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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

She'll be thinking about her primary Cal State San Marcos mentor, biology professor Carlos Luna Lopez. She'll be thinking about her impending enrollment at UC Irvine to begin a Ph.D. program in cancer research.

Mostly, though, she'll be thinking about her parents.

Rodriguez’s father and mother never got the chance to pursue higher education, with her dad stopping in sixth grade and her mom in first grade. Rodriguez grew up in Oceanside with three siblings, and for the first 18 years of her life, she and her entire family resided in a house owned by a relative. Her father would rise by 5 a.m. seven days a week to do landscaping work, and still it was barely enough to scape by.

Many parents in that situation would have urged their children to drop out of school to help earn money for the family, but Rodriguez’s parents thought differently.

“They have always supported my journey of higher education, which I’m very, very thankful for,” Rodriguez said. “They didn’t choose not to have an education. They didn’t have an opportunity to. My mom used to tell me that if she could have gone to college, she would have become a nurse.”

On her path to a science degree, Rodriguez benefited from more than just parental support. She had a sibling role model in her sister, Tanya, who’s only one year older and resembles Valeria so much that they’re often mistaken for twins. Tanya preceded Valeria at CSUSM (graduating in 2024) and, after taking a gap year, also will be starting a Ph.D. program in the fall, at UC Santa Cruz for immunology.

Then there was her high school. Rodriguez had the advantage of attending Mission Vista, the newest high school in Vista Unified School District, which offers a program called Project Lead the Way that allows students to get a head start in STEM disciplines like biomedicine and engineering.

As a result, Rodriguez arrived at CSUSM having been exposed to and liking science, specifically biology. It was at CSUSM, however, that she discovered research and the notion – previously unimaginable to her – that research could be a career.

After her freshman year, she joined the lab of Luna, the biology professor, for the Summer Scholars program in 2022. She wanted to do research involving the human body, and she liked that Luna specialized in breast cancer research.

Rodriguez has been a member of Luna’s lab ever since. She worked on a project to learn how different types of fat cells (brown and white) affect how breast cancer spreads, growing such cells in the lab and using a special microscope to examine how they change shape. She also helped the lab transition to employing 3D models to study breast cancer cells since, as she points out, “humans are 3D, so hopefully we make research a lot more relevant if we use a model that’s closer to us.”

“Dr. Luna is the best mentor I’ve ever had,” Rodriguez said. “He’s very honest when it comes to meeting realistic goals but also supports me in the path that I want to follow. And he’s a very fun guy.”

After she caught the research bug through Summer Scholars, Rodriguez set her sights even higher for the subsequent two summers, gaining acceptance to premier undergraduate research programs through Stanford University and the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in Seattle.

Outside of the lab, she became heavily involved with both the Center for Training, Research and Educational Excellence (CTREE) – the hub for research-based initiatives at CSUSM – and The Alliance, a program aimed at increasing access to college education for area K-12 students. She also maintained a 3.96 GPA while being honored as one of the first two CSUSM students ever to receive a Barry Goldwater scholarship, a prestigious national award that recognizes leadership potential in research science.  

Of being a first-generation Latina scientist, Rodriguez said: “It has been difficult. Sometimes I feel like I’m behind, like I’m sprinting a marathon rather than jogging it. But I’ve learned to appreciate the small moments, whether it’s winning an award, having a happy time with my family and friends, or just chatting about life with Dr. Luna. Those moments motivate me to continue and overcome the hardships that I’ve gone through.”

Luna and Denise Garcia, the director of CTREE, said Rodriguez is one of the most motivated and talented students they’ve encountered in their careers as professors.

“I put her in the top 1% of students that I’ve worked with,” Luna said. “She displays a great deal of dedication, intellectual capacity and compassion. She is driven to be a leader and role model in the field of cancer research.”

The drive is innate in Rodriguez. It was forged as a child as she watched her parents struggle to assimilate into American culture and establish a livelihood. It carried her through her high school years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when her whole family was stuck inside the rented room, which simultaneously brought them closer together and drove them crazy.

