established its Temecula campus in 2008 and has expanded to include two locations, with programs in nursing, software engineering, teacher credentialing and business administration. That commitment received a major boost in 2024 when Riverside County invested $5.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to enhance technology, equipment and academic programs.  

Today, more than 20% of CSUSM’s nearly 17,000 students come from Riverside County. Students attend classes on the university’s main campus in San Marcos, at CSUSM’s Temecula locations, online or through a combination of locations. 

Expanding access to higher education is central to CSUSM’s mission of advancing social mobility. Last fall, the university again was recognized as the nation’s top university for social mobility by CollegeNET, reflecting its success in helping students improve their economic opportunities through earning a degree. 

“Beyond the ranking, social mobility is a student like Alyssa, who thought she would have to drop out and instead earned her business degree,” Neufeldt said. “It's a first-generation student becoming an engineer. A working parent becoming a nurse. A transfer student becoming a teacher. That's what social mobility looks like.” 

Collaborating Across the Region 

In her remarks, Neufeldt emphasized that expanding access to higher education requires collaboration among schools, colleges, employers and community partners. 

She highlighted the university's participation in Riverside County's Direct Admission initiative, the first countywide partnership of its kind with the California State University system, as well as CSUSM's Alliance partnerships with more than two dozen school districts and tribal nations. 

“The message to students is simple,” Neufeldt said. “You belong here. You can do this. College is not something that happens to other people. It is for you.” 

Aligning Education with Workforce Needs 

Neufeldt also showcased several programs developed in response to workforce needs identified by employers throughout Southwest Riverside County. 

Among them is an accelerated software engineering pathway created in partnership with MSJC, Temecula Valley Unified School District and Murrieta Valley Unified School District. The innovative model allows students to begin coursework in high school, earn college credit through MSJC and complete a CSUSM bachelor's degree on an accelerated timeline. The program is now expanding to include Lake Elsinore Unified School District. 

The university is also strengthening healthcare pathways. CSUSM produces more nurses than any other campus in the California State University system and has graduated nearly 4,000 nurses over the past decade. The university is developing a concurrent nursing agreement with MSJC that would allow students to earn their RN and BSN degrees simultaneously. 

“A skilled workforce is essential to the economic vitality of this region, and we are working conscientiously with our education partners and community leaders to create and deliver the right mix of programs that meet the needs of these communities,” said Godfrey Gibbison, CSUSM’s dean of Extended Learning and associate vice president for international programs.  

Additional programs under development include integrated studies, early childhood education and clinical laboratory science, a high-demand healthcare profession identified by regional employers as one of their most difficult positions to fill. 

“Every one of these programs starts with the same question,” Neufeldt said. “What does this region need? And how can we help meet that need?” 

Looking Ahead 

Neufeldt noted that CSUSM's work in Southwest Riverside County continues to evolve, with plans to further expand into MSJC University Center. 

"This gathering represents something that is a hallmark of Southwest Riverside County: the belief that progress happens through partnership," she said. "Real change happens when we work together." 

For students like Clerihan, those opportunities can be life-changing: a degree, a business and a future in the community she loves. 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

She wasn't sure if her project would become a children's book, an animated series or something else entirely.

"I was thrilled to be accepted," Robinson says. “As a writer and illustrator, my business is different than the others. I came in knowing how to tell a story. REP taught me how to run a business, from unit pricing and supply chains to profit margins and trademark protection.”

Andreina Leal-Carrillo had a different reason for joining REP. Her business, The Repair Tech Inc., a heating, air conditioning and appliance services company, had already been running for 12 years. She could see where she wanted to take it. What she needed were the tools to get there and a way to show her business partner that expansion was worth pursuing. 

"I wanted to take it to the next level," Leal-Carrillo says. "I was hoping for affirmation that it was possible and for my business partner to believe in my vision as well.”

Today, both women give back as mentors to fellow REP participants, drawing on their own experiences to help the next cohort of entrepreneurs thrive.

Supporting entrepreneurs through every step 

Offered through CSUSM’s Innovation Hub, REP is a 10-month experience designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs from low-to-moderate income communities as they navigate the realities of starting and growing a small business. 

“At CSUSM, we see entrepreneurship as a pathway to opportunity,” said Paola Ometto REP faculty liaison and a management professor in the College of Business Administration. “REP connects entrepreneurs to the tools, networks and support they need to grow, strengthening both their businesses and the communities they serve.” 

Made possible in part through funding from Wells Fargo, REP begins with six weeks of business training covering the tools, concepts and principles relevant to launching and growing a successful venture. It is followed by a community connection event, where participants meet with community partners offering legal, financial and business support services. 

In later phases, CSUSM business students work alongside participants as part of a senior experience project, lending their skills in branding, marketing and operations. 

For Robinson, the students researched crowdfunding platforms and successful campaigns for other picture books.  

For Leal-Carrillo, a highlight of REP was mindset coaching, which helped her and her business partner align on a shared vision for growth.  

"Whether you're just starting out or your business has been running for a while, this program helps you see where your company is going and how you can take it further," Leal-Carrillo said. “It's so fun to come back to REP events and see other businesses thrive.”

Bringing the community together 

On April 18, REP will host its Community Connect Event at the CSUSM Innovation Hub, where the current cohort of delegates will have the opportunity to meet with local organizations offering services and resources tailored to small business owners.

“I am honored to represent Wells Fargo in sponsoring this impactful initiative,” said Laura MacKinnon Chapman, senior social impact & sustainability specialist for Wells Fargo. “Small businesses are the backbone of the economy. Whether they’re just getting started, looking to expand or need coaching to sustain, our initiatives, funding and grant programs help provide small business owners with the resources they need — because we know that when they thrive, communities thrive, too.”

Operation HOPE will be among those in attendance, bringing its expertise and resources directly to the entrepreneurs in the room. 

“At Operation HOPE, our mission is to expand access to opportunity through financial education and empowerment,” said Monica Carlos, financial wellbeing coach, Operation HOPE Powered by Wells Fargo. “We’re honored to support REP, as their commitment to entrepreneurship aligns with our belief that financial literacy is the foundation for building sustainable businesses and stronger communities.”

The event reflects what REP does throughout the entire program: create moments where the right people and the right resources find each other, so that every entrepreneur has a chance to make their mark.

Every contribution to CSUSM brings the university closer to its Blueprint for the Future campaign goal to raise $200 million in philanthropy and research funding.

About REP 

REP is part of the Urban Poverty and Business Initiative network, a model founded at the University of Notre Dame and now supported by 42 partner organizations across the United States and internationally. 

To learn more about the program or get involved as a guest speaker, community resource or participant, visit the Resilient Entrepreneur Program at the CSUSM Innovation Hub. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

The program, which will be among the only ones of its kind in San Diego County, is on track to start in spring 2027. It reflects CSUSM’s growing focus on sustainability and the continued demand for double-digit job growth requiring sustainability expertise. 

The specialization in strategic sustainability will prepare students to lead in an era when business success increasingly depends on environmental, social and governance responsibility. This concentration will integrate core business disciplines with sustainability expertise, equipping graduates to align organizational performance with societal well-being and environmental stewardship.

A 2024 feasibility study conducted by MBA students at CSUSM revealed strong regional demand for sustainability-focused business education. Research and employer interviews confirmed that industries from tech to life sciences are actively seeking sustainability-trained leaders.

The SMBA program offers an accelerated MBA designed for recent graduates of all majors. Besides strategic sustainability, the other three specializations are business analytics, international business and supply chain management.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Paulin won the award from a pool of nearly 1,000 current or former college students. He was recognized at the 27th annual J. Fred Landers Awards Banquet held in Nashville, Tenn.

Paulin is a native of Christchurch City, New Zealand who graduated from CSUSM last May with a degree in global business. He received the award for his work running a business selling educational resources to Wisconsin families. Through the Southwestern Advantage sales and leadership program, he met with about 2,000 families, and his business produced over $115,000 in revenue.

Nashville-based Southwestern Advantage has operated a sales and leadership program for college and university students from around the world since 1868. The entrepreneurial program offers students the opportunity to learn how to run a business, gain valuable soft skills and help offset their educational expenses.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

The Center for Leadership Innovation and Mentorship Building (CLIMB) hosted the students from Ohio as part of its signature In the Executive’s Chair (ITEC) series. Rajnandini “Raj” Pillai, director of CLIMB and a professor of management, explained that the course brings students into direct conversation with influential leaders and creates meaningful opportunities for interaction with peers worldwide.

“CLIMB always believes in collaborating with other entities on campus as well as other universities, both domestic and international, especially when it pertains to our speaker series for the community or our signature In the Executive’s Chair class,” Pillai said.

The Nov. 4 visit included a joint class session featuring Jordan Marks, San Diego County assessor, as well as an informal conversation and lunch on campus. The Ohio University students spent the afternoon exchanging insights with CSUSM students about academics, career plans and student life.

CLIMB was established in 2004 by CSUSM’s College of Business Administration, with the mission of fostering the development of effective leaders at the individual, team, organizational and community levels. The center focuses on promoting innovative leadership and research through educational programs and mentoring opportunities.

The ITEC series brings high-level leaders from diverse industries to speak with students about topics such as communication, decision-making, ethics and professional development. Previous cohorts have included international participants, such as master’s students from Sweden who joined ITEC via Zoom.

Ohio University students also visited CLIMB over the summer. During this visit, the Raymond A. Lancaster Executive Leadership Fellow, Dan Squiller, said the experience exceeded expectations.

“The feedback from our students was uniformly positive,” Squiller said. “This first engagement and eating lunch on a sun-soaked CSUSM campus was the perfect way to kick off their week of sessions in San Diego. So, thank you for orchestrating our inclusion, handling the logistics and making us feel so welcome.”

Pillai said she hopes to continue the partnership and host the leadership fellows annually, noting that opportunities like these enrich the classroom experience and strengthen CLIMB’s commitment to developing leaders through connection, conversation and community.

CSUSM students also reflected on the value of the exchange.

“Talking with the Ohio University students during class was a really interesting experience because it showed me how, even though we go to different schools, we share a lot of the same goals and challenges,” Lysandra Lyman said. “The main difference I noticed was in the size and culture of their school, which gave them different kinds of opportunities. But overall, it made me realize how much we all relate to each other when it comes to learning, growing and preparing for the future.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

“It’s almost like you could take a Fully Employed MBA class schedule and go, ‘OK, yep, you’ve tapped finance, you’ve tapped accounting, marketing, leadership,’ ” Lutz said. “Somehow, I have to wear one of those hats at any given point in my job.” 

Founded in the wake of a tragic act of domestic violence, Kathy’s Legacy Foundation honors the memory of Kathy Scharbarth, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2011. The nonprofit supports children and pets impacted by domestic violence – offering comfort, stability and hope through its two signature programs. 

Lutz, who joined the organization in 2019 after earning an MBA from Cal State San Marcos, thrives on the variety and challenges of nonprofit work. Her time at CSUSM helped her develop a deeper understanding of her strengths and areas for growth, while also fostering connections that continue to support her in her role today.  

“CSUSM helped me focus on what I felt like my strong suits were and what I liked and didn't like,” Lutz said. “The personal connections I made at CSUSM have become invaluable professional resources.”  

Years after graduating, Lutz came full circle when she collaborated with CSUSM business students on their Senior Experience project for Kathy’s Legacy. Although the project was ultimately cut short due to the pandemic, Lutz felt a strong connection to the students because she had completed similar projects while earning her MBA. 

“The project was marketing-focused, and we were working to try to reach donors who resonate with our mission, " Lutz said. “I was bummed that we didn't get to finish in person together, but I loved getting to work with them as someone who has gone through the same experience. It was great, and we got some amazing materials in return.” 

Lutz first connected with Kathy’s Legacy when a friend asked if she’d be interested in consulting on an event for the organization. She was immediately drawn to the mission and soon after was hired full time as a program manager. In the ensuing years, she steadily took on more responsibility, stepping into the role of co-executive director in 2024.  

“I feel like jumping in wholeheartedly and putting everything I had into Kathy’s Legacy led me to where I am today," Lutz said.  

The foundation’s work centers on two initiatives: the Silver Lining program, which helps children heal from the trauma of losing a parent to domestic violence, and the Lady’s Legacy program, which was inspired by Scharbarth’s yellow labrador, Lady, who was present when Scharbarth was killed. Lady became a symbol of the often-overlooked impact of domestic violence on pets.  

Lutz now helps coordinate multiple fundraising events throughout the year, including the annual Kathy’s Legacy Golf Tournament held at Twin Oaks Golf Course in San Marcos.  

The work isn’t easy, but Lutz says the impact is clear at the quarterly events Kathy’s Legacy hosts. There she sees firsthand how the organization is changing the lives of the children they support.  

“We had one boy who was not doing well during COVID and even long after the pandemic would wear a mask and have his hood up,” Lutz said. “But in the past year, the hood has come off and he’s smiling and engaging, which means something we’re doing is working.  

“I love that we can be that beacon of light and that reliability that these kids don't have anywhere else.”  

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Developing an alias is standard for all counselors at Resident Oncology Camp. It offers privacy while counselors work with children who have had their lives upended by cancer.

Consunji picked Mushu as a nod to her Asian heritage, but the choice carries deeper significance.

“He is so bold, fierce and just really supportive,” Consunji said. “He knows when to come in and help Mulan out and is just an underdog. I chose the name because of all of that, but it really has taught me so much more. Each year, I'm able to set my personal life aside and just be there for the kids. Mushu has provided me so much grit, motivation, protection and strength.”

Resident Oncology Camp, part of the nonprofit Oncology and Kids, was developed for children affected by cancer to create memories, forge friendships and build the resiliency needed to heal. It’s a mission that resonates with Consunji. Not only is she a cancer survivor herself, she attended Resident Oncology Camp from the time she was 7 until she turned 18.

Giving back to the camp that did so much for her is why Consunji takes a week off every summer from her job as a marketing specialist in the University Communications office.

“It’s really special,” she said. “Many of the counselors were once campers, and they truly want to bring back the magic that they felt as campers.”

Consunji was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 2 years old. She wasn’t able to articulate the pain she was experiencing, but she was constantly crying and her stomach was hard as a rock. Doctors initially couldn’t find anything wrong, but when the pain persisted, her parents took her back to the hospital and doctors discovered a tumor on one of her ovaries.

Although Consunji’s cancer has a high survival rate, having one of her ovaries removed took an emotional toll on her family, and the repercussions are still felt more than two decades later.

“At a young age, the doctors were like, ‘Hey, she's not going to be able to have kids, she's going to have complications,’ ” Consunji said. “Now that I'm in my 30s, as I'm thinking about family and the future, it's not the normal options.”

Consunji had another cancer scare as an undergraduate student studying business administration at CSUSM (she’ll become a double alumna in December when she completes her MBA).

When she was 21, Consunji started experiencing severe stomach pain. Doctors thought it might be a virus, but the pain persisted and her stomach started hardening, exactly what she had experienced as a toddler. A trip to the emergency room uncovered a large cyst on Consunji’s remaining ovary. Though it was benign, it required removal of the ovary and caused Consunji to miss most of the semester.

“I kept my cancer and the cyst such a secret before I finally started to tell my close friends,” she said. “I had so many low moments during that time of just anxiety and depression going through another major surgery.”

Consunji confided in a friend she knew from Resident Oncology Camp about the emotional difficulties she was experiencing after having her second ovary removed. The friend told Consunji how she returned to the camp as a counselor and how helpful it had been, inspiring Consunji to give it a try.

Nearly 10 years after that conversation, Consunji continues to return to the camp each summer. It’s free for campers thanks to donor support and grants, and Consunji is grateful that it continues to give children affected by cancer the same joy that it brought her.

“Camp helped me navigate all of those feelings,” she said. “It helped me to feel OK in my own skin and celebrate that I have another chance at life. It also provided me a lot of humility and acceptance because you realize it’s not just you and that there are people who have it worse than you. It helps you appreciate life a little bit more.”

Oncology and Kids has provided free, year-round programs for people ages 4 to 25 affected by cancer since 1983. Visit the Oncology and Kids website to learn more about its programs and support of children and families affected by cancer.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Vodraska became the first CSUSM surfer to win back‑to‑back individual national titles and only the second college men’s shortboard competitor to do so in the past two decades. He is also the first repeat champion in the division since 2017. 

“Winning the NSSA national championship two years in a row feels like a massive accomplishment,” Vodraska said. “I’m super proud to see all the hard work and time I put into surfing really pay off when it matters the most.” 

After winning the 2024 title, the first in program history, Vodraska posted a strong 2024-25 regular season, reaching multiple finals and recording two runner‑up finishes. 

Vodraska advanced through the early rounds at Salt Creek with consistent performances. In the final, he faced the top three ranked surfers from the regular season: Jordy Collins from Western University, Hudson Sanders from Point Loma Nazarene University and David O’Keefe also from Point Loma. 

Vodraska posted the highest single wave score with an 8.33 (out of 10) and backed it up with a 6.0 for a winning total of 14.33. Collins followed with 13.26, Sanders with 11.93 and O’Keefe with 5.70. 

“I knew he was both motivated and capable, but the college men’s field is deep,” said Amber Puha, the faculty adviser of the surf club and the chair of CSUSM’s math department. “Everyone on our team knew Tanner would have to bring his ‘A’ game, too — and he did!” 

Now entering his final year at CSUSM, Vodraska also serves as president of the surf team. 

“I want to motivate this team and push them to do better and better in their everyday lives,” Vodraska said. “I also hope to bring the school a surf team that won’t be forgotten.” 

Vodraska said the CSUSM surf program has played a major role in his college experience. 

“Being part of the CSUSM surf team has brought me support that I’ve never felt before from my teammates,” Vodraska said. “This team has given me memories and good times in college that I’ll always carry with me.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

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. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

But on May 16, Heppner will walk the commencement stage at Cal State San Marcos, the proud recipient of a bachelor’s degree in business administration. 

“I owe my family my life for the work they put in to help me become who I am today,” Heppner said. 

Heppner, who also was diagnosed with ADHD, said middle school and high school were a time of discovery – learning how he functions best and how to navigate the world around him.

Certain sounds that most people naturally tune out can be overwhelming, and he's particularly sensitive to specific foods and textures. Condiments like ketchup and ranch dressing cause him to gag and make himself vomit. 

Through the Individualized Education Program in middle school and high school, Heppner had classes with peers who also were on the spectrum. Though attending speech therapy wasn’t always easy, he said it helped change his perspective. 

“It really made me stop caring about what people think,” he said. “I’m going in there and still socializing with people when I come out, and I’m still just like everybody else.” 

Learning social cues was one of the biggest challenges for Heppner. 

“I’d be in public and there’d be a larger set lady and out loud I’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, that lady’s butt is huge,’ ” Heppner said.  

While he can laugh about incidents like that now, he didn’t understand at the time how his words might be construed. 

