The public talk, titled “Knowledge of AIDS: Civic Participation and Activism,” will take place on Wednesday, March 25 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the San Diego LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre St.

The discussion is being funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that Spieldenner received in 2023. The guests are activists Cecilia Chung, a senior adviser for the Transgender Law Center; and Charles Stephens, the founder and executive director of the Counter Narrative Project; as well as researcher Tonia Poteat, a professor in the Duke University School of Nursing.

The talk is free and open to the community. It’s part of a workshop series sponsored by the NSF’s Knowledge of Aids network.

Spieldenner has been a CSUSM faculty member for almost a decade. HIV-positive since 1998, he has been an advocate for people living with AIDS and HIV for most of his life, and has established himself as a groundbreaking researcher on topics that affect the LGBTQ community.

Media Contact

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

Her degree (communication) was unrelated to health care, and Gonzalez had no intention of staying in the field. The main appeal of the job was that it was close to her home and the university.  

Beginning her journey as a program assistant in an entry-level role, Gonzalez quickly developed a fondness for the local nonprofit and its high-minded mission: providing quality health care and wellness services to underserved communities, regardless of income or insurance status. Her early connection to community health mirrored CSUSM’s commitment to accelerating social mobility through leaders who serve with purpose. 

What Gonzalez imagined to be a brief pit stop instead turned into a rewarding career, and over two decades, she climbed the rungs all the way to the top – she was appointed president and CEO in 2020, the same year that North County Health Services was reborn as TrueCare.  

With Gonzalez at the helm, TrueCare has expanded into a regional force with 21 health centers and five women, infants and children (WIC) locations, covering a footprint of more than 42 miles, from Encinitas to Ramona. Her leadership has driven key advancements, including the opening of new health centers, expansion of the mobile fleet and specialty services, implementation of an advanced electronic health record system, rebrand of the organization, and launch of a successful doula program supported by a $2 million federal grant.  

Question: This year marks the five-year anniversary of you becoming the leader of TrueCare. What does that milestone mean to you? 

Michelle Gonzalez: I think it's a reminder of how quickly time flies and how quickly things can change and evolve. It's hard to remember that we were in this worldwide pandemic. It feels like it's been a couple lifetimes. We've had a lot of growth for the organization, and I think at this five-year mark, it just underscores how resilient we are, how much people matter at the core of everything we do – whether it's providers, whether it's patients, whether it's the community, our staff. It's a culmination of the strength of the organization and everything that we've accomplished, which is a lot in the last five years. 

Q: How would you sum up the growth and changes that have occurred since 2020? 

MG: We've expanded our footprint. We've opened new sites, we've added new service lines, we've added acupuncture, we've added podiatry. We've really stabilized our workforce during a time of a lot of shortages and uncertainty. I’m proud of the fact that our provider retention rate is over 90%. We continue to hire at an accelerated pace, and I start there because everything we do, all the growth and all the accomplishments, it always starts with people. Without a solid workforce, we wouldn't be able to achieve anything.  

Our patient population has grown significantly as well. We had a slight decrease post-COVID, but we're back up to almost 70,000 patients. We've rendered more than 350,000 visits in this last year. Our workforce continues to grow. We're over 800 employees now and close to 160 providers. And then our budget has grown significantly, by almost $55 million in the last five years. We've tripled our mobile fleet. In all the areas of the business that you would expect to continue to progress, we're not only progressing, but we're thriving. 

Q: How did your appointment as CEO come about? 

MG: My predecessor went on a leave of absence in January 2020. The board asked me if I would be willing to step in on an interim basis. They were initially planning to do a national search, which I was fully supportive of. I didn't have any aspirations to be a CEO. I sometimes say I'm an accidental CEO. I was working in that interim capacity for several months, and then COVID made its presence known and we had the stay-at-home order. By April, the board had unanimously appointed me to maintain the position full term. After a lot of conversation and some prayer and reflection, I decided to pursue the position, and it's been a fantastic journey, in large part because I have such a great team around me.  

Q: What was the biggest challenge in taking over just as the pandemic was heating up? 

MG: There was so much uncertainty and fear. At one point, we had to close more than half of our clinics, probably 75-80% of our sites, we had to furlough staff. You think you can sort of ease in to becoming a CEO. There was no ease-in period. I remember talking with colleagues in the industry and saying, “How are you handling this? What are you doing?” And I realized very quickly that there's no playbook and everybody was truly figuring it out as they went along. Very early on, I made a conscious decision that I would be the type of leader who was always grounded and surrounded by strong advisers. We offer health care, but I'm not a clinician, so I made certain that we had strong clinical leadership on our team. It was about trying to understand what was unfolding in the world around us and how TrueCare plays an important part and ensuring that we were keeping our workforce intact. We’re back on track now, but it was an incredibly stressful time.  

Q: How did TrueCare pivot during that time and how does the organization look different now than it did in 2020?  

MG: Before the pandemic started, we had pieces of a telehealth or virtual health program. We realized very quickly that it would be crucial to continue to offer services to patients. For many patients, we are their lifeline, and cutting off their health care was not an option. So we were able to stand up a virtual health program in three days. It started off with telehealth visits and as soon as we were able to, we migrated to a video visit platform. We essentially worked around the clock to make sure that we didn't cut off access for patients, but it also gave employees a sense of purpose. And we've continued to build on that virtual health program while staying true to the traditional methods that you would expect to render medicine.  

We also had to pivot when it came to figuring out what our workforce was going to look like. We had to put people on furlough, but we made sure they still got a salary. We really believed that we needed to take care of our people, and a lot of funding from the federal government helped to shore us up. We laid off less than 15 individuals, and we were able to provide them with a severance so that they landed on their feet. I’m proud of that.  

Q: How would you characterize the change in you that turned TrueCare from a short-term job to more of a calling? 

MG: What I found was that people who worked here were very connected to the mission. They weren't here for the money. They were here because they cared about the people and patients that we were serving. The more I learned about the organization, the more in love I became with it and the more I realized, “My gosh, we have to make sure more individuals in the community and more community-based organizations know about what we do because there are so many people in need.”  

There was a misconception about people who were accessing care at community health centers, that they deserved less or they were just poor. I discovered that these are individuals who work very hard and who don't understand the importance of preventative care, and a lot of times don't feel like they're worthy of having access to care. What became a cornerstone of the work I did early on, and has carried on throughout my time here, is making sure everybody understands that access to health care is a right, not a privilege, and we don't care about your walk of life, where you come from or your circumstance. We want to make sure we help everyone who walks through our doors to the very best of our ability.  

Q: Tell me about your background. 

MG: I was born in Virginia, which is where my father is from. My mother is from Guam, and my parents met there while my dad was in the military. I'm half-Chamorro and half-white, and my husband is Mexican. We were childhood sweethearts who met when I was 12 and he was 14. I've had a lot of exposure to his family and culture over the years, and I think that's something that has benefited me very well. Though I'm not Mexican, I'm not Latina, I have such an appreciation for the culture and the people who we serve, which is the predominant background of our patients. 

My family traveled a lot while my dad was in the service. We moved to Vista when I was in third grade, and I've lived in North County pretty much my whole life. I'm also the youngest of seven children and the first in my family to go to college. So I'm a first-generation college graduate.  

Q: Did your parents not encourage college among your siblings? 

MG: We came from very humble beginnings, and I don't think we always understood that college was something within reach. My parents did the best they could to work and provide for us, but it was really the mindset of, you go to school and you get a good job. But my mom would say to me, “You're too smart, Michelle. You need to think about college.” I told her we couldn’t afford college, but she said we'll figure it out, we'll find a way. For most of the time that I was a student, I worked two jobs to put myself through school. I was also an AmeriCorps member, so I was able to receive a grant. But none of it came easy and none of it was without sacrifice or hard work – not just for me, but those around me who supported me. 

Q: What I'm hearing is a story of social mobility.  

MG: Oh, one thousand percent. I think that's why Cal State San Marcos and TrueCare are such great partners. We see health care as a right, not a privilege, and we think it's fundamental and foundational to everything. I think it ties in beautifully with social mobility. And there's so much good that is happening at Cal State San Marcos. There's a lot that we do together, and social mobility is a big part of that.  

Q: One of the main areas in which TrueCare and CSUSM have partnered in recent years is mobile health clinics. How did that come about? 

MG: Once I became CEO and started serving on the University Council, I learned about CSUSM’s interest in having a mobile health unit. I connected with (nursing lecturer) Matt Mincey early on and said, “You don't have to go on this journey alone. We have mobile clinics. We're right here, let's partner, let's figure out how to do this together.” What started out small has expanded into working not just with the mobile team, but also with the School of Nursing, public health, the entire College of Education, Health and Human Services. It’s a great opportunity to give exposure to students and help them understand that health care doesn't just come in a traditional hospital setting, that there's this whole other life of community health. There's a ton of overlap where our interests align nicely with what CSUSM is doing. We go to the same community events, and CSUSM students are able to do outreach, blood pressure screenings, things of that nature. Then, as they move farther along in their studies, when appropriate, they're also able to do internships at TrueCare. 

Q: How would you summarize TrueCare’s model in terms of providing health care?  

MG: One of the things I want to emphasize is that TrueCare will not refuse services to anyone regardless of their ability to pay. What we're focused on is the individual and the family who presents and what services you need, and how we can either provide those directly or connect you with somebody who offers them. At TrueCare, we provide high-quality, compassionate care. Like we always say, “Health inside, welcome in!” 

Q: That seems like such a valuable service in the community – health care you don't have to pay for. 

MG: In today's day and age, it sounds like something very novel. Does that really exist? And the reality is that it does. When you believe in your core that health care is a right and not a privilege, you fight to make that a reality. And that's what we're doing. We're growing in all possible ways and we're maximizing wherever we can, in terms of the revenue we're able to generate. We take that and we pour it right back into the organization so that we can continue to expand our footprint. We put a lot of emphasis on making sure we can get people enrolled in coverage because we know that if you have coverage, that's a reduced barrier and you're more likely to access health care. But that's not the only barrier you will have to face and figure out. We also spend a lot of time and resources and energy in cultivating a fantastic culture internally. We believe that people who are joyful at work are more likely to do a better job and will pour that energy back into our patients and community. We make it a priority to care for our workforce, to really give them opportunities to advance, to grow and level up. What we find more and more often is that our patients are a direct reflection of our staff, and our staff is a direct reflection of our patients. Pouring into one is pouring into the other, and we're proud of that because health care is daunting – not just for the patient in terms of navigating, but it's also really hard work. One of our VPs many years ago said, “Michelle, we do noble work.” And I was like, “Yeah, this is noble work.” That's exactly what we do.  

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

If you’re a watcher of “NBC 7 San Diego News Today,” you’ll see the fruits of his and his team’s labor. 

Villasenor is an executive producer at the station and has worked there for nearly 14 years. He attended Cal State San Marcos and majored in communication. He now oversees the news programs for the morning show from 5-7 a.m. and the midday show at 11 a.m. 

His job consists of proofreading scripts for the show and working with staff, including writers, producers and anchors. He also handles breaking news for both NBC 7 San Diego and Telemundo 20, which are both located in the same building in Kearny Mesa. 

On Aug. 2, he’ll celebrate his 14^th anniversary at the station. It’s a day that’s special to him. 

“I remember that date because that’s the day my son was born. He was born at 7 o’clock in the morning,” Villasenor said.

Villasenor is a fourth-generation San Diegan who chose CSUSM because it offered night classes, which allowed him to support himself during the day. At one point, he worked three jobs to put himself through school.

He also had a goal: to work for NBC 7 one day. His journey there began as a boy in the sixth grade.

“My middle school multimedia program teacher came into the class to promote the program,” Villasenor said. “Ever since then, I fell in love with it. I was the little 8-year-old nerd coming home from school watching Marianne Kushi (current morning anchor) on TV as a kid. I was a news junkie from a very young age.”

His average day consists of waking up at 2 a.m. and starting to send emails to his staff. He arrives at the station at 3 a.m., immediately has a quick meeting to discuss the news of the day and then starts working with the anchors to read scripts to get ready for the first show at 5 a.m.

He also listens and watches out for breaking news that needs to be added to the shows. Once the show goes off the air at 7 a.m. to make room for the “Today” show, he has a wrap-up meeting with staff and then repeats the process for the next show at 11 a.m.

His hard work has paid off, as he won a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Award, also known as an Emmy, in 2022. 

The path to this award wasn’t easy, but he kept his eye on the prize. 

“I was in construction for 10 years, and then I knew I wanted to be in media,” Villasenor said. “My goal was to be on air. But I had a lot of responsibility with family and siblings. I had to stay home and be the dad in a sense to my younger siblings, so I ended up staying here and applying for a cameraman job at KUSI. They said, ‘We don’t have a cameraman job, but we do have a job for writing.’ Now, writing was not my best subject and neither was grammar and spelling, so I had to fake it until I made it. I was working at KUSI while I was at Cal State San Marcos.”

He got his big break after a producer at the station got into an argument with the anchor on set on Thanksgiving and then walked out. 

“I was the only other person there, so I had to jump in the seat,” Villasenor said. “And from that day on, I’ve produced and then moved up to executive producer.”

He said he likes working at NBC for a few reasons.

“I have great coworkers. They make you want to come to work,” he said. “The majority of people I work with love what they do because you have to love what you do in this industry.”

He has this advice for anyone wanting to break into the media or any other career: 

“Don’t pass up an opportunity because every opportunity that presents itself to you, whether it’s an internship or the opportunity to meet someone to make a connection, whether it be through your teachers at school or someone who knows somebody, can connect you to somebody in the business.” 

Media Contact

Jerry McCormick, Director of Strategic Communications

jmccormick@csusm.edu 

But before putting the finishing touches on your list of New Year’s resolutions, let’s take a look back at some of the most-talked-about stories of 2024.

CSUSM Receives Two Gifts Totaling $20 Million, Largest in 35-Year History

In a historic moment, Cal State San Marcos received two philanthropic donations totaling $20 million – the largest gifts in its 35-year history. $10 million from Price Philanthropies Foundation will create a first-of-its-kind, three-year accelerated bachelor's degree and workforce pipeline for behavioral and mental health. The other $10 million came from Daniel J. Epstein – a director of the CSUSM Foundation Board – and his wife, Phyllis. Their contribution will serve as a unique dollar-for-dollar matching gift opportunity for all CSUSM donors to double their impact across campus.

Balancing Act: Master's Grad Perseveres Through Challenges

A master’s of biological sciences student, Jocelyne Dates was selected last spring as the recipient of the 2024 President's Outstanding Graduate Award, the highest honor a graduating student can receive. She also received the Dean’s Award for Graduate Studies, which recognizes the accomplishments of one master’s student. Jocelyne is continuing her education by pursuing her Ph.D. at Vanderbilt.

'I Just Want to Make Him Proud and My Life to Count'

Last spring, at 76 years old, Kathryn Cook walked across the graduation stage as the oldest graduate of Cal State San Marcos' class of 2024. Her path to this accomplishment was not one of a traditional four-year-and-done experience. In fact, it was 50 years in the making, with monumental life transitions and rocky hardships in between. The passing of Cook’s husband in 2019 led her to continue her education at CSUSM and graduate with a sociology degree.

From the Baseball Diamond to 'The Bachelorette'

Austin Ott had never watched an episode of “The Bachelorette” when he received a DM on Instagram from the show encouraging him to apply. While nervous, his communication and media studies degree from Cal State San Marcos gave him a foundation to build on. Ott’s first speech in COMM 100 gave him an idea of what being in the public eye might look like. “My time at Cal State San Marcos was probably the best years of my life,” said Ott, who graduated in 2019. “There’s nothing better than playing the game you love and being around your best friends.”

