Perron is leading a three-year, $1,085,815 project supported by the Laboratory for Physical Sciences, targeting one of the most demanding areas in modern science: quantum information science and technology (QIST).  

The effort builds on a previous Department of Energy RENEW award that equipped CSU undergraduate faculty to integrate quantum concepts into their courses. Now Perron is tackling the next barrier: getting students hands-on experience with the technology itself. 

"Most undergraduate QIST education is theoretical or textbook-focused," Perron said. "While simulations and cloud-accessible systems are valuable, the quantum sector also needs scientists and engineers with hands-on experience operating these systems. Because quantum technology is expensive and typically limited to research and industry settings, most students don't have access to that kind of training." 

Perron’s team is developing a curriculum that teaches core QIST lab competencies without requiring access to a full quantum system. The model will draw on data from quantum industry stakeholders to define workforce needs, then design and test the curriculum at CSUSM and partner institutions, measuring its effectiveness from the perspectives of students, faculty and potential employers. 

While Perron’s project focuses on preparing students for emerging careers in quantum science, other newly funded CSUSM projects are reimagining how students engage with mathematics and biology from the start of their academic journeys. 

"It's exciting to see our faculty leading nationally competitive projects that connect research and teaching in powerful ways," said Charles De Leone, dean of graduate studies and research. "These grants reflect what's possible at an institution like ours, where faculty are deeply invested in student success and bring that commitment into cutting-edge work." 

Additional projects funded this academic year include: 

• Rethinking the gateway to calculus 
  A $173,098 grant from the National Science Foundation supports a collaborative project led by mathematics professor Kimberly Ayers, in partnership with Florida International University, Clark College and the University of Virginia. The project introduces a more interactive model for teaching introductory calculus, a course that serves as a gateway to most STEM majors but has some of the highest failure and withdrawal rates nationally in undergraduate education. 
  Rather than lecture-centered instruction, students work in small groups to solve problems and explain their thinking out loud, building procedural skills alongside the mathematical confidence that research shows is essential to staying in STEM. The collaboration across four institutions allows the team to test the approach across different student populations and refine what works.
• Putting field research into the biology curriculum 
  Funded with a $499,970 grant from the National Science Foundation, a project led by biology professors Mallory Rice, George Vourlitis and Jane Kim will embed hands-on, community-driven scientific research directly into biology courses at CSUSM. Students will investigate biological questions about how urban development is affecting wildlife and natural resources across North San Diego County.
• Building the region’s behavioral and mental health workforce 
  CSUSM received a $450,000 grant from the County of San Diego to help strengthen the region’s health and human services workforce through a partnership with the county’s Health and Human Services Agency and San Diego State University.
• Preparing future public health leaders 
  Kim Pulvers, a professor of psychology, and Richard Armenta, an associate professor of kinesiology, received a competitive renewal award for the Research & Action for Community Health (REACH): CSUSM/UCSD Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Program in partnership with UC San Diego. The program trains undergraduate and master’s students to address tobacco-related health disparities through research, community engagement and public health workforce development. Since the program’s launch in 2022, scholars have presented their work more than 30 times, published nine papers and gone on to graduate programs and health-related careers. This $1,331,620 grant is funded by the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program. 

“What’s especially meaningful about these projects is the way they connect research, teaching and workforce preparation,” De Leone said. 

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

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Barring a disastrous outcome of her finals, she will finish as a member of the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences dean's list in six of her seven semesters. And the one semester she didn’t earn it – fall 2024 – she was a bit preoccupied by having a baby.

“And I was really close,” she said of her near-perfect dean’s list record.

Aquino will walk in fall commencement at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside during the CHABSS ceremony next week, knowing that she accomplished her goals while allowing nothing to get in the way of her path.

And her life journey has been winding.

Born in Guam, Aquino has lived in Kentucky, Germany and California. She resided in Germany with her parents after her high school graduation before returning to the U.S. and beginning her undergraduate studies.

She maintained the life of a normal college student, working and earning exceptional grades while living with her boyfriend and his family.

Then came the surprise.

While some students will naturally take a break – her mom was a college student when she got pregnant with her and her brother and never returned to finish her degree – Aquino was determined to not let baby Phoenix be the reason for her slowing down her journey.

“Since finding out I was pregnant, I knew I wasn’t going to fall,” she said. “I knew I was going to keep going.”

In fact, the preparation and ensuing birth of Phoenix, who turned 1 in November, drove Aquino to quicken her pace. To reach higher to prove to herself, her daughter and her support system that she can accomplish anything.