Heppner’s mom quit her full-time office job to educate herself on Applied Behavior Analysis therapy, and other family members also pitched in to support Heppner. His mom helped him to recognize and understand behavior through using picture association and studying patterns. Eye contact, listening and comprehension are skills that Heppner had to learn.  

“Eventually I just kind of overcame the hurdle,” he said. “Now I’m running the race.” 

As Heppner got older, he found himself becoming more independent and confident. He attended Mt. San Jacinto College before transferring to CSUSM, drawn to its location and strong business program.  

Heppner has known since he was 12 years old that he wanted to pursue business. He still remembers telling his dad about Nintendo and Electronic Arts’ new game drops, encouraging his dad to invest.  

“He made money off it,” Heppner said. “I’ve always loved the aspect of business.” 

Heppner felt at home at CSUSM through Campus Recreation activities and the College of Business Administration. He also credits professors like Olaf Hansen, Jeffrey Kohles, Mark Monahan, Shane Thompson and Michael Winter for helping to make his time at CSUSM memorable.  

“They’re here to teach, to actually help people,” he said. “That’s the best kind of professor you could have.” 

Heppner has been working at Costco while attending school, and he’s looking toward getting his MBA at CSUSM Temecula. 

While having autism and ADHD have caused challenges, Heppner hopes that he can use his experiences to be a voice for others with similar struggles.  

“They have to have hope,” Heppner said. “That’s my goal – telling my story and inspiring people in general.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

In August 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lizarraga was coming from Rosarito, Mexico, where she lived with her parents and two younger brothers, to Cal State San Marcos' University Village Apartments.

Born in the United States and raised in Mexico, Lizarraga has always prioritized her education. In high school, she crossed the border every day to attend high school in Chula Vista, drawn to the learning environment and opportunities in the U.S. It meant early mornings and long days, but she remained committed, and that drive continued when she enrolled at CSUSM.

Lizarraga embraced life on campus, even in a time when many classes were still virtual. But her college experience soon expanded beyond academics. At 19, she became the legal guardian of her younger brother, Evaristo, to help him pursue a high school education in the U.S., an opportunity she knew could open doors for him just as it had for her. A few years later, she welcomed her youngest brother, Esteban, who is now thriving as a high school junior at San Marcos High.

In a few weeks, Evaristo and Esteban will join their parents at Mangrum Track & Field to watch their sister cross the CSUSM commencement stage and become the first family member to earn a college degree.

“I feel like my professors and the friends I have made at school have all helped me so much,” said Lizarraga, who is double majoring in finance and political science. “I really felt that this is my community, and I felt so supported by everyone. All of that has made my journey here so much easier.”

It hasn’t always been an easy journey. Lizarraga was working three jobs before an internship with the San Diego Diplomacy Council ended. She still works at a local restaurant and on campus for Associated Students, Inc., as the vice president of finance and operations where she manages a $2.1 million student-driven budget and leads initiatives that directly support students.

Caring for her brothers, working multiple jobs and studying doesn’t leave much free time, but Lizarraga is grateful to mentors like Ashley Fennell, ASI’s associate executive director, for providing a strong support system.

“She’s been a caring supervisor who looks out for me not just as a student, but as a person,” Lizarraga said. 

As Lizarraga’s undergraduate career winds down, she is looking ahead to the next chapter. She has been accepted to several master's programs in finance and hopes to stay close to San Marcos to continue supporting her family while advancing her academic and career goals.

As the first in her family to graduate from college, she’s proud to be setting an example and grateful for the support that helped her get to this point.

“I’m deeply grateful to my family and to everyone who supported me along the way,” Lizarraga said. “I truly couldn’t have done it without them. This is just the beginning.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Fast forward a few years, and Martinez – now president of Associated Students, Inc., at Cal State San Marcos – spoke on a panel of students and alumni at the 2025 National Social Mobility Symposium held Feb. 20-21 in the University Student Union Ballroom.

Martinez spoke alongside Hunter Brody Chanove and Ashley Bonilla, both CSUSM alumni, and Myles Villafranca, a graduate student at Clayton State University in Georgia. Brody Chanove works in product marketing management at Viasat, and Bonilla is an evaluation consultant for Intention 2 Impact, a social impact consulting firm. 

Education has always been important to the Martinez family. Martinez has four sisters, including two with CSUSM connections. One of his younger sisters is a first-year student, while his older sister, Yulisa, was the first in their family to graduate from college. Yulisa graduated in 2017 and majored in liberal studies. She returned to CSUSM to get a master's in education and now teaches second grade at nearby Twin Oaks Elementary School. 

Yulisa’s journey to a degree provided inspiration for her younger brother.

“I always knew I wanted to continue my education,” Martinez said. “My parents never finished college, and it’s something that they wish they could have continued if they had more time and more resources. They saw what education did for peers who did finish and they always let us know that you can finish your degree and have financially stable lives, because education is a gateway to being financially stable and to have prosperity in life.” 

After seeing his sister thrive at CSUSM, Martinez realized how he could thrive as well. 

“Because she came to CSUSM, it allowed me to see myself here, too,” Martinez said. “Being a part of my community has been something that I always strive to do, something that's super important to me. As I look into my future, that's something I want to do, and I definitely saw that in my sister.”

While attending CSUSM, Yulisa was involved in several organizations around campus. Similar to her brother, she volunteered with ASI. 

Martinez joined ASI last year, though it wasn't the first way he got involved on campus. He worked for the Office of Inclusive Excellence as a student assistant. He also had a job where he gave out reminders on wearing masks on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Between those two experiences, Martinez felt compelled to get even more involved. 

“I wanted to make more of an impact on campus and voice student concerns, but also be a voice that I didn't see represented on campus,” Martinez said. “After seeing the work that impacts students, I wanted to do something that was forward facing with students. I knew that ASI was a prominent student group on campus that allowed me to talk to different administrators and with different student leaders. I knew that was something I wanted to do to close the communication gap between administrators and students.”

From October 2023 to May 2024, Martinez was the diversity, equity and inclusion representative for the ASI board of directors. He then was elected president and began the role last August. 

Martinez is set to graduate in May with a degree in business administration marketing. He's applying to schools to pursue his MBA, and he aspires to work in higher education or local government.

“Because of my education, I am now more confident,” Martinez said during the Social Mobility Symposium panel. “Coming into higher education, confidence was put on a pedestal for me, showing that I can be a leader and share my knowledge with others. I’ve been able to see the impact of Cal State San Marcos and the impact of education and how it has so much influence on a person’s life.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

This is the 10th year that AACSB’s Influential Leaders member spotlight program highlights the value that business schools bring to business and society.

Van de Ven, who graduated from CSUSM in 2004, is the CEO of Calsense, an irrigation smart system provider. Calsense has designed irrigation control systems for a diverse array of applications for over 30 years. While working there, van de Ven has driven significant impact through innovative ventures like Irrigation Managementas a Service (IMaaS), which has expanded access to smart irrigation technology. 

Van de Ven has proven how he is deeply committed to water conservation and sustainability. With the introduction of IMaaS, the company was able to address financial barriers faced by organizations when adopting smart irrigation technology. Because of his efforts, different organizations such as school districts and universities can access these solutions without having to face financial difficulties. In addition to his work at Calsense, van de Ven has volunteered as a chairperson for ECOLIFE Conservation, contributing to projects

that protect wildlife and support underserved communities. 

“Van de Ven’s work demonstrates how business schools can fuel solution-minded leaders to create new business ventures and solve complex challenges,” said Lily Bi, AACSB president and CEO. “Through entrepreneurial approaches and visionary thinking, van de Ven is creating meaningful change in the world.”

AACSB’s Influential Leaders have all earned an undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree from one of the more than 950 AACSB-accredited business schools worldwide.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

CSUSM and other recipients were celebrated at “The Devvies,” a North County awards luncheon that recognizes outstanding contributions to the region’s economic development. The San Diego North Economic Development Council solicits nominations for the awards and curates the event, which was presented by San Diego Gas & Electric and sponsored by the San Diego Foundation, U.S. Bank and MAAC.

SWIFT offers an accelerated three-year bachelor’s program through the College of Education, Health and Human Services for students interested in preparing for mental and behavioral health professional opportunities. The program emphasizes dual enrollment, community collaboration and real-world experience. In addition to a degree, students will graduate with the requirements to obtain in-demand professional certification.

The Summer Opportunity Workshops were hosted by the College of Business Administration last June, introducing more than 100 local high school students to higher education and business leadership during a free five-day workshop taught by CSUSM faculty. Workshop topics included financial literacy, entrepreneurship, AI and cybersecurity literacy, and supply chain.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Each student was required to develop a business plan based on a product they conceived. Finestone decided to curate a product that combined her passion for cooking with a childhood love of chocolate milk.  

But Finestone wanted to develop a healthy alternative to other chocolate milks on the market. She noticed that there was a growing demand for more plant-based options, and she wanted to create a product that would avoid a laundry list of unfamiliar ingredients. 

When Finestone couldn’t find a product on the market that met her requirements, she chose to make her own. Using her Vitamix blender to grind almonds in her kitchen at home, Finestone crafted samples of chocolate- and strawberry-flavored, plant-based almond milk. She served it to each student in the class while presenting her product. 

“I remember a classmate saying, ‘I do not drink flavored milk, no matter what kind of milk it is, but I would buy this one,’ ” said Finestone, then known by her maiden name of Mandim. 

The overwhelming support from her peers inspired Finestone to launch The Mulk Co. in June 2018, only one year after she graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a bachelor’s degree in global business management. 

“What she is doing in starting up a food business is extremely difficult,” said Dick Lansing, who worked with Finestone as part of the College of Business Administration’s Career Mentor Program. “There are all sorts of hurdles and problems and costs that you need to go through and take into consideration. 

“I generally don't recommend anybody go into the food business, as an individual person, unless they have a lot of money they want to lose. But she had a plan, which was really good and really smart.” 

Today, Finestone’s signature almond milk is available at nine farmers markets throughout San Diego County and three in Los Angeles. She has gone from grinding almonds in her kitchen to using a commercial space in Vista, where she produces 10 different flavors and three seasonal offerings. The chocolate and strawberry flavors that she shared in class are among the most popular – and the recipe hasn’t changed much since then.  

“I can’t pick a favorite, but I associate each flavor with a memory,” Finestone said. “When I think of strawberry, I think of the student who complimented me in class because I couldn’t believe that she liked it so much.” 

Finestone takes pride in using only real ingredients in her almond milk; it contains no additives, fillers or preservatives. She sources her almonds from a farm in California’s Central Valley, where 80% of all almonds in the United States are harvested. 

Mulk has become so successful that Finestone has employees to cover the numerous farmers markets, though she still can be found each Sunday at the Leucadia Farmers Market.  

“My husband tries to get me to stay home and rest on Sundays, but I just love it,” she said. “There’s just something about the community and relationships you build with other vendors. I love the friendships you make, not just with your customers but with fellow business owners.” 

Finestone never intended to be an entrepreneur. It took a one-way ticket around the world for her to discover this path. 

Finestone grew up in South Africa, where she earned a bachelor’s in fine arts from Witwatersrand College and then graduated from Inscape Design College. She had a well-established career in interior design, even winning an interior designer of the year award for Virgin Airlines’ launch in South Africa. 

When Finestone’s parents moved to Australia, where her sister had landed a job, Finestone decided to move with them. But she quickly learned that Australia wasn’t where she wanted to live long term. Instead, she packed her belongings to find someplace that felt like home. It began a journey that took her from Melbourne to Sydney and then on to Chile, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, India and Thailand. 

With visits to more than 30 countries over her lifetime, Finestone credits the globe-trotting experiences for shaping her as a businessperson. In fact, it was a trip to India that inspired one of Mulk’s most popular flavors. The company’s golden almond milk is blended with turmeric, cinnamon and ginger, a nod to the Indian drink masala haldi doodh, which translates to “golden milk.”  

“I remember drinking it at Indian street markets, and it was delicious,” Finestone said. “I knew I wanted to create a version of it for Mulk.” 

After nine months of traveling, Finestone returned to Australia to see her family. She didn’t stay long, taking an offer to visit a friend in Los Angeles. This trip was different from the others, though. It was her first time in the United States, and she fell in love with Southern California. 

Finestone found herself with new opportunities, and she leaned into her passion for cooking, which had been a constant in her life since she was 6 years old and honing her skills with her mother and grandmother. Her talents led to a job as a chef for Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. 

But Finestone yearned for something else. She started studying business leadership and management at Santa Monica College and landed internships in public relations and marketing. She always thought her time in the U.S. would be temporary, that she would eventually return to Australia to be closer to her family. Then she met her future husband, Adam. 

One of Finestone’s internships was located next to the packing and shipping company owned by Adam’s parents. She frequented the store to mail packages, becoming such a regular that Adam’s parents invited her to a Christmas party where she met their son, who was visiting from San Diego. 

Finestone eventually moved south to be closer to Adam and continued to pursue her business degree, first at Palomar College and then at CSUSM. 

“I liked the idea of having a degree that would support any industry,” Finestone said. 

Finestone also had support from Adam, whom she credits for inspiring the name of her almond milk business. 

“My husband makes fun of me when I say ‘milk.’ It sounds like I’m saying ‘mulk’ because of my South African accent,” Finestone said. “The name just stuck, and I felt like it was fitting for my business.” 

Starting any business comes with challenges, and the food industry is notoriously difficult for budding entrepreneurs. It wasn’t just Lansing, a College of Business Administration advisory council member, who warned Finestone about how grueling it could be.  

As Finestone grappled with whether to start a business or find a corporate job, she reached out a week after graduation to Jim Hamerly, then the college’s dean. 

“I certainly shared some of my concerns and skepticism with Melissa about starting a food business,” Hamerly said. “She told me, ‘Well, I'm manufacturing it in my kitchen at home and I'm crushing my own almonds.’ And I'm thinking, ‘Oh my.’ ” 

Hamerly knew that could be problematic for adhering to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines and that a commercial kitchen would be needed. At the time, Hamerly was helping his brother with a soup stock business, which required Hamerly to learn about packaging and manufacturing fluids. He shared what he learned with Finestone, even connecting her with his brother. 

Both Hamerly and Lansing were impressed with Finestone’s drive to launch her business. She decided after meeting with them that she would start small and serve her milk at a few local farmers markets. It was familiar territory to Finestone, who worked as a food service vendor for Bitchin’ Sauce, an almond dip company, while attending CSUSM. 

“I knew the lay of the land,” Finestone said. “I was able to create connections with other farmers market vendors and get ideas for my business.”  

When Finestone was just starting out, Hamerly was a regular visitor to her booth at Poway’s farmers market on Saturday mornings to support her and purchase Mulk products.  

“She's really good with people,” Hamerly said. “I used to sit on the sidelines and watch her sell to people as they came through the farmers market. A lot of CSUSM students start businesses, but she's really got a great head for business. She gets it.” 

Six years after launching Mulk, Finestone is familiar with the landmines that come with owning a business. But the happiness that radiates from her customers keeps her going. She is continuing to grow the business, with hopes of one day having Mulk available in Whole Foods. 

Finestone still thinks often about the day that her classmates tried her almond milk for the first time. She smiles when she recalls their reaction, and the memory never ceases to fuel her motivation for the future. 

“I have had lots of challenges,” Finestone said. “But I believe in my product and I see people’s faces when they find something they like. And when customers keep coming back, it just tells me that I'm actually fulfilling some sort of need. That's really what keeps me going.”  

Melissa Finestone 

Major at CSUSM: Global business management 

Graduation year: 2017 

Company: The Mulk Co. 

Website: themulkco.com 

Founded: 2018 

Number of employees: 3 

What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs? 

“Rank on a scale of 1 to 10 how passionate you are about this idea because it needs to be 11. Don't be scared of starting a business. It might fail, but it also might set you up for your next success. I've come across entrepreneurs who have started one product, realized there were a lot of roadblocks with the product and then they switch and start doing something else. And then they actually move forward with that one.” 

 What’s the greatest challenge in starting your own business? 

“Employees and when your equipment breaks. I use industrial equipment and I'm not an engineer. So if something goes wrong, it's really stuck.” 

 Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? 

“It would have been so cool if I was studying business while I was starting a business. Because I think I would learn a lot of principles and it would have helped getting feedback from professors.”  

 What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur? 

“Resourcefulness, passion and a high learning curve.” 

Media Contact

Bri Phillips, Communications Specialist

bphillips@csusm.edu

That was the situation Elijah Schneider found himself in as a freshman at Cal State San Marcos when he attended a Thanksgiving celebration in the fall of 2015. One of the guests that day – Schneider remembers him being a neighbor or a distant family friend – was a business owner who was soliciting opinions about his company’s Instagram channel.  

Though firmly in its core demographic, Schneider was no big afficionado of Instagram – he estimates that he had posted fewer than 20 times in about a decade of having an account. He was (and is), however, very opinionated. So while fellow attendees declined the invitation to weigh in, Schneider didn’t hold back. 

He told the man that his company’s feed looked ugly, that the images resembled generic stock photography and that he should replace whatever marketing agency handled his social media. A few days later, Schneider followed up with a phone call in which he proposed a rather bold suggestion for who should be the replacement. 

As Schneider recalls it: “I was like, ‘Hey, you’re getting ripped off. You told me you’re paying this agency 10 grand month or something. How about you pay me 1,500 bucks a month? I will learn, I will become obsessed with this. Give me three months. If it doesn’t work, get rid of me.’ ” 

To Schneider’s surprise, the man agreed to the gambit. Schneider had promised that he would devote 10 hours a week to the enterprise, but he grew so fixated that he doubled it. After a few months, the company’s Instagram following had swelled by a factor of eight, and the man was so pleased that he wanted more services.  

“Do you know how to do paid ads?” he asked Schneider. 

“No, but I’ll figure it out,” Schneider replied, with a degree of self-assurance that would become his trademark.  

He did indeed, to the tune of quintupling a $1,000 investment in paid ads after taking a few courses on YouTube and LinkedIn. By the end of his freshman year, Schneider was managing tens of thousands of advertising dollars, being connected to a second client and hiring his first employee – all while living in The QUAD housing facility and taking classes toward his major in business administration. 

As a teenager in his dorm room, Schneider founded a digital marketing agency that he first called Mercury Media before changing the name to Modifly in 2017. He continued to build the company during his five years at CSUSM – eventually moving into an office at Union Cowork across the street from campus in North City – before graduating in 2020.  

Today, Modifly occupies a sleek, modern, 8,000-square-foot space in a high rise in downtown San Diego, a short walk from where Schneider lives with his wife, Sarah, an OR nurse at UC San Diego whom he met at CSUSM. Two years ago, Schneider sold a majority stake in his nascent business to a parent company called CourtAvenue, helping his team grow to 30 employees spread across four cities, including Mexico City. Modifly’s current and former clients include such brands as Mercedes-Benz, Nordstrom and UGG boots.   