American Indian Student Follows Passion for Animals, Environment

Aiden Valverde, an American Indian Studies major from the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, has made significant contributions through his engagement with the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center. As an intern for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Valverde was able to connect more with his culture, and his passion for animals and the environment. “Aiden exemplifies everything we strive to achieve in American Indian Studies and at the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center,” said Joely Proudfit, the department chair of American Indian Studies.

Computers a Lifelong Passion for Trustees' Award Winner

In 2009, Minh Tran’s family moved to Escondido from Vietnam, the only home that he, his parents and his two older siblings had ever known. Now, the fourth-year student who’s on track to graduate in May, was honored as CSUSM’s recipient of the 2024 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, the California State University’s highest recognition of student accomplishment. Students are selected based on academic achievements, financial need, excellence in community service and personal hardship. Awardees have all demonstrated inspirational resolve along the path to college success, and many are the first in their families to attend college.

Graduate Crafting Career on Helping Children

A child and adolescent development major at Cal State San Marcos, Tania Arceo spent the last year and a half working with Voices for Children, a nonprofit organization where volunteers are trained to become court-appointed special advocates. Volunteers like Arceo represent juvenile dependency cases in San Diego County. Since graduating last spring with her bachelor’s, Arceo has started her Master of Social Work program at CSUSM this fall. 

Alumnus Seeks Better Mental Health Through Better Cuts

John Edwards was only 12 years old when he taught himself how to cut his own hair. By the time Edwards enrolled at Cal State San Marcos as a transfer student returning to higher education in 2021, he was close to completing barber school. Now a licensed barber and a recent CSUSM graduate, he operates a small studio in San Diego, rotating about 25 clients through his single chair. Edwards studied psychology at CSUSM, and it was at the university that he dreamed up the idea of melding his longtime practice of barbering with his fledgling research on mental health treatment. 
 

CSUSM Earns Prestigious Seal for Serving Latinx Students

Cal State San Marcos has earned the prestigious Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment and more intentionally serve Latinx students. CSUSM is one of only 17 colleges and universities to earn the Seal of Excelencia in 2024. In 2018, Excelencia introduced the seal to certify colleges and universities for their efforts to become learning environments where Latinx, and all, students thrive. This year marks the organization’s 20th year of service to accelerate Latinx student success in higher education.

Surfer Makes School History With National Title

Tanner Vodraska, a Cal State San Marcos business student, became the first surfer in university history to win an individual national title. The junior competed 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, far outdistancing his closest competitor. “I feel really proud of myself because I set a goal to win the national title before I graduate, and I accomplished it,” Vodraska said.

Incredible Mulk: Class Project Becomes Thriving Business

Melissa Finestone remembers the assignment in her business marketing class that started it all. 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. 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. 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. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Local TV station KUSI News for the past 26 years has broadcast a highlights and interview show called “Prep Pigskin Report," also known as “PPR,” that canvases San Diego County every Friday night to bring high school football stories to tens of thousands of homes.

Cal State San Marcos may not have a football team, but a couple of communication students — one an alumnus and one about to be one — are heavily involved in the game locally as they comprise the “PPR” team that covers North County’s biggest game each week.

Matt Candelario is set to graduate from CSUSM this month. He handles the camera, interviews athletes and posts to social media before and after games.

The on-air talent Candelario films is Nick James, a Chula Vista native and former communication student from the class of 2001.

“Just being out there with Nick and it's like we got our own little locker room feel where we're prepping for the interview, we're prepping for the game,” said Candelario, who played high school football in the Bay Area. “Who do we got on this team? Who do we got on that team? That kind of thing. So just being out there on Fridays kind of gives you the nostalgia of being out there on Friday night as a player.”

When they’re not scrambling to put together segments on tight deadlines every Friday in the fall, the duo work together in various formats.

In addition to creating content, a lot of their collaboration is focused on giving Candelario high-level sports broadcast industry experience.

After answering an email from KUSI that was forwarded from the CSUSM communication department, Candelario immediately jumped in with editing training. He eased into the position with a veteran mentor but one who didn’t do much beyond camera work and posting to social media.

Candelario was eventually paired with James, who was losing his student producer at the time to graduate school.

According to James, Candelario was lacking solely in hands-on experience. What he clearly wasn’t missing was passion, an inquisitive attitude and a natural excitement for telling stories about local sports.

That eager spirit helped him quickly close the gaps in experience.

“Before he was just with the photographer and doing social media so he wasn't doing a lot of editing,” said James, who did an internship for ESPN after college. “He wasn't doing a lot of the hands-on gritty stuff that we do. Now with me, he has to do social, he has to shoot, he has to shoot a little bit when we need him to shoot and stuff like that. And he edits. He edits the games. If I tell him something, he knows what I'm talking about.”

James has an infectious energy fueled by working for accomplishments every step of the way. While playing football at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan., he made the decision to quit the game and transfer to CSUSM. He wanted to study communication and be closer to home to begin a career in sports media.

While James learned a lot at CSUSM, he has forged a path in the field based on outworking his competition.

“He knows what he's talking about because you can just tell by the way he prepares and all the stuff he does when it's live,” Candelario said. “He never bats an eye. He’s always ready, and it's so cool to work with him. Ever since I started working with him, I just learned so much.”

Like most in the sports media industry, James has forged a meandering path that has included stops in small markets in Cheyenne, Wyo., Roswell, N.M., Lubbock and Lufkin, Texas, and Bakersfield before landing back in his hometown in April 2020.

Among his duties as Candelario’s friend and mentor is to offer advice on the road awaiting him.

“I just tell him to keep grinding,” James said. “Because he's already in a good position. He was one of the people that got hired to get extra hours each week on top of already working with me. So every Saturday he comes in and he works four or five extra hours that they allotted him to come in and do social media work. So I know he's got bigger aspirations in life. He’s already applying for jobs and whatnot, as he should be. I keep telling him to put your hat in everything because you have nothing to lose.”

In addition to cutting highlights, essentially producing segments and managing social media, Candelario’s experience has also included developing a podcast.

He also got the opportunity to meet one of his sports heroes this fall when he and James covered a Santa Fe Christian game. One member of the coaching staff was Super Bowl MVP quarterback Drew Brees.

“You're sitting there and Drew Brees is 10 feet from you, and you're like, this is Drew Brees,” Candelario said of his YouTube video interview. “I'd never been in a situation like that. I was just thinking, let me ask these questions without messing up. And then I messed up the first try. Thankfully because it's not live, it’s on YouTube, Drew said, 'You're good, man.' And then I just got right into it. He's such a nice guy. He was really cool with us.”

KUSI has several other CSUSM communication department graduates. Photojournalist Mike Millburn is from the class of 2007 and producer Nick Pollino graduated in 2018 after spending some time as the CHABSS ASI representative.

The “PPR” has another communication alumna in Bri Savant from the class of 2019. In addition to her work on the show, she is on-air talent for sports segments on KUSI and Fox 5 San Diego.

Another member of the CSUSM class of ’19 is Candelario’s brother Joseph, who was a criminology and justice studies major and is now working toward a career as a probation officer.

Candelario was drawn to CSUSM based on his brother’s positive experiences here. He’ll soon be the third person in his family to graduate from college, following in his brother and sister’s footsteps.

“He just said everybody's really welcoming at San Marcos,” said Candelario of Joseph’s experience on campus. “He never had a bad experience. He lived at the Quad just like I did. So we had a similar experience. He was telling me all that stuff before I went to San Marcos. And then once I actually got on campus, I saw everything, and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is where I want to be.’ ”

Candelario has parlayed his experience off campus with play-by-play stints on the CCAA Network with CSUSM’s baseball and softball programs.

Although he enjoyed the experience, he hopes his next steps in the industry will be reporting on sports such as a sideline reporter on one of the college networks like the ACC or SEC Network. He has fond memories of listening to the radio with his grandpa on the way to a game so a career in sports radio is a strong option.

But like his mentor James, Candelario knows it’s an industry that usually requires baby steps before huge leaps. Just getting a foot in the door is his focus now.

That door is already partially open thanks to the experience he’s gathered as a student here.

“It’s really important to try and look for different internships or look for any little door that's open to work in the space if this is something you want to do, especially for sports media, sports journalism,” he said. “I've used my KUSI internship, and that's how I was able to do the play-by-play for the baseball team the past two seasons here because I sent them my clips. This is what I want to do. So as if you know what you want to do and that's what you want to do and you're serious about it, just jump into it and don't be scared. You just got to get your feet wet no matter where it is.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Quickly, the court she loved so much became a source of distress, and Blake found herself faced with her biggest opponent yet: depression. 

“I stopped caring about volleyball,” Blake said. “I even ended up not finishing club that year. I was just going through a lot mentally and couldn’t continue having that pressure on my shoulders.” 

Blake began skipping school to cope with her loss of motivation and overwhelming anxiety. She no longer had the desire to connect with her peers and spent most of her time isolated from loved ones. As Blake disappeared inside of herself, she found it increasingly difficult to face the outside world. 

“My house was walking distance from school, so my mom would drop me off and I would just walk back home once she was at work,” Blake said. “I didn’t want to be at school. I knew I would just go to the bathroom and cry.” 

Blake was raised in a single-parent household. Her father, who died in July 2023, was not in the picture due to addiction issues, so Blake grew up surrounded by her mom, older sister and younger brother. Having only each other to rely on, they became a team, always ready to support one another.   

As Blake’s streak of unexcused absences continued to grow, her mom learned of the situation from Blake’s high school counselor. Taken aback by her daughter acting so out of character, she knew it was time to intervene.   

“Jada’s freshman year was a struggle,” said Brianna Becker, Blake’s mom. “I would get that automated phone call every day at 4 p.m. saying your child missed class. There were even times I left work early and would find her at home. So, I started staying at home more and going into work late. Anything I could to make sure she went to school.   

“As a young single mom with no child support, it was just us most of the time. I feel like I grew up with them. I always want my kids to be open with me, and I feel like they can come to me about anything in the world. If there’s something I can’t do for them, we’ll figure it out together.” 

Blake’s first year of high school progressed, and with the help of her family, she started to throw herself back into school and social activities. As she regained a sense of motivation, she felt ready to resume her athletic pursuits as well. Her sophomore year, she kickstarted a long-standing reunion with the court and concluded the last three years of her high school sports career on a high, playing on varsity and being a candidate for league player of the year.   

Unfortunately, when it came time to explore colleges, her volleyball recruiting process was derailed by the pandemic. During such a time of uncertainty, it was practical for Blake to stay with family and attend community college in her hometown of Phoenix. There, she gained a strong foothold on her academics and started to feel confident in her schoolwork.  

“In high school, academics didn’t come naturally to me,” Blake said. “I always felt discouraged in that realm. I knew that I wanted to go to college, and while my sister had academic scholarships that were taking her there, I didn’t have that. I only had volleyball, and I had left it for a time.  

“You don’t realize when you’re super young that just one semester of making the wrong decisions and not prioritizing the right things can throw a lot of opportunities down the drain. My sophomore, junior and senior year were mainly just focused on fixing my freshman year.   

“But I’m actually very happy that I started with community college because it helped me with the transition from high school to university. Those two years in junior college taught me so much about how I could excel as a first-generation student athlete. In fact, that first semester after the pandemic was my first semester ever getting straight A’s.”  

When it came time for Blake to transfer to a four-year college, she was introduced to CSUSM’s head volleyball coach, Andrea Leonard. It felt like an instant connection between the two, and Blake knew she had found the school for her. As she made the plunge and moved to California last fall, she felt like she could finally breathe. She had earned her scholarship and could now play volleyball while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication.  

Blake’s freshman year of high school was no longer a regretful memory, but a marker of her resilience and ability to overcome any challenge thrown her way. 

“I knew Jada was going to be an impactful player in our program,” Leonard said. “She really embodies all the core values that we look for, someone who is resilient, accountable and driven. She has this energy that bounces off the team and brings joy to everyone around her.” 

Blake lives with her great aunt, a local volleyball legend in the San Diego area, and her great aunt’s daughter, a fellow volleyball player. Although she was initially anxious about moving away from her family and falling back into old habits, Blake found a second home, dubbed “the volleyball house,” where she is excitedly taking on this new journey and staying on top of her volleyball and academic commitments. 

After her freshman year, Blake learned the importance of seeking outside help when needed. She now stays on top of her mental health by meeting with a therapist and talking with her family every day. They are her biggest supporters and regularly make the six-hour drive to San Marcos to watch her games. Knowing she can always count on her family to be by her side, Blake feels like she can overcome any barrier that stands in her path, mental or physical. 

“I just love watching her play,” Becker said. “I’m so proud of her and so happy that she’s in the position that she is in now. Seeing how far she has come and how things have turned around for her — it makes me emotional. At the end of the day, there’s going to be things in life that knock you down, but you have to pick yourself back up and fight for something that you are truly passionate about. And she did. And she has so much more to look forward to.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Andrew Minjares stayed persistent toward his goals after many setbacks, and that has earned him a gold medal.  

Minjares’ barbershop quartet, Rest Assured, placed in the top 20 in the nation last summer. In addition, the a cappella group he’s a member of – internationally renowned The Westminster Chorus in La Mirada – captured first in the nation and scored a perfect 100 in the 2024 BHS International Chorus Championships.  

Minjares is a fifth-year communication major on track to graduate this year. 

“Never in barbershop conventions has a score of 100 been achieved,” Minjares said. “It was a very surreal experience.”  

Minjares describes his high school singing experience as always being the one to win “the most improved” award in his chorus. Although this hurt his confidence, it never destroyed it. His many setbacks have led to an incredible comeback as a Cal State San Marcos student.  

A barbershop quartet is four people singing a cappella and each adding certain elements to the song. A chorus is essentially a larger version of a barbershop quartet in that it can be 90 people singing the different positions.  

Minjares' position in both is the melody, which he describes as “the lead and the storyteller.” 

Since Minjares joined his high school chorus, he dreamed of being a part of the Westminster Chorus.  

“I never thought I'd ever be good enough to be in that chorus because they won Choir of the World in 2009, which is the most prestigious choir World Award that can be achieved,” he said. “So, I thought, 'There's no way that I could ever be in that chorus. I'm not good enough to be in that chorus.' ”  

In his first audition for Westminster Chorus, he felt that familiar pang of rejection. He didn’t earn a spot but instead received some much-needed criticism on what to work on for the next time he’d audition. 

“They were testing my ability to be coached, to be persistent and to apply the concepts that they're telling me to,” Minjares said. “The next week I came back and I auditioned, and I got in. It only took me two attempts.”  

Minjares’ resilience and openness to being coached allowed him to get into the prestigious choir of his dreams.  

Juggling school and his singing responsibilities have been a bit challenging at times.  

Minjares stresses the importance of fitting the choir and quartet into his schedule, despite these challenges. 

“I do homework in the car on the way there, and then I do homework on the way back,” he said. “I've even taken some exams in the car. I've tried to fit this choir into my schedule because it's what I need for my self-fulfillment needs and my psychological needs. There are 90 guys up there, and we really have to battle the topic of toxic masculinity because we're all trying to be the best brothers we can be, the best fathers. 

 “How can I be the best version of myself?”  

Despite the challenge of balancing his choir/quartet and his schoolwork, Minjares was on the Dean’s List last spring and is on track to graduate this year. He is looking forward to finding a job in the communications field, while also prioritizing his barbershop quartet and chorus.  

Minjares credits communication professor Robert Gutierrez with making him excited to show up to class. 

“He made the subject matter interesting,” Minjares said. “I could relate it to my life. Everything he said stayed in my memory, which is rare for me in my classes. I think this was due to the fact that it was very interactive.”  

Gutierrez not only worked with Minjares in class, he attended his performances.  

