But in January, one of those unknown callers left a voicemail.

The person said they were calling from the TV game show “Jeopardy.” Ayers had gone through the tryout process for the show, but that had been more than a year earlier, so it’s understandable that she was dubious when she returned the call.

“I said something like, ‘It sounds so crazy and paranoid, but is there any way for you to prove to me that this is not a scam?’ She said, ‘No one's ever asked me that.’ I must have sounded like a crazy person,” said Ayers, laughing.

The woman told Ayers that she would send her an email from her official “Jeopardy” account. The call and the email were real. “Jeopardy” wanted Ayers on the show as a contestant.

It would mean taking a day off from her job as a math professor at Cal State San Marcos, but Ayers had no trouble getting support from department chair Marshall Whittlesey and Jackie Trischman, the dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. And, needless to say, her students were ecstatic to learn about the appearance.

Ayers must remain tight-lipped about how she did on the show, but viewers will have a chance to see for themselves when her episode airs March 31.

“It’s hard not to talk about it, but my only goal was not to embarrass myself too bad,” Ayers said. “And I think I can confidently say that I didn't bring shame to CSUSM.”

Ayers watched “Jeopardy” growing up, but while many people dream of being on the show and spend endless hours prepping for its arduous audition process, she did it largely on a whim.

What followed was 18 months filled with tests, interviews and, most of all, waiting.

Ayers learned about the audition process when she received an email in her CSUSM inbox. She figures it was a bulk email sent to dozens of college professors encouraging them to apply.

“I think they like having college professors on,” she said.

Ayers visited the show’s website and took the “Anytime Test,” the first step for anyone hoping to become a “Jeopardy” contestant. The “Anytime Test” includes 50 categories and 50 clues, with just 15 seconds to respond to each. The results are never revealed, and participants only learn if they passed the test if they receive an email within one year of taking it.

Ayers received one of those emails inviting her to the first round of a video conference audition, which was a 50-question test on Zoom. Then it was back to waiting. As with the “Anytime Test,” participants who pass the first round may be contacted any time within a year to participate in the second round. Ayers learned she had passed when she received an invitation to the second round, which was a gameplay audition in which potential contestants play a mock version of “Jeopardy” in groups of three.

Passing that audition puts participants in a pool of potential contestants for two years. However, it doesn’t guarantee an invitation to appear on the show. And if the two-year window passes without an invitation, you have to start the process all over to be considered again.

“Apparently Ken Jennings has said it's like eight times easier to get into Harvard than it is to get on ‘Jeopardy,’ ” said Ayers, referencing the show’s host. “Because they have 70 or 80,000 people who take the online quiz and then they only invite 400.

“They said, ‘It's not about you, it's just a numbers game.’ People try to get on the show for years and years, so I kind of figured I’d never hear from them.”

But in January, 18 months after she first started the application process, Ayers received a call inviting her to Los Angeles to appear on “Jeopardy.” She spent the next month brushing up on her trivia and gleaning tips from a friend who had been on the show. That included watching episodes of “Jeopardy” at home and acting as if she was a contestant by standing up and using a pen to practice clicking in to answer questions, as timing is one of the keys to success.

“It goes so fast,” Ayers said. “You can only buzz in after the answer is done being read, but if you buzz in prematurely, you're penalized a quarter of a second, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it is. The whole thing is just so incredibly fast.”

Ayers had to complete a lengthy information sheet and answer questions to help determine what Jennings would chat with her about between rounds. “Jeopardy” films five episodes a day, so Ayers was also instructed to bring five different outfits in case she advanced.

The day of filming, Jennings came out to meet all of the contestants before taping began and encouraged them to have fun.

“He's such a nice guy,” Ayers said. “He said, ‘This is your victory lap. You got on the show, and that is an incredible feat in and of itself. Try not to stress too much about it and enjoy the process.’ ”

Ayers did just that. On March 31, her friends and colleagues will have an opportunity to see the results. Just don’t be surprised if Ayers isn’t watching.