Her near-perfect placement on the dean’s list and overall GPA of 3.67 says otherwise, but it wasn’t easy.

“It was a lot of planning,” said Aquino, who commuted from Murrieta throughout her time at CSUSM. “I went through the previous semester and the whole fall semester pregnant, so I had to plan ahead for a lot of things like taking exams early and completing homework assignments early to give myself a cushion. It was a lot of planning with logistics, but I think we made it work.”

After the arrival of Phoenix – Aquino wanted a unisex name for a girl just like her own – she went to school mostly in the mornings while her boyfriend attended in the evenings. Gabriel Madrigal is an accounting major who plans to graduate in May. They received help from his parents as well as friends.

Aquino is also quick to point out how much CSUSM faculty has helped her in various ways. In particular, Kathie Sweeten, a lecturer who taught an infant and childhood development course while Aquino was pregnant, was influential. Lecturers Neal Dykmans (psychological science) and Melissa McGuire (history) went a long way toward providing an understanding environment.

Exactly one week after giving birth, she returned to campus to take a history final. Within days of finishing her finals, she took classes in the subsequent winter session.

Aquino said she derives her strength and dedication from her parents.

“I get opportunities they never got to pursue higher education,” she said. “Now that she’s born, I want to provide her a better life and a better future than even I had.”

Aquino plans to apply for the new Master of Science in clinical counseling psychology program that will start next fall.

She has talked to psychological science professors Lisa Graves and Francisco Flores Ramirez about graduate school as she charts a course to eventually earning a Ph.D. in neuropsychology. She wants to work with military veterans.

Her parents are coming from Germany to share in her celebration on Monday. Her brother had a baby just last week and he’ll be there, too. Madrigal and his family also will attend.

The marking of the moment will be large, no doubt. But to Aquino, there was never an option of not finishing at the highest level she possibly could.

“I feel very proud,” she said. “But I also feel like it’s doable. Life just kept throwing things at me left and right all throughout my college years. But it’s nothing you can’t get past or you can’t overcome. It’s just life, and it happens. You take it and you adapt and you do your best with it.

“It’s the system of values I’ve had my whole life. No matter how hard it is, life just keeps moving. You’ve got to move along with it.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

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

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

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

Examples of projects funded this academic year include: 

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

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

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

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

“I’m really impressed with high student participation in my classes,” said O’Dell, who is particularly moved by the contributions of her global governance class, which is essentially an introduction to international relations.

“I’m really excited that the students are so interested in the subject matter. We’ve also already had some really good conversations about current events that are happening in my environmental politics class, which is called Green Planet Politics.”

O’Dell is one of four newly hired tenure-track faculty in the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences.

She is spending this week at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom at the Human Development and Capability Association Conference, where she will present her research on how humans can agree on sustainable use and management of Earth’s resources. O’Dell is also a board member (director at large) for the organization.

O’Dell comes to CSUSM from Seton Hill University, a Catholic liberal arts university in Greensburg, Pa. There, she was program coordinator (essentially the chair) of the political science and global studies program, led the Model United Nations program and was the adviser for the Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society chapter.

In addition to the larger student population here, another adjustment she has enjoyed is the change in lifestyle. Along with her husband and dog, O’Dell already has basked in beach days and local hikes, including traversing Torrey Pines recently.

“There are a lot of wonderful things about where I’ve lived before, but there’s nothing like being able to go for a walk by the ocean so easily, or be on the beach or even do some of the hikes around here and enjoy the beautiful views,” said O’Dell, who grew up in Montana and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington, a master’s from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver.

O’Dell is not unlike many CSUSM students. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, beginning that journey at the community college level.

Social mobility was a crucial part of her path, so she’s excited to help guide students here by utilizing the same tools of hard work and a caring support system.

“I know that CSUSM has that amazing opportunity for students, and so many people who come here are the first people in their family who have gone to a college or are thinking about a university degree or thinking about expanding what they want to do with their lives,” she said. “That was one of the things that definitely drew me.”

O’Dell wants to support students to learn and practice how to protect the environment. Essentially, how to make sure humans can thrive while also utilizing our resources sustainably.

Putting the theoretical into practice.

“There are so many ways CSUSM focuses on sustainability, on the concern for the environment,” she said. “That’s deeply connected to my study of public policy, my study of international relations – my academic interests and research interests, but also practical interests. So that’s really exciting.”