It seems Minjares made an impact on his professor in more ways than one.  

“I remember watching him perform on stage and being so proud of him,” Gutierrez said. “As a student, Andrew always asked great questions and contributed to class conversations with meaningful personal narratives and impressive insights on the assigned readings. I always felt like Andrew and I shared a love for our Latino cultures and a love for the power of performance to transform lives. 

“I am proud of his accomplishments, and I know that this is just the beginning for this bright star.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Ott immediately sent it to his mom, who is a huge fan of the show, and she quickly became his No. 1 supporter to try out. 

Ott later received news that he would travel to Los Angeles and begin filming for the 21^st season of the hit ABC series, a reality TV dating show where a single woman meets a group of 25 romantic interests in hopes of finding her future husband. 

The contestants were introduced in the first episode, which premiered July 8. Each participant made a grand entrance where they met this season's bachelorette, Jenn Tran, for the first time. 

“The limo entrance was crazy,” Ott said. “You can always have it in your head of how it’ll look, but until it smacks you in the face, you have no idea what that feeling is like. No one can prepare you for that.”

However, Ott felt prepared when it came to having an audience. His communication and media studies degree from Cal State San Marcos gave him a foundation to build on. Ott’s first speech in COMM 100 gave him an idea of what being in the public eye might look like. 

“I think that after you can do that as a freshman, an 18-year-old in college, you're prepared for anything,” Ott said. “It helped me block out the negative and be myself.” 

Ott owes his experience at Cal State San Marcos to the late Dennis Pugh, the university’s first baseball coach, who recruited him for the team in 2014. 

“My time at Cal State San Marcos was probably the best years of my life,” said Ott, who graduated in 2019. “There’s nothing better than playing the game you love and being around your best friends.”

Even though Ott’s time on the field ended, he never left his baseball roots. His mullet haircut and love for wearing hats is still part of his everyday life.  

“I don't know if it's the baseball player in me, but ever since I was a little kid, I have always worn a hat everywhere I go, other than when I'm working,” he said. “I probably have 60 to 70 hats in my closet. It's ridiculous.” 

Ott’s love for his mullet only grew once he flew to Melbourne, Australia, with the cast to film “The Bachelorette’s” third episode. 

“I kind of fit in a little bit because that's the big haircut in Australia,” Ott said.  

Once in Melbourne, Ott and three other contestants went on a group date in a high-speed race-car competition. The winner of the race had the chance to spend some time alone with Tran. 

“Despite the combination of trying to drive stick, which I don’t know how to, and being on the right side, I somehow won it,” Ott said. “That was such a crazy experience. Getting to ride in that car and win the race ended up with me having some extra time with Jenn.”

Ott wasn’t sure what would be shown once the episodes began airing, and watching it for the first time with his family and friends was a memorable experience. 

A scene of “Truth or Dare” was a rather hard watch for Ott. 

“I had to run around the mansion in my underwear,” Ott said. “When that happened, I had to look away.” 

While it was awkward for him to watch, Ott shared laughs among family and friends. 

Ott even made new friendships during filming. 

“I went there for romance and I left with bromance,” he said.  

Ott voluntarily left the show in episode five, saying his connection with Tran was not at the same level as the other participants. 

Ott returned to his job as an account executive with FAIRWAYiQ, a golf course operation technology company in San Diego. He plans to continue his sales career but would love to expand his social media presence. 

“If there is a little side quest in social media, if I get that opportunity, I would love to do that,” Ott said. “I think I would flourish in it.” 

Returning home from the show, he was shocked at the love he had received on social media. While he made connections on the show, he made even more through various social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. 

Before the show, Ott had a small following on TikTok where he shared lifestyle videos showing his life in San Diego. Since being on the show, his TikTok account has grown to more than 100,000 followers. Being noticed in public was never an everyday occurrence until now. 

“I think that’s the craziest switch,” Ott said. “Sometimes when I go to the grocery store or the gym, someone will come up and be like, ‘Hey Austin!’ ”

Being on reality television has changed Ott’s life. 

“It was something I never envisioned for myself, never pictured,” Ott said. “I'm so thankful that I got the opportunity.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

She didn’t major in history as a student at Cal State San Marcos in the mid-2000s (her degree was in communication). She doesn’t teach history or speak at history conferences or write about historical eras or figures.

Yet there Forsythe was last March, on stage at San Diego State’s Joan B. Kroc Theatre, being inducted into the San Diego Women’s Hall of Fame with six other trailblazing women. Her category: historian.

The honor was one that first surprised her, since she has served as a military journalist in two branches of the U.S. armed forces for three decades. Upon reflection, though, as she sat on the stage, it overwhelmed her to be recognized for documenting the stories of service members and their families for so many years, most notably on five combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Sharing the courage it takes to wear a uniform and fight and risk everything is a great source of pride for me,” Forsythe said. “I was very honored to be a part of that wonderful, diverse group, and being considered a historian takes it to another level I never even imagined.”

Forsythe is nearing the end of her decorated military career, but she’s not done sharing stories of valor. In May 2022, she self-published a book titled “Heroes Live Here: A Tribute to Camp Pendleton Marines Since 9/11.” It takes readers on a journey through the vast training base in Oceanside – where Forsythe served as an enlisted Marine for almost six years leading up to Sept. 11 and where she still works as a civilian public affairs officer – and provides insights behind more than a dozen tributes and monuments on base that pay homage to brave Marines.

In her research for the book, Forsythe learned that more Marines from Camp Pendleton were killed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars than from any other base or station in the United States.

“That was a really heavy burden for the community of Oceanside and North County,” she said. “I don’t think a lot of people know the legacy of this base that marked its 80^th anniversary last year, so I wanted to shine a light on that.”

Last spring, Forsythe visited the Special Collections department of the CSUSM library to contribute a signed copy of her book (anyone can purchase their own inscribed copy by going to heroeslivehere.com). It was just one of several recent examples of her becoming reconnected with her alma mater. Those include meetings with campus and Veterans Services leadership, a speaking gig for the College of Business Administration series “In the Executive’s Chair” and a role as emcee when the San Diego Military Advisory Council gave its Lifetime Achievement Award to Maj. Gen. Tony Jackson, the former chair of CSUSM’s Foundation Board.

“In the past, I tried to attend one alumni event a year, but then I realized that there are more opportunities for partnerships,” Forsythe said. “I like finding ways to make connection points and trying to be the glue between Camp Pendleton and the university.”

A Santa Rosa native, Forsythe enlisted in the Marines in 1993, five years after she finished high school. She received just the assignment she was seeking by being dispatched to Defense Information School, the U.S. Department of Defense’s version of journalism school, where she learned all aspects of being a public affairs professional in the military – from print, broadcast and radio journalism to community engagement and media relations. After initially being stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she got orders to go to Camp Pendleton in 1995. Over the next several years, she wore multiple hats, including content producer for the base TV show and reporter for the base newspaper, the Scout.

Forsythe left active duty in 2000 to enroll at Palomar College, but everything about her planned life path changed the following year after 9/11 happened. Though she managed to complete her higher education, earning a bachelor’s degree from CSUSM in 2005 and a master’s in global leadership from the University of San Diego in 2009, her status as a combat correspondent came to be dominated by three tours of duty in Afghanistan and two in Iraq over a period of 16 years.

As a staff sergeant who gave herself the title of visual information chief, Forsythe led a staff of troops whose task was to collect video footage, interview Marines and assist the media in their reporting. In 2006, for example, she was in charge of the satellite dish that would be transported to Iraqi war zones like Fallujah and Ramadi and be used to connect military leaders with news outlets in America, or to link Marines with the TV stations in their hometowns.

It was a great experience for Forsythe, knowing that she was helping to craft the narrative that was being beamed back to the U.S. But it was also a profoundly dangerous one. In December 2006, Megan McClung, a public affairs officer and Forsythe’s boss at the time, was killed when the Humvee in which she was escorting journalists around Ramadi was blown up by an IED. McClung became the first female Marine Corps officer to die in combat during the Iraq War.

“I wasn't on the convoy that she was with, but we had been at the same camp,” Forsythe said. “It could have been me, it could have been any one of us. Her death really changed the dynamic, especially about women and public affairs. It's not just the infantry who’s at risk anymore. It's not just young, enlisted combat troops. It's everybody.”

After another deployment to the exact same location in 2008, Forsythe left the Marines and accepted an officer commission in the Navy Reserve. (“It was the best decision I ever made,” she said. “I love the Marine Corps, but the opportunities in the Navy are so much wider.”) With the Navy, she was sent to Afghanistan two more times, but she also went to such diverse places as Romania (where she met her husband), Poland, Germany, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Guam. For her final stint in the Middle East, in 2018, she served as the public affairs officer for an Army Special Forces (think Rangers and Green Berets) task force that was charged with training and doing missions with Afghan commandos.

“That was a great mission, the height of anything I could have asked for,” she said. “It was surreal for me.”

Throughout her illustrious career, whether on dusty battlefields thousands of miles from home or the relative safety of Camp Pendleton, Forsythe has been guided by wisdom best summarized by a colonel she worked under at the peak of the fighting in Iraq in 2006. When communicating to the public about what’s happening in the military, he said, don’t focus on the technology or the equipment or the weapons.

Focus on the bravery.

“It's pretty scary to step foot in Iraq and Afghanistan, not knowing what's going to happen,” Forsythe said. “It takes a bit of courage that other people don't have, so zero in on those aspects of storytelling. When I’m at a loss for what's unique about a story, I remind myself to find and share the courage. People can relate to that.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

While busy is the new normal for nearly everyone, meet Andy Spieldenner – new author, soon-to-be Faculty Center Research Colloquium speaker, recent NSF grant recipient and, above all, fighter.

“We're all busy,” Spieldenner said. “For me, there's been a lot of synchronicities, things that have finally come forward and hatched. A lot of the work that I'm doing, I'm lucky. It's funny. In Mexico, most of my friends when I say, ‘Oh, I have meetings all day,’ they’re like, ‘Oh, you're so lucky. You work, that's fantastic.’ So it's a very different perspective than what I have in the U.S. People are overwhelmed with all this stuff and don't appreciate the fact that there's stuff to do.”

For a person who battles and inspires daily, it’s not surprising to hear the associate professor of communication at Cal State San Marcos offer perspective like this.

Spieldenner has been teaching at CSUSM since 2017. In that time, he has further established himself as a groundbreaking researcher on topics that not only affect the LGBTQIA+ community but the world at large.

He considers himself a community-engaged researcher, conducting his work while directly involving patients, health service systems, community-based-organizations, and other stakeholder groups. He is active in providing knowledge and assistance to those beyond just CSUSM.

“I'm very active in the community,” said Spieldenner, who has been HIV-positive since 1998. “I work with multiple faculty and different campuses to do some of the work. I work also with some faculty in the UC system, especially the queer people of color. That's part of the network that I'm in. The work that I do on campus, I really try to make it meaningful for the entire college or the entire university. I try to bring my experience and nonprofit leadership into the budget discussions or getting a strategic plan done. It's not just an academic exercise. It is a practice-based thing. So I'm bringing that to my role at the university.”

One of Spieldenner’s passions is educating his students and the public about health inequalities, particularly within the U.S. And particularly involving gay men.

Years of research involving medicine like pills for erectile dysfunction and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which is nearly 100% effective against getting HIV from sex or injection drug use with one pill a day, led him to edit a collection of essays and articles entitled “A Pill for Promiscuity: Gay Sex in an Age of Pharmaceuticals.”

The official book release came in February at New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

One of the main themes of the collection is the shame gay, bi, queer, and trans people have for their sexual desires, and how that shame manifests itself.

The center nearly sold out of its pre-ordered allotment on the day of his arrival.

“It's one of the things that we found really important was to engage in a dialogue or community dialogue that what people would want to buy, they want to be part of,” said Spieldenner, who has a bachelor’s in ethnic studies (UC Berkeley), a master’s in theatre (UCLA) and a doctorate in communication (Howard). “One of the things about university publishing right now is, it's become a bit of an echo chamber, where you're only talking to 12 other academics or a very small group of people. And I think, how do we get past that as academics and as professors? How do we get beyond if what we're researching is important? And if we think it's important to everyday people, why can't we find ways to communicate that out?”

One simple and well-thought-out solution came with Spieldenner’s publisher. A new offshoot of Rutgers University Press, Q+Public is a new publishing house that seeks to give voices to semi-academic and cultural LGBTQ+ collections from leading thinkers, writers and artists.

Q+Public agreed to keep the price of “A Pill for Promiscuity” under $20, a deal Spieldenner feels will allow it to be absorbed by the general community at a much more palatable rate.

“That's why this book was important in that it’s the first one I made that was not meant for only libraries,” said Spieldenner, whose co-editor and close friend Jeffrey Escoffier died after it was completed. “It’s meant to be sold, meant to be shared and showed around. There are comic books in it. There's art in it. There's lots of different ways to access the book. And it's different generations, too, so Andrew Holleran is in it. (Escoffier) is in it, and another guy, Jeff Weinstein. They're all in their 70s. And then we had people in their 20s writing in it. So they’re all having this kind of multigenerational queer conversation.”

Not stopping there, Spieldenner – who just celebrated the two-year mark of being executive director at MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights – recently earned a grant award from the National Science Foundation.

His proposal, “Knowledge of HIV/AIDS: Expertise, Participation, and the Archive in the Long Pandemic,” earned him a development grant in the amount of $56,944.

Taking initiative has been a hallmark of Spieldenner’s life at CSUSM.

Spieldenner brings his leadership and commitment to inclusivity to the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral, and Social Sciences (CHABSS) where he has also been working diligently alongside CHABSS Dean Liora Gubkin and Associate Dean Carmen Nava to formulate the college’s approach to the university’s strategic plan.

“As co-chair of the CHABSS Strategic Planning task force, Andy has given an invaluable amount of his time and energy to help create our vision moving forward,” Gubkin said. “Andy understands the importance of attending to both data and narrative, and I especially appreciate his calm and inclusive leadership. He clearly values the perspectives of many stakeholders and is committed to a thriving future for the college and university.”

On April 4, Spieldenner will be the guest speaker at the annual Faculty Center Research Colloquium gathering in front of the CSUSM community.

He was pleasantly surprised when he got to pick the food for the event (“As long as there’s wine, I’m easy”), and he invited his family to attend. He most likely will jot a few notes down for his talk, but more than likely it will veer to topics he finds interesting.

In typical Spieldenner fashion, he has something funny to say about the upcoming event, but he knows deep down that it’s yet another opportunity to share knowledge, spread love, and yes, keep busy.

“It's an honor to be considered for this, much less get it, and to share some of the work that I do,” said Spieldenner, who currently serves as vice-chair of the U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus. “We only see the small window into a person's life. As academics, we see that less because we only see each other in department meetings, and nobody reads each other's work really. So that's the other piece of it. They'll see how I believe that community voice is what changes laws and policies. Communities’ voices do it.

“That's what I'm going to focus my talk on – showing how communities change laws and policies and practices by using their voices and advocacy. People's voices matter. You can have all the data you want. People's voices matter.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Formerly incarcerated, Bennett was 26 and felt like he didn’t have many options. But he knew he wanted to make a change.

“I remember I was sitting in the car with an old friend of mine and she told me to go to college,” Bennett said. “She told me about how to get financial aid and how it can help. And that’s when I decided I was going to go to college.”

Four years later, Bennett hasn’t looked back. 

After receiving his associate degree in self-development and wellness from Fullerton College, he learned from his father about CSUSM’s memorandum of understanding with a group of community-based organizations representing the interests of Black students that strives to increase educational access and social mobility. Bennett’s father is a pastor at the Friendship Baptist Church, which is based in Yorba Linda and part of the Coalition on Black and African American Education, which is a collection of community-based organizations that works to close educational equity gaps related to historically underrepresented students. 