Asked about his unorthodox path to becoming an entrepreneur, the now 27-year-old Schneider said: “Because I didn’t have the baggage of working for other companies, I hadn’t developed bad habits. I had to develop perspective, which allowed me to – with no experience – test things and see what’s working and what’s not. Not having a traditional background is fantastic in terms of the progression of the business because we do things differently. Every time somebody joins the company from another agency, they’re like, ‘It’s not supposed to work like this.’ And I’m like, ‘I know, it’s great.’ ” 

How does Schneider do things differently? He conducts a performance evaluation called a 360 review in which every employee of the company evaluates everyone else, meaning that the CEO (Schneider) can get critiqued by a lower-level worker who was just hired.  

“It’s not about age or experience,” Schneider said. “Everyone’s perspective is critical.” 

How does he do things differently? Even as the young leader of a young business, he’s not afraid to call established companies out on what he sees as flawed marketing strategies and to propose solutions that constitute much more than tinkering around the edges.  

Take Poo-Pourri, which devises and sells fragrant sprays for toilets. The company approached Modifly after its previous marketing partner didn’t work out. After a deep dive into customer feedback, Schneider proposed a complete overhaul of its approach, mostly notably removing the “Poo” and broadening to other types of sprays. Now rebranded as ~Pourri, the company peddles fragrances that reduce odors from not only the bathroom, but also pets, cars, shoes, baby diapers, even marijuana. 

“Digital media and digital marketing are constantly changing – every hour, it feels like,” Schneider said. “It’s a giant puzzle, and if you have to navigate that as a brand, it can become really confusing. I love this business because it pushes me to think outside the box to solve problems.” 

Schneider’s righthand man almost since the outset of his entrepreneurial journey has been Brandon Biancalani. They met at orientation before their first year at CSUSM – Schneider an incoming freshman from San Diego, Biancalani from San Clemente. They soon learned that they would be living a couple rooms down from each other on the same floor of The QUAD (Schneider’s future wife lived a few rooms down in the other direction).  

Biancalani initially was struck by Schneider’s outspokenness – a sharp contrast to his introversion – but while other residents of the dorm were distracted by partying or other teenage concerns, he and Schneider bonded over long, late-night conversations about life goals. Having entered CSUSM as a kinesiology student, Biancalani quickly realized it wasn’t for him, and when Schneider dangled an opportunity in the summer of 2016 to be Employee No. 2 for Modifly (then Mercury Media), Biancalani jumped at it.  

They moved into an apartment south of campus and lived together for the next 3½ years before graduating in the same class. Biancalani, who’s also married to a fellow CSUSM alumna, is now the head of paid media for Modifly.  

“We had this feeling early on that we could be really successful with this,” Biancalani said. “Even when we didn’t have an office, we’d meet at a coffee shop, just a couple kids figuring stuff out. And then it started turning into something big really fast.” 

Biancalani says their business partnership works so well because he’s a detail-oriented, data-crunching specialist while Schneider is a big-picture visionary.  

“Elijah has done so many personality quizzes that land him in that ‘thought leader’ category,” he said. “If something new pops up, he’s probably three steps ahead and already is best buddies with the person who owns the company. His superpower is that he can predict things and be on the cutting edge and be fearless in voicing that early. And he’s right 99% of the time.” 

After Schneider sold his majority stake in Modifly in 2022, he turned over day-to-day operations to a new president, Nico Coetzee, who’s been in the marketing business since Schneider was an infant. Now that he has built a stable company, Schneider is relentlessly focused on its growth. He travels frequently to meet potential clients, speak at conferences and generally proselytize on behalf of Modifly.  

Given that he stumbled upon his career in the most accidental way imaginable – giving offhand advice to someone at a family gathering – even Schneider is often amazed by the passion he feels for it.  

“I pour myself into this job because I can and because I want to,” he said. “It doesn’t feel like work; it’s my favorite thing. There are definitely days where I’m like, ‘I just want to go home, I’m done.’ But 99 out of 100 days, I love what I do.” 

Elijah Schneider 

Major at CSUSM: Business administration 

Graduation year: 2020 

Company: Modifly 

Website: wemodifly.com 

Founded: 2016 

Number of employees: 30 

Talking Business With Elijah Schneider

What's the best advice you received about starting a business? 

Surround yourself with the right people. You are a product of your environment, and if you have morally good people around you, then every piece of advice you're receiving is typically to your benefit. People over everything – that's the biggest thing.  

What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs? 

If you have an idea for a business, just do it. Don't overthink it. Just put it in the market. Also, make sure you give yourself permission to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. 

What's the greatest challenge in starting your own business? 

For me, it was age and experience. I didn't really have a good mentor system around me. The people I could turn to for advice, I kind of had to build that as we went.  

Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?  

I would have evaluated myself more. I am good at some things, I am great at others and I am horrendous at others. I wish I had been able to take a step back and evaluate myself in a way where I could place levers of accountability to fill the holes.  

What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur?  

First and foremost is awareness. You have to be aware of yourself, your environment, your strengths and weaknesses. Number two is vision. As an entrepreneur, if you cannot bring people together to accomplish something, whether it's a task or solving a specific problem, you're not going to do well. 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

CLIMB, which stands for the Center for Leadership Innovation and Mentorship Building, was established by the College of Business Administration in 2004 with the goal of serving “the leadership development needs of the surrounding community through innovative research and collaboration with various internal and external constituencies.”

Raj Pillai, a professor of management and the executive director of CLIMB, co-hosted a special session of the signature “In the Executive’s Chair” program featuring alumni Quynh Pham, Jimmy Thai and A.J. van de Ven on Oct. 22.

“Each one of these individuals embodies the principles of CLIMB,” Pillai told a group of about 80 students who attended the event in Markstein Hall.

Pham, a 2016 graduate, is the director of coaching for Leaderology, which provides customized executive coaching and leadership development. Thai, who earned his MBA in 2000, is the president and co-founder of the Build a School Foundation, a nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for poor children. Van de Ven, who was named CLIMB’s 2023 Outstanding Business Leader, is the CEO and president of Calsense, which creates sophisticated smart irrigation solutions built on a foundation of technology, education and partnership.

Pillai and co-host David Berry, a lecturer in the management department, asked the panelists a series of questions designed to help students as they prepare to navigate the transition to the professional world. Three teams of students concluded the session by asking the panelists additional questions.

Three more “In the Executive’s Chair” events are scheduled for November. The sessions are open to all CSUSM students, alumni and community members. Learn more at the “In the Executive’s Chair” website.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

On a Thursday afternoon in mid-February, a group of residents at the Bayshire Carlsbad assisted living facility made the exotic trip for free when white virtual reality headsets were placed over their faces.  

“You better hold on to your seat!” a resident named Jim Conley exclaimed as he craned his neck back and forth and spotted elephants, gorillas and monkeys in his field of vision, with a spectacular mountain range as the backdrop. “Boy, that is one pretty picture.” 

While Conley, seated in the first row of chairs, grew increasingly enmeshed in the virtual paradise around him, Jeremy Ford walked among the couple dozen other residents on hand for the VR session, carefully fitting them with their own headsets. Nearby, Tracy Ford, Jeremy’s wife, chatted with a couple of the residents as if they were old friends.  

After the safari experience, the residents hopped on a (virtual) plane and traveled to Cuba, then to Argentina and South Africa. A little less than an hour later, they were back at Bayshire, their eyes transfixed, their spirits lifted.  

“Every month when they come, I’m one of the first people out there,” said Conley, 72, a former boxer who has trouble walking now. “We saw a lot of cool stuff today. How often do you get to be that close to an elephant? After a while, you have to remind yourself that it’s not real.” 

That type of transporting experience is just what Jeremy Ford himself went through three years ago when, on an ordinary shopping trip to Best Buy with his wife, he strapped on a VR headset and found himself soaring over the Golden Gate Bridge like an eagle. Jeremy is a technophile who always has been an early adopter when it comes to electronic gadgets – he has waited in line for multiple iterations of the iPhone – and this would be no exception. Tracy bought him an Oculus Quest 2 for his birthday, only a year after it had been released. 

Neither Jeremy nor Tracy studied business as students at Cal State San Marcos – Tracy graduated with a degree in criminology and justice studies in 2007, Jeremy with a degree in sociology in 2015 – but both possess an entrepreneurial bent that sees them frequently bounce ideas off each other. Here was a golden business idea staring them in the face: the opportunity to combine Jeremy’s technological savvy with Tracy’s interpersonal skills and their mutual desire to help people. 

Following a year dedicated to research and development, the Fords purchased 20 of the Quest 2 VR devices and in October 2022 launched Lightning Tours (the name was inspired by their son, Colton, now 5, and his love of the character Lightning McQueen from the Pixar film “Cars”). They considered multiple demographics as their target audience before deciding that senior living facilities made the most sense.  

“It started out with just putting on a headset, experiencing it for ourselves and wanting to share that with others,” Jeremy Ford said. “We’ve always had a passion for helping others and putting a smile on people’s faces. And that’s what we do, day in and day out.” 

Almost two years after the company was formed, Lightning Tours still hasn’t spent a penny on marketing. In the early days, the Fords pitched their concept to multiple facilities in North San Diego County by giving free virtual tours, and they gradually attracted paying customers by positive word of mouth. Now, they have grown to almost 40 VR experiences per month, and in total have given more than 500 throughout Southern California.  

As the tech guru, Jeremy handles the VR side of the business – buying and maintaining the headsets, selecting and loading the proprietary travel software, rigging the equipment so that it’s as comfortable and user-friendly as possible for an older clientele. He also has used his background in sales to drum up more customers, and he has personally directed all but one of the VR sessions (the single exception was when he had to travel for a funeral).  

Tracy, meanwhile, shoots photos and videos for the company’s social media channels while also taking the lead on communication with the residents of the facilities.  

“I try to build relationships with the seniors,” Tracy said. “I’m more of an emotional person, so I like to come in and see how they’re doing, how their day is going while he’s getting everything set up. I’d say he’s the brains of the operation, and I’m maybe more heart. 

“Although,” she added with a smile, “he does have heart.” 

Most of Lightning Tours’ clients value its service so much that they have booked standing monthly experiences. Each time, the tour is to a different country or region of the world – with rare exceptions, the destinations are places that the seniors are incapable of traveling to at this point in their lives.  

The effect can be powerful. Jeremy recalls a woman at a facility in Irvine who was initially reluctant to participate before he convinced her to give it a try. She agreed and sat quietly for the whole hour, turning her head in every direction. After the tour of Paris ended and Jeremy removed her headset, he saw that she was crying. When he asked her what was wrong, she related that her husband had died a few months earlier and that the sights during the tour brought back exhilarating memories of their frequent trips to the City of Light as a couple.  

“It was a moment that will stick out forever in terms of being able to provide that to her,” Jeremy said. “We want to bring joy to people, connect them to something that they might not otherwise be able to connect with, whether it’s the technology or whether it's the location.” 

Residents have been known to clap when the Fords enter the facility each month and to cheer after the experience. Some sites have introduced passport books, with seniors receiving stamps when they visit a new country. Olah Tupuola, the resident program director at Bayshire Carlsbad, said Lightning Tours has been a “transformative program” since the Fords first came to the center last September.  

“Their professionalism and kindness have made a significant impact on our community,” Tupuola said. “With Lightning Tours, the concept of a vacation is redefined, as residents can explore the world virtually, often while reliving cherished memories.”  

Jeremy and Tracy Ford are accidental entrepreneurs in more ways than one. A San Marcos native who’s the son of a Marine, Jeremy transferred to CSUSM from Palomar College and played on the first men’s basketball team in university history, coached by Jim Saia. He aspired to go to law school after graduation but ended up working in sales, first for a law firm and then for two large national life insurance companies.  

Tracy grew up in Oceanside and hoped to parlay her criminology degree into a career in law enforcement. But she graduated into a poor labor market caused by the 2007 recession and instead took a job in finance for 24 Hour Fitness. Unfulfilled by it, she transitioned into a role as a personal trainer for the same business. In fact, Tracy and Jeremy met at a 24 Hour Fitness gym, and they got married seven years ago.  

Both feeling boxed in by their corporate environments, they tried to turn a couple of their other late-night brainstorms into businesses, but nothing took off. Then came the fateful visit to Best Buy. Not that the birth of Lightning Tours came without hurdles. For the first 10 months of the company’s existence, Jeremy kept his full-time position at Ethos Life Insurance. 

“But there came a point where my wife was driving me to tours and I was working in the passenger seat, trying to do both jobs,” Jeremy said. “It was like, ‘OK, this isn’t sustainable. We’ve got to figure something out.’ ” 

That something was his decision to leave Ethos and dedicate himself fully to the startup in August 2023, which was accompanied by a different challenge in terms of the loss of his monthly paycheck. Jeremy called it a big leap of faith that makes him anxiety-ridden just by thinking about it.  

“They say it’s not easy to start a business, and they weren’t lying,” Tracy said. “But now we know exactly what to tell future entrepreneurs: If you think you’re ready to quit your job, wait at least six months, then do it.” 

Almost all of Lightning Tours’ clients are assisted living facilities, but the Fords have dipped their toes into other waters as well. They have brought their VR experiences to a few different daycare and after-school programs in the region, allowing children the same opportunity to see distant lands as the seniors get. This summer, they introduced a travel tour called “Around the World in Five Weeks” to the Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast Area in San Clemente, with passports and stamps for the kids to document their adventures. They also are in the process of getting approved by the San Marcos Unified School District to offer tours in local schools.  

Some of the sessions don’t even involve virtual travel. Lightning Tours has conducted some guided meditation experiences for the sales departments of businesses or for employees of high-stress jobs, such as firefighters and police officers. 

“Brick by brick, we’re building those partnerships,” Jeremy said.  

Yet the senior population remains the Fords’ primary focus, which makes sense given that there are more than 50,000 facilities for assisted living and memory care in California and they have been to only about 50 of them. The company’s growth continues apace.  Lightning Tours has two other partial owners (unpaid for now) specializing in partnerships and strategic innovation, and it’s on the verge of hiring an employee to run some of the tours and free Jeremy up to source more business.  

Last spring, the Fords bought 20 more Quest 2 headsets (the company is now owned by Meta, Facebook’s parent), doubling their inventory, and deployed them in the Inland Empire through a licensing agreement with a couple who lives there.  

“I think this will go as far as we can take it,” Jeremy said. “We’ve done things strategically because if we grow too fast, the base can be flimsy and it can all fall apart. But thinking big picture, Lightning Tours could be national, it could be in every state, every big city.  

“Where we are now is trying to put the pieces together, get this technology out there and in the hands of as many seniors as possible. We want to provide high-quality experiences and the joy of travel, get them outside of those four walls that they’re in daily.” 

Jeremy and Tracy Ford 

Major at CSUSM: Jeremy, sociology; Tracy, criminology and justice studies 

Graduation year: Tracy, 2007; Jeremy, 2015 

Company: Lightning Tours 

Website: lightningtours.co 

Founded: 2022 

Number of employees: Four 

 Talking Business With Jeremy Ford

What's the best advice you received about starting a business?  

Have goals. Having goals gives you strategic direction, and if you don't have them, you'll be spinning your wheels. When you have those goals, it enables you to focus on the main categories that will be the catalyst for your business moving forward.  

What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs? 

Be prepared for long hours, a lot of late nights. On those late nights, it can seem like you're on an island by yourself. What we learned the hard way is that having a team is very important – bringing others in to help support certain aspects of the business. Your reach expands when you let other people in to help. 

What's the greatest challenge in starting your own business? 

If you already have a full-time job, it can be difficult to decipher when it's time to quit and give your business the full attention.  

Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? 

I would have waited longer to quit my full-time job. And I would have focused more heavily on the revenue-producing aspects of the business. Even though we do have quite a robust product now, there were times when we were building it up where the churn was at a higher rate than the income that was coming in.  

What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur? 

I can sum that up in one word: perseverance. If you do not have perseverance, you will not be an entrepreneur; you will go back into the workforce within months. If you have the ability to persevere, the ability to plan things out and execute that plan, you have a much better chance of being an entrepreneur for longer than just a few months.  

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Ortiz still gets nostalgic recalling childhood trips to Rite Aid to grab Thrifty’s ice cream with her parents. Her go-to flavor was chocolate, and it brought her comfort every time she ate it.  

Ortiz cherished the little things. Going for chocolate ice cream with her mom and dad may have seemed ordinary to others. But for her, growing up in a low-income family, it was always a special moment. 

 “Ice cream was always a reward,” Ortiz said. “I had to do something good to get it. Every time I had ice cream, it was always that sense of accomplishing something, even if it was something small.” 

 Now, as a business owner, Ortiz looks for special moments like these through customers at her own ice cream shop. Entrepreneurship was never something on her radar, but that changed at Cal State San Marcos. It was a combination of fond memories of eating ice cream with her family and realizing that ice cream shops have the happiest clientele. 

 “No one goes to an ice cream shop angry, right?” Ortiz said. “Customers are either really happy because they're with family or friends or they've had a really bad day and they want a pick-me-up.”  

 Since graduating from CSUSM in 2018 with a degree in marketing, Ortiz has launched a successful ice cream business, Cali Cream, with her husband, Ken Schulenburg. Ortiz has helped craft 55 different flavors, including her childhood favorite, chocolate. 

 Quality is paramount. Cali Cream ice cream is made with 16% butterfat, compared with an average of 12% for most ice cream companies.  

 “We get it shipped from the farm to us within seven days,” Ortiz said. “It's only seven days from cow to cone.”  

 Since opening steps from Moonlight Beach in Encinitas in 2016, Cali Cream has expanded to include a bakery and a second ice cream location in San Diego’s downtown Gaslamp Quarter. Cali Cream also has been featured at special events like Comic-Con International and concerts at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.  

 “I don't know if there was ever a moment where the lightbulb went off,” Ortiz said, “but I think there are times where you're in a place in your life where you just say, ‘Hey, I want to do something different.’ ”  

 Ortiz came to CSUSM looking for a change, intending to create a better life for her daughter, Leslie. 

 When she was 16, Ortiz learned that she was pregnant. Telling her parents was difficult, and she didn’t want them to be disappointed in her or think it would keep her from having a successful future.  

 “It was extremely hard,” she said. “You never want to disappoint your parents. And you never want to do anything that they think might hold you back. Sometimes kids make mistakes. I've learned from it, but I think I've turned it around. I also believe that there are certain things that just kind of happen for a reason, and I feel like she's my biggest motivator. We’ve grown up together.” 

 Leslie was born prematurely, weighing just 4 pounds. Ortiz was facing adult responsibilities at a young age, but Leslie was a constant source of inspiration and motivation.  

 “At that time, it was so difficult to try to navigate everything,” Ortiz said. “But I ended up just striving forward again. I'm not going to be a statistic. I'm not going to let something like that hold me back. I needed to give my family – and I needed to give my daughter – a good example.”  