“I may have a watch party, but it may be everyone watching the show while I go hide in another room,” she said. “We'll see what happens. But it was just such a crazy, cool experience.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

“On top of training up to three hours a day, my major in algorithmic mathematics is very demanding and leaves little time to hold a job,” McGregor said. “I’m grateful for Brooks and Marion Reid’s support and hope to pay it forward someday, especially in math or athletics.”

McGregor's appreciation of the Reids comes from being the recipient of both the Reid Athletic Scholarship and the K. Brooks and Marion Reid Student Achievement Award in Discrete Mathematics. These scholarships are just two of the many ways that the Reids have contributed to Cal State San Marcos over the years.

Founding faculty members Brooks and Marion Reid have been champions of student success since CSUSM’s earliest days. Brooks, a mathematics professor emeritus, and Marion, the university’s founding dean of Kellogg Library and now dean emerita, have contributed to initiatives across campus, from academics and research to athletics. Brooks serves on the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) Advisory Council, staying connected to students like McGregor.

"It was exciting to be part of CSUSM from the very beginning,” the Reids said. “The library and mathematics have always been close to our hearts, and we’re proud of how the university has flourished over the years. We had fulfilling careers here, and giving back is a way to honor that legacy and help future generations thrive.”

In addition to scholarships and mathematics awards, the couple supports the annual Reid Lecture Series, which invites the campus and local community to experience the beauty of mathematics through continued support for programs like the Mathematical Association of America Institutional Membership, the Putnam Mathematics Competition and the San Marcos Informal Mathematics Colloquium.

Thanks to the generosity of donors like Brooks and Marion Reid, CSUSM students have the resources to thrive both academically and personally. Their gifts also contribute to the university’s $200 million “Blueprint for the Future” campaign.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

The grants come from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The faculty members involved from CSUSM include assistant biology professor Mallory Rice, associate biology professor Jane Kim, biology professor George Vourlitis, kinesiology professor Todd Astorino and assistant math professor Kim Ayers.

Rice is the principal investigator (with Kim and Vourlitis as co-PIs) of a three-year, $499,970 grant from the NSF’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI Program). The project aims to increase student success by ensuring that every CSUSM biology student participates in multiple research experiences while enrolled in their lower- and upper-division courses. Research projects will investigate how urban development impacts wildlife and natural resources in North San Diego County.

The grant will be supported by the CSUSM-based National Latino Research Center, with Konane Martinez (faculty director of the NLRC and chair of the anthropology department) serving in a senior personnel role.

Astorino received a $442,590 Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) from the NIH. He will conduct a randomized controlled trial with 60 inactive adults, who will complete 24 sessions of reduced exertion high-intensity interval training (REHIT), a variation of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that requires only two 20-second sprints within a 10-minute session. Astorino then will compare the resultant changes in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), substrate metabolism and psychological response to a non-exercising control group.

The trial will expand work in the field showing that REHIT increases CRF and other health-related outcomes, but that has been criticized due to its small sample size, serving to question the broad application of REHIT in adults.

Ayers received a $173,098 grant from the NSF in collaboration with Florida International University and the University of Virginia. The three universities will adapt and implement the Modeling Practices in Calculus (MPC) approach, which has been shown to significantly improve learning and success for a broad collection of introductory calculus students. At the core of MPC is the opportunity for students to work cooperatively and discuss key mathematical ideas in a face-to-face, small-group setting. After adoption and implementation, CSUSM and its partners will identify three additional sites that will join the project in its second year. 

Media Contact

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

Know someone who deserves special recognition for their efforts? Email details to publicity@csusm.edu and we’ll include them in an upcoming edition of this ongoing series.

Tasos Lazarides, director, Academic Innovation & Strategic Solutions, IITS

Learning & Tutoring Services (LTS) Team

Lazarides and the LTS team were nominated together for their collective effort in moving all tutoring, supplemental instruction and academic support webinars to a virtual format.