Bennett said he was the first person accepted through the MOU in spring 2022, and he knew he wanted to pursue a bachelor’s in communication and get involved on campus.

“I find as a Black male that it is imperative that our behavior and our communication can align in multiple spaces,” Bennett said.

Once Bennett came to campus, he noticed that there was no one applying to be the student president of the Black Student Union, so he decided to give it a shot. 

“I wanted more people to feel more comfortable and build a stronger sense of belonging,” Bennett said. “We are small, but mighty.”

During his presidency, Bennett wanted to start bringing cultural groups on campus together. Bennett helped develop events in collaboration with the LGBTQA Pride Center because he saw that there were more opportunities to connect with students. 

“If I can be in leadership for the Black Student Union, and then also work inside of the Pride Center, I can bridge these two areas together,” Bennett said. “I love that I have the support of the staff. The faculty and administration of this campus has been so supportive of making sure that we're continuing to bridge gaps and work together.”

While Bennett was working alongside the Pride Center, he found himself looking up to its director, Robert Aiello-Hauser, as a mentor. Aiello-Hauser inspired Bennett to pursue his master’s in communication after he graduates in 2024.

“Danny, with his infectious personality and kindness, has been a breath of fresh air to the Pride Center this year,” Aiello-Hauser said. “The students in the space have grown to respect him for his allyship and community building; and for me, the hard work and respect that Danny brings to the job helps the center to be successful. Danny has been an important part of bridging the gap between the Pride Center and students of color. Representation matters, especially when you are such a welcoming and loving presence.” 

While Bennett’s term as Black Student Union president has ended, he plans to continue to work in the Pride Center as a peer mentor. 

Bennett has had to overcome numerous challenges, but has big plans on the horizon. He wants to become an image consultant to help people’s confidence with their appearance, and he is also pursuing his real estate license. 

“I think this upcoming semester, I'm most excited to make sure that I continue to make headway for students to feel comfortable in queer spaces,” Bennett said. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Pindi is the recipient of the 2022 OSCLG Anita Taylor Outstanding Published Article or Chapter Award for her article titled “Promoting African knowledge in communication studies: African feminisms as critical decolonial praxis.”

The award, presented by the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender (OSCLG), goes to an outstanding published article or chapter in an anthology concerned with communication, language and gender. It was designed by OSCLG to celebrate the intellectual and activist legacy of Anita Taylor, a professor emerita of communication and member of the gender of women studies faculty at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.

Pindi’s article advocates for the re-centering of African epistemologies in research conducted on or about Africa in communication studies, particularly in feminist scholarship. She argues that African feminisms can serve as a critical decolonial tool providing valuable insights that can decenter whiteness and challenge the dominance of U.S.-centered frameworks for research conducted on or about Africa.

“As a critical intercultural Black feminist scholar and activist, I have always decried how the hegemony of white/Western scholarship within the communication discipline leads to the erasure of African scholarship,” Pindi said. “For instance, even when we speak of intersectional feminisms, African feminism is usually not part of the conversation. Thus, to me, this award is a recognition of my advocacy for promoting the visibility of African scholarship within the communication discipline, and particularly in feminist communication studies.”

Pindi is affiliate faculty in women’s gender and sexuality studies in addition to her position in the communication department.

Media Contact

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

When that house on Mussey Grade Road in Ramona burned down in the Cedar Fire in 2003, Jennifer Mellow was understandably devastated. In this moment of overwhelming loss, Mellow turned to an activity that has proven to be therapeutic for people throughout history. 

She went out and bought a sewing machine and fabric, and she taught herself how to make a quilt.  

“It turns out that most people get into quilting because of something upsetting that has happened in their lives – they’ve lost a child, lost a spouse, lost a house, lost a job,” Mellow said. “There’s a comfort in repetitive tasks, and quilting is very, very calming. You do the same thing each step of the way, and if you do it just right, at the end, you have something beautiful that you’ve created.” 

Almost 20 years later, Mellow is still working at Cal State San Marcos, where she has been a communication lecturer since 1998. She’s still living on Mussey Grade Road (now with her husband, Mike), where she rebuilt the house on a site that’s so far off the beaten path that Google Maps has trouble navigating there. And she’s still making beautiful things, though she has long since graduated from just that simple sewing machine to an enormous device called a longarm machine that takes up most of her dining room. 

Mellow’s first quilt back in 2004 was what’s called a sampler, which is a project that does not repeat the same quilt block within its layout and is common for beginners. Among other symbols, it featured a sailboat to represent San Diego and a house to represent what she had lost.  

As her passion developed in the early years, she mostly made quilts to give to friends and family as gifts, but recently she has started keeping more of them, displaying some proudly as wall hangings (she tends not to drape them on beds because her two rescue dogs, Leiloo and Lt. Uhura, might damage them).   

Mellow also has been surprised to discover how competitive the hobby can be. Just before the pandemic, one of her quilts was awarded a blue ribbon as the best in its category at the San Diego Quilt Show and was chosen for one of the most prestigious quilt contests in America, the annual competition in Paducah, Ky., home of the National Quilt Museum.  

“I always thought that was weird to be a competitive sewer, but it is very competitive,” Mellow said. “Once you make a quilt that you’re really proud of and you think is really beautiful, you kind of want to show it to everyone.” 

Mellow’s quilting process begins with an idea and a plan. Say she wants to make a quilt to give to someone for Christmas. Do they like traditional, elegant holiday iconography or more playful things? Do they prefer light or dark colors? The answers to those questions might determine what type of fabric, design and pattern Mellow uses, and what time of year she starts helps decide how elaborate she can get.  

The next step is piecing the top of the quilt, which entails assembling and stitching pieces of fabric together, by hand or machine, to make a series of quilt blocks. Then comes the actual quilting, which involves stitching together the three layers of a quilt (the top, batting and backing).  

“You can quilt it edge to edge, which is just one pattern that repeats over and over again,” Mellow said. “Or you can do it where each block has a different design placed in it. Sometimes there are rows between the rows – that’s called sashing.  

“Everything from the color to the fabric to the design says something, and when someone makes you a handmade gift, they put a lot of love into that. When I make a quilt specifically for someone, I think about that person every step of the way.” 

During the school year, Mellow has time to quilt only on the weekends, but in the summer, she does it for about five hours a day. The amount of time each quilt takes depends on the complexity; the more elaborate ones can require three months or longer. She has lost track of how many quilts she has made over the years.  

Mellow says there’s a small but dedicated community of quilters at CSUSM with whom she commiserates about the craft. She displays her work on an Instagram page called Sew Mellow Quilting that she hopes to convert into more of a business when she retires from teaching.  

“I'm not quite sure where this is going to lead,” she said. “I do see myself quilting for a really long time. It's an adventure. After all these years, the thing I still like about it is I learn something new each time.  

“I didn't think it would get me so carried away as it has, but I've enjoyed every minute of the journey.” 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Then the pandemic happened, and the world slowed to a crawl. Living in his parents’ house in Denver, Davidson suddenly found himself alone with his thoughts and his inner struggles, trying to navigate life as a gay man in his mid-20s. He disentangled himself from a toxic relationship but was still wracked by so much anxiety that he couldn’t eat or sleep and was forced to abandon a rewarding job as an activist.  

Davidson experimented with traditional therapy but felt like he was just spinning his wheels. One day in March 2021, he was browsing online in search of any solution to his mental state when he stumbled upon a Facebook post advertising a virtual event named the Queer Liberation Challenge. It had already started, but he joined anyway to see what it was all about.  

It turned out to be a five-day webinar, with each day devoted to a different theme, from body image to masculinity to sexuality. Participants were asked to set goals, to meditate, to make entries in a journal. There was nothing revolutionary, but it was exactly what Davidson was looking for, and by the end of the week, he wanted more.  

“I really liked that it was practical and dove right into the root of our relationship to ourselves and what we need to heal,” Davidson said. “Everything was incorporated into one, which was really nice compared to things like therapy, where I felt like I was talking about the same thing on repeat, but not really getting anywhere.” 

The Queer Liberation Challenge was the brainchild of Nathan Serrato, and if Davidson derived great value from it, that’s partly because Serrato once was in Davidson’s shoes – bearing psychological scars from years of suppressing his sexual identity and then laboring to find genuine community beyond gay bars.  

Four years ago, Serrato was a newly minted graduate of Cal State San Marcos, armed with a degree in communication and environmental studies, and working for the Escondido Creek Conservancy as its marketing manager. He enjoyed the job, but something was tugging at him. Maybe it was a calling to help people, going back to when he was a kid, listening to self-help radio shows with his mother. Maybe it was a desire to be his own boss, set his own schedule. Maybe it was frustration at the dearth of resources available to gay men like him grappling with emotional turmoil.  

Or maybe it was the return of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” on Netflix.  

“I remember crying and eating ice cream while watching it,” Serrato said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is so powerful. They’re so inspiring, we need more of this. Why can’t I do this?’ ” 

He could, as it turns out. Serrato, 30, started a company called Queer Conscious that began humbly as a meet-up group for the LGBTQ community (the first gathering was, of all things, gay goat yoga and attracted 11 people) and has evolved into a wellness and life coaching venture with dozens of clients from around the world. Along the way, Serrato attained three certifications from the International Coaching Federation and also became certified in Time Line Therapy, a concept laid out in a 1988 book that involves unconscious mining of the root causes of trauma.  

“There’s a need in the gay community for sober spaces, spaces for LGBTQ people that are outside of the gay bars, outside of the dating apps,” he said. “Not only do we create the environment for people to create authentic connections, but also for them to really look inside of themselves and heal any of the societal or cultural shame that is still present within them.” 

For the first couple of years, Queer Conscious was a business in the loosest sense of the word. In addition to the goat yoga (Serrato also is a certified yoga instructor), Serrato and his newfound friends would gather for regular hikes, arts-and-crafts sessions and other activities. 

The pandemic, though, provided the impetus he needed to reimagine and expand the enterprise. Taking advantage of the COVID reality of people being cooped up in their homes, he launched the five-day virtual events like the one that first drew in Davidson, holding them every three months. For only $37, participants get the morning seminars on a set topic as well as three one-on-one calls with Serrato where they can apply the lessons to their own specific challenges.  

If they like what they hear, they can continue with private coaching that ranges from $500 to $3,000 depending on the service. One of them is what Serrato has labeled a “breakthrough,” a 12-hour, intensive experience focused on the release of trauma. Davidson is in the midst of his second breakthrough, this one dealing with relationships and intimacy.  

“It’s hard to explain, and I even struggle sometimes to explain to my friends what has happened,” Davidson said. “But I can remember multiple moments during these sessions when I could literally feel tightness or restriction or some sort of weight physically leaving my body, and anxiety leaving me that I didn’t even know I’d been holding on to for years. I’ve let go of a lot of unnecessary baggage and have gained much more of an ability to navigate relationships, hold boundaries, stand up for myself and trust myself. 

“People in my life come up to me and tell me that I look happier and healthier than ever before. I’m like, ‘All right, thank you.’ ” 

Much of the damage that Serrato had to overcome was religious in nature. He grew up in Escondido as the son of Mexican immigrants who were staunch Catholics. He attended a Catholic school until second grade, then through eighth grade went to a school affiliated with the Lutheran denomination, which Serrato calls “Catholic light – still heavy on the guilting and shaming, just not as much of the rosary and ceremonial stuff.” 

He describes being indoctrinated in the belief that it was a sin to be who he was and that he would be punished for it for eternity.  

“I would go to my therapist and be like, ‘I think I’m going to hell. Can you help me?’ ” Serrato said. “And they wouldn’t know what to say to me. They were just like, ‘Well, that sucks.’ ” 

Bedeviled by thoughts of damnation, he sought escape through alcohol and drugs in his late teens and early 20s. Then he entered his first serious relationship, determined to show his parents that being gay was normal. But the trauma wouldn’t relent. 

“I would wake up from night terrors in the middle of the night and turn over to my boyfriend and be like, ‘I can’t do this. I have to be straight. I might need to marry a woman,’ ” he said. “I couldn’t control those nightmares. It took me forever to get over them.” 

Serrato finally chased them away through his coaching training, which in turn gave him confidence that he could help other people beset by similar issues. He used to feel anger toward his parents for exposing him to Catholicism and making him feel guilty about his sexuality, but now he says they’re more accepting and supportive than ever. And he’s open to exploring forms of religion that he believes are based on love and kindness instead of indoctrination. 

Serrato has grand ambitions for Queer Conscious and his work on behalf of the LGBTQ community. He aspires to write a book, to host weekend retreats where his clients can congregate in person and feel like they’re essential, not just a gay accessory. And he wants to expand into countries where being gay isn’t a source of shame but a potential death sentence.  

“I’d like to see Queer Conscious really become the place where people look to when they don’t know how to be gay,” Serrato said. “How do I confront spirituality? How do I confront relationships? How do I overcome my family dynamics? How do I deal with homophobia in the workplace? I’d love for it to be everything that a queer person needs, all the tools and resources for them to retain their authenticity in our society.” 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

But that all changed when I was in second grade and a car accident altered the trajectory of our lives. Today, almost 14 years after that accident, I still feel the reverberations as I navigate the challenges of being a low-income student while working toward becoming the first person in my family to earn a college degree. 

The day of our car accident was supposed to be a special day. My sister, Ashley, was just a couple of months old, and we were venturing beyond routine errands for the first time since she was born to go apple picking about an hour away from our Temecula home. 

Despite doing my best not to fall asleep during the drive, I woke up to our vehicle flipping over after being struck, I later learned, by a hit-and-run driver. Our car flipped multiple times on the freeway, and Ashley’s car seat buckle came undone. My first instinct was to try to hold her car seat down. Ashley escaped with minor scratches while my mom and I just had some bruises. 

My dad wasn’t as lucky. He broke his neck and was in a coma for several days. I remember him lying in a hospital bed, not knowing if he would survive. 

My dad was our sole financial provider, and he was unable to work during the lengthy recovery process. The mounting medical bills and expenses eventually forced my parents to file for bankruptcy. 

The accident also took an emotional toll. My parents separated not long afterward. Though it has been over a decade since they split, they continue to live under the same roof leading separate lives because of our financial circumstances. 

We didn’t have money for after-school or extracurricular activities, nor many opportunities to explore interests or passions. And college was never a topic of discussion. No one in my family has ever finished college, and my parents were largely indifferent, leaving me to determine my own path. 

As a high school senior, I had difficulty envisioning my future. I watched my peers embrace their excitement about getting accepted into prestigious universities while I was still figuring out the application process. I was unfamiliar with financial aid and how it could help pay for college. It seemed like my classmates had their lives figured out while I was struggling just to complete my FAFSA, the federal form used to determine financial aid eligibility. 

It has always been an unspoken rule in my family never to talk about money or finances because it always ends in a heated argument. I had to scavenge through my parents’ taxes to try to fill out the FAFSA on my own. When I finally built up the courage to ask my dad for help, it was hard for him to understand the significance of the application. He didn’t want to share personal financial information and didn’t grasp that completing the FAFSA was what would make attending college financially feasible. 

Filling out the FAFSA is still an emotional process every year, and one that I have to explain to my dad each time. But our financial status means that I qualify for a Pell Grant, which helps me pay for college. Learning that I was eligible for a Pell Grant was such a relief. Not only does it mean I can avoid potentially crippling loans, but it helps my parents focus on their needs without worrying about college expenses. 

After high school, I enrolled at Palomar College and joined TRIO SSS, an organization that advises low-income and first-generation students to encourage academic success. It was inspiring to be surrounded by successful students who come from similar backgrounds. I was excited to learn about the help TRIO SSS provides for first-generation college students like myself, and it showed me that I could achieve my goals regardless of my background. 