 When Ortiz was introduced to Rebeca Perren, a CSUSM marketing professor and former faculty mentor in the College of Business Administration’s mentorship program, she was clear that going back to school at age 30 was all for Leslie. And Perren was excited by the possibility of helping Latina students because when she was a student, she rarely saw people like her in the classroom. 

 “I wanted to help students who were like me,” Perren said. “And just by chance, Juliana was the student who was assigned to me. I got to know Juliana and her story, not just as a first-generation college student, but as a mother. She had a teenage daughter and she wanted to get her degree before her daughter went off to college. I had children myself, and we connected on so many different levels.” 

 Perren and Ortiz would meet to discuss class assignments and the struggles of being Latina in higher education. Ortiz saw that Perren regularly met with other business students, and she suggested that they all come together and start gathering as a group.  

 Perren invited Josefina Espino and Chris Santos to join, and they all bonded instantly. They met twice a month, usually at the campus Starbucks, and talked about how they pictured their lives after college.  

 The mentor group evolved into CoBA’s Latino Business Student Association, with Perren serving as the faculty adviser for seven years. Espino remembers when Ortiz revealed to the group that she was interested in entrepreneurship and wanted to start an ice cream business. Ortiz and Espino even used her business idea for a research project in a marketing class taught by professor Kristin Stewart.  

 Starting a path to entrepreneurship was exciting, but also nerve-racking for Ortiz. She didn’t know how she would balance being a student and mother while quitting her job as a marketing coordinator at Pacific Records, Inc. in San Diego.  

 “I remember one of the most important conversations I had to have with Juliana was about being generous to herself,” Perren said. “She, of course, had so much to offer, and one of the most difficult decisions she had to make was investing in herself. She is such a generous and loyal person. It felt difficult to let go of some of her commitments and give back to herself.”  

 Now, as an entrepreneur, Ortiz shows her generosity in the creative ways she connects with her customers and employees. When a customer comes into Cali Cream and talks about an ice cream flavor that holds significance for them, Ortiz goes out of her way to make it.  

 “Ice cream is such an emotional product,” Ortiz said. “We've made special request ice cream orders, because maybe it's a birthday present or it’s their parents' favorite. It’s so cool because I get to be the decision-maker. I can say yes or no, but if someone were to ask any other ice cream company, the answer is always going to be no. But my goal is to always make people happy.” 

 One of the most rewarding parts of Ortiz’s job is supporting her employees through college. It’s her way of giving back. A photo wall in the Encinitas location displays the logos of the colleges that her employees are attending. Ortiz even established a rule that if an employee performs well during the summer, they are guaranteed a job when they come home from college.  

 “I remember going to Cali Cream and seeing that the tip jar said ‘college fund’ on it,” Perren said. “It’s really awesome to see how college is built into the company culture. It's great when you see our alumni not only make a difference in their own life, but also how she can inspire and create social mobility in her family and in our community.”  

Juliana Ortiz 

Major at CSUSM: Business marketing  

Graduation year: 2018 

Company: Cali Cream 

Website: calicreamicecream.com 

Founded: 2016 

Number of employees: 35-80 (depending on the season) 

Talking Business With Juliana Ortiz

What’s the best advice you received about starting a business? 

Do what feels right for you and don’t be afraid to take risks. Not every risk is going to be successful, but there's certain risks that are very rewarding. I think if you do your work and research time, then it minimizes the damage.  

What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs? 

I would say go for it. I think you never want to regret not making a decision because of the fear of failure.  

What’s the greatest challenge in starting your own business? 

The greatest challenge for me was trying to understand the process for getting health permits. 

Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? 

For us, it's a weather-based ice business. I have to look at weather for the next week and for the next couple of days to see how it impacts our business. That’s something that most people don't think about.  

I would also make sure to work with a team and ensure that if there's a new product, we have to educate them. If your team's not good and if they're not educated, it falls back on you. They also don't want to be put in a position where they don't know how to communicate to their guests. 

What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur? 

With changes in just about anything, whether it’s regulation or COVID, you have to be able to adapt and you have to be able to transition. 

Media Contact

Bri Phillips, Communications Specialist

bphillips@csusm.edu

The MBA program has achieved the highest enrollment in its history with 112 students. That’s almost double the total from last fall and two dozen more than the previous highest total, 88 in 2019.

The number is so big that, for the first time ever, the Specialized MBA (SMBA) program has been divided into two cohorts, with 28 in the afternoon and 36 in the evening. There are 48 students in the Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) program.

The SMBA is an accelerated 12-month program offering specializations in business analytics, international business and supply chain management. It recently has been updated with courses in cutting-edge areas such as machine learning and sustainable business practices.

The FEMBA is an 18-month program designed for experienced working professionals, with classes offered outside of normal business hours and a hybrid learning format.

Leaders of the MBA program attribute the enrollment growth to multiple factors, including new features, improved student outreach and engagement, openness to all majors, and program reputation. In 2021, the College of Business Administration achieved accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), in the process joining the top 5% of business schools in the world.

"Our MBA program is all about opening doors for people from every background and major,” said Stephen Vandereb, associate director of MBA programs. “We’re proud to offer a flexible, affordable education that really meets the needs of today’s students. With a cutting-edge curriculum, strong career support and the credibility of AACSB accreditation, we’re not just preparing our graduates for the job market — we’re equipping them to lead and make a real impact in the world.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

The latest to do so is Tanner Vodraska, a rising junior who last weekend became the first surfer in university history to win an individual national title.

Competing in the college men’s division of the 2024 National Scholastic Surfing Association interscholastic national championships at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point, Vodraska dominated the field. He posted a two-wave score of 17.5 points in the final on Sunday, far outdistancing his closest competitor, Jordy Collins of Westcliff University (in Irvine) with 10.73.

“I feel really proud of myself because I set a goal to win the national title before I graduate, and I accomplished it,” said Vodraska, a business student from Camarillo in Ventura County. “It’s one of the biggest accomplishments in my career, and it’s going to drive me to do better in other contests.”

Making the feat even more satisfying, Vodraska surfed and hoisted the trophy with four CSUSM teammates in attendance, along with his father (as an added bonus, the final was on Father’s Day). The championship also marked sweet redemption for Vodraska, who qualified for the final of the same event last summer after his freshman year but finished last in the field, nine points behind Collins and 10 behind winner Noah Kawaguchi of Point Loma Nazarene (Kawaguchi was a distant fourth this year).

“I am so excited for Tanner,” said Amber Puha, the faculty adviser of the surf club since its inception in 2002 and the chair of CSUSM’s math department. “There is nothing like surfing to your full potential in an important moment like a national championship final and when the waves are firing and when your teammates and family are there to cheer you on.  

“He had a difficult outing in the 2023 final. To see his confidence shine through and allow him to perform to his best capabilities makes me feel very proud of him.”

Three CSUSM surfers have finished second in the national championships, most recently Chris Smith in longboard in 2007, but Vodraska is the first to bring home a trophy. The Cougars have won a pair of team titles, in 2009 and 2019.

The club was riding high after the latter championship, only to see the COVID-19 pandemic the next year halt its progress.

“For CSUSM surf, this signifies a return from the pandemic,” Puha said. “Winning that team national title in 2019 and having all that excitement and momentum get brought to a grinding halt was tough.”

Puha said Vodraska, and his “incredible sense of humor,” contributed greatly to the surf team’s strong chemistry this season, and she’s looking forward to even better things in 2024-25. The club welcomes all interested students, with a particular need for women shortboarders. Tryouts will take place in mid-September.

Prospective members can email csusmsurf@gmail.com to be added to the club’s distribution list.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Some of the common answers – astronaut, musician, veterinarian – never crossed Ludwig’s mind. And it’s safe to say that her answer probably didn’t cross the mind of her classmates. She wanted to work at McDonald’s because of her love for their chicken nuggets. 

At 16, the moment Ludwig was legally allowed to work, she turned that dream into a reality and worked at McDonald’s for nearly two years.

Ludwig likes to say that her dreams haven’t changed much since then because, years later, her career path is still centered around her passion for food.  

Ludwig is graduating from Cal State San Marcos this spring with a bachelor’s in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. A first-generation student, she has flourished academically while simultaneously growing her popular foodie TikTok account @eatsbynat to nearly 270,000 followers.

Ludwig grew up in Hampshire, Ill., a small rural town of about 7,600 people an hour northwest of Chicago. She and her twin sister Nicole always had their hearts set on one day moving to California. Their father grew up in Huntington Beach and always talked highly about living on the West Coast. 

After both sisters completed their associate degrees at Elgin Community College near their hometown, Ludwig and Nicole began researching California universities to see if it was possible to make the move. The first university to show up in their search? Cal State San Marcos.

Ludwig took it as a sign. Over the next four months, she and Nicole applied to CSUSM, flew to California for four days and found an apartment. They didn’t even get a chance to tour campus, but they were ready for a new start.

“After getting my associate's degree in Illinois, I had no idea what I wanted to do, absolutely no clue,” said Ludwig, whose sister received her bachelor’s from CSUSM in media studies in fall 2022. “We weren't sure if we could afford it, but everything worked out and we just took a leap of faith.”

The move paid off for Ludwig, who discovered that she has a knack for social media marketing when her videos started to gain traction in 2021. 

“It’s a gift to wake up every day wanting to do it,” Ludwig said. “For school, you have a deadline. But nobody's next to you telling you you must post today. You have to think of new ideas. You have to brainstorm. You have to come up with all these concepts. Consistency is the most important thing and loving what you do. If you don't love what you're posting, you don't love your niche or your content, you're not going to stay consistent.”

Ludwig and her sister both successfully post food reviews on TikTok (@nicole.ludwig). Ludwig’s content ranges from eating at local restaurants in San Diego to franchise bakeries like Crumbl Cookies. While she isn’t afraid to try new things, her favorite foods to review are desserts. 

“I joke and I say like 90% of my diet is sweets but in reality, it really is,” Ludwig said. “I love cookies. I love ice cream. Sweets are my main thing, and I love posting it because I just love to eat them.”

Ludwig doesn’t just introduce viewers to new food stops and products. Her videos deliver a bigger message. 

When Ludwig was in the sixth grade, she was hospitalized with an eating disorder. Her family has helped her develop a healthy relationship with food, and she wants to do the same for her viewers.

“It's been a roller coaster ride, but I'm glad I can use my platform to share my story,” Ludwig said. “I get comments all the time saying that ‘Watching you eat this food makes me want to eat it, too.’ This is really one of the main reasons I wanted to start my account because I just want to help other people.”

The work Ludwig has put into her social media accounts has also been used on collaborative research projects with her professors. She is currently working with CSUSM marketing professor Vassilis Dalakas and Western Kentucky University professor Joanna Melancon on how sounds in TikTok videos can impact shopping behavior. 

“I made the video they are using for the experiment,” Ludwig said. “The goal is to compare and see if people purchase a product depending on a happy or sad song.” 

Ludwig was recently recognized as the Outstanding Student for Marketing at the College of Business Administration Dean’s Breakfast for her ability to continuously go above and beyond both inside and outside the classroom. 

Ludwig plans to continue growing her social media platforms after she graduates and work with Nicole and her brother on their start-up marketing agency, Digital Direct Marketing. 

“CSUSM has helped me become who I am and grow my interests not only in social media, but business as well,” Ludwig said. “I'm so thankful for this school because it has helped me in ways that I couldn't even imagine. I wouldn't be where I am today without the opportunity to come to CSUSM or come to California.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Carrasco has been surrounded by entrepreneurs for multiple years, as her mother and aunt have a business in which they create and sell rim dip, a paste usually created with tamarind and chamoy that are then used to cover the rims of beers and other beverages. Carrasaco’s mom and aunt developed their own recipe for these rim dips in 2020. While Carrasco wasn't involved in the process, she used it as inspiration for her own business, Hot Summer Gummies (@hotsummergummies on Instagram). 

“Where I live, tamarindo gummies are very popular,” said Carrasco, who is from Imperial Valley. “Personally, I don’t really like those ones, but my mom’s recipe was really good, so I pitched ideas.” 

Carrasco’s mom was on board with the new idea. Together they picked up different kinds of candy, developed logos and packaging, and then Carrasco started selling the new gummies at her community college sporting events while attending Imperial Valley College. 

“A lot of people really liked them, and I was selling out every time I went to the games,” Carrasco said. “I pitched the gummies to the owners of the stores that had rim dip in them. They loved the idea and gave me space to put them in their stores.”

Carrasco said her goal going forward is to expand her business into San Diego, or even sell the gummies on campus.

Carrasco is on the right track to help her business progress. Last fall, she was the winner of the Innovation Hub’s Quick Pitch competition, which closely resembles the hit TV show “Shark Tank” in which competitors pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges. Carrasco received $1,000 for her winning pitch. 

“I was in shock,” Carrasco said. “I had a big smile on my face, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, no way.’ ”

Carrasco put the prize money into her savings, with plans to utilize it for her business.  

Not only did winning the Quick Pitch provide funds to help grow the business, but it also equipped her with lifelong lessons. 

“I remember sitting down at the competition and I almost walked out because I was so nervous,” Carrasco said. “But I said, ‘We’re just going to do it.’ 

“It really showed me what I was capable of and helped me step out of my comfort zone – and it made me feel that what I'm doing is good. I got really good feedback. I brought gummies with me and went home empty-handed at the end of the night because I sold them all. It just gave me a lot of confidence.”

Carrasco is using this newfound confidence while working toward her degree at CSUSM. She will graduate in May 2025 with a bachelor's degree in marketing. While she has thoughts of continuing with the business, her dream is to be a social media coordinator for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

“I’m very open-minded,” Carrasco said. “I’ll just see what happens.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

The event is a part of CoBA’s Business Professional Development program, which develops students' personal and professional success skills. An expected 144 sophomores and juniors as well as industry professionals are expected to attend. 

Students will have the opportunity to develop connections and engage in one-on-one conversations to hone in their networking skills. The event will also help students explore different industries and business functions.

 Students who are pursuing degrees in the following will be present: accounting, business analytics, entrepreneurship, finance, global business, global supply chain management, human resources management, management and organizations, management information systems, marketing and undeclared business majors. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The Quick Pitch contest occurs each semester and is formatted similarly to the TV show “Shark Tank.” Quick Pitch judges provide feedback to contestants about their business model and three winners are chosen. 

Psychological sciences student Natalie Greenwood-Mendez placed second and received $500 for her business idea “Open Ear,” which is an employer-sponsored, virtual service to support workers by providing frequent, ongoing sessions with mental health providers. Business student Jakob Hatlestad placed third and also received $500 for his model "VRify,”  a nonprofit focused on integrating virtual reality into school curriculum.

Casarez’s pitch was a transformative subscription-based self-defense training that empowers women to confidently respond to real-life scenarios.   

“I honestly did not anticipate winning this contest,” Casarez said. “Despite the nerves and anxiety, I was so happy and pleased to win. Winning this contest not only helped me prove to myself that I can be a successful businesswoman, but also that the issue of violence against women is important to others.”

Casarez’s winning pitch idea bloomed in her entrepreneurship class while working on an in-class project. She combined her passion for martial arts and business, and developed a model that would help protect women who have suffered violence and sexual assault. “Regain the Power Self Defense” would teach women life-saving self-defense techniques.   

“As a first-degree black belt, I am passionate about sharing my 12 years of experience with others,” Casarez said. “I love teaching younger students, older generations and especially connecting with women on a deeper level about safety tips and tactics. I then saw the opportunity to combine my love for martial arts with this class assignment.” 

Casarez’s training in martial arts consisted of how to react and defend herself in real-life scenarios. She realized how important it is for everyone to have access to similar training, and how women especially would benefit from receiving safety tips and tactics. 

“In today's society, the issue of gender-based violence has not declined, but rather continues to rise,” Casarez said. “There is little recognition of the actual statistics regarding violence against women, especially children, teens and young adults. I firmly believe that there is not enough training on real-life applications as well as ways to help people who have been assaulted.” 

Casarez plans to pursue her dream as a special effects makeup artist after graduating next spring. 

“Although my career path is to head for the film and makeup industry, my heart always goes back to martial arts,” Casarez said. “ I can definitely see myself opening a studio, helping grow an existing studio, becoming a part-time instructor or even volunteering my time to help teach the jujitsu class here on campus.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Students were paired with one another and met weekly to discuss the readings, exercises and reflections provided in the coursework on compassionate leadership. The program was developed by Cal State East Bay faculty member Dan Martin, CEO of Brightsity and a collaborating scientist at Stanford University's Center for Compassion, Altruism Research and Education.

“The Compassionate Leadership certification taught me to be more mindful of others and myself,” student Jennifer Martinez said in a video to provide feedback on the program.

“This course helped me in so many ways, and I could see the content merge directly from the course into my personal life,” student Allison Marcure added. “I have grown tremendously with the help of this course, becoming more compassionate and more self-confident in myself as a leader.”

Pillai, a professor of management and executive director of the Center for Leadership Innovation and Mentorship Building, worked with MBA alumnus Jimmy Thai and his wife, Lily, who donated $10,000 last spring to support business students for engaging in a Compassionate Leadership Experience (CLE) through Senior Experience projects and the Compassionate Leadership Certificate. 

The goal of the program is to develop compassionate student leaders who work on projects that assist underserved communities. The CLE targets short-term community projects for underserved populations. Students have worked on projects for the charity Wounded Warrior Homes and the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos. 

“The course helped me think more consciously about compassion and empathy as I transition into leadership roles post-graduation,” graduating student Jezreel Scannel said. “I really appreciate this opportunity.”

Pillai hopes that, based on student feedback, the certificate program can be offered to students each semester. 

“As we emerge from COVID, compassion and empathy are becoming important characteristics for leaders as they deal with challenges of motivating and retaining their people,” Pillai said. “I am hoping that my students learn some compassionate leadership skills that they can take to the workplace.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Lafenhagen’s pitch for her startup Craft-Your-Bra earned her second place in the social enterprise track. The prize money will help her to pursue her dream of launching of her business.

Hosted by San Jose State University, the competition consisted of 36 student teams from 18 of the 23 CSU campuses. These entrepreneurial student teams pitched their businesses to a panel of judges who evaluated them on their desirability, feasibility and viability.

Craft-Your-Bra was established in memory of Lafenhagen’s grandmother, a breast cancer survivor. Lafenhagen created a modular bra system that will help women overcome the struggle of having different breast sizes. She focuses on increasing body positivity and breast cancer awareness while providing an innovative product that will improve the lives of many women.

By launching Craft-Your-Bra, Lafenhagen hopes to “break the cycle of the one-size-fits-all mindset by redefining the possibilities for bra customization and by providing a sustainable, eco-conscious solution for everyone to be able to craft their perfect bra.”