LTS is a seven-person team (pictured above) that leads the Academic Success Center, STEM Success Center, Supplemental Instruction, and Writing Center in the Office of Undergraduate Studies. The team includes Jennifer Brich, director of the STEM Success Center; Alexa Diaz, Academic Success Center coordinator; Julia Garcia-Medina, STEM Success Center coordinator; Maricruz Macz, director of Supplemental Instruction; Trevor Ryback, Math Lab coordinator; Evan Smith, director of the Writing Center; and Amanda Tomanek, academic English language specialist for the Writing Center.

“This student-focused group supported more than 27,000 student visits to the learning centers this past year,” the nominator wrote. “More impressively, in response to COVID and the need to move to remote delivery, they worked alongside Dr. Tasos Lazarides in IITS to move all tutoring and supplemental instruction online within four days last spring. They had to come together in significant ways to test and modify digital platforms, develop training for tutors and SI leads, and more.

“Based on what they learned between March and May, this summer the LTS team tested several digital delivery platforms and then moved forward in building a model to provide fully remote tutoring and Supplemental Instruction via Microsoft Teams. This work also included the development and delivery of a multi-day online training for all of the student staff this summer with detailed plans for ongoing training throughout the academic year. Furthermore, the team had to determine how best to track student engagement in the remote learning centers. When the fall semester began, LTS launched their deeply revised approach to providing academic support.”

The nominator noted that their efforts caught the attention of Microsoft, which consults with Lazarides to address suggestions that emerge from their work with Teams.

Farideh Farheidar, instructional support technician, CSTEM chemistry and biochemistry

Farheidar received multiple nominations for her work preparing personal protective equipment (PPE) for different campus departments, particularly chemistry, biochemistry and biology.

“She’s an important part of why CSUSM is able to offer hybrid in-person lab classes this fall semester,” one nominator wrote. “Farideh is a registered nurse and very familiar with medical protocols with respect to PPE. Her experience, advice and insight are invaluable. She has an overriding heartfelt concern for staff, faculty and student safety.”

“When COVID hit, she kicked it into gear and put in place sterilization procedures that have kept our students, faculty and staff safe in both Science Hall 1 and Science Hall 2,” another nominator wrote. “Her major contribution to the campus at large, however, is that she secured thousands of masks for the campus through our membership in BIOCOM. This request resulted in masks being available for on-campus classes, for researchers, for campus staff, and for anyone else on campus who needs a mask.”

Andre Kundgen, mathematics professor

Kundgen was highlighted for his efforts to ensure his students’ success during the transition to virtual learning.

“Not only did he make himself available to all of us above and beyond the required scope, he also provided many resources and links for us to help facilitate our success in our education and overall well-being,” the student nominator wrote.

“He provided us with information regarding refunds, computer and electronic access, financial resources, educational tools, as well as emotional support. He was patient and encouraging when we were all struggling through our distance learning experience and was understanding when we felt confused and frustrated.”

Veronica Ohm, assistant to the associate vice president, Facilities Development and Management

In the early weeks of the pandemic, Ohm provided cloth, reusable and fashionable face coverings to employees in Facilities Development and Management, Safety, Health & Sustainability, Distribution Services, University Police, Parking and Commuter Services, and anyone who stopped by Distribution Services.

“She even took requests from our employees for their families in the early days,” the nominator wrote. “This assistance came at a time when you couldn’t find or order reusable face coverings from other venues. She made various sizes to accommodate everyone in her FDM family that was interested. In fact, when I asked her why she was doing this, she said that she wanted to do whatever she could to protect her FDM and campus family. She explicitly exudes our campus safety culture, and her degree of humanity was extraordinary during a very concerning time.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Some told her she was too old. Others said her focus should be on having kids, not school.

“I lost a lot of my ‘friends’ because they used to laugh about me, make jokes and all that,” Salazar said. “But now look at me. I'm almost done.”

Salazar, who dropped out of high school after her sophomore year to help support her family, is almost done with her undergraduate studies. A mathematics major, she needs to complete just two more classes at Cal State San Marcos this fall to become the first person in her family to earn a college degree as she continues working toward her goal of becoming a high school math teacher.

“I truly admire her resiliency and determination,” said Marylou Gonzalez, Salazar’s retention counselor in CSUSM’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). “There were times and situations that truly tested her, but her desire was much stronger.”