I was grateful to continue being part of TRIO SSS after completing my associate degree in communication at Palomar and transferring to Cal State San Marcos last fall. 

At CSUSM, I have received overwhelming support, which has helped me further my education and figure out my career path. The university emphasizes hands-on learning, and I have had the opportunity to work as a writer in the University Communications office where I’m gaining valuable skills and guidance as I look toward a career in communications after I graduate in May 2023. 

CSUSM has opened the door for me to feel more confident about my future. I am building a strong portfolio for future employers, and the positive work environment in University Communications has encouraged career exploration and connections to set me up for success. 

During my first semester at CSUSM last fall, I juggled two jobs to ease the financial burden on my family while trying to balance a full course load. It wasn’t easy, but I’m proud of achieving straight A’s in my first semester at the university, and having a strong support system at CSUSM was an important part of making that happen. 

After completing my bachelor’s degree, I’m looking forward to finding a job that allows me to use the written communication skills that I am developing through my work in University Communications. 

I still dread filling out the FAFSA, and it’s an ongoing challenge to navigate the complexities of the higher education system. But I know that all of the difficulties will be worth it. Not only because I’ll be the first in my family to earn a college degree, but also because I’ll be able to help my sister forge an easier path to college and financial independence. I strive each day to set a positive example for Ashley. I encourage her to explore her passions now so she will have more direction than I did when she heads to college in four years. 

The car accident that my family survived 14 years ago changed many aspects of my life, but I’m able to look to the future with optimism. I’ve learned valuable lessons about determination and perseverance, lessons that have helped me develop a strong motivation to redirect my path. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The article, titled “Examining Field Experiences of Teacher Candidates During COVID-19: Systemic Inequities Unveiled for Underserved English Learners in K-12 Grades,” was published on Nov. 18. The authors are School of Education professors Ana Hernandez and Annette Daoud, psychology research faculty Anna Woodcock, and Kyle Landin, an assessment specialist in student services for the College of Education, Health and Human Services.  

The article marks the first collaborative publication to emerge from Project ACCEPT (Aligning the Common Core with English learners, Parents and Teachers), a five-year U.S. Department of Education grant that provides professional development to improve the education of English learners.  

The study supporting the journal article confirmed that, in the wake of COVID-19, K-12 English learners lacked access to online learning, active engagement with peers/teachers and differentiated instruction due to rapid changes and uncertainties in their programs.  

Professors published in journal 

Communication professors Michelle Holling and Dreama Moon have written an article that was recently published in the Quarterly Journal of Speech.  

The article is titled “20/20 in 2020?: Refractive Vision, 45 and White Supremacy.” It’s part of a forum on the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign focused on division, discord and democracy. 

Founded in 1915, the Quarterly Journal of Speech is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Taylor & Francis on behalf of the National Communication Association.  

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

CSUPERB announced the awards on Oct. 7 as part of an “ongoing initiative to assist tenured/tenure track faculty researchers and their students across the California State University system as they restart, reinitiate and reengage in existing and established research activities after campus laboratory closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The CSUSM recipients are:

• Elinne Becket: $1,500 for the proposal titled “Acquisition of DNA extraction and next-generation sequencing reagents to re-analyze samples due to expired materials.”
• Julie Jameson: $1,500 for the proposal titled “Recovery of lost cell lines due to COVID-19 shut down.”
• Carlos Luna-Lopez: $1,403 for the proposal titled “Cancer-associated adipocytes: Investigating the crosstalk between MD-MBA-231 and adipose.”
• Bianca Mothé: $1,500 for the proposal titled “MHC Expression in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPSCs).”
• Arun Sethuraman: $1,500 for the proposal titled “Deciphering the Evolutionary History of Dinocampus coccinellae (Hymenoptera:Braconidae).”
• George Vourlitis: $1,500 for the proposal titled “Interactions between carbon type and nitrogen pollution on soil microbial activity and abundance.”

NAU honors communication professor

Communication professor Antonio De La Garza was named the Dr. Cliff Harkins Distinguished Citizen of the Year, presented by the Northern Arizona University Alumni Association to recognize distinguished service to nonprofit organizations; governmental assignments at the municipal, county, state or federal level; or other outstanding citizen service.

De La Garza received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northern Arizona before attending the University of Utah for his Ph.D.

Rankings

• CSUSM is ranked 42^nd for total bachelor’s degrees awarded in Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine’s annual list of “Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics.” The university was also 78^th for total enrollment among four-year schools and third in “Top 10 Schools by Major” in the category of “Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Degrees.”
• The nursing program is seventh out of 36 schools in Nursing Schools Almanac’s 2021 rankings of prelicensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs in California.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The competition, which is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, provides college students with “real-world experience and industry connections that will help them prepare for future careers in the marine energy sector and the blue economy.”

CSUSM is partnering with New Mexico State for the competition.

In its third year, the competition will have teams create a market-research-supported business plan; develop, design and test technologies; and build and test their device to achieve energy production.

Reza Kamali, an associate professor of electrical engineering, said the competition opportunity was possible with the assistance of Hamed Nademi, a faculty member at New Mexico State who is joining CSUSM this summer.

Nademi said wave energy is the most abundant form of renewable energy with a relatively high power density and readily available along the coasts.

“In some regions, this resource is large enough to form a significant part of the energy mix,” Nademi said. “To effectively and efficiently connect any of the marine technologies to the existing electrical infrastructure, either onshore or offshore, a power conversion system needs to be developed for the proper conditioning of the wave energy to be delivered.

“Rethinking the traditional rules and methods is required for the design and assembly of a marine electrical power network that needs a novel skill set for future workforces. This is an extra benefit of bringing electrical engineering students to this DOE 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. It stimulates students to pursue further studies in any area of STEM-related disciplines while simultaneously engaging them in the design, simulation and 3D printing experiments.”

Communication professor part of U.S. delegation on HIV/AIDS

Communication professor Andrew Spieldenner was selected to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations High Level Meeting (HLM) on HIV/AIDS from June 8-10.

This is the fourth HLM meeting, which is held every five years, since the UN General Assembly adopted its Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS in 2001. One of the objectives of this week’s meeting will be to review progress on commitments made at the 2016 HLM toward ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

Spieldenner also was recently named one of the Eastern Communication Association Teaching Fellows for 2021. The teaching fellows program recognizes a distinguished career of teaching excellence in the field of communication.

Honors for School of Education alumni

Three alumni from the School of Education were recently honored with teacher of the year awards:

• Sheila Gromm received the Outstanding Special Education Teacher Award for the North County Consortium of Special Education, which comprises 14 school districts in North San Diego County.
• Michael Mueller, an education specialist at Twin Oaks High School in San Marcos, was named San Marcos Unified School District Teacher of the Year Secondary.
• Sierra Thernes, an education specialist at Calavera Hills Elementary School in Carlsbad, was named Teacher of the Year in the Carlsbad Unified School District.

Recognition for nursing program

The nursing program has been ranked 21^st on College Values Online’s “30 Best Online RN to BSN Programs for 2021.”

College Values Online’s methodology includes tuition costs, return on investment, scholarship availability, accelerated program availability and online student support.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

As a law enforcement officer in Orange County, she takes those same lessons learned on the pitch and on campus to forge a career in serving her community.

“A lot of what college imparts on to you is perseverance,” said Patterson, who graduated from CSUSM with a bachelor’s in communication in 2010. “Juggling academics, athletics, work and a social life, that grit helps shape how you handle life’s adult challenges.”

Now residing in the Long Beach area, Patterson works as a Sheriff Special Officer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. She is also currently enrolled at Arizona State University in the emergency management master’s program.

Patterson has known since a young age that she wanted to serve the public as a first responder. She credits that passion in part to what she describes as a burning desire to be the person others seek out in an emergency.

Patterson has adjusted many things in her professional life over the past year due to COVID-19. But one thing it hasn’t altered is her positive outlook.

“The pandemic has affected all of us in our personal lives and at work,” Patterson said. “There have been many challenges that we have faced in law enforcement during the pandemic. There were a lot of schedule changes, mandatory overtime and policy changes that had to reflect the pandemic guidelines.

“I have been humbled and personally impacted by the citizens of Orange County and their continued support of law enforcement. The ‘thank yous’ go a long way when faced with such challenging times.”

The arrival of the pandemic – as well as how we’ve worked to bounce back – has reminded Patterson of the events of 9/11 and its aftermath.

A high school senior during 9/11, she remembers feeling inspired by how the country came together during a time of great need.

“Many of my classmates went to war that year and the years that followed, and of course it goes without saying that several did not come home,” Patterson said. “In the early weeks of COVID we were all experiencing this despair together as Americans. That is how 9/11 felt, that we were all in the same pain together.”

That sense of community is nothing new to Patterson. Her time on the soccer team at CSUSM taught her how sacrificing one’s own accolades for the betterment of the team meant success could be valued higher than any individual accomplishment.

 “I competed in the first season, which I am immensely proud of,” Patterson said. “I have kept up with the program since and have been enormously proud of the women that continued our tradition of hard work and competition. We were pioneers of the program in 2006. Today the program has really shined.”

In addition to her time spent on the Cougars soccer team, Patterson said professor of communication Katherine Brown and lecturer Catherine Armas-Matsumoto were her greatest influences on campus because of their attentiveness and approachability. Brown is now the communication department chair and Armas-Matsumoto is the communication department internship coordinator.

Her time at CSUSM clearly shaped Patterson into the person she is today.

“College is a great place to challenge yourself and collect life skills that will help your future self,” she said.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The paper – titled “Changes in VO2max and cardiac output in response to short-term high-intensity interval training in Caucasian and Hispanic young women: A pilot study” – compares responses to exercise training between Hispanic and Caucasian women. Additional authors on the paper include fellow CSUSM student Rasmus D. Clausen and kinesiology professor Todd Astorino.

Astorino noted the importance and relevance of the project because of CSUSM’s status as “a Hispanic-Serving Institution, the large prevalence of Hispanics in the San Diego region, and the marked health disparities which exist in this population.”

Astorino also had a paper published as a featured article in the January edition of Spinal Cord, an international journal that has published spinal cord-related papers since 1963. Astorino said the paper, titled “Viability of high intensity interval training in persons with spinal cord injury—a perspective review,” will be widely read by scientists who study the effects of physical activity on health status in those with spinal cord injuries who face enhanced risk of morbidity and mortality.

MPact names Spieldenner executive director

Communication professor Andrew Spieldenner has been named executive director of MPact Global Action for Gay Men’s Health and Rights, which “works at the intersection of sexual health and human rights and is linked to more than 120 community-based organizations in 62 countries who are leading innovative solutions to the challenges faced by LGBTI communities around the world.”

Veterans Center building net-zero

Solar panels at the Epstein Family Veterans Center are operational and the facility is now net-zero energy, meaning solar produces all the power needed to operate the building. The project was designed and constructed by Facilities, Development and Management.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

In late June, there was a surprise Zoom party to celebrate the housewarming of Jeremy Puckett, a Sacramento man who was exonerated and freed in March after serving 18 years of a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. Ordinarily, exonerees face severe challenges in finding a place to live, but Puckett was able to move into a new home thanks to Assembly Bill 701, which took effect on Jan. 1 and requires California to pay housing costs for exonerees for up to four years. 

Among those toasting Puckett on the call were Shirley Weber, the State Assembly member from San Diego who authored the bill; the founder of the national nonprofit Exonerated Nation; and Puckett’s legal team from the Northern California Innocence Project. Less prominent, but no less important, was Boyd, a Cal State San Marcos alumna and legislative aide to Weber who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help push the bill across the finish line. 

“He was the first person to get AB 701 housing. He didn’t have any job history, any credit, and this is the first place he’s ever owned,” Boyd said. “It was such a fight to get that bill passed, and there was a lot of fine-tuning involved in implementing it. And then to see someone benefiting from it is really meaningful. I enjoy this work because you are able to see the impact firsthand.” 

Boyd, a former CSUSM student body president, has been doing a wealth of vital social justice work since she moved to Sacramento to work for Weber in 2017, a year after becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college. Last year, Boyd was among many members of Weber’s staff who were integral to the passage of AB 392 (also known as the California Act to Save Lives), which updated legislative language from 1872 on police officer use of deadly force to include the “necessity” of that force. That bill was in response to the 2018 fatal shooting of Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old Black man killed by Sacramento police.  

AB 392 held great personal relevance to Boyd, who says she has been participating in protests of racial inequality since the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013 and who was part of a large protest of the Clark shooting two years ago before a Sacramento Kings game that forced the temporary closing of the arena.  

This year, Boyd – with a primary focus on higher education – is the point person on two high-profile Weber initiatives. One is Assembly Constitutional Amendment No. 5, which passed the Assembly on June 10 and the Senate two weeks later. It places on the November ballot a proposition that asks California voters to repeal Proposition 209, which banned the consideration of race and gender in admissions decisions a quarter-century ago.  

The other is AB 1460, requiring California students to take a three-unit class in ethnic studies in order to graduate. That bill has passed the state Legislature and can be signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. It also could overrule a similar action by the California State University Board of Trustees, which recently approved the addition of ethnic and social justice studies to its general education curriculum.  

“Working for Dr. Weber is perfect for me,” Boyd said. “We align in our values. She’s very much value-driven, and isn’t in office to try to get another position but really just to give back, both in education and public safety so that folks can move forward in life.”

Before being hired as a permanent legislative aide, Boyd first worked for Weber through the Capital Fellows Program, a public policy fellowship offered by Sacramento State University that pairs recent college graduates with a legislative, executive or judicial branch office for 11 months. Boyd’s assignment was no coincidence. In the fall of her final year at CSUSM, newly elected as president of Associated Students, Inc., she heard Weber speak about racial justice at the annual All Peoples Luncheon and came away awed.

“She’s a great orator,” Boyd said. “I was very inspired and said to myself, ‘I want to work for her.’ ”

When it came time to match new Capital Fellows with state offices, Boyd told the program director, half-jokingly, “If you don’t give me Dr. Weber, there are going to be some problems.”

Boyd’s colleagues on Weber’s staff would say she is as good a fit for the assemblymember as Weber is for her.

“Tiffaney cares deeply about social justice and helping people,” said Anthony DiMartino, a former legislative director for Weber and a San Marcos native whose father works at CSUSM as a laborer in Facility Services. “She was working on these issues prior to this moment of racial reckoning, and if this moment passes – which I hope it is a movement, not a moment – she will remain working toward justice.”

It is a worldview that dates back to her time at CSUSM. Growing up in Hemet, Boyd had never heard of the university and chose to go there because she was following her best friend. She didn’t see the campus until the summer before she enrolled, and her first impressions didn’t match her expectations.

“What I envisioned in college was not what CSUSM had,” she said. “No NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) sororities or fraternities, very few Black people. The Black Student Union wasn’t super strong.”

Boyd could have transferred or simply concentrated on academics. Instead, she threw herself into campus life, deciding to try to change it instead of accepting it as it was. A communication and social sciences major, she worked for the communication department during her first year (all five years at CSUSM, in fact), then added resident adviser duties as a sophomore.

The next year, dismayed by the lack of female voices in ASI, Boyd joined the board as the representative from the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences. In that role, she took the first plane flight of her life; in a bit of foreshadowing, it was to Sacramento to lobby for higher education.

Her involvement only grew from there. As a fourth-year student, Boyd served as ASI vice president of operations and also president of the Lambda Pi Eta honor society. And in her CSUSM swan song, she took on an almost crazy workload: ASI presidency, communication department job, internship at the San Diego County District Attorney’s office in Vista and UCLA School of Law fellowship in the spring semester.