While at CSUSM, Lafenhagen pursued her degree in business administration and was the president of the Entrepreneurship Society. She has received support from many mentors from CSUSM College of Business Administration and CSUSM Innovation Hub in her entrepreneurship journey. She plans to officially launch her business by the end of the year and the prize money will help make her goals possible.

This year’s Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition concluded with 15 student teams taking home a total of $200,000 in prize money. This is just the beginning of the five-year commitment by Sunstone Management to sponsor the event with a grand total of $1 million in prize money coming from the Sunstone Community Fund.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The CSUSM team of Thomas Handzel, Miguel Lopez, Fares Alhabardi and Alin Hanna competed in the event that’s hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy and took place May 7-9 in Washington, D.C. They are a multidisciplinary group of upperclassmen majoring in electrical engineering, software engineering, physics and business.

Their faculty mentor is Hamed Nademi, an assistant professor of electrical engineering. Nademi has been working on wave energy converter applications since 2020 and has built the Marine Energy team at CSUSM. He runs a Sustainable and Interactive Technologies & Energy (SITE) lab focusing on renewable energy integration, microgrids, transportation electrification and marine power grids.

The same student quartet also was selected as one of 20 teams nationwide in the 2024 MECC. They are among only three groups from California State University.

The CSUSM team focuses on exploring the feasibility of supplying power from wave energy to the Poseidon desalination plant in Carlsbad. Using a prototype made with a 3D printer, the students conducted tests in the kinesiology department’s surf pool, which has the capability to generate wave profiles with various speeds. The experiments allowed the team to ascertain the functional behavior of the wave energy converter to refine the design variables, values and dimensions. 

The team’s next step is to build a metal-based prototype with a generator and power electronics converters to generate DC and/or AC power for non-grid or grid-connected applications. It will receive a $20,000 grant from the Department of Energy and National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the 2024 competition.

The team also includes three senior students (Miguel Molina, Jessi Angeles and Victor Gomez) who are part of the first cohort to graduate from CSUSM's electrical engineering program. They have been working on hardware development of a power electronics converter to provide electricity from ocean waves compatible with a wall power outlet.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

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

Aidelen Montoya, special major in studio art, museum studies, and theory 

President’s Outstanding Graduate 

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

Montoya’s degree program only scratches the surface of her interdisciplinary and community-engaged accomplishments. She was selected as one of nine students of color in the Planet Mentorship pilot in which she conducted research resulting in a beaded data visualization that addresses environmental issues through a social justice lens.  

Nominating professor Lucy HG Solomon noted that the quality of this presentation led to her inviting Montoya to join a prestigious residency on Volcan Mountain where they held a public exhibition of her work.  

Montoya integrates themes of climate justice into her art. Through her research and creative activities, she crosses boundaries between physical sciences and the arts with a mind for practical situations such as improving museum sustainability and K-12 education. 

Kianni Albrecht, Master of Social Work 

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

Albrecht has dedicated her career to serving the veteran community. She grew up in a military family and was able to see firsthand the necessity of trauma-informed and culturally sensitive mental health services. She interned at the Veterans Affairs Healthcare Systems where she served veterans who have been impacted by the vulnerabilities of marginalized and systemic disparities.  

To address this issue on a larger scale, Albrecht and her father have coordinated presentations at local, national and global conferences, which provide both a social worker perspective and the veteran’s perspective to help reduce stigma and encourage awareness of mental health resources for the treatment of PTSD.  

Albrecht pursued many leadership opportunities during her time at CSUSM, including vice president of the Social Work Coalition and representing the university at the National Association of Social Workers-CA Lobby Days where she spoke with policymakers to advocate for legislation that aligns with the values of the social work profession.  

Serena Farrell, biological sciences 

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

A first-generation college student, Farrell has overcome every hurdle in her path as she worked to earn money to support her education, ran long distance on both the cross country and track teams, engaged in research that earned recognition at CSUSM and nationally, and served in countless leadership roles, including as the CTSEM representative to ASI.  

At CSUSM, Farrell not only found mentors, but she also worked hard to find every opportunity she could to reach back and be that positive voice for others. Farrell has provided CSUSM’s student body with career-advancing workshops, opportunities and panels. In the last year, Farrell has helped organize a career panel and a Women in STEM panel.  

Farrell is also a URISE scholar in the Center for Training, Research, and Educational Excellence where she has further demonstrated her commitment to her education and research while mentoring the next generation of scientists from historically underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. 

Learn more about Farrell here.

Jennifer Figueroa, master’s psychological science 

Dean’s Award, Graduate Studies 

A first-generation Ecuadorian American college student from a low-income background, Figueroa has demonstrated outstanding achievements throughout her time at CSUSM. She has achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.82, successfully defended her master’s thesis and trained new members of her research team.  

During her time in the master’s program Figueroa has amassed several research achievements, including one first-author publication, three first-author conference presentations, and four co-author conference presentations. 

Nominating professor Haylee DeLuca Bishop noted that Figueroa’s achievements are outstanding for someone so early in their career and they reflect her initiative and intellectual curiosity.  

Rachel Jackson, business administration, management  

Gerevas Family Dean’s Award, College of Business Administration 

Jackson’s considerable contributions have been essential to the rebuilding of an active student community in CoBA and across CSUSM amid the return to an on-campus, post-pandemic environment. Her officer positions in CoBA Management Society alongside her membership in CoBA’s new Dean’s Student Advisory Council has helped build relationships with the external community for meaningful society-community events.  

Jackson assisted in a meeting with a Fortune 500 company, and the representatives specifically mentioned her as having a positive impact on their decision to move the new relationship forward which helped to create employment opportunities for CoBA students. 

Nominating professor Catalin Ratiu highlighted Jackson’s energy and charisma, noting that she has helped the college in many ways. Through her active participation and strong leadership, Jackson has contributed to creating a sense of belonging and support within the CoBA community.  

Ilianna Ramirez, psychological sciences 

Dean’s Award, Dean of Students 

Ramirez has made lasting contributions to student life at CSUSM through her many involvements, including the ASI Board of Directors, President of the American Indian Student Alliance, Arts & Lectures and her work with the Anti-Racism, Anti-Colonialism, Social Justice Committee. 

Ramirez took her experience one step further through an internship student teaching at her community college where she is creating a pathway for others and laying the foundation for her future career as a college professor. 

Ramirez has strived to help create a sense of belonging at CSUSM. She utilizes her ability to empathize with others who have experiences different from hers to create connections not only within the American Indian Student Alliance but also with other student life areas. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The annual initiative recognizes notable alumni from AACSB-accredited business schools whose inspiring work serves as a model for the next generation of business leaders, and this year’s class features individuals defining what it means to be a societal impact leader.

Ahmadpour is president and managing director (Americas) for Isle Utilities, which aims to make a positive social, economic and environmental impact through the advancement of innovative technologies and related practices.

Ahmadpour is a consultancy executive specializing in emerging technologies and innovative best practices in the water sector. She has spent more than a decade furthering innovation in the water sector, fostering collaborations between a broad set of stakeholders, including water utilities, technology companies, regulators, associations and academia. Ahmadpour is focused on exploring how stakeholders can harness a culture of innovation by embracing new ideas and business opportunities and backing emerging technologies that deliver better outcomes than conventional solutions.

“Cristina Ahmadpour’s achievements demonstrate that success in business can also mean success for society. Her efforts to prioritize purpose, people and planet should inspire all of us to reorient our ideas about impactful leadership,” said Caryn Beck-Dudley, AACSB president and CEO. “It is a privilege to amplify her efforts and the entire 2023 Class of Influential Leaders.”

Now in its eighth year, AACSB’s Influential Leaders spotlight program recognizes more than 275 business school graduates who have created lasting impact in business and society. All honorees have earned an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree from one of the more than 950 AACSB-accredited business schools worldwide.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The Sound is a $17 million facility with a footprint of 9,500 square feet and capacity for 1,900 spectators. Open to all ages, it features a state-of-the-art sound system, multiple bars and a large lobby, among other amenities.

And The Sound owes at least part of its existence to a group of Cal State San Marcos business students who attended the university almost a decade ago.

Back in 2016, two groups of students in the College of Business Administration worked for months on a comprehensive study that proposed the transformation of a struggling off-track betting facility at the Del Mar Fairgrounds into the region’s newest concert venue.

One group was composed of five students who were finishing their MBA program; the other included five undergraduates (and one MBA advisory student) completing an assignment for Senior Experience, a longtime CoBA program matching teams of students with projects submitted by local businesses and organizations. Both groups were supervised by marketing lecturer Don Sciglimpaglia.

After reviewing the students’ analysis and agreeing with its findings, the organization that operates the fairgrounds consented in early 2017 to spending up to $250,000 to investigate potential funding sources for the renovation of the Surfside Race Place and hire an engineering firm to develop more detailed plans.

“The work they did was excellent,” Tim Fennell, CEO of the 22^nd District Agricultural Association, said at the time.

The association considered multiple options to remake the aging Surfside Race Place (built in 1991) – including a restaurant, movie theater and even a microbrewery – but settled on a concert venue based in no small part on the study by the CSUSM students.

The original plan was for the venue to open in 2018, but the COVID-19 pandemic and other obstacles delayed the unveiling by five years. Now The Sound is here, and the students who helped make it happen are thrilled.

Debbie Jo McCool, who led the five students from the Fully Employed Masters of Business Administration (FEMBA) team, said she missed out on getting tickets for the debut concert on Friday, but that she and her classmates hope to attend an upcoming show.

“It’s a dream come true for us,” said McCool, a management analyst for the City of Carlsbad. “Knowing that our team had the privilege of preparing a concert venue marketing analysis and the project came to fruition years later is fantastic. I’m confident that the entire FEMBA team is proud of being associated with this superb project, and we wish them the very best of success.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

President Ellen Neufeldt joined CoBA Dean Ronald Ramirez, accounting professor Richard Hwang and members of the Du family in an Aug. 10 ceremony in the classroom.

“The Du family has deep ties to our university, and I’m so grateful for their continued support of our campus,” Neufeldt told attendees.

Through their family-owned company DDH Enterprise, Inc., the Du family have been supporters of CoBA since 2005. As part of the Markstein Hall building campaign, the Markstein Hall 344 conference room was named after the family patriarch, Xuong Du. The family has also made contributions in support of the CoBA Business Professional Development program and the accounting department.

Two family members are alumni of CSUSM – Kevin Du, the son of DDH CEO David Du, graduated in 2014, and Kevin’s wife, Trisha, was part of the Class of 2021.

“I know the Du family believes strongly in educational opportunity and helping the community, and their values certainly align with ours at CSUSM,” Neufeldt said. 

“Student success has always been a part of who we have been at CSUSM. Now, with the recent launch of our new strategic plan, we are doubling down with an ambitious mission to magnify opportunities even more for our students. The Du family’s generosity and partnership with CSUSM is helping us advance that mission.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

But it’s safe to say Reese never once imagined that all those hours spent outdoors would lead to what has become his passion.

“I remember there was one farm still in my neighborhood growing up that had cows and little sheep and chickens,” Reese said, “but I never thought I was going to be farming growing up. It just kind of happened after I was 30.”

Today, Reese is a regenerative farmer working to fight injustices in the food system by growing healthy produce for people who otherwise might not have access.

Reese is a co-founder of Encinitas-based nonprofit Sea + Soil, which aims to “reconnect and regenerate ecosystems and community.” Among the programs under the Sea + Soil umbrella is 1000 Tiny Farms, which Reese pioneered to help explore how small patches of land could have a positive social, environmental and economic impact.

“We focus a lot on the nutrient density and nutritional value of the produce,” Reese said. “If we can grow food without a need for heavy chemical inputs, then the soil will be better, therefore the plants are better, therefore the humans are better. It's kind of like a slogan that many people have probably heard before – food as medicine.”

Reese’s interest in healthy food began while he was working at Stone Brewing in Escondido. He ate a salad there that proved life-changing.

“I never felt so good after eating a salad,” he said. “It was noticeably energizing. And they sourced from a local farm in Escondido at the time. It was just so fresh. When I played soccer at Cal State San Marcos, I noticed that when I was eating fresher vegetables, I just felt good and I had more energy. Before that it was mostly meat and carbs. When I started incorporating fresh veggies, it was a game-changer.”

Contributing to the greater good is part of Reese’s DNA, and he spent time working in solar energy and water reclamation before focusing his efforts on farming. He worked with the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, which helps “build a global community conscious of ecological farming and sustainability practices.”

While some may be surprised to learn that Reese earned his degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing, he says his CSUSM education plays a role in his work every day, from manufacturing to distribution to marketing. In fact, Reese hopes to partner with his alma mater on many aspects of farming. He has thriving farms in Cardiff and Valley Center that can always use volunteers to assist with the physical aspects, but he said there also is a need for expertise with the scientific aspects of farming, including soil testing, identifying biological organisms in the soil, plant tissue analysis, and more.

“I think it’s important to know where your food comes from,” Reese said. “Don’t be fooled by labeling. There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors, and it helps to know where your food comes from.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Neufeldt was selected as one of 20 winners of the annual award by the SDBJ out of 118 finalists. She received the award June 30 during a ceremony in downtown San Diego. 

In its 17th year, the CEO of the Year Awards recognize contributions to company growth, leadership and community involvement by top executives in the San Diego area. 

“I am grateful and humbled to receive this award,” Neufeldt said. “It is an honor to serve as CSUSM’s president, and I give so much credit to all our faculty and staff who are so dedicated to the lifelong success of our students. CSUSM proudly partners across San Diego to ensure we continue to be this region’s elevator of social mobility and an engine of inclusive growth – a beacon of where the future of higher education is going.” 

Hired in 2019 as CSUSM’s fourth president, Neufeldt just completed her third year at the university. Some highlights of her tenure include: 

• Navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, CSUSM turned on a dime to provide students with remote access to classes and services, ensuring that technology got in the hands of those who needed it, while raising significant funds for scholarships and students’ basic needs. 
• Drawing on CSUSM’s commitment to student success, a new student success coaching program was created in 2020, allowing the campus to reallocate personnel impacted by the pandemic while also providing more support to students. The initiative was recognized by the American Association for State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) with its Excellence in Innovation Award for Student Success in November 2021. 
• CSUSM was the recipient of a five-year Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM grant worth nearly $5 million to help expand engineering program offerings to include computer engineering. Meanwhile, with the design phase fully funded by the California State University system, momentum continues to build for CSUSM’s next academic structure, an integrated sciences and engineering building that will further cement CSUSM as the next frontier for life sciences growth in the university’s expansive region. 
• In spring 2022, the CSUSM Innovation Hub formally opened after operating virtually since 2020. The hub is a part of CSUSM’s innovation ecosystem, serving as a gateway for faculty, students, industry and the community to connect and brainstorm ideas, incubate new concepts and accelerate novel startups. A unique aspect of the initiative is its focus on social innovation, providing fertile ground for students and faculty of all disciplines to engage in a process of bringing novel ideas forward to solve pressing social issues. 
• In February 2022, Neufeldt signed an agreement partnering with Black community leaders and groups to cultivate a stronger college-going culture across the region. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, the university hosted a summit in March focused on enhancing its capacity to serve Latinx students. And in June, the campus partnered with Old Dominion University to co-host the National Social Mobility Symposium, bringing together higher education experts and leaders across the region to share strategies and best practices on student success and social mobility. 
• In 2020, a campuswide institutional strategic plan process was launched, the first in more than 15 years. The new plan was published this spring, placing at the heart of CSUSM’s new mission and vision a commitment to student success and social mobility. New strategic goals focus on dismantling barriers to educational access, nurturing a culture of service, adapting to meet the needs of the community, building socially minded partnerships and entrepreneurial efforts that advance the San Diego region, and launching an ambitious philanthropic campaign to fuel this transformation. 

Lindberg always wanted to find a career that would allow her to see more of the world while she was growing up in Sweden. She set her sights on becoming a flight attendant for the travel opportunities, but various circumstances made it impossible. Instead, she became a flight coordinator at Scandinavian Airlines. 

Although Lindberg didn’t get to pursue her initial career choice, she still made the leap to see a different part of the world. A chance encounter with a passenger while working for Scandinavian Airlines led her to Cal State San Marcos. Three years later, Lindberg is graduating with a degree in global business management and will be recognized at the College of Business Administration commencement ceremony on May 21 as the Gerevas Family Dean’s Award recipient.

“I have found Karolina to be talented, hardworking and professional in all her communications and academic assignments,” said Eric Rhodes, one of Lindberg's business professors.“She entered our program as an international student with a strong professional background in customer service and finance and incorporates her unique perspective and bilingual capabilities into her academic endeavors here at CSUSM to the benefit of our community.”

Traveling and being exposed to different cultures have always been important to Lindberg. Her father started his career in the Air Force and then became a pilot for Scandinavian Airlines.

Though Lindberg couldn’t become a flight attendant, she was able to follow her father at Scandinavian Airlines.

It was an interaction with an American passenger during some downtime at a departure gate that led Lindberg to CSUSM. The passenger told Lindberg about the beauty of San Diego, and she went home that night and started looking for colleges in the San Diego area. Before the end of the night, she had applied to CSUSM. She was drawn to the university’s smaller class sizes, which reminded her of classes in Sweden. 

Only a couple of months later, Lindberg packed up and moved to San Marcos. 

It wasn’t an easy transition. Lindberg took 47 units her first year, and taking classes in her second language brought unexpected challenges. 

”I remember my first math class,” Lindberg said. “I've always been good at math. But I was so confused because everything was in English. And I didn't know the terms or what my professor was talking about half of the time.”

Despite those challenges, Lindberg maintained a 4.0 GPA. 

But the pandemic brought other challenges.

“It was hard,” Lindberg said. “In the beginning, I moved alone. My family is nine hours away. They're asleep most of the time when I'm awake. And I had never been alone before. My mom always said it takes a year before you feel at home. So if you dislike it after a year, you can move back, but before that, you should keep trying. And that's what I did.” 

Lindberg moved back to Sweden during the pandemic and had several synchronous online classes. The nine-hour time difference meant she had to stay up from 2-7 a.m. to attend classes, while balancing her work as a flight coordinator and taking care of her two horses. 

After a year taking classes from her home in Sweden, Lindberg moved back to San Marcos in July to learn more about American culture in her senior year. It was difficult for Lindberg to be away from her horses and animals back in Sweden, so she volunteered at an animal shelter and even ended up adopting a dog named Edwin. 

Lindberg’s love for animals sparked her interest in environmentalism. She is planning to pursue a career where she can help develop a more sustainable way of doing business.

Lindberg received an early acceptance to Hult International Business University in San Francisco, where she will continue her education in the fall. 