Now, with her family having moved out and living in their own apartment, that inner drive will propel Rodriguez toward a doctorate in UC Irvine’s Cellular and Molecular Biosciences program, which she could start as soon as next month.

“I’ve always been motivated to get a college degree and a Ph.D.,” she said. “Yes, I want to have a better life for myself, but more importantly, I want to thank my parents and make them proud.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

I still have the picture I drew in elementary school when I was 8 years old. It’s a self-portrait with my dream job scrawled on the paper: “scantist.” 

I came across that picture not so long ago and, while my spelling has improved greatly since then, the statistics related to the number of Black people employed in science and engineering remain stark. Just 3% are Black men, according to the National Science Foundation. The numbers are worse for Black women like me – just 2%. 

But I’ve never been someone to let numbers define me or statistics deter me from pursuing my dreams.  

That’s probably a good thing considering I’m also part of another group that, statistically, struggles to complete college – former foster youth. Less than 3% of former foster youth earn a bachelor’s degree, according to the Education Commission of the States. 

I’m proud that I’m part of those small groups since graduating from Cal State San Marcos in May with my bachelor’s in biological sciences. Now I want to help other students do the same and see those percentages grow. Much like me, most just need an opportunity. 

It’s a lesson I learned from my grandmother, who taught me the importance of simply showing up and taking a chance on someone. In my grandmother’s case, she took in my three sisters and me when our mother couldn’t care for us. 

I’m also grateful to CSUSM for taking a chance on me. At the university, I had the good fortune of being in U-RISE, which is the Undergraduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement program. Part of CSUSM’s Center for Training, Research and Educational Excellence, or CTREE for short, the U-RISE program prepares talented and motivated underrepresented students majoring in the sciences to enter and succeed in doctoral studies.  

It was in U-RISE that I met some truly special mentors who stepped up on my behalf. 

CTREE and U-RISE have eligibility requirements – and I didn’t meet all of them. It’s not that I wasn’t good at science or passionate about my studies. But my grades weren't at the level that U-RISE requires. I had always been a strong student in high school. I earned a spot on the honor roll each semester and was involved in numerous extracurricular activities. But I struggled when I started college. I wasn’t as prepared as I thought. 

Fortunately for me, CTREE’s leaders looked beyond the numbers (in this case, my grade-point average). They took into account the challenges I was working to overcome and saw my potential. They were willing to take a chance on me. And it was truly life-changing. 

Becoming part of U-RISE led me to a spot in the lab of biology professor Dennis Kolosov, who was there for me every step of the way. Whether it was answering a question, meeting one-on-one or providing professional development, Dr. Kolosov was crucial to my development and shaping my identity as a scientist. 

The support that CSUSM provides is second to none, from faculty like Dr. Kolosov and Dr. Mallory Rice, who inspire students each day, to staff like Shanelle Watkins, the Black Student Success Initiatives coordinator in the Black Student Center. 

This fall, I’m starting a Ph.D. program at UC Irvine, where I will be studying immunology. While I put in years of hard work to get here, my support system at CSUSM was critical in helping me reach this point. 

I’m looking forward to helping other students like me in the future, whether through a nonprofit organization to give back to the community in my hometown of Rialto near San Bernardino, or by helping STEM students at CSUSM navigate the path toward their degree. 

I know firsthand how important representation is for students of marginalized groups, and I know what it’s like to persevere. Each time I have fallen, I have gotten back up. I crawled, walked and ran toward my degree at CSUSM. Now, I want to serve as a positive example and role model to ensure that other students facing similar challenges aren’t left behind. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

The awards honor a staff and a faculty member for their contribution toward the achievement of the university's mission and demonstrated service to the campus community.

Romo, the resident director of North Commons, previously worked at campus housing during her time as a student at CSUSM. She was a resident adviser in CSUSM Housing & Residential Education in 2016, and a senior RA for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years. During that time, Romo led conversations and programs that focused on personal development and cultural differences. In 2021, Romo returned to CSUSM as resident director of North Commons, the first-year-only on-campus housing. She works alongside the Residential Learning Communities and Residential Peer Mentors (RPM) and, through her personal approach, encourages them to become trusted mentors who help develop a stronger community. 