Growing commensurately with the demands on her time was her interest in activism and advocacy.

“We got a front-seat ticket to Tiffaney’s growth as an intellectual and an advocate,” said Dreama Moon, a longtime communication professor whom Boyd counts as a major influence. “It was obvious from the beginning that she is a go-getter, destined to do amazing things, and she already has.”

With two years under her belt, Boyd knew the ins and outs of ASI by the time she became president, which allowed her to zero in on her agenda with laser focus. The achievements that she’s most proud of include setting in motion the creation of the Cougar Pantry, the Black Student Center and Sigma Gamma Rho, an NPHC sorority.

“I’m super excited that I got to be a part of those legacies,” Boyd said. “I feel like I left a little mark.”

Now she’s doing the same at the statewide level. Boyd doesn’t envision leaving her current job as long as Weber is in office, but she does hold higher aspirations that include jumping up to a legislative director or even going to law school and becoming a civil rights attorney.

Activism, though, is in her blood for good.

“I definitely feel like we’re on the right side of history and almost ahead of the curve in some ways,” she said of her work with Weber. “We have a little wind at our backs, and that makes me so excited.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

The longtime communication professor is sensitive to the reality that she’s a white person being interviewed about racial inequality amid widespread national protests following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May. 

What Moon has on her side is more than two decades of experience teaching about white supremacy to students at CSUSM. Her most popular course, COMM 454: Communication of Whiteness, has been offered at the university since 2003. Several years later, she added as a capstone to the class the annual Whiteness Forum, an end-of-semester project in which students create posters and present their findings to a campus-wide audience. 

Moon’s course and the accompanying forum are not without controversial elements that have resulted in backlash toward Moon personally. But on the other side of the ledger, many former students have reached out to Moon since the protests began to thank her for the imprint her teachings left on them and the way they now view the world.  

Question: How long have you been studying whiteness as an academic pursuit? And what led you in that direction to begin with? 

Dreama Moon: I've studied race and been involved in racial justice activities since I was a teenager. Whiteness as an academic discipline came about in the late ’80s, and in my graduate program, I turned from race to white supremacy as a focus of study, so that's been 25-30 years now.  

I grew up in a state that was once part of the South, West Virginia, though it went with the North during the Civil War. Segregation had been ended, but we were still segregated de facto, though I didn't understand that term. Growing up, I saw that in my town at that point, there were only black people and white people and learned the white norms of “do not interact with black people.” I never quite understood it. Then when I went to high school, the schools were finally forced to integrate. People were not prepared to be together, so there was a lot of violence, a lot of fighting. And I was trying to figure all that out while watching Martin Luther King on television and the civil rights movement.  

We started a group in high school to try to deal with these racial issues. We had no idea what we were doing. We had no knowledge, we learned nothing. But the intention was to make things better. Much later, I learned something about that situation and why there was a lot of animosity. Back then, though, nobody told us; we didn't have those conversations as kids, and you did your best to figure it out. But it did spark a lifelong commitment to racial justice and understanding the role that white people play in that. 

Q: At a base level, I think we all understand what whiteness means and what white privilege means, but how do you define them as a scholar in this area? 

DM: Well, I generally don't talk about white privilege, at least not immediately. There's a lot of pushback to white privilege, and in working with students over the last 22 years, I've come to realize that it's really because we're starting at the end of an equation. White privilege is an effect of a very old and very intricate system of white supremacy. So when you start talking about the effect with people without them understanding how this effect is created, there's some resistance and some confusion. When I get to white privilege, it's after I've talked about, and we've studied, how this system of race and white supremacy has come into being, what were the driving forces of that in the U.S. context, what laws and policies and practices were put into place to solidify it, and what narrative was created about race, and the anti-Blackness that formed the foundation of it. Then the perfect carrot to get white people to participate in this system and support it is privilege. When you start talking about the carrot without understanding the horse, people just don't get it. So I don't spend a great deal of time there. I'm much more interested in people understanding how we got to where we are today and how systemic racism continues to be fueled with and without our conscious participation. 

Q: Has the reaction to the term white privilege and what it entails has dissipated over time or is it still pretty strong? 

DM: Around 2016, I think there was a turn. I've spent all these years working against color-blind ideology because my students were raised in a time when they were told, “Let's have tacos” and “Let's build a teepee” and “We're all the same.” That very superficial idea is what we were always trying to counter, like “Color blindness is not necessarily the way we want to go here, and how many times can you invoke Martin Luther King to bolster that?” I think when Donald Trump was elected and white supremacy and whiteness became more transparent to more people, and particularly white people, initially students were flabbergasted. They were like, “What is happening here? We live in a color-blind society, and this man is saying negative things about groups of people.” After that initial shock, I think people started to get it and they were much hungrier for conversation. Before, they kind of wanted the nice version; they weren't willing to go deeply. And this was true for many students of color as well as white students. 

Q: Do you think the Barack Obama presidency led to some of that because there was all of this talk about a postracial society? 

DM: Well, I don't think that white folks were prepared for a sophisticated, intelligent, family-loving Black man to be in charge of their country. I know when Obama went on Twitter, the first day he had literally hundreds of tweets calling him the N-word. While there were people who saw his election as a positive move, I think there were just as many people who said, “Oh, heck no.” White supremacists have always been online, but I think the online presence became stronger. They were just waiting for their moment and they got that moment in 2016. They've made good use of it. 

Q: Can you talk about the origins of the whiteness course at CSUSM? 

DM: I tried to propose the course when I first came here in 1998, but my department discouraged me, said I should do something else. As a new faculty member, I didn't understand I had the right to do what I wanted to do. Then a year or so later, now knowing I had some academic freedom and rights, I started working with a group of students to develop the course, which came out in 2003. But it wasn't welcomed. At that time, there were very few people of color on campus. It was extremely different than it is today. There wasn't talk of race, there wasn't talk of racism except in these small little pockets.  

I wanted to do this class because I thought we needed to talk not only about racism, but about the system that makes it happen. In my department, students weren't getting any kind of education about racial inequality. The context is really important because I wanted to teach the course to fill an intellectual gap around race in our department and also participate in the larger campus culture. One of the things I learned as a racial justice advocate is that, as a white person, you do your part. If the gap is there, I cannot say, “Well, I'm not a person of color, so I shouldn't really teach that course.” Or just teach the course and learn something as you go and learn to do it better. So that was the impetus. 

Q: And how did the whiteness forum come about? 

DM: I was finding that, while students were writing the traditional semester paper and presenting it to each other, that didn't seem sufficient because part of the intent of the course is to help students become comfortable in having these conversations without them turning into knock-down, drag-out fights. But also just to encourage them to have the conversations and to have a knowledge base to facilitate the conversation. So I came up with the forum as a way of sharing what students were learning with the larger campus community because we do not talk about white supremacy on this campus. Even today, we talk about race, about racism, about systemic racism, but folks don't want to go there with whiteness. And I think that's a problem. 

Q: What kind of blowback have you gotten from the whiteness forum? 

DM: I'm not the first faculty member who studies race who's been attacked. This campus has a very long history of racism toward faculty of color in particular. And unfortunately, many times in the past those faculty of color were not supported and protected in the way that they needed to be. Many of them are now gone, and some are still here. It was not cool that the faculty couldn't look to its employer to keep them from being assaulted or harassed or whatever the case may be. In my situation, the harassment could be because I'm white, it could be because it's a different context with different players, could be a piece of all of that. But part of what's happened is that we have developed some protocols about these matters, and any faculty who experiences this kind of targeting because of what they teach has some recourse.  

Actually, though, the class did not have too much trouble until 2016. There were negative comments here and there. And I'm not trying to make this a Trump thing, but I'm just trying to say that in this era where it is now more acceptable to espouse white supremacist ideology, there is a very concerted effort to target and threaten people. So of course I get nasty comments. But it has been elevated to threats of harm, people attempting to break into my house, and my car has been vandalized a couple of times. Those things didn't happen prior to 2016. We take very careful precautions with students because I never want anything to happen to a student, and they've not been targeted. But when you see your name on the Stormfront website, that's not cool.  

Q: Have those types of threats given you pause in terms of continuing with either the class or the forum? 

DM: No, it just tells me that what we're doing is valuable. And this is a time when we need to talk about white supremacy even more. To let these folks shut you down is not acceptable. I do take precautions, and I think about all the people of color who are targeted in way more drastic ways. So it's part of the work, it's your job, it's your responsibility. 

Q: Do you think being a white person helps you or hurts you in terms of teaching and trying to communicate messages about whiteness? 

DM: I think it's a mixed bag. I think my body in the class is definitely going to be read differently than a black or brown body. So there are things that have to happen. For white students, many times they've never heard another white person talk about these matters in this kind of depth or with this kind of knowledge base. And that's probably true for students of color. With students of color, you have to earn your respect. I'm not a good white liberal. That's not who I am or what I do. I don't live that particular experience, but I do live a racial experience. I think more people are open to hearing about these issues right now, but not all of them. 

Q: As a communication professor, what has been your main reaction to the media coverage of the protests following the George Floyd killing? 

DM: I haven't cared for the coverage of the protests in these situations because I think there's that strain of media that's like, “Riot versus protest; this isn't the way to make your voices heard.” But then, what's the way? Taking a knee wasn't the way, either, so it's like, “What's the way? Could you outline the way please?” 

I haven't seen multicultural protests in a long time around racial issues. Even the civil rights movement wasn't this diverse. It tells me that a lot of people are really tired of this. If Black people are protesting, it's very easy for white America to ignore that. So the fact that it's diverse suggests that something different is happening. It’s also very youth-driven. I'm very encouraged to see young people getting involved, working together. I've been to some of the protests, and it's young people that are very well-organized. They know what they're doing. So I think there's a lot of hopeful signs. 

Q: I've heard a lot of talk about allyship in the last few weeks. How do you define that term, and what you think it means to be an ally? 

DM: I'm probably the worst person to ask because I hate that word so much. And I'll tell you why: What I would like for white people to do is to own the struggle. I think of myself as a person who is fighting for freedom in the struggle. That means I have to do the work in order to have an analysis of what's going on. Sometimes I think white people think that when you say “ally,” it's like you are helping them in their struggle. I want it to be our struggle, too. Everybody has to own it because all of us are impacted in different ways. White people suffer from white supremacy; they just don't know it. They certainly don't suffer like Black and brown people, but to believe the things that you have to believe in order to embrace whiteness, it's really crazy. There's a place for white people to embrace the struggle and to own it. That doesn't mean to usurp the place of people of color or to get in front of them and start speaking for them. I've been trying to think of a better word than “ally” for years – a comrade, a coequal, a co-conspirator. I've heard a lot of terms. I don't like any of them. But “ally” means coming to understand that this is your issue and you need to figure out ways to contribute and learn things so you can be a productive part of the struggle. 

Q: For people interested in the idea of “owning the struggle,” what concrete steps could they take in this moment? 

DM: I'm an academic, so I'm going to say read, and nobody wants to do that. But that is how you get to the kind of in-depth analysis that you need. People have written on this stuff for years, for decades. That's how I got started, by reading black radicals in my teenage years and going, “What are you talking about? This is crazy stuff, right?” And I still read and try to encourage others to. But if you're not going to read, watch a movie, watch a video, hang out with some folks and just listen. Don't ask stupid questions. But you have to know something. You have to understand because white supremacy is deeply rooted.  

Trump talks about make America great again. People talk as if we need to go back to this kinder, gentler time, but in the U.S., there's never been a kinder, gentler time. In Nazi Germany, they could always reflect back on the Germany that existed before Nazism, like, “Oh yeah, we used to not kill Jewish people. Yeah, I remember that.” But we don't have that. We have nothing to look back on that shows a kinder, gentler United States. So we're in a really weird and dangerous position because we have to actually create it anew, and that's some major stuff. You really need to know what you're up against, you need to know how it was and it came to be if you're going to undo it. Maybe I'm too much an advocate of reading, but that's just how I have come to understand the world through a non-white lens, and I think you have to do that. 

Q: Do you worry about the notion of white fatigue just when it seems like there's so much momentum behind the movement? 

DM: I think Americans have the shortest attention spans ever, and I keep my fingers crossed that people will stay the course because if you know anything about the criminal justice system, it's going to be a long time before George Floyd’s murderers are dealt with. I'm rather amazed that protests are still happening, but even if it's not protesting, there has to be constant pressure applied somewhere. A lot of people are pledging to do this, that and the other, but we have to keep the commitments that we make and understand that most of what we say we're going to do probably isn't what we need to be doing. I don't know what happens if the protests end. Is it a moment where significant change can happen? Yeah. Will it? Don't know, but I'm hopeful. 

Q: What would you like to see happen next? 

DM: Well, I think there are some challenging issues on campus. Sometimes we talk as if we are all on the same page, and we're not; we're on different pages. Hopefully not egregiously different. I'd like to see some of the white faculty and staff take on their whiteness. I've thought of doing something like my whiteness class, but at the Faculty Center. But I don't know that we white folks are always good partners to people of color on campus when we don't do our homework and we're not working on our own stuff. I've sat in many meetings where I'm like, “Oh my God, some really egregious stuff has happened to faculty of color and staff of color in the meeting and we let it go.” I don't know how you change the structure of an organization if everybody can't participate, if not equally at least similarly. I really would like to see the white faculty and staff do some hard work. 

Q: What does it mean to you that so many former students have reached out to you over the last few weeks? 

DM: I really do value my relationships with students. That is the primary reason I stayed here and probably the primary reason I continue to stay here. I worked with students at other institutions before I came here, and it wasn't so fun. But here I have always appreciated them. They're willing to engage and they're willing to have a conversation and they're willing to not close their minds in most cases. When you're dealing with these issues of race and racism and the impact they have in your life, people tell their stories. I tell my stories, too, because it's only fair. So we generally form pretty solid bonds that extend over the years. When something happens around race, I'm going to hear from students. That's because they trust me, because I care and I pay attention. This time, it was a lot of people and people from 15-20 years ago, which is kind of different. But I think the circumstances are generating a lot of conversations for folks and they're having all kinds of feelings and they want to do something.  

It makes me feel like what I do is worthwhile. That's what academics want to know, because you put all this hope and energy into all these people over the years and you think you're planting the seeds, but often you never see the tree. So you wonder, “Does what we do matter?” And on those occasions when you find out that it does, that keeps you going. 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

“I was so excited to meet her,” Garcia said. “She’s just a great person who has so much wisdom and so much knowledge.”

The inspirational encounter led to a life-changing internship for Garcia with the #MeToo movement.

“It was nice because I’ve never worked with women who looked like me and thought like me,” Garcia said. “So, when I saw women of color doing amazing work, I thought that I, too, could do amazing work. I didn’t understand the importance to this extent of representation in the work that we do until I had my internship.”

Garcia is no stranger to unique experiences. She attended school in Germany from sixth grade through high school while her father, now retired from the Marines, was stationed there. After graduation, her family moved to Virginia and Garcia applied primarily to universities on the East Coast. But she decided to apply to CSUSM, too, because she was familiar with the area from living in Oceanside when her father was stationed at Camp Pendleton.

Attracted by the prospect of an affordable education (good weather didn’t hurt, either), Garcia chose CSUSM over multiple East Coast private schools. Although she attended elementary school in Oceanside, Garcia had never been to CSUSM and watched YouTube videos to get a feel for university life.

“The first time I ever stepped foot on campus was orientation,” she said.

Garcia’s first year proved challenging. She wasn’t just adjusting to college, she was adjusting to life in the United States after seven years abroad.

Even now, as she nears the end of her senior year at CSUSM, her friends still love to quiz her on California culture.

“I came here and all of my friends were like, ‘Do you even know what animal-style fries are?’ ” said Garcia, referring to the popular off-menu item at In-N-Out Burger.