“I would say culturally, being in a diverse setting wasn't much of a challenge, because I've been in settings like that a lot,” Lindberg said. “And I have always believed the nation someone comes from doesn't determine anything about their interest or personality. Obviously, I am Swedish and I'm very similar to my culture, but that doesn't mean that I have more in common with other people from my culture. I've always been very open to differences, which means that cultural differences have never really bothered me.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The nearly 30-year-old program was one of the first of its kind to match teams of undergraduate business students with for-profit and nonprofit organizations to complete real-world business projects. A requirement for all CSUSM business students, Senior Experience has taught 10,000 graduates how to apply classroom knowledge to solve unique business challenges facing real organizations. The 2,300 projects completed by students over three decades have resulted in countless new business ideas, student startups and job offers.

“I’m proud to be one of those 10,000 students,” said Roger Herzler, director of business community projects for CoBA. “I know firsthand how much impact the Senior Experience program has on our students and the positive impact it has on businesses, not only in our region but also nationally and internationally. The program has taught multiple generations of business leaders to think critically about relevant business issues and how to effectively collaborate with their peers to solve important business problems. The college is very proud of this program and how it prepares our graduates for the workforce and the value it has added to our sponsors.”

The college will celebrate the milestone on May 19 at Kellogg Plaza on campus during its first Senior Experience Trade Show since 2019. The two-part event will begin with a business networking reception from 5:30-7 p.m. where more than 200 professionals will gather for networking and refreshments, followed by the 65-project trade show where the Class of 2022 will showcase their research and innovative solutions provided to sponsoring organizations.

To attend this event, register at https://www.csusm.edu/coba/reception/.

Sewing is something Lombardi and her cousin picked up as a hobby when they had extra time on their hands. She had no intention of starting a business. 

Lombardi wanted to be resourceful because fabric was expensive and she had limited funds. She saved her leftover fabric scraps, not knowing what she would end up doing with it. 

Little did she know, this would change her trajectory of finding her career path.

Those saved fabric scraps became the basis for Lombardi’s sustainably made swimsuits and the creation of her business, Amalfi Swiim.

Lombardi pitched her sustainable business model as part of Cal State San Marcos’ Innovation Hub Quick Pitch contest, winning a $500 microgrant for her work on Amalfi Swiim. The contest closely resembled the TV show “Shark Tank.” 

Lombardi curated her brand name while reminiscing about the time she visited Positano on the Amalfi coast in Italy with her cousin and aunt (the extra “i” in Amalfi Swiim came about because Lombardi’s planned Instagram handle was already taken). 

As Lombardi began sewing in the early stages of the pandemic, she started searching for inspiration and came across a unique technique that she incorporated into her work.

She started to play with the leftover scraps she had saved and molded them together to create her first swimsuit without using any new material.

“I don't think that I would have started my journey if I waited to put everything in place to make sure it was perfect before,” says Lombardi, a business administration student who will graduate in spring 2023. “I think if you have an idea, just go for it, make it and get it manufactured, whatever it is. Get it onto social media, make an account for it and just get it out there. Because the longer you wait, the more time you're going to have to wait for people to find out about your product.”

Lombardi created a TikTok video that showed her process of sewing a bikini. The video went viral with over 11 million views, and seeing the comments made Lombardi realize that her sustainable sewing efforts by utilizing leftover fabric scraps were having an impact.

“And then it clicked for me that I could actually have a bigger goal in mind and have a bigger mission, which is to decrease the world's pollution rate,” Lombardi said. “There's such a big trend in sustainability in the fashion world right now and I don't think it should stay a trend.”

After coming to this realization, Lombardi started to educate herself on other clothing brands' lack of effort toward the sustainability movement. She wanted to be part of positive change, even if it meant working harder to establish her business.

Lombardi decided that her zero-waste swimsuit could be a statement piece in her clothing line because it stands for sustainability awareness. She also creates tote bags with the same innovative sewing technique. 

Lombardi was able to make connections with other small businesses and she now accepts donations of fabric scraps. Lombardi has reached out to over 50 local swimwear brands. One of her main providers is Amy’s Sport Co., a golf clothing brand she interned for when she was a senior in high school in Palm Springs.   

Becoming a business owner in college has become a huge time commitment for Lombardi. She spends up to 20 hours a week marketing, sewing and using social media to promote Amalfi Swiim while being a full-time student and a member of the CSUSM Entrepreneurship Society.

Up until a couple of months ago, Lombardi was juggling everything herself. She placed a Facebook advertisement, which led to hiring a fellow CSUSM student to help her sew. Sewing is the most time-consuming part of the business because everything's made to order, so hiring help allowed Lombardi to focus more on marketing her business.

Lombardi wanted to share the impact of Amalfi Swiim’s business model, but she was not familiar with the process of making a pitch deck. She worked with members of the CSUSM Entrepreneurship Society to develop her pitch for the Innovation Hub Quick Pitch contest.

“I looked at everyone in the group as mentors because they're all older than me and have a lot of experience,” she said. “And it's really built my confidence to be able to speak in a professional environment and just push my boundaries and put myself out there.” 

Lombardi is planning to put her prize funds toward establishing Amalfi Swiim through a legal entity. 

She is currently working on her biggest swimwear collection to date, which will be released this month. It will consist of new styles and textiles along with her signature zero-waste bikini. The swimwear will all be made from recycled and sustainable materials that are biodegradable. 

“I have all my sights set on growing this business after college,” Lombardi said. “It has been quite a ride. I'm not going to lie, it's definitely stressful to have so many obligations. But at the end of the day, I'm choosing this for myself. I really am passionate about starting a business in college so that I can support myself financially by the time I graduate.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

He was a high school sophomore in Chicago. It was Art 2 class with Miss Wood, who was one of his favorite teachers. The class was working on body portraits. They were using wooden figures, which reminded 16-year-old Armando of department store mannequins.

Miss Wood tended to turn on a television in one corner of the art room while her students were working on projects, and this morning was no exception. It was tuned in to CNN – just background noise for high school kids, really. From his vantage point, though, Armando had a clear view of the screen, and he happened to look up just as the first tower became engulfed in flames.

“I remember telling my buddy in front of me, ‘Dude, are you seeing this?’ And then everybody's attention was caught, and even my teacher stopped talking and giving us direction,” Manzo recalled. “We all turned to the TV. And I just remember there being dead silence and people gasping: ‘What is going on? Is this even real?’ ”

The otherworldly horror of Sept. 11, 2001 was all too real, and it affected Manzo profoundly. He wanted to drop everything and join the military right then and there, but for various reasons he waited until his mid-20s. He served in the Marines for almost a decade, including an eight-month stint in Afghanistan, before exiting in 2018.

Now a transfer student at Cal State San Marcos who’s on track to graduate next summer with a degree in business management, Manzo is in a reflective state. It’s a common sentiment, particularly among veterans, as the United States approaches the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack just after it completed its military withdrawal from the nation whose actions precipitated the longest war in American history.

Manzo will share his story, and his emotions, when he speaks during CSUSM’s annual 9/11 remembrance, which will take place Friday at noon at the Epstein Family Veterans Center. Members of the campus community also can attend the event via Zoom.

“It's definitely crazy that it's been 20 years,” Manzo said. “I think a lot of what went on in Afghanistan recently brings up those same emotions and thoughts and feelings that I had back in 2001. The fact that we were at war for 20 years, since that day, and everybody who not only we lost that day in our country, but everybody who I knew and people I didn’t know who we lost overseas in this war ... I've been having a hard time with it.”

Since he was only 16 when 9/11 happened, Manzo couldn’t enlist in the military right away, but he made a pact with three of his cousins – whom he grew up with in Chicago and regarded more as older brothers – to sign up as soon as they all graduated from high school. Because they were older, however, the cousins got a head start on Manzo. They joined before he could. They deployed before he could. They experienced the trauma of war before he could.

All three of them actively discouraged Manzo from following through on his plan, to the point that they wouldn’t help him connect with a military recruiter.

“They were like, ‘Nope, you're the one who actually has a chance to do something with your life. You're smart, you have personality, you can go to college. What we're dealing with over here is not for you,’ ” he said. “They were completely against it.”

Manzo reluctantly heeded their advice and tried to chart a different life path. He enrolled in a community college to pursue a nursing degree. Deciding that was too difficult, he switched to a culinary school in downtown Chicago. Soon after, though, he found himself as a single father at age 21, so to provide for his baby daughter, he dropped education and at one point was working three jobs. 

All along, that nagging feeling that he should be serving his country, doing his part to honor the memory of those who died on 9/11, lingered at the back of his mind.  

“It took a toll on me for a long time,” Manzo said. “I could never really focus in school, always having those ‘what if’ thoughts in my head. There was some resentment. There was some envy. 

“The reason why I wanted to join never left me. That image on that TV in my art class has never left me.” 

At 24, eight years after the indelible moment, Manzo enlisted in the Marines. His cousins had relented by then, assuring him that the situation in the Middle East had calmed considerably. Seeking to make up for lost time, he threw himself into every task and rose up the ranks rapidly.  

His deployment finally arrived in 2013. He was sent to Camp Leatherneck in Afghanistan as an administrative specialist. As Manzo puts it, the three things service members care about most when they’re deployed are their paycheck, their mail and their chow. He was responsible for two of them, for a unit of more than 350 personnel.  

His duties isolated him from the worst of the violence, but he wasn’t immune from risk, as when he would deliver mail to forward operating bases. 

“That was dicey,” he said. “Going through those villages, on convoys, man, you never know. You're a moving target.” 

When Manzo returned from Afghanistan, he was assigned to Camp Pendleton, and while stationed there he reconnected with a woman he had known in Chicago. He married Anna Liza, a 2015 CSUSM graduate, four years ago, and they now have a large blended family of three boys and two girls in their Escondido home. 

Manzo withdrew from the Marines to try college again in 2018, and after two years at Miramar College (where his wife works), he enrolled at CSUSM last fall. He’s in his second year of a work study program through Veterans Services, and he aims to become an officer in the Student Veterans Organization this fall. His goal after graduation is to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs or a nonprofit that supports the veteran community. 

Every Thursday night, Manzo has been attending support group meetings at the San Marcos Vet Center for veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In recent weeks, the conversations have been especially raw as those who served in Operation Enduring Freedom process the end of the campaign in Afghanistan and openly wonder if their sacrifice was in vain. 

“I've been trying to compartmentalize these thoughts and emotions, and it makes you really think about how this all started. Why did we do this?” Manzo said. “Forget 20 years. Every year that has gone by, it's like, we're still in it, we're still fighting. And then with what's going on now, I think about everybody who has been lost and affected by this, and it just sucks, to be honest. That's the only way I can describe it without getting too emotional.” 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

“Learning how to think for yourself and apply these tools and apply these things that we learned, that's the true benefit to college,” said Pecora, who graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration. “And that's what I tell everyone who's uncertain of what they want to do.”

Today, Pecora is the virtual chief information officer, or vCIO, for Managed Solution, a San Diego-based full-service technology provider that offers supportive and strategic information technology services for businesses.

But Pecora didn’t always know this was the career path he wanted to follow.

Pecora said he wasn’t a fan of school when he graduated from high school and had no inkling of what he wanted to do for a living.

“I very much enjoyed – and still do enjoy – working,” he said. “But I realized if I didn't have a step up and I didn't have the exposure experience and didn't know how to bring tools that I didn't know existed from a college course or a college degree that I was eliminating what I could do in the future. I was basically setting an artificial glass ceiling because I just didn't know, and that exposure is so important.”

Pecora began by enrolling at MiraCosta College. He said it was the best decision he could have made, both financially and because he wasn’t prepared for a four-year university after graduating from high school.

After transferring to CSUSM, Pecora began to see how the principles he was learning could impact real businesses. That was particularly true for his Senior Experience project when Pecora’s team helped a company develop a business plan.

“One of the pleasant surprises you get out of it is that you get to see a change; you get to see a difference,” Pecora said. “You're not writing a business plan because it's homework, you're writing a business plan because at some point in your life you are going to need to write a business plan. And if you understand the foundations of how to write it, you're going to be respected and automatically placed higher than your competitors because you have this foundation.”

Pecora always had an interest in IT, but he wasn’t passionate about it like many programmers. He always liked the idea behind it, but was more interested in the business aspect and getting it to work for other businesses.

That interest has made Managed Solution a perfect fit for Pecora. He joined the company as technical account manager in November 2015. At the time, he was the sole person in the department, working with 120 clients. He has helped the department grow to a seven-person team and was promoted to vCIO in February 2020.

In his role as vCIO, Pecora’s responsibilities have shifted from being about 80% technical to about 50% technical and 50% sales and management.

“The primary point to my job is to help businesses take their technology and help it transform their business, whether that's saving money, increasing efficiency, reducing costs, reducing their risk footprint by moving it to the cloud, whatever is best for their business,” he said.

As Pecora thinks back on his own college days, he encourages today’s students to put in the effort that will help them down the road.

“It's a cliché, but you are going to get out of it exactly what you put into it,” he said. “So if you have a drive, direction and understand at least the broad topic of what you want to do – and you put the effort forward – that is going to have lifelong changes. It’s very impactful.

“If you have a work ethic at a young age, it will stick with you for the rest of your life. The efforts that you put in during college are going to magnify and increase opportunities down the road.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Hamerly was the director of business community relations, responsible for leading the College of Business Administration’s Senior Experience program, for nearly seven years when he decided to retire in 2013 to spend time working with alumni start-up businesses.

It turned out to be a short-lived departure. About a year later, Hamerly was coaxed out of retirement to serve as CoBA’s interim dean.

“When they initially asked me, I think I turned down the provost three times,” Hamerly said.

Encouragement from Ron Gerevas, a member of the CSUSM Foundation Board and the CoBA Advisory Board, helped change Hamerly’s mind. And it wasn’t long before that interim title was removed for a more permanent one.

“I fell in love with the place again,” Hamerly said.

After nearly seven years as dean, Hamerly has decided it’s time to retire from CSUSM for a second time. He will step down at the end of June, with longtime professor of management and entrepreneurship Bennett Cherry stepping into the role of interim dean beginning July 1.

“We have great faculty and staff, and the best thing you can leave on is full confidence that they will carry the college strongly forward,” Hamerly said.

Hamerly has always had a wide array of interests, which kept him moving throughout his career. A glance at his résumé shows that he rarely remains in a position more than five years. Notably, both of his CSUSM stints lasted longer than that.

But Hamerly said the time was right this time around because the college achieved two important goals:

• Receiving accreditation from the prestigious global organization Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB); and
• Improving the college culture.

Cherry, who has been at CSUSM since 2000, can attest to the importance of both of those achievements.

“Jim’s leadership as dean came at a critical time in the life of our College of Business Administration. For decades, the college had been discussing and taking small steps toward AACSB accreditation, but Jim and Mohammad really launched us into a coordinated and strategic multiyear plan to actually achieve it,” said Cherry, also noting the vital contributions of associate dean Mohammad Oskoorouchi. “It is one of Jim’s greatest achievements as dean.

“For many staff and faculty, Jim’s focus on improving the culture of CoBA will be regarded as one of the most significant touchstones of his legacy.”

CoBA received word of its AACSB accreditation in April, putting the college among the top 5% of business schools in the world.

“The AACSB accreditation team commended us for three or four major areas where we were out in front,” Hamerly said. “These are deans who come in to evaluate us and said, ‘Not only are you guys doing a great job, we're going to copy what you're doing.’ So that's an affirmation that we're on the right path.”

Changing the culture in CoBA was something that Hamerly knew was necessary when he accepted the position as interim dean. It’s something he has done at every company he has run or started. It’s never a quick fix, but it’s one he knew was necessary to put the college on a strong path forward.

CoBA has implemented training on communication and behavioral styles while utilizing tools such as CliftonStrengths assessments and 360-degree reviews, among others, to improve collegiality throughout the college.

“The cooperation among faculty, between faculty and staff, and our community engagement is amazing,” Hamerly said. “It's astounding to see how our team comes together and how they help each other out. It's an awesome environment to work in.”

Hamerly also is proud of CoBA’s focus on student personal and professional success. He noted that the college has recruited more than three dozen professionals who volunteer as Executives in Residence, helping to guide students through the Business Professional Development program and develop the professional skills they’ll need in their careers. That external community engagement has been a boon to the college and its students.

And though Hamerly is retiring as dean, he will be staying busy. He serves on advisory boards of four alumni startups and he has dozens of hobbies, including participating in triathlons, hiking and growing the largest sequoia grove in Southern California.

As Hamerly prepares for the next chapter, he does so knowing that CoBA is in position to continue to thrive.

“We have people who know how to do it and they're good at it,” Hamerly said. “They might need me as a cheerleader, but I've contributed the best of what I can and they're ready to move forward, which is great.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

CSUSM’s College of Business Administration was accredited last month by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Founded in 1916, the AACSB is the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools, and the largest business education network connecting learners, educators and businesses worldwide. The AACSB maintains strict standards for its nearly 900 leading business school members, focusing on mission and strategic management; support for students, faculty and staff; learning and teaching; and academic and professional engagement of students and faculty.  

"This AACSB accreditation will put the college on the map and open doors to collaborating with international partners across the globe and an exchange of students and faculty,” said Mohammad Oskoorouchi, associate dean of the College of Business Administration. “It is a very strong endorsement of all the things our faculty and staff do for our students. We were commended for our teamwork and collegiality across the college, engagement with the community, and our passion for helping students. 

“I would like to recognize the college’s AACSB team, whose dedication and hard work in the past five years made this possible.” 

Synonymous with the highest standards of quality, AACSB accreditation inspires new ways of thinking within business education globally. As a result, less than 6 percent of the world's schools offering business degree programs hold AACSB business accreditation. Through the ratification last month, a total of 890 institutions across 58 countries and territories have earned AACSB accreditation in business.  

“AACSB accreditation recognizes institutions that have demonstrated a focus on excellence in all areas, including teaching, research, curriculum development and student learning,” said Stephanie M. Bryant, executive vice president and chief accreditation officer of AACSB. “We congratulate California State University San Marcos, Dean Jim Hamerly, and Associate Dean Mohammad Oskoorouchi on earning accreditation and applaud the entire College of Business Administration team —including the administration, faculty, staff and students — for their roles in earning this respected honor.”  

  AACSB accreditation ensures continuous improvement and provides focus for schools to deliver on their mission, innovate, and drive impact. AACSB-accredited schools have successfully undergone a rigorous review process conducted by their peers in the business education community, ensuring that they have the resources, credentials and commitment needed to provide students with a first-rate, future-focused business education.  

“California State University San Marcos’ commitment to earning accreditation is a true reflection of their dedication — not only to their students, alumni network and greater business community, but to the higher education industry as a whole,” Bryant said. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s business leaders, and the addition of the College of Business Administration to the network of AACSB-accredited business schools will have a lasting positive impact for their institution, both locally and globally.” 

A few days later, she knew it wasn’t the weather.

“It just hit me like a ton of bricks,” Castillo said.

Confirmation came on Dec. 8 when Castillo and her husband, Andrew Hathaway, both tested positive for COVID.