Romo recognized the need for intentional engagement and crafted initiatives that helped improve the RPM program and empower students to thrive academically and personally. 

Garcia, a biology professor and the director of CTREE, has brought in millions of dollars in external funding to CSUSM. In addition, she is an effective grant writer and offers formal and informal training for junior faculty on grant writing and acquisition of external funding. Garcia seeks out grants and other forms of support to ensure that students are supported through mentoring, access to resources and that they receive funding to support their research and education. Garcia supports undergraduate students by helping them with networking opportunities and by providing funding through her training grants, allowing students and their mentors to attend conferences to help advance students' professional development.

Garcia’s work and the work of CTREE was recently recognized by the National Institutes of Health where CSUSM was recognized along with nine other universities as recipients for Institutional Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Biomedical and Behavioral Research.

Media Contact

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

Nicolas Morales is a transfer from Northern Arizona University who came to CSUSM with a goal to become a physical therapist or physician’s assistant.

Both learned through faculty mentors about the existence of a new program to train students in research that would help them lessen the harmful effects of tobacco and vape use in their communities. It didn’t quite dovetail with their academic interests at the time, but both thought it sounded like a good opportunity to develop their research skills in an area that long has been vital to public health in the United States.

Now, almost two years later, Tran and Morales are not only graduating from CSUSM – Tran with a degree in psychology, Morales in kinesiology – but they are standouts in the first cohort of eight students to complete the Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Initiative Program for Reducing Tobacco Disease in Diverse Communities (SVFSIP). The initiative, which involves a partnership with UC San Diego, is the result of a four-year, $1.3 million grant from a state agency named the Tobacco Related Disease Research Program, or TRDRP.

The training opportunity is tailored to students from racial/ethnic minoritized, low-income or LGBTQ+ groups, the same populations that studies show are disproportionately targeted by tobacco companies and affected by tobacco-related disease.

Thanks in large part to their experience in SVFSIP over the last two years, Tran and Morales are headed to graduate school to continue their research in public health. This fall, Tran will begin pursuit of a Ph.D. in health psychology at UCLA, while Morales will start a Master of Public Health program at San Diego State, with a doctorate on the horizon for him as well.

“It’s been absolutely wonderful,” Tran said. “I really credit the program and my mentors for getting me to where I am and pushing me to the point where I can accomplish my next steps. Without them, this wouldn’t be possible.”

Said Morales: “Overall, I think the program was amazing. I got to meet remarkable people that hopefully are going to be colleagues in the future.”

The faculty who shepherded the inaugural cohort through SVFSIP (seven other students just finished their first of two years) are Kim Pulvers, a psychology professor who has devoted her career to tobacco-related research, and Richard Armenta, a kinesiology professor who’s the associate director for the Center for Training, Research and Educational Excellence (CTREE). SVFSIP is one of many programs housed within CTREE, the mission of which is to enhance the educational and research experiences of students from underserved backgrounds.

“Developing the resources to provide students a substantial training experience to grow as researchers and advocates reducing the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States has been very rewarding,” Pulvers said. “I am proud that the footprint for tobacco research at CSUSM has grown beyond the studies that I conduct and the students I personally mentor.”

The eight students who are the initial SVFSIP graduates spent their first year working with a mentor on research project related to prevention or treatment. During the recently completed second year, they worked with a community-based tobacco control specialist on a local advocacy project. Throughout the program, they received an annual stipend and a discount of 50% on tuition.

For her research year, Tran was paired with Pulvers on two studies. The first examined the relationship between the age that a person first uses cannabis and their current level of abuse, and whether anxiety or depression helps explain that relationship. The second explored behavioral economic demand for cannabis and tobacco among young adults.

For her advocacy year that is wrapping up this month, Tran worked for the California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN), investigating the legality of tobacco sales to several college campuses in the state. In between, she was selected for a competitive internship last summer with the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, a 10-week assignment that was extended into the entire academic year based on the quality of her research output.