A few weeks ago, Salazar was joking with her husband, Marcelo, about how most people take 8-10 years to earn a Ph.D. while she was taking that amount of time to obtain her bachelor’s. In Salazar’s case, that decade also included obtaining her GED, completing ESL classes and earning her associate degree at Mesa College.

It has been a remarkable journey, from leaving Mexico for the promise of a brighter future after the death of her father to sleeping in Los Angeles bus stops to dropping out of high school to help her family. But even when she was spending those years working to help her family survive, she never gave up her dream of an education.

It wasn’t until eight years after dropping out of high school that Salazar, then 24, enrolled in night school to obtain her GED. But, for her, there was never any doubt.

“Inside of me, I always thought, ‘No, I want to do more. I want to go back to school,’ ” she said.

Salazar’s father died when she was 12 and a family dispute over ownership of their Tijuana home ended with her on the streets with her mother and two younger siblings. The family found shelter with a relative, but the ongoing financial struggle led her mother to move the family to San Francisco to stay with an uncle.

It was another short-lived arrangement. When the property owner where Salazar’s uncle lived learned about the four additional tenants, they were forced to leave. Unable to afford housing in the Bay Area, Salazar’s mother moved the family to Los Angeles. There, they spent days on the streets and rationed a few hundred dollars that her uncle gave them for cheap motel rooms at night. When her mom got a cleaning job at night, Salazar and her siblings were left to fend for themselves until their mother returned from work.

“It was really scary because it was not a nice area,” she said. “It was only us, three kids in a motel.”

Salazar’s mom eventually found a second job, and the extra income helped them rent a garage, cramped quarters where they lived for nearly five years.

“It was a garage, but we were so happy,” Salazar said.

While finally having a permanent address meant Salazar and her siblings could enroll in school, financial pressures weighed on the family.

Salazar tried to help by selling candy to her high school classmates, but she didn’t make much money and she got in trouble with teachers for her efforts.

“They didn’t understand that if I was selling candies, it was for a reason,” she said. “It was because I really wanted to stay in school and I really needed the money.

“It was not enough so I ended up dropping out of high school. I was so sad.”

Salazar found work as a clothing salesperson, and she continued working when she enrolled in night school to get her GED.

Though she wanted to continue her education after completing her GED in 2012, college seemed out of reach. Despite living in the U.S. for 10 years, she didn’t qualify for in-state tuition as an undocumented student. It wasn’t until she applied for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, more commonly known as DACA, that she could afford to enroll in college.

Salazar and Marcelo had been married for about three years at this point, and they moved from Los Angeles to San Diego so he could enroll in a program at Mesa College. He encouraged Salazar to pursue her college dreams, too.

Salazar completed her general education requirements at Mesa and enrolled at CSUSM in 2018, about the same time that she received her green card. She met Gonzalez through the EOP Transfer Bridge program, which assists students transitioning from community college to a university setting.

“I knew right away she was motivated, determined and a go-getter,” Gonzalez said. “She quickly connected with EOP and made sure she asked questions to help her get ahead. In our meetings, she allowed herself to be vulnerable and expressed her fears and always followed up by saying, ‘I’m getting it done. One way or another, I am getting it done.’ ”

Salazar said many people assume math just comes easy to her and don’t realize the time and effort she puts into her studies. Math professor Amber Puha saw Salazar’s dedication for herself when Salazar took Puha’s Math 441 Introduction to Mathematical Probability course in 2019.

“She brought enthusiasm and a bright personality to class and office hours every week,” Puha said. “Her positive vibe is infectious. And because of that, I would have never guessed the circumstances that she has endured and overcome to get where she is now.”

Salazar told Puha about her plans to become a high school math teacher. She wants to help other students, especially migrants, avoid the difficulties she faced.

“She has chosen to use smarts, resilience, determination, forgiveness and open-mindedness to find her way to a life where she can do mathematics and help others,” Puha said. “This may sound a bit cliché, but it is far easier said than done when life beats you down and you are your only support network. She is an inspiration, and we are fortunate that she will continue in mathematics and become a role model for her future students.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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