The test result began a harrowing two-month stretch in which Castillo was admitted to the hospital, intubated, underwent a tracheostomy and was left speculating about whether she would leave the hospital alive.

“I would have dreams all the time about dying and what would happen,” she said. “Just that fear of what's going to happen. You don't know what's happening and you literally can't do anything about it. You're just kind of surrendered to the whole thing.”

While many think of the elderly or immunocompromised when it comes to COVID hospitalizations and deaths, Castillo was healthy and just 26 years old, only three years removed from receiving her bachelor’s in business administration with an emphasis in operations and global supply chain management from Cal State San Marcos.

Less than a week after receiving her test result, Castillo was admitted to Palomar Medical Center Escondido on Dec. 14. She had been struggling with shortness of breath, but it wasn’t until she checked her oxygen saturation that she knew it was time to go to the hospital.

At her physician’s recommendation, Castillo had purchased a pulse oximeter to keep tabs on her oxygen saturation after her COVID diagnosis. A normal reading is in the 95-100% range, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends beginning oxygen therapy on any COVID patient with an oxygen saturation level below 90%. Castillo was at 85%.

“I couldn't even walk from our apartment to the car,” she said. “I had to stop and take breaks.”

Castillo recorded a 106-degree fever at the emergency room, and hospital staff said there was no question she needed to be admitted.

After two weeks in regular care, Castillo’s symptoms worsened. Her heart rate was up and she was struggling to catch her breath. She was given medicine in an effort to control her heart rate and was put on high-flow oxygen and then a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to assist with her breathing.

“Nothing was helping,” Castillo said. “They took me to ICU with the CPAP machine and, literally by the time they took me from one room to another, I heard the nurse say, ‘This isn't working. We need to intubate her.’ ”

Castillo remembers a nurse telling her that an anesthesiologist would be there shortly to perform the intubation, which involves inserting a tube in a patient’s throat to help them breathe. She doesn’t remember anything else about the intubation until she unexpectedly woke up shortly after the procedure, startling the person who was monitoring her. Doctors tried putting her in a medically induced coma, but Castillo continued to wake up and suffered hallucinations throughout her time in the ICU.

And it was a long stretch in the ICU – 24 days before she was deemed healthy enough to return to a regular room. She had no idea the calendar changed from 2020 to 2021, that there had been an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 or even that Joe Biden had been inaugurated as the 46^th president.

Doctors anticipated moving Castillo to a long-term care facility about a week after she returned to a regular hospital room. But she was able to show that she could move well enough with the help of a walker that doctors agreed to let her return home on Jan. 29 – 46 days after she was first admitted. Palomar Health officials posted an emotional video on Instagram showing hospital staff applauding as Castillo was reunited with her mom.

The hospital discharge came just in time for Castillo to celebrate her 27^th birthday at home with her husband and mother.

“We Zoomed with family because my mom was like, ‘Nobody is coming near you,’ ” Castillo said.

Castillo no longer needs the walker that was essential in the early days of her return home, but the effects of COVID are still readily apparent. She continues to require an oxygen tank and she said it could be months before doctors know if she has suffered long-term damage to any organs.

The near-death experience has made Castillo appreciate the little things more – “I realize that $5 cup of coffee that you're trying to skip to save your money, sometimes it's worth it,” she says – and she and Hathaway are planning to stop debating about traveling and do it once it’s deemed safe.

“There's a big shift in what we want to do with our lives and how to move forward from here,” said Castillo, who works as a project manager at a logistics company in Carlsbad.

Castillo is grateful for the health care professionals who got her through the ordeal. She knows how important it was for her to be able to FaceTime with family while she was in the hospital, and she and Hathaway are planning to donate iPads to Palomar Health so other patients have the same opportunity.

“In the beginning of the pandemic, everybody talked about the work of the health care people,” Castillo said. “But we still have to realize what they've done and what they’re continuing to do to make sure everybody is OK. All these people have worked very hard so people like me can come out on the good end.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

“L.A. is a very competitive marketplace, so it’s definitely tough,” Luna said. “But the thing I keep telling myself is that if I can continue to rise to the competition in this market, then I can conquer anything else that’s out there in the sports landscape.”

As senior coordinator of partner services for Fox Sports College Properties, Luna helps build multimedia brand partnerships that benefit both the sponsoring organizations and University of Southern California athletics programs, which also includes the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home to the USC Trojans since 1923. The proceeds generated by sponsorships support athletics scholarships, equipment, facilities and more.

Luna’s early days on the job coincided with the 2019 grand-opening celebration of the $315 million renovation to the Coliseum and its new naming partner: United Airlines. The naming rights partnership was developed through the Fox Sports division Luna is now a part of.

“It was a unique experience to see the back end of that deal and to be there for opening day,” Luna said. “I work with United Airlines on a consistent basis to implement their sponsorship. I know firsthand the importance of that relationship. It makes for fascinating day-to-day work.”

The business of sports

Luna enrolled at CSUSM after completing an AAS in business administration at Palomar College. With a strong background in athletics, including experience as a football athlete and a volunteer youth coach, he was searching for a future career combining business with sports.

Luna found a guiding light in Bill Bear, a San Diego executive and member of the College of Business Administration’s Executive in Residence program, which partners students with local business leaders/mentors through the Business Professional Development program. With extensive experience in developing high-level corporate and professional sports partnerships, Bear introduced Luna to the field of sports marketing and sales.

At the same time, Luna made a move that he called “a lifesaver.” He learned that CSUSM has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) program at its Temecula campus near his home, which would eliminate his commute. By his second CSUSM semester, Luna was set up in Temecula. With guaranteed classes on Tuesdays and Fridays, he was able to continue working full time as manager of a local sporting goods and collectibles store and progress through his degree without any scheduling complications.

“I was able to put my schoolwork and my outside work into two different worlds so I could focus on each, one at a time, knowing that I was working toward a much larger goal,” he said. “It was a lot less stressful.”

Building a base

That simplified schedule also gave Luna the time he needed for an internship in marketing and sales with Fox Sports at San Diego State University, which in turn helped him secure his current position with Fox Sports at USC in Los Angeles.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily altered some aspects of athletics at USC — including an abbreviated 2020 football schedule and no fans in attendance — Luna and his colleagues are as busy as ever. He continues to gain experience not only in attracting and fostering sponsorships but also in managing customer relationships, coordinating communication with the USC athletics department and working with the corporate partnerships team to ensure that everything is in place on game day for any of the 20-plus USC teams.

It’s experience that will carry far into his career, he said.

“Starting my career path in San Diego and L.A., two of the largest cities in the country, has definitely shaped my mentality and my grit factor,” Luna said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity and I make sure that I’m always doing my best so that at the end of the day, I can sleep at night knowing I gave it my all.”

For more information on the BS in Business Administration at CSUSM Temecula Campus, visit csusm.edu/el/bsba.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Though Pham wasn’t able to benefit from the program, she is delighted to be helping other students successfully complete it.

Pham is among the many business professionals who volunteer each year to conduct mock interviews with CSUSM’s BPD students.

“Empowering tomorrow's leaders is something I'm passionate about,” said Pham, a project manager at Leaderology, which provides customized executive coaching and leadership development.

The BPD program is taught by a College of Business Administration Executive in Residence, who provides students a real-world connection on their road from college to career. The course covers numerous topics, including writing résumés and cover letters, networking, social media and personal branding, and, of course, interviewing for a job.

BPD volunteers typically conduct hour-long interviews with eight students. Interviewers are provided a list of common questions as a guide and close the session by offering feedback on ways the student can improve.

“It really helps on networking with other people,” said Ignacio DiazRomero, a third-year student who was paired with Pham for his mock interview. “It helps you lose fear talking to strangers and also opens up doors to create opportunities. It's a great class to take, not only for a grade but for gaining experience and your future.”

Jean Freeman, AVP of Human Resources for LPL Financial, has conducted countless interviews over the years.

“One question I always ask people, and I've been asking this question for 20 years, is, ‘Tell me about a time you made a mistake,’ ” Freeman said. “And the whole point of this question is, I want to know if, one, you can accept accountability and, two, you understand that mistakes happen and it’s OK. But the most important thing is that you learned something from it and that you grew from it.”

It was that type of question that caused Amelia Kennedy to pause when she had her mock interview with Freeman last month. Kennedy, who will graduate in 2022, had just finished telling Freeman about a group presentation that had been a positive experience. Freeman followed up by asking Kennedy to tell her about a bad experience.

“It kind of threw me for a loop for a second,” Kennedy said. “I had to just take a breath and think about it.”

Kennedy ended up telling Freeman about a bad experience from a job she had in high school. Despite the curveball, Kennedy said the experience interviewing with Freeman was invaluable.

“She gave me some really good feedback at the end,” Kennedy said.

David Conner, an associate analyst for LPL Financial, has participated as a mock interviewer for the past three years. Normally, Conner visits campus for a marathon one-day session of eight consecutive interviews. Though he had to conduct this year’s interviews via Zoom because of the pandemic, it also afforded Conner the opportunity to share valuable tips about participating in virtual interviews. While Conner said the students he interviewed all dressed appropriately, he was able to remind them about the importance of being aware of their backgrounds, whether it was turning off a ceiling fan or ensuring that distracting items weren’t visible.

“You have some people that you can tell care a little more and might be a little more on the ball,” Conner said, “but everybody did pretty well.”

One area in which all interviewers seem to agree is that students need to be diligent about following up after an interview.

Freeman had one student who didn’t interview as strongly as others, but he separated himself by sending her a thank you note that highlighted something they had discussed during the interview.

“I remembered him and saw that he was really paying attention,” she said. “I would bring him back for a second interview in a real-world situation.”

For Pham, the mock interview is an important opportunity for students to get a feel for what they’ll face once they begin their job search.

“I tell them all the time, this is the one place where you can mess up and it's not disastrous,” she said. “You can pause and you can restart and we'll go from there. It just takes practice. Interviewing is a skill.”

The Business Professional Development program would not be possible without the financial support of student success from corporate partners LPL Financial, Wells Fargo, DDH Enterprise and Nordson Corporation Foundation.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

White, then a Cal State San Marcos freshman, was surprised by the number of high school students and their parents peppering her with questions about college.

“I realized I could be a representative of my community and Cal State San Marcos,” said White, who is majoring in business administration with an emphasis in global supply chain management.

White enrolled at CSUSM as part of the Partners Advancing College Education Promise, an agreement between San Marcos Unified School District and CSUSM that provides guaranteed admission for all students who meet entrance requirements. As part of the PACE Promise scholarship she received, White agreed to volunteer at the College Expo and Future Fair.

It proved to be a prescient decision.

White’s efforts attracted the attention of The San Marcos Promise (TSMP). The group approached White last summer about joining its Promise Ambassador Program, which recruits SMUSD alumni who have graduated within the past three years and are enrolled in any post-high school education program. Ambassadors have an opportunity to gain workplace skills and expand their professional network while helping K-12 students prepare for life after high school.

“We met Abby when she was a freshman at CSUSM and were impressed with her communication skills, maturity and overall verve for life,” said Lisa Stout, executive director of TSMP. “She definitely stood out and was top of mind when we were recruiting for ambassadors for this year.”

While the PACE Promise remains the name of the scholarship program, TSMP was established in 2014 to help K-12 students learn about career opportunities and put them on the path to achieving their goals after high school.

“The San Marcos Promise offers a lot of education beyond the normal education you learn in school,” White said. “They talk about having an elevator pitch ready, how to write your résumé, all the way down to a good handshake, and more. They’re a really good resource for information in the real world and when it comes to jobs and a successful future.”

White’s ambassador responsibilities include working on TSMP’s Learning Enrichment to Achieve Promise program, or LEAP, which helps students explore interests while developing skills related to problem-solving, communication and digital fluency through a variety of courses.

Despite having to host courses virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic, White said children and parents have reported positive experiences.

“First and foremost, Abby is passionate about our mission, and it speaks volumes when a student can articulate the importance of what our foundation does to help prepare students for their futures,” Stout said. “Abby is energetic, organized, detailed and full of great ideas. We couldn't be happier to have Abby on our team.”

White first began thinking about her own path for life after K-12 during a fifth-grade field trip to CSUSM. Though two of her brothers graduated from CSUSM (in 2002 and 2010), she had never visited campus before that trip. The encouragement she received to pursue higher education was something she remembered years later as a student at San Marcos High as she was exploring college opportunities.

“Toward the end of high school, I thought that was my best option,” said White, who has a third brother who will graduate from CSUSM next spring. “It was close to me, and financially it made sense.”

Halfway through her second year at CSUSM, White is still exploring career options once she graduates. But her experience as a TSMP ambassador has been so rewarding that she is looking forward to participating again next year.

“We are a proactive organization, and we go beyond education into real-world aspects,” White said. “We really focus on helping kids have successful futures beyond high school.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Only Brodowsky wasn’t speaking from San Marcos. He was admiring the sights and sounds of Chicago, where he resides on a part-time basis.

It’s fitting that Brodowsky splits his time between CSUSM – a bastion of multicultural faces, teachings and values – and Chicago, which, in his words, has the feel of a large European city. His new book, “Handbook on Cross-Cultural Marketing,” takes a deep dive at cross-cultural marketing research in a constantly changing global environment.

“My classrooms in San Marcos are looking a lot more like my classrooms in Taiwan and Denmark,” said Brodowsky, who received the first volume of the book in the mail on the morning he discussed its process, merits and future plans. “We’re seeing a lot of international students and students from different ethnic groups and genders all mixed in together. I find with my students in any classroom in the world: you just plop me down there and they seem very similar in their diversity.”

The book is designed to be used by marketing researchers, graduate students and corporations. It addresses challenges of cross-cultural research and identifies successful approaches and applied examples of what works in the evolving field. While it’s a historical overview of all the models that have been used, it also outlines directions for future research.

The book is a compilation of chapters written by 30 contributors who span the gamut of cross-cultural marketing. The chapters were compiled, edited and organized by Brodowsky and Schuster. It’s published by U.K.’s Edward Elgar Publishing, which solicited Brodowsky as it wanted an experienced voice on a timely topic.

Brodowsky has been a global market researcher ever since he was in graduate school. His dissertation was on international marketing research. While he has been teaching at CSUSM for more than two decades, he has also been teaching around the world for the past 13 years in places such as Taiwan, Ecuador and Denmark.

“It seemed like the right time,” Brodowsky said of writing his first book. “I’m in my 25^th year of teaching. It’s time to start summing things up and putting it together. I don’t think editing a volume is something one does in your early years but rather in your later years to say, ‘I have a different perspective, a broader perspective, a different view of things than in my early years.’ It’s a great opportunity.”

Brodowsky and Schuster have worked on a number of projects together, usually with Dr. Beverlee Anderson, also a professor emerita from the CSUSM marketing department.

Schuster points to their respective high standards and openness to each other’s ideas as their secret formula for a successful collaboration while Brodowsky is quick to admit they were able to get some of the biggest leading researchers in the world to contribute because Schuster knew them personally.

Schuster feels their focus on this project is important because there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in marketing across various cultures in an increasingly global world.

“How people operationalize their value differs from one cultural group to another,” said Schuster, who was actually recruited to CSUSM by Brodowsky. “Identifying the differences, understanding them and working through how to accomplish goals together is essential to be able to live together. Globalization may increase or decrease in approval, prominence or operationalization. However, it has never and will never go away. Learning to make it work is essential for survival. This handbook is a major contributor to the conversation as we move toward the future.”

The book originally contained a portion on underserved markets like the African-American, Latino and LGBTQ markets. But it became such a big topic, Brodowsky decided to make it a major focus of his follow-up volume to “Handbook,” which is already in the works.

He just signed a contract to edit a second book that will focus on intra-cultural marketing. It will look at the aforementioned markets as well as social classes, religious groups, etc., and marketing to them. Instead of having leaders in the field who have been doing research for 35 years like in the current book, he’s looking at including younger authors who are doing emerging areas of research.

The follow-up volume will include a familiar face as Brodowsky has brought on Rebeca Perren, an associate professor of marketing at CSUSM and the interim department chair, as a third editor.

The trio has recruited about a dozen young authors to contribute, and the book is scheduled to be released in October or November of 2022.

“I love that we are looking to recruit young scholars to be the main contributors to this handbook,” Perren said. “I think it is particularly essential for this subject matter because we want to spotlight ideas at the vanguard of current issues. It is timely and relevant to examine the various cultural groups of consumers in society that have often been overlooked in marketing literature. We aim to create a resource for scholars seeking to investigate emerging questions at the crossroads of consumption and race, gender and sexual identity, religion, social class, etc. This literature can help marketers understand, respect, and serve these growing, attractive subcultural market segments.”

Growing up in Brooklyn, Brodowsky had a grandmother who talked about having lived in China in the 1920s with her mother. He found her stories fascinating, and it sparked in him an interest in traveling and connecting with people of all cultures.

When he went to college in the 1980s, “everyone was studying Japanese.” He sat in on a Japanese class and a Chinese class, preferring the latter. Some 40 years later, it has been a lifetime adventure.

“You don’t have to go across the border to enter into a global marketplace,” said Brodowsky, who helped design the curriculum and policies for the College of Business Administration when he arrived on campus 25 years ago. “Everything we buy, everything we eat, everything we see is either sourced globally or financed globally. If you want to meet people from different cultures, you don’t have to go out of the country. You just have to go to downtown L.A. or downtown New York or downtown Chicago and you’ll find that countries are not the unit of measurement anymore because people have traveled so much. You have cultures living side-by-side.

“Understanding what motivates customers in those cultures gives you a chance to enjoy what they have to offer and learn from them, but also you understand what they value and how they think and what they want to buy so you can ethically sell to them and trade with them. I think the more you trade with and do business with people who differ from you, the more opportunities you have to learn from them and learn that they’re people just like you.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

It’s taught by Executives in Residence, a group of experienced business professionals, most of whom have started and run companies.

BPD aims to identify students' professional strengths, clarify their career goals, build their confidence for job interviews and provide strategies to secure internships and jobs before graduation.

But those goals took a turn last spring when the world halted following the onset of COVID-19.

Instead of lamenting the inevitable changes in BPD, CoBA Dean Jim Hamerly and his team looked at the needs of the local business community and reimagined a new approach known as the CSUSM Business Response, Recovery and Resource Program.

With the new goal of finding ways to help local businesses impacted by the pandemic, this initiative assesses a company’s positioning and planning for the current economy and beyond. The recommendations provided by faculty members are then offered with the assistance of student teams going forward.

“It’s one thing to work in a course and have a project that’s due,” said Hamerly, who in addition to his academic experience has served senior executive positions at major corporations such as Xerox, Netscape and AOL Time Warner. “It’s quite something else when you have an external business owner who’s saying, ‘I’m depending on the results of what you’re doing.’ It puts a level of accountability on the student’s shoulders that makes them, first of all, far more engaged and far more committed. But then there’s a sense of pride when they’re done so it works for the community and equally works for the students.”