Hyunjin Koo

Hyunjin Koo is an assistant professor in the department of psychological science. She earned a Ph.D. in social psychology from UC Irvine and worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of British Columbia before joining CSUSM.

As a social psychologist, Koo has two main research programs. First, her work examines how experiences and beliefs about socioeconomic mobility shape everyday thoughts and behaviors, including attitudes toward work and leisure, views of the rich and poor, perceptions of inequality, morality, and social class. Second, in an emerging line of research, she studies a novel psychological construct that she and her team have introduced – leisure guilt — which refers to the guilt people feel when taking leisure time instead of being productive. Her research explores the antecedents and consequences of leisure guilt, as well as the cultural and social factors that influence it.

What drew you to CSUSM?

Koo: I was drawn to CSUSM for its strong commitment to student success and social mobility. My main research interest is social mobility, so I was excited to find that my work aligns perfectly with the university’s mission and goals.

 

What are you hoping your students will take away from your classes?

Koo: I hope that through my classes, students come to see how psychology connects to many aspects of their daily lives and experiences, and that they discover the joy of engaging with psychological topics. 

What is one of your professional goals you hope to accomplish while you’re here?

Koo: I want to embody the teacher–scholar model. My goal is to be both a strong researcher and a dedicated teacher who helps students achieve their own success.
 

What is your favorite activity during your downtime?

Koo: In my free time, I enjoy exploring new coffee shops and restaurants and finding new favorites. I’m especially excited that San Diego has so many places to discover!

Kiana Maillet

Kiana Maillet is an assistant professor in the American Indian studies department and is a member of the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe.

She is a double CSUSM alumna and a licensed clinical social worker with multiple certifications, and she has extensive volunteer and job experience working with youth, families and communities.

Her research interests include American Indian experiences within systems such as foster care, schools and mental health, as well as traditional teachings and experiences with language, foods, plants, places and ceremony.

What drew you to CSUSM?  

Maillet: I went through the Master of Social Work and the joint doctoral programs at CSUSM and have been a lecturer here for several years in the AIS department. 

What are you hoping your students will take away from your classes?  

Maillet: I hope that students will learn about the beauty and complexity of Native ways of being – our side of history, science, mental health, ecology, language, the real impacts of colonization and the strength and resilience of our people.

What is one of your professional goals you hope to accomplish while you’re here?  

Maillet: I hope to not only share my knowledge, but also to continue to grow and learn myself. I want to be able to make a positive impact on our students, our campus and in our communities.

What is your favorite activity during your down time?

Maillet: I enjoy hiking, gardening, playing with my grandsons and attending our Nüümü Yadoha (Paiute language) classes.

Carlos Rosas

Carlos Rosas is a new assistant professor in the psychological science department. He’s also no stranger to campus.

Rosas earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from CSUSM and a Ph.D. in psychology with a concentration in community and prevention research from the University of Illinois Chicago. Rosas completed epidemiology-focused postdoctoral fellowships at UC San Diego and San Diego State.

For the past two years, he also has taught various classes as a lecturer at CSUSM. His research program integrates social and health psychology theories, epidemiological methods, and community-based participatory research approaches to examine the social, cultural and psychological drivers/determinants of mental and physical health (particularly in the context of chronic disease prevention and management), and to develop, implement and evaluate culturally informed and tailored, community-based interventions to promote healthy behaviors and mitigate risk factors.

His research places special emphasis on communities of color and other historically understudied populations. Rosas regularly teaches multicultural perspectives in psychology, social psychology and statistics in psychology. 

What drew you to CSUSM?

Rosas: CSUSM is my alma mater. As an undergraduate, I found CSUSM to be an incredibly supportive and intellectually nurturing academic home. The encouragement and guidance I received from the psychology faculty were quite literally life-changing. I would not have pursued a doctoral degree without their unwavering support and mentorship. Hence, returning to CSUSM was the natural choice for me, and I'm really excited for the opportunity to provide my own students with the same support, motivation and inspiration that I once received from my own professors.  

What are you hoping your students will take away from your classes?

Rosas: I want my students to leave my classes inspired. In particular, I hope students from low-income and historically underrepresented backgrounds see that it is possible for people like us – the first in our families to attend college, from working-class families, etc. – to move up the socioeconomic ladder and pursue careers that often seem inaccessible. I also want to instill in my students a passion for psychology and psychological research. I still remember walking out of my first social psychology class in awe of the studies we had learned about, and I hope my students leave my classes with that same sense of wonder and curiosity. 

What is one of your professional goals you hope to accomplish while you’re here?

Rosas: I