She didn’t.

“My friends still quiz me,” she said. “They’ll say, ‘Do you know the secret menu?’ And I'm like, ‘There's a secret menu?’ ”

Garcia is still prone to using the German danke to thank people and she doesn’t have a driver’s license after becoming accustomed to Europe’s readily available public transportation.

But the doubts Garcia felt during her first year at CSUSM are long gone. She immersed herself in campus life, from participating in track and field for two years to working as a referee for campus rec to serving as ASI’s student at large representative for diversity and inclusion.

“Gabby is a dynamic, ambitious leader, and I am impressed with her every time that we work together,” said Ariel Stevenson, assistant director of programs for the Office of Inclusive Excellence. “She leans into challenges and is unafraid. Her parents have raised her very well.

“When she sees a problem, she is thoughtful and methodical as to how she can approach it and what it takes to solve it.”

Garcia used that type of approach to secure her internship last year. She needed to land a summer internship before her senior year, and she knew she was already behind in her search.

After meeting Burke, she thought about how great it would be to work for the #MeToo movement. She scoured the organization’s website, but couldn’t find any information about internships. With encouragement from a friend, she went to the “Contact Us” portion of the website and wrote an email explaining the impact that meeting Burke had and how intrigued she was about the possibility of an internship.

“I only applied for that one,” she said. “And I technically didn’t apply. I just emailed them and said, ‘Hello, I’m looking for an internship.’ ”

Garcia soon learned that she didn’t find information about internships because the organization had never had an intern. But, to Garcia’s surprise and delight, she received a response asking her to send a résumé. A phone interview followed, and then a second phone interview.

During the second interview, she learned she had landed the position.

“Every week I was pinching myself because I didn’t think it was real,” Garcia said. “I was just in awe of everything that happened.”

Since the #MeToo movement hadn’t employed an intern before, it was a learning experience for both sides. Garcia worked remotely from her home in Virginia for 15 hours each week last summer, helping with email communications and providing feedback on projects.

Garcia returned to campus last fall for her final year at CSUSM before she graduates next month with a bachelor’s in communication and a minor in women’s gender and sexuality studies. Though she is back in Virginia with her family following CSUSM’s transition to virtual learning as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Garcia is continuing her studies and beginning her search for a full-time job.

The #MeToo internship has inspired Garcia to pursue a job with a nonprofit organization, and she plans to attend graduate school after gaining more work experience.

“Gabby truly cares about the work of inclusion and educational equity,” Stevenson said, “and I am confident she has developed the knowledge and skills that will make CSUSM proud to say she is our alumna.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Dante Longo’s Glasgow score was four.

Longo received that assessment following a car accident on April 7, 2018, and it came with a warning to family members that he might never awaken from his coma. The list of injuries Longo sustained in the wreck was staggering: broken elbow, collapsed lung, torn ligaments, torn ureter, fractures of his femur, hip, neck and pelvis, and severe injuries to his liver and kidneys. He lost eight pints of blood. The injuries were so catastrophic that Longo was listed on the accident report as a “suspected fatality.”

“His elbow was never set because they didn’t think he was going to live,” said Kimberly Cochran, Longo’s mother.

But Longo has overcome long odds and dim prognoses throughout a remarkable recovery that not only has him back at Cal State San Marcos working toward his bachelor’s in communication but thriving as a member of the university’s men’s soccer team.

“They didn’t think I was going to play soccer again,” Longo said. “They said that was out of the question. They’re like, ‘It’s more a matter of whether he’s going to walk.’ ”

Catastrophic accident

It wasn’t like Longo to be late, but he was nowhere to be found as game time approached for a spring soccer match against Point Loma Nazarene on April 7, 2018.

“Dante is the kind of guy that would text you and say, ‘Coach, I’m going to be five minutes late,’ and then be five minutes early,” said Ron Pulvers, CSUSM’s men’s soccer coach. “He was always really good about letting you know if there was any issue.”

Players told Pulvers that Longo had gone home to Chula Vista the previous night to see his father, Charlie, who often cooks him a big pasta meal before a game. But repeated calls and texts to Longo went unanswered.

After the game, Pulvers sat with Todd Snedden, CSUSM’s associate director of athletics, as the women’s team prepared for its match. Pulvers told Snedden about Longo’s inexplicable absence, and they started reaching out to numerous people trying to determine Longo’s whereabouts. Eventually, someone told Pulvers they had seen a visibly upset Cochran in the parking lot before the game. Moments after learning that Cochran had left before the game started, Pulvers received an email from her telling him that Longo had been in a horrific car accident and transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

Longo and Charlie had been traveling north in the carpool lane on Interstate 15 en route to CSUSM for the game. They were near Carmel Mountain Road when Charlie’s car was cut off and struck attenuating barrels, which are used to reduce the damage from automobile accidents. However, the car spun after hitting the barrels and was struck on the passenger’s side (where Longo was sitting) by an oncoming SUV going an estimated 80 mph.

Longo has no memory of the accident and, despite the severity of his injuries and the long road to recovery, he has maintained his sense of humor.

“My dad only had a sprained thumb,” Longo said. “He drinks some crazy protein shakes or something.”

Longo wasn’t as fortunate. Doctors told his family that there was a strong possibility he would not come out of the coma. Longo’s sister, Brie, lives overseas and his brother, Chris, lived in Hawaii at the time, but both were by his side at the hospital within a day of learning about the accident. A family member remained bedside 24 hours a day.

On the morning of Friday, April 13, Brie, Charlie and Kimberly were resting in the intensive care unit lounge when they heard Chris yelling. After nearly a full week in a coma, Longo had woken up.

“Knowing Dante and who he is, I had no doubt about what his recovery was going to look like once he woke up,” Pulvers said. “He’s got an iron will. He’s one of the toughest characters I’ve ever been around. He’s incredibly determined and persistent.”

Support from family, friends

Determined and persistent aren’t the only adjectives people use when describing Dante. Affable, charismatic, gregarious -- pick any one of a dozen synonyms, and it has probably been used. Longo is happy to start a conversation with anybody, whether he has known them for five years or five minutes.

“He honestly has more friends than any person I’ve known in my entire life,” said Kevin McCarthy, an assistant coach for the men’s soccer team.

Those friendships translated into a steady stream of visitors during his time in the hospital and throughout his recuperation. NFL star Eric Weddle and Major League Soccer coach Peter Vermes were among those sending well-wishes via social media, and Cochran was astonished by the endless support her son received from the tight-knit soccer community.

“People filled the hospital,” she said. “I had coaches from when he was 8, 9 years old reach out. I didn’t even call them. They just knew.

“We’re so lucky that the people who love him spoke up. They came in and he felt it.”

While the encouragement and support from friends was critical, Longo still faced a long, often frustrating, recovery process that continues to this day.

Longo’s awakening from the coma was gradual. His memory of those first few weeks in the hospital is spotty, though he has seen photos and videos that family members took as he made incremental improvement.

Even after he woke up from the coma, blood clots and seizures remained a lingering concern. It wasn’t until nearly three weeks after Longo first awoke that Cochran could breathe easier and feel like her son wouldn’t die.

The myriad tubes coming out of his body were a constant source of frustration for Longo, who repeatedly tried to tear them out. He actually succeeded in pulling out a trach tube from his throat, to the horror of the speech therapist who witnessed it. Longo has no memory of doing it, and his family only learned later that such a maneuver can be potentially fatal.

Longo was wheelchair-bound for about two months before graduating to a walker. He continued to make progress over the ensuing months, from walking on his own to kicking a soccer ball to participating in strenuous workouts.

Today, 18 months removed from the accident, Longo looks like the picture of health. He has regained the nearly 40 pounds he lost after the accident and has participated in practices and games with the men’s soccer team after being cleared to play in August. His playing time has been sporadic as he continues to regain his mobility while learning to play with a metal plate in his hip, but he looks much like the person he was before the accident.

“He’s just remarkable,” Pulvers said. “He plays 100% and gives everything he’s got every time out.”

Ongoing recovery

Longo is still dealing with the effects of the traumatic brain injury he sustained, and Cochran said dealing with cognitive issues will be an ongoing process for him. There are memories from before and after the accident that Longo will never recover. Doctors recommended that he take a year off from school to allow additional recovery time, but Longo was eager to return to CSUSM and took a light load last fall to ease back into his studies. He credits CSUSM’s Disability Student Services for the department’s continued support in helping him transition back to school and helping him manage his memory retrieval issues in the classroom.

Longo knows he likely will face additional physical challenges in the coming years, particularly related to his hip. But simply being back on the field with his teammates has provided joy that many didn’t think he would ever experience again after the accident.

“I was told, ‘You’re not going to be able to play again,’ so I just want to use my body as long it’s able to play soccer,” he said. “I know as I get older, I’m going to have hip pain more so than other people and I’m going to have arthritis. But I love this game.

“I wasn’t playing a lot at the start of the season because I was still getting used to the plate in my hip, and I was really frustrated. But at the same time, I thought, ‘Dang, I shouldn’t even be here right now. I shouldn’t be able to walk on the field. Somebody should be pushing me out or something like that.’ That’s why I’m happy.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

When your job requires you to gorge on thousands of calories in a single sitting, it’s safe to say you’re not in it for the long haul.

“I think I have a few good years left in me,” Lamkin said.

Lamkin (’17) plans to enjoy every minute for as long as he can.

Known on social media as Erik the Electric (his nickname in high school), Lamkin posts weekly videos on his YouTube channel that feature him taking on seemingly impossible food challenges – and sometimes they do actually prove impossible.

During his annual food tour last summer, Lamkin created his own challenge at Elm Street Diner in Stamford, Conn. He gave himself 45 minutes to polish off eight dozen doughnuts – yes, eight dozen – covered in 3 pounds of Nutella and sprinkled with white chocolate chips. The plate weighed 13 pounds, and the concoction added up to more than 20,000 calories. Lamkin consumed about 17,000 of those calories before the timer brought an end to his quest as he told viewers that he was throwing in the towel – in this case, the actual Nutella-stained towel he used to wipe off his hands and face as he ate.

Lamkin doesn’t fall short on food challenges often. Some are formal restaurant challenges – the kind featured on shows like “Man v. Food” – and many are simply ones Lamkin has dreamed up that feature him eating copious amounts of fast food or junk food. All are wildly popular.

“It was a hobby that turned into my career,” Lamkin said. “I wake up every single day excited to do what I do.”

Not a day goes by that Lamkin doesn’t encounter at least one person asking, “What’s your real job?” But this is, in fact, his real job.

Lamkin’s videos have a total of more than 150 million views, including nearly 30 videos that have surpassed 1 million views each. That includes a July 2018 video in which Lamkin went on his first date with Kristie Higgs. They each took on a 5-pound burger challenge that included 1½ pounds of fries. Lamkin finished in less than 17 minutes. Higgs gave it a valiant effort before deciding it would be better to leave room for dessert (Lamkin partook in that, too). But the date was an unqualified success. More than a year later, Lamkin and Higgs are still together and have even started their own YouTube channel called The Electrics.

Lamkin’s charisma, coupled with his creativity in conceiving outlandish food challenges, has helped him gain a loyal – and massive – following. He has more than 1 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, including large fan bases in the United Kingdom and China.

Seeing Lamkin’s success as a competitive eater makes it all the more astonishing to learn about his battle with anorexia. Growing up in San Diego, Lamkin was overweight as a child before focusing on fitness as a teenager. But as his commitment to exercise grew, he became obsessed with his weight.

“When I was 16 years old, I was almost too scared to brush my teeth because I didn’t know how many calories were in toothpaste,” he said.

Lamkin’s weight dwindled to 115 pounds at its lowest point. During his sophomore year at Cal State San Marcos, Lamkin’s family pulled him out of school and sent him to a treatment facility. It helped him get to a better place mentally and physically.

Lamkin returned to CSUSM after completing his treatment and switched his major from business administration to communication, which he felt aligned better with his passion for entertaining people. Lamkin’s days were split between school and his job at a local bike shop while his nights were spent making videos, skills he had been honing since high school when he would post videos of himself playing guitar.

“They’d get like three views,” Lamkin said. “I’d hope that one of those views was a cute girl from my high school … but it wasn’t.”

While the guitar videos didn’t lead to any dates, Lamkin was becoming an expert in film editing and Photoshop, skills that would be critical to his later success as Erik the Electric. People tend to think of him solely as a competitive eater, but Lamkin estimates that at least 80% of his time is spent editing.

Lamkin’s YouTube channel had about 100,000 subscribers when he was approached by a YouTube network, which assists users in growing their channel in exchange for a cut of their earnings. Lamkin decided to give it a shot, and the decision paid off beyond all of his expectations.

“I never would have imagined that people from all around the world would want to watch,” he said. “When I go on YouTube, I don’t watch food videos. I go on to see if I can fix my computer cord or something like that. But food is one of those things that everybody can relate to.”

While Lamkin’s YouTube viewers are accustomed to seeing him devour thousands of calories at a time, his diet consists primarily of chicken and vegetables when he’s not doing a challenge. He works out religiously, and it’s an important part of his routine on the day of a food challenge.

It takes Lamkin up to 24 hours to fully recover from challenges designed around fast food or junk food. Restaurant challenges are easier on his body – “it’s usually a lot less food and not a ton of sodium,” he says – and he would eventually love to transition to doing a TV show that focuses on food and traveling.

After his battle with anorexia, Lamkin pays close attention to his health. He gets blood work done quarterly and said he wouldn’t do the food challenges if his health diminished.

While he readily acknowledges the ticking clock on a career as a competitive eater, he also is making the most of every moment. He loves to engage with his viewers, whether it’s someone who wants to know about his next food challenge or someone who wants to talk about how his story of overcoming anorexia has inspired them.

“It’s been a long journey,” he said, “but I’m very proud of where I’m at right now.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Spieldenner, an assistant professor of communication at Cal State San Marcos, is one of two new North American delegates to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), which is leading the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 by connecting governments, nonprofits and the private sector in providing life-saving HIV services. As a non-government delegate, his duties include developing and negotiating with member states to advance progressive HIV policies around the world.

But that’s not all. Spieldenner, 46, also serves as chair of the United States People Living with HIV Caucus, as well as a research director for the North America affiliate of the Global Network of People with AIDS. Among his numerous honors, Spieldenner has been recognized by the GL/Q Caucus of the Modern Languages Association with the Michael Lynch Service Award for his community work.

“We’ve come a long way,” Spieldenner said, “but we have a long way yet to go.”

His colleagues say Spieldenner is playing a vital role in bringing about change.

“Andy is a fierce gay AIDS activist, who is resolute and unwavering in using public health to advance a broader social justice agenda,” said George Ayala, executive director of the Oakland-based Global Forum on MSM & HIV, an international network of experts and advocates focusing on sexual health and LGBTQ rights, research and policy. “Andy brings a sharp intellect to his work and insistence in ensuring community voices are heard. I have known Andy for more than two decades. He is always willing to step up and step in.”

Spieldenner has been an advocate for those living with AIDS and HIV most of his life. He earned a degree in ethnic studies, with a minor in Asian American studies, from UC Berkeley in 2000. He contracted HIV in 1998, moved to New York after his boyfriend at the time died from AIDS, and worked the city’s Department of Health engaged in an array of public education campaigns. He left after more than four years to travel to Vietnam and Thailand, using the savings he had accumulated from his Department of Health employment.

“I thought I was dying,” Spieldenner said. “They told me I had five to seven years left to live, and if I was lucky I might have 10. So I decided to travel.”

Spieldenner returned to California a year later and earned his master’s degree in theater from UCLA while working at the Black AIDS Institute. His master’s thesis: Corpus: Performance as HIV Intervention for Gay Men of Color in Los Angeles.