In his first year, Morales was mentored by Eric Leas, a public health professor at UCSD. His two research projects concerned the self-reporting of adverse effects from the use of delta-8 THC, a psychoactive substance found in cannabis, and searching for loopholes in the enforcement of the ban on flavored vape products in California. The latter study was published in the online journal Tobacco Control.

After a summer internship in which he continued his research with Leas at UCSD, Morales for his advocacy year worked at the Institute for Public Health at SDSU. There, he collected data on the extent to which current and former tobacco users are up to date on non-lung-related cancer screenings, since tobacco use increases the likelihood of developing more than a dozen different types of cancer.  

Morales says his curiosity with this line of research stems from his own history as a smoker of both cigarettes and vapes.

“I felt like it was affecting my physical and mental health as well as affecting the people around me,” he said. “I wanted to get out of that, and I pulled myself out of it. So when I found out about the TRDRP scholars program, it particularly sparked my interest just from my previous use.”

Pulvers credited the training and mentorship provided by CTREE, led by Armenta and biology professor Denise Garcia, the co-direction of research internships by UCSD faculty member Dennis Trinidad, and the support of community partners like CYAN, Vista Community Clinic and SAY San Diego for the success of SVFSIP thus far.

“The level of student training in tobacco prevention and treatment research and advocacy and student outcomes achieved would not be possible without the time and talent of our research and advocacy mentors,” Pulvers said.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

CSUSM was announced recently as among 10 recipients of the NIH Institutional Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) in Biomedical and Behavioral Research Prize. The award is given by the NIH Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity (COSWD) team.

Of the 10 winners, CSUSM is one of only three that are considered limited-resource institutions (LRIs). NIH defines LRIs, among other criteria, as “institutions that have a documented mission to serve historically underrepresented populations in biomedical and behavioral research.”

CSUSM received the NIH prize specifically for the work of the Center for Research, Training and Educational Excellence (CTREE), the mission of which is to enhance the educational and research experiences of students from underserved backgrounds in higher education. CTREE is led by director Denise Garcia, a biology professor, and associate director Richard Armenta, a kinesiology professor.

“The establishment and operation of CTREE represent a university-wide achievement,” Garcia said. “Our success is attributed to exceptional administrators who recognized and supported our vision, dedicated staff tirelessly managing our programs and grants, and amazing faculty members who generously invest their time as research mentors for our students. Above all, our achievements are fueled by the remarkable efforts of our incredible students, who wholeheartedly strive to turn their dreams into reality.”

CTREE was founded in 2002 as the Office and Training, Research and Education in the Sciences (OTRES). The name was changed two years ago when OTRES achieved center status, which allowed it to centralize services normally housed in multiple offices to offer an array of resources, including comprehensive academic advising, research support and mentorship, research and ethics training, and community building among like-minded students.  

In its new iteration, CTREE has witnessed rapid expansion in program offerings and student outreach, growing from directly supporting 40 students to more than 90. There has been a corresponding spike in annual funding, which has increased from $827,144 to nearly $3 million since 2019, and in the rate of students who go on to doctoral programs (from 69% to 95%).

“We are honored to receive the NIH Institutional Excellence Prize, which acknowledges the impactful strides we’ve made in creating an inclusive and equitable environment for students to thrive at CSUSM,” Armenta said. “We are committed to providing opportunities for students from minoritized backgrounds to succeed in higher education, and this award will help us expand the mission of CTREE and CSUSM.”

CTREE houses nine federal- and state-funded programs that provide multiple entry points during a student’s education, allowing for flexibility in admissions. Each program provides students with research opportunities, seminars, workshops and peer mentoring.

In addition to student support, CTREE plays an instrumental role in faculty development. This includes engaging with new hires to facilitate grant submissions and providing resources, training and mentorship to faculty to ensure that they can best support students from minoritized backgrounds.

CTREE also has built valuable partnerships with local community colleges Palomar and MiraCosta, and prominent institutions such as UC San Diego, San Diego State and Scripps Research.