Since there were no students on campus toward the end of the spring semester, this program originally began without them. Hamerly and his team were concerned about what was happening as a result of COVID-19 in terms of impact on local businesses. But without students, what could the team do?

Executive in Residence Scott Corriveau came up with the idea originally. The team then met and brainstormed, asking one key question: How can we help these people?

The program launched in the summer.

“CSUSM school of business is very blessed to have the overall number and quality of senior executives who want to give back and help the students and the local business community,” said Corriveau, a global senior executive and CEO who is known for building profitable businesses and companies across a wide range of sectors. “While the main focus has been on preparing and assisting the business school students, it was equally a logical extension to reach out the local business community to further leverage this expertise, especially during the current pandemic and its impacts on small businesses.”

CoBA normally performs 100-150 projects for businesses every year. With what Hamerly estimates as roughly 2,000 connections in the community, the college has relationships with most of the chambers of commerce and all the Economic Development Councils, particularly the North County EDC.

So Hamerly and team began the largely volunteer project by reaching out to the Carlsbad and Encinitas chambers. They quickly responded and agreed to co-host it. The one-hour first segment was well-attended.

The team distributed a survey asking where the greatest need was in order to survive the sudden and drastic market change. Pillar managers were then assigned to each business that requested assistance. The pillar managers met with the business owner, then reported back to the team with three areas of focus: where the need exists, where the help is and the recommended course of action.

Each of the pillar managers wrote a one-page summary detailing the recommendations for each interested business. The team met once or twice a week in addition to meeting with the chamber members who requested to help. The process was quick and efficient. Adjustments were made on the fly.

“We learned as we went, obviously,” said Hamerly, who holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon, the University of California at Berkeley and MIT. “We didn’t have it all perfectly right the first time. I know the second time we did a chamber meeting we used a tool at the front end of the meeting that asked, ‘What are the problems you’re having?’ We gave them a whole series of categories and then we re-targeted what we said and focused on the fillers that resonated with the audience that had the areas of greatest need.”

Although the team expected to see businesses in the 5-20 range in terms of number of employees, most of the businesses they helped had fewer than five employees. Just like their large counterparts during the great unknown, the small local companies were struggling.

“Many local business climate surveys indicate that a great number of small businesses will not survive the current pandemic’s limitation on their business model,” Corriveau said. “These business failures will have a cascading impact on our local economies and we at CSUSM want to help as much as possible to ensure we slow this trend down.”

While the team planned on just helping during the opening stages of the pandemic, the focus turned to long-range goals.

The Senior Experience program within CoBA has long been one of the most popular business initiatives in the CSU system. A core part of the business major, students work as consultants on rigorous projects that require teamwork and application of classroom knowledge through 750 real-world hours. Each student team works under the supervision of a faculty member, and often local businesses hire students straight from the program.

So the team decided to do something similar to continue the outreach for this program, offering the chance to work with student-led teams in the fall to continue with the recommendations. So far, several local businesses have CSUSM student-led teams working with them through the constant struggles of running a company during a pandemic.

“Some of the companies liked the recommendations so much but didn’t know what to do next, so some of them have signed up for teams in the fall,” Hamerly said. “It was not our intent to find companies that needed help from students, but it turns out our recommendations when you look at them were best implemented when you assign a student team to that company to help them through the detail.”

CoBA puts more than 500 students into businesses every year. Normally the student team will negotiate with a business owner the consulting agreement, the specific deliverables and the timeframe. Everyone then signs the document, and the team is off and running, sometimes with the company’s help, sometimes independently.

The Business Response, Recovery, and Resource Program has been no different. As is the case across many departments on campus, CSUSM identifies problems and works tirelessly to execute solutions for the greater good.

“They might be seeking new markets for the business to try to attract, or new customers,” Hamerly said. “Whatever it might happen to be. It could be social media prospects, it could be improving their website. Everything you can possibly imagine we have done with student teams. And we consider that an essential part of our contribution to the community. But equally important, it’s a very valuable learning experience for our students.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Byun explained that usually nothing happens once a semester ends. Most students move on to the next project or graduation. To further develop a Senior Experience project would often require navigating a seemingly insurmountable wall of bureaucracy.

“Sometimes with students, if you tell them to do something and they don't know they can't do it, they find a way,” Byun said.

Tumolva and another member of her Senior Experience team, Chace Bower, teamed up with recent CSUSM graduate James Bennett and found a way. The result was the founding of Scylla Microgrid, a company focused on the development and operation of commercially attractive, renewable energy-based microgrids.

“Going in with basically no prior knowledge or experience of microgrids didn't really matter,” Tumolva said. “Because when you're passionate and you are diligent, you can discover a lot along the way.”

Bower and Tumolva were part of a five-person Senior Experience team in fall 2019 that was advised by Byun and tasked by the College of Business Administration with creating a campus solar microgrid assessment. The team analyzed a host of aspects, including campus energy demand, electricity billing, procurement procedures, potential vendors and energy regulations.

Although Bennett had graduated the prior semester, he knew Bower and Tumolva from an international finance course they took together that was taught by Byun. Bennett and Bower pursued some additional opportunities with Byun when the course ended and latched onto the idea of a Senior Experience project centered on renewable energy. Though Bennett was graduating, he knew that Tumolva was passionate about sustainability and suggested that Bower reach out to develop a team advised by Byun. Bennett also agreed to serve in a mentor role for the team.

The group went in with little knowledge of microgrids, which are local energy grids that can operate autonomously from a traditional grid.

“We all started with no experience and had to rapidly become very familiar with all the industry terms and specifications for doing projects like this,” Bower said.

As they gained more knowledge, they became more invested in the project. And, to Byun’s delight, they figured out on their own the necessary steps to build the project into a company. Once they did, Byun agreed to help with the early-stage development.

The company name, Scylla, comes from the sea monster in Homer’s “Odyssey.” Bennett noted that Scylla represents one part of a seemingly impossible choice that Odysseus must make, prevailing where many before him failed.

“We see ourselves as similar to Odysseus,” Bennett said. “We hope that our bold perspective and steadfast ambition will allow us to guide CSUSM, and the other universities that need our help, to better and more cost-effective energy distribution.”

Bennett serves as Scylla’s chief executive officer, Bower is chief financial officer and Tumolva is chief operations officer. Tumolva also works full time as an associate banker at Chase Bank while Bennett, who recently left a position at U.S. Bank, and Bower work exclusively with Scylla.

Among the company’s first projects, at the suggestion of CoBA Dean Jim Hamerly, is creating a microgrid on campus for Markstein Hall. The project is still winding its way through the campus and CSU approval process, but Scylla is already generating interest internationally. Bower and Byun even co-authored a commentary recently in the San Diego Union-Tribune about how microgrids offer a faster, cheaper solution to electricity needs.

“The big surprise coming out of this was that not only is there demand or an opportunity from other universities within the Southern California region, but internationally universities are trying to go green, especially in more underserved markets,” Bennett said.

Though Bennett, Bower and Tumolva are all recent graduates, they are already trying to give back to the university. Thanks to a generous gift from philanthropists Malin and Roberta Burnham through the Burnham Foundation, Scylla received a Burnham Leadership Experience project grant last spring to fund a Senior Experience team. They have enlisted three more Senior Experience teams this fall, one to examine each stage of the company’s three-part strategy:

• Development, buildout and operation of a microgrid at CSUSM;
• Expanding the Scylla model within the CSU system and other regional isolated demand centers; and
• Expanding base projects in places like Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan.

“We want to see the Cal State San Marcos project come to fruition,” Bennett said. “It has a special place in my heart and it's kind of my way of giving back to the university that saw fit to educate me and get me a degree.

“The other thing we find value in, especially in the Cal State San Marcos project, is the student engagement. We're continuing to solicit Senior Experience teams not only to assist us in furthering our project, but because we want to provide them with the type of Senior Experience that we had so that we can give them professional experience, get their name out there and say that they've done something before they get their degree.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

It was 2017, and Keifer-Wheals was driving to the annual Cougar Night at Petco Park. His passenger was Michelle Romans, Cal State San Marcos' director of alumni engagement, who had become increasingly impressed by Keifer-Wheals’ relentless enthusiasm for trying to keep graduates connected to the university. 

“Why do you love CSUSM so much? Why do you do this?” Romans asked Keifer-Wheals while en route to the home of the San Diego Padres.  

Keifer-Wheals thought for a moment, then replied: “I don’t know. Why do I do this?” 

So, over the next few months, he pondered a question that he had never really bothered asking himself. He thought about visiting the CSUSM campus area as a child with his grandparents who lived nearby, back when it wasn’t a thriving university but a chicken farm that sold eggs. He thought about being the first person in his family to attend college. He thought about his identity as a gay man and how CSUSM has long been a home to traditionally underserved populations – not only LGBTQ students but veterans, former foster youth and many others.  

The next time Romans asked him the question, Keifer-Wheals was ready with an answer, the essence of which he summed up during an interview last month. 

“If the university were to disappear tomorrow, if it went bankrupt and the chancellor pulled the plug on CSUSM, our community would be worse for it,” he said. “It does something for not only North County, but all of San Diego. To me, it became apparent that I want to do good for our community.” 

These days, Keifer-Wheals is doing a lot of good in a lot of different ways. After serving two terms as president of the CSUSM Alumni Association, for which he helped reinvigorate engagement, he was named in early 2018 as one of the youngest directors of the CSUSM Foundation Board (he's now 34). In that role, he has contributed to the runaway growth of the university’s annual Giving Day by funding various challenges, and he has supported multiple campus initiatives, including the LGBTQA Pride Center and the whispering bench that was dedicated to former President Karen Haynes and her husband, Jim Mickelson. 

Keifer-Wheals also is the CSUSM alumni liaison to the CSU Alumni Council, the representative voice of the CSU's 3.8 million alumni.

“Nathaniel is an alumni leader,” said Jack Raymond, the Escondido businessman and philanthropist who served three terms as an elected director of the Foundation Board and was recently named the board’s inaugural emeritus director. “He can talk convincingly about the importance of university financial support at any level. He sets an example. All of it encourages and sustains a culture of philanthropy at Cal State San Marcos. Alumni are a critical component.”    

Earlier in his life, Keifer-Wheals would have seemed like an improbable candidate to champion the virtues of CSUSM to fellow alumni or donors. Raised mostly in Escondido, he was home-schooled in high school, during which he decided he wanted to blaze the family trail into college. But earning a business degree – his parents owned an electrical contracting company – was more important to him than experiencing campus life.

After fulfilling all of the pre-business requirements at Palomar College, Keifer-Wheals transferred to CSUSM in 2007. During his two years at the university, he worked full-time and was otherwise laser-focused on the finish line – he consistently took more than a full load of classes and tacked on summer and winter courses as well. He graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s in management information systems.

“I wanted to be done in exactly four years. And I was done in four years, but man, it was hard,” Keifer-Wheals said. “I was not a really involved student, either. I didn’t live on campus because my family lived really close by. One reason why I’m a super-involved alumnus is because I’m making up for my lack of involvement as a student. In my head, that’s the way it works.”

Keifer-Wheals started compensating for lost time soon after graduating, though his path to young alumni leader wasn’t without some life-altering detours. In 2010, he helped found the Alumni Association chapter for the College of Business Administration. Sandwiching that feat, though, were a three-week vacation to Australia, where he met the English man who would become his husband, and a three-year period in which he lived in England with his future husband, Dean.

While in England, Keifer-Wheals planned to stay connected to the alumni chapter, but it proved too difficult in the era before Zoom or even FaceTime was ubiquitous. He was able to work remotely for a publishing company, at least until he was laid off early in 2014, at which point he was recruited for a contract job as a systems analyst for Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity that manages some of the United Kingdom’s unoccupied royal palaces.

A job, in other words, working for the Queen of England.

“I had an office above the crown jewels in the Tower of London, which for me, for most Americans, is the coolest thing ever,” he said.

Keifer-Wheals and his husband moved back to San Diego County after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the groundbreaking case that made same-sex marriage a legal right, and Keifer-Wheals immediately reconnected with the CSUSM alumni team. He revived the CoBA chapter that had stagnated in his absence, and in 2016 he was asked to join the alumni board in the role of events chair.

It was the perfect position for a self-described “idea machine” who kept the Alumni Association staff busy with his constant suggestions of ways to engage graduates after they leave the university. One of his most fruitful ones, Romans said, was a reimagining of Cougar Night, an event that has been held for more than 15 years and switched locations multiple times, from the Western Metal Supply Co. building inside Petco Park to a pregame tailgate in a parking lot outside the ballpark.

“Nathaniel isn’t much of a sports fan, so he thought it would be fun to change it up a bit and have the pregame event at a local brewery because that is something he would actually attend,” Romans said with a laugh. “We made the change, had the pregame at the Stone Brewing Tap Room right outside the gates of Petco Park, and it ended up being a huge success.”

Keifer-Wheals went on to serve for two years as board president of the Alumni Association, ending last summer.

“What sticks out the most to me is how sincere Nathaniel is about wanting to do great things for fellow alums, CSUSM, our students and this region,” Romans said. “He attributes much of his success to the education he got at CSUSM, so the passion you see in him is honest, and it shows in the ways he has given back as a volunteer and a donor.”

As Keifer-Wheals became more established in his career – last month he began a new job as director of client strategy for Optum, a Minnesota-based company that’s part of UnitedHealth Group, one of the world’s largest health-care corporations – he broadened his focus from alumni relations to philanthropy. Now in his third year on the CSUSM Foundation Board, he has taken a particular interest in Giving Day each November. Inspired by the example of major university donors Steve and Laura Wagner, Keifer-Wheals has thrilled to the notion of “gamifying” Giving Day by funding challenges that drive alumni and others to compete to win money for their favorite causes.

Also inspired by Raymond’s philanthropic leadership, Keifer-Wheals downplays the suggestion that he, in turn, is inspiring the next generation of CSUSM donors.

“Although I’m happy to play an inspirational role if it actually works,” Keifer-Wheals added. “When I was interviewing for the Foundation Board, Jack said, ‘We need alumni who help foster that culture of philanthropy, and I think you’re one of those alumni.’ That was neat to hear.”

This is a time of transition for Keifer-Wheals. In addition to his new position at Optum, he’s two months into the Fully Employed MBA program at CSUSM, which he’s due to complete in December 2021. He hopes to use the master’s degree to teach business someday, perhaps even at his alma mater.

Keifer-Wheals’ long-term philanthropic goals are no less grand. Perhaps the most eye-catching is that he wants to donate enough to have CSUSM’s business college named in his honor. Not a bad legacy for someone who, after some soul-searching, knows precisely why the university means so much to him.

“One person can’t make a big difference, generally speaking, but a bunch of ones put together can do something together,” he said. “That’s what I see CSUSM as – it’s my ability to give back to my community. I love North County – I don’t ever want to leave again – and the university is at the heart of it. Equal opportunity to education is what CSUSM represents, and that’s something to be protected and fostered.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

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

Lauren Tafla, applied physics

President's Outstanding Graduate

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

Tafla has demonstrated excellence academically and through her research experiences, including her selection as a Summer Scholar in 2018. An enthusiastic learner with an impeccable work ethic, Tafla quickly mastered the experiments in CSUSM’s Astrophysics and Isotope Geochemistry Lab.

Tafla also has impressed with her leadership skills and deep commitment to sustainability, diversity and inclusion. As a member and president of the campus’ Sustainability Club, Tafla represented student interests on the smoke- and tobacco-free campus task force. She wrote letters to congressional representatives about needed environmental policy changes related to climate change and organized a “sustainable speaker series” to host documentary screenings and speakers.

Among her many accomplishments, Tafla has served as president of the Society of Physics Students, worked as a program facilitator for the San Diego-based nonprofit Treobytes and helped start a Women in Physics group at CSUSM.

Read more about Tafla here.

Margaret Morumbasi, special education credential

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

In a competitive field of CEHHS candidates that included undergraduate, credential, graduate and doctoral students, Morumbasi stood out for her combination of academic excellence, service and leadership.

Drawing on her personal experiences in Kenya, Morumbasi has participated in numerous regional and national initiatives in support of individuals with disabilities in her country. Her work has contributed to the national discourse on disability awareness in Kenya.

Morumbasi is working full-time as a special educator while simultaneously completing her credential coursework at CSUSM. She has maintained a 3.9 grade-point average and has been invaluable in sharing her knowledge gleaned through her international research on disability awareness.

Nasdira Romero Saravia, child and adolescent development

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

An active researcher and community activist, Romero Saravia overcame numerous challenges to earn her bachelor’s last December. Romero Saravia persisted despite contending with challenges that included domestic violence, homelessness and being the single parent of a child with special needs. She made the dean’s list every semester at CSUSM and obtained a coveted research position in the psychology department.

Having her own child with special needs turned her interest toward a degree in child and adolescent development, and she has performed valuable work as a research assistant in a cultural perinatal mental health study.

The first in her family to graduate from high school and pursue a college education, Romero Saravia is applying to Ph.D. programs in health policy.

Erika Venegas, marketing

Dean’s Award, College of Business Administration

Venegas has achieved an overall grade-point average of 3.75 and has made the dean’s list every semester since arriving at CSUSM in 2016.

As president of the Latino Business Student Association (LBSA), Venegas expanded the organization’s reach beyond the business discipline to bring professional development opportunities to students of all majors throughout the university. Venegas has made it a priority to reach out across campus to collaborate with the Career Center and the Latin@ Center to extend the impact of LBSA beyond CoBA.

Venegas’ achievements also include founding Lean In CSUSM, a women’s empowerment program offered by the Gender Equity Center; volunteering at CoBA’s Senior Experience Trade Show two straight years; and leading CoBA’s student organization retreat.

Jessica Atencio, kinesiology

Dean’s Award, Graduate Studies

Atencio has excelled academically (she will graduate with a 3.95 grade-point average) and in her research endeavors.

As part of her master’s program requirements, Atencio did her thesis based on her research investigating fluid balance during aquatic exercise. Atencio collected data locally and in Costa Rica on more than 300 research subjects, and she has presented her research at multiple regional and national conferences.

Atencio will continue her education this fall at the University of Oregon, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in human physiology.

Read more about Atencio here.

Ashley Persson, political science

Dean of Students Outstanding Leadership Award

Persson has made lasting contributions to student life at CSUSM through her involvement with Fraternity & Sorority Life and Residential Education.

With an unwavering commitment to excellence in leadership, Persson has held roles that include serving as Order of Omega Chi Lambda chapter president, Delta Zeta Pi Psi chapter global ambassador (former chapter president), and a senior resident adviser in Housing and Residential Education.

Persson has excelled in myriad other ways, including through officer roles with Delta Zeta, earning Order of Omega Honor and Leadership Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and dean’s list recognition for several semesters. A cancer survivor, Persson also volunteers with the National Children’s Cancer Society.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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