His journey took Spieldenner to Howard University, where he earned a doctorate in communication in 2009 and served as director of programs for the National Association of People with AIDS along the way. After a stint as director of research and evaluation for the Latino Commission on AIDS, Spieldenner opted to move into academia. His first teaching post was as an assistant professor in the Department of Rhetoric at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

He has been an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at CSUSM since 2017. On the first day of class each semester he tells his class he is HIV positive.

“Since I am open about my HIV status and being gay, I like how open students are here to people with a different way of life,” he said.

Spieldenner is among some 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States today. Most are leading normal lives.

“We know a lot more about the disease and the medication is much better,” he said.

But the stigma persists, even though HIV is no longer the deadly disease it once was. In fact, antiretroviral drugs have turned HIV into a manageable condition, not unlike type 1 diabetes.

That hasn’t stopped 30 states from having HIV-related criminalization laws on the books.

“There are some states where the laws are so poorly written that they’re being used in wildly inappropriate ways,” he said, pointing to a Michigan case where an HIV-positive man, who his lawyer said was the victim of a hate crime, was charged with bioterrorism when he bit a neighbor during a fight.

“We have to change laws that are targeting a certain segment of the population and we have to resource community-led solutions.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

There was the written essay, a résumé, college transcripts, two faculty letters of recommendation – and that didn’t include an interview with the selection committee or two additional interviews if she made it past the first cut.

By the time Brenda learned about the internship and decided to apply, she only had a week to get everything together before the deadline.

But it all paid off in the end.

“It was incredible,” said Brenda, a communication major and first-generation college student at Cal State San Marcos. “I still can’t believe it happened.”

Brenda is back on campus this spring after spending the fall semester in Washington, D.C., where she worked in the office of Rep. Barbara Lee of California’s 13^th district, which covers Northern California areas such as Oakland and Berkeley.

Brenda was among 26 students who participated in the program, including one from each California State University campus.

The internship started with an intensive two-week prep period in Monterey at the Panetta Institute, which was founded in 1997 by former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and his wife Sylvia. Then it was off to Washington for a 2½-month stint working on Capitol Hill. The Panetta Institute covers all program costs and interns receive 20 semester units.

“It gives you a taste of the real world and can really help you in the future,” Brenda said.

Brenda was presenting at a research conference in Utah last February when the application was due and initial interviews were being conducted. She was able to get two professors to write recommendation letters on short notice and had a friend drop off the application materials on her behalf before the deadline. The CSUSM selection committee waited until Brenda returned from the conference in Utah and she was the final candidate to be interviewed.

The same day as her interview she received a call saying she had made it to the next round and would interview with CSUSM President Karen Haynes. That was followed by an interview with the Panettas in Monterey.

“It was a good bit of excitement and anxiety at the same time,” said Brenda, laughing.

Brenda was thrilled to have the opportunity to work for Rep. Lee’s office. She was familiar with the congresswoman, who was the lone member of Congress to vote against authorization for the use of military force following 9/11 because she was concerned it would create a blank check for endless war.

“It was just a really good experience to be able to immerse myself in her legacy and what she’s done," Brenda said. “That was powerful for me.”

Before the internship, Brenda was considering whether to pursue a master’s in public policy or attend law school after she graduates from CSUSM. But the internship experience solidified her desire to attend law school.

Since returning from Washington, Brenda has even gotten a job at a Carlsbad law firm as a staff assistant, and she credits her Panetta internship experience for helping her land the job.

“Given the political climate we’re in now, it’s hard to stay away from politics,” Brenda said. “It’s detrimental to not be informed and not be engaged. This internship is more than just working. It’s the whole experience of being in D.C., learning how to be a professional and get that next step for career-readiness or whatever your goal might be. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If I could do it again, I would in a heartbeat.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

“I’ve always been interested in how people interact and the impact those interactions have on people’s lives,” she said.

An Assistant Professor of Applied Organizational Communication at Cal State San Marcos, Rivera has engaged in extensive research with everything from the U.S. Border Patrol to community health clinics, to understanding how communication can both shape and reflect overall health and wellness. A study she co-authored, Understanding and Alleviating Cultural Stressors and Health Disparities in the Perinatal Outcomes of Mexican-American Women, has become a resource for health clinics, practitioners and parents worldwide.

“I’m interested in helping to solve critical problems faced by marginalized populations,” she said. “In particular, I want to make our organizational experiences healthier and less stressful – be it work, the doctor’s office or whatever.”

Rivera also serves as CSUSM’s Faculty Director for Service Learning, a position in which she takes great pride.

“I feel that service learning not only helps the university give back to the community, but it helps students learn important concepts and theories while practicing specific hands-on skills in the real world.”

Her biggest reward comes through her students.

“My greatest accomplishment in the academic world is the students who have graduated and gone on to help their communities,” said Rivera, who has earned the CSUSM President’s Outstanding Faculty Award for Teaching Innovation & Excellence and the Dean’s Teaching Innovation Award, among others. “I’m proud of all the former students who have gone on to work in nonprofit or justice-oriented workplaces or have committed themselves to civic engagement, where they will be giving back to their communities.”

But Kelsey has a dark history. The youngest daughter of parents who both struggled with drug addiction, she was placed in the foster care system at just eight weeks old. Fortunately, she landed in the home of foster mother Beatrice Beiler whom Kelsey affectionately called "grandma."

When Kelsey was five, her parents had conquered their addictions and reunited their family. Although she has happy memories of the time when her family was together, those memories were short-lived. Two years later, her mother was fatally shot by the ex-partner of a family friend while Kelsey and her sisters watched.

After the devastating loss of his wife, Kelsey’s father was no longer able to care for his daughters and they were returned to the foster care system, where they were separated and moved from home to home for the next two years. The day before Kelsey was to move yet again, she received a phone call from her "grandma," the foster mother that had cared for her as a baby.

Beiler had heard about what happened to Kelsey’s mother and had finally found Kelsey. At the age of nine, Kelsey returned to the home of her "grandma" where she stayed until she graduated high school.

Her tenuous and tragic childhood could have profoundly hindered her ability to succeed in life, but Kelsey is committed to sharing her story as an example of triumph and fulfilled dreams.

"When people hear where I come from, I don’t want them to think ‘woe is me,’" Kelsey said. "What I experienced made me the person I am. And even though I had a difficult childhood, some of my peers have had an even harder story."

They Won't Let Us Give Up

It was during the CSU application process that Kelsey found out about the ACE Scholars Services program.

ACE, CSUSM’s one-of-a-kind program serving former foster youth, provides academic, career and personal counseling, scholarship resources and employment opportunities to help students excel in college and beyond.

The support that ACE staff provided her, even during the application process, ranged from navigating unfamiliar registration and financial aid processes to finding housing and funding resources.

"I knew before I even came to Cal State San Marcos that I would be welcomed and taken care of," shared Kelsey. "The staff let me know that I had a home there. They’re not just my counselors; they’re my friends."

As Kelsey has navigated the challenges and obstacles of college life in her unique situation, ACE Scholars Services staff have been her counselors and cheerleaders. When she took a semester off of school, the staff kept in close touch, provided information about additional resources and offered encouragement to come back.

"They won’t let us give up!" Kelsey said with a laugh. "As a foster youth, quitting is what we know. There are all kinds of statistics that say a lot of us don’t make it in college, but you have no excuse not to make it with this program."

Kelsey is now a junior majoring in communication.

"Despite the many challenges that Kelsey has experienced, she has an amazing ability to maintain a positive focus and to persevere," shared Laurie Orr, a staff social worker in ACE Scholars Services. "She is determined to make her dreams a reality."

ACE has a motto that while others look at where you came from, they look at where you are going. With her spirit and determination, Kelsey is going far.

“To break into broadcasting, you have to be open to taking any position you can get at first,” she said. “I was lucky to land this position and get my foot in the door, but it wasn’t easy.”

Shortly afterward, she accepted her first full-time position at KECY-TV in Yuma, Ariz. as a multi-media journalist and newsroom operations manager. However, the bilingual San Diegan native always knew that she wanted to move back home. Finally, in November 2013, she accepted the position she had been dreaming of at NBC 7 San Diego.

“I started as a weekend reporter and after a few months became a full-time reporter,” she said. “NBC prides itself on hiring locals, and I consider myself extremely lucky because I absolutely love my job. Every day is something different.”

Broadcast journalism is more than being a pretty face on camera; it also requires a lot of skill and talent. As a reporter, Vanessa shoots her own video and interviews, writes and edits stories for multiple platforms, gathers and verifies factual information, gives live reports on camera or prepares taped stories—and she does it all on a very tight deadline.

“You need to be comfortable on-air but also have the technical skills to back it up,” Vanessa said. “You can’t be scared to ask questions during interviews but you also need to have good people skills and a strong sense of journalistic integrity.”

She said that while her parents didn’t earn higher degrees, there was always an expectation that she would go to college after she graduated from Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista.

“I took one class at SDSU and was overwhelmed by the class sizes,” she said. “I ended up transferring because I really wanted the chance to get to know my professors.”

In her senior year, Vanessa interned at Fox 5 San Diego.

“My number one piece of advice for students who want to break into broadcast journalism is to get an internship,” Vanessa reflected. “Internships give you on-the-job experience and a chance to ask yourself, ‘Is this what I want? Am I capable of this?.’”

Vanessa also advises students who dream of a career in broadcast journalism not to get discouraged if they don’t land their dream job right away.

“You really have to work at it,” she said. “I remember applying to dozens and dozens of news stations and never hearing back. The key is to network, network, network . . . and don’t be afraid to start at the bottom and work your way up.”

Tune in and watch Vanessa Herrera on NBC 7 San Diego weeknights or follow her on Twitter @VanessaNBCSD.

The event is designed to bring professionals from media and communication fields to the campuses for a series of panels and lectures, showcasing the abundance of career possibilities in the field. MAC is free and open to students, faculty, staff and the public.

On Monday, Apr. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Cardiff Student Center Conference Room, MiraCosta College, San Elijo campus, will host keynote speaker William Keck, a Hollywood entertainment reporter, for a lecture titled, “From OJ Simpson to Jessica Simpson: The Rapidly Changing Face of Entertainment Journalism” followed by a Q&A session.

On Tuesday, Apr. 22, MircaCosta College, Oceanside campus, will host two panel discussions titled “Got Experience?” at 11 a.m. and “How’d You Land that Great Job?” at 12:30 p.m. in the Oceanside Student Center, Aztlan A&B, Building 3400.

On Wednesday, Apr. 23, in the Governing Board room, Palomar College will host a journalism panel at 11 a.m., a keynote address from Fox 5 Morning Show’s Raoul Martinez and Erica Fox at 12:30 p.m., a media studies panel at 2 p.m., tours of the college’s TV station, radio station and newsroom at 3:15 p.m., and a cinema panel at 4:30 p.m.

On Thursday, Apr. 24, in the Kellogg Library Reading Room, Cal State San Marcos will host an alumni panel at 10:30 a.m.

For more information, visit the MAC Days website, http://mediacommdays.wordpress.com/

CONTACT: Erin Hiro, 760-744-1150 ext. 3762 or Liliana Rossmann, 760-750-4156.

What:  Media and Communication Days is a series of discussions, lectures and panels on the future of journalism and communication. Hosted by CSUSM, Palomar and Mira Costa Colleges and sponsored by the North County Higher Education Alliance.

When: 

Monday, April 21 at MiraCosta College – San Elijo Campus – 333 Manchester Ave., Cardiff – Student Center Conference Room, Building 900  

6 p.m. - Reception

6:30 – 8 p.m. - Keynote speaker and Q&A,”From OJ Simpson to Jessica Simpson: The Rapidly Changing Face of Entertainment Journalism”William Keck, Hollywood entertainment reporter

Tuesday, April 22 at MiraCosta College- Oceanside Campus – 1 Bernard Dr., Oceanside Student Center, Aztlan A&B, Building 3400

11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. – Panel: Got experience?Learn about how you can gain valuable job experience with an internship in communication. Hear from current and former interns about the dos and don’ts, the positives and the negatives of an MCC internship. The Career Center will be available to answer questions as well.

Panelists: Brandon Beach, intern at TransWorld Business; Alma Menera, intern at Magic 92.5; Alana Stroud, intern at MCC Student Activities; Ron Tranbarger, intern at MCC Writing & CAC; Suzie Woldeab, intern at Versace. 

12:30 – 1:45 p.m. – Panel: How’d you land that great job?

Want to know what to do with a degree in communication? Curious about what types of jobs are available in media? Come hear from professionals working in areas of radio, marketing, social media, search engine optimization, magazines, etc. who will give you the ins and outs of the job market and what to expect as you go knocking on doors.

Panelists: Drew Coalson, content syndication manager at Grind Media; Jonathan Gomez, school relations and diversity outreach coordinator at MiraCosta College; Sheena Schleicher, senior SEO and search marketing manager at Cuker Interactive; and Jonathan Schwartz, president and COO at 102.1 KPRI.

Wednesday, April 23 at Palomar  College, 1140W. Mission Blvd., San Marcos

10 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Remote conversation with “Boy Toy” Jesse LozanoLocation: Student Union

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. – Journalism panel with local journalistsLocation: Governing Board Room

12:30 – 1:30 p.m – Keynote with Raoul Martinez and Erica Fox from Fox 5 MorningLocation: Governing Board Room

2 p.m. – 3 p.m. – Media studies alumni panel  Location: Governing Board Room

3:15 – 4:15 p.m. - PCTV, KKSM and Telescope Open House  4:30 – 5 p.m. – Cinema panelLocation: P32

Thursday, Apr. 24 at California State University San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Rd.

(Free Parking in Lot B)

10:30 – 11:45 a.m. - Panel: Careers in Communication

Location: Kellogg Library, Reading Room

Panelists: Virginia Accetta, travel consultant at Travel Leaders; Mercy Castro, promotions director and assistant to the senior VP at Univision, Palm Springs; Aimeeleigh Coulter, patient advocate and motivational speaker; Sydney Brink, event sales coordinator and the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park; Chad A. Ross, director of Broker Dealer Services at Pacific Life Insurance Company; Joshua Sandoval, casting associate at ITV; Alison St. John, North County bureau chief at KPBS; Christine Vaughan, Public Information Officer/Communications Specialist at Cal State San Marcos.

12 – 1 p.m. – Panel: Internships in Communication

Location: Kellogg Library, Reading Room

Panelists: Catherine Armas-Matsumoto, internship coordinator in the Department of Communication at Cal State San Marcos; Kyle Jon Haman, communication intern at ZTPR; Brdigette Murnane with the CSU Entertainment Industries Initiative; Cassandra Peterson, nanny; Robyn SSembera, associate manager of continuing medical education and social media at Taking Control of Your Diabetes; Mari Steffensmeier, career counselor at the CSUSM Career Center; TJ Stroben, real estate agent and property consultant and California Residential Consulting.

1 - 2:15 p.m. - Panel: Graduate Study

Location: Kellogg Library, Reading Room

Panelists: Maricel Alamares, communication graduate school applicant; Jacinta Chavous-Kambach, graduate student in organizational leadership at Brandman University; Jennifer Gehrish, graduate student in communication at SDSU; Rebecca Leach, graduate student in Social Welfare at UC Berkeley; Maximilian Mann, graduate student in business at SDSU.

2:30 – 3:45 p.m.  -  Keynote: Social Identity in the Age of Social Media with Professor Caroline Sawyer, lecturer in communication and mass media at CSUSM.  Location: Kellogg Library, Reading Room 5400

Where: Various locations at CSUSM, Palomar and MiraCosta Colleges. See above for specific locations.

Why: To provide students and the general public with a glimpse into the media and communication professions through expert panels and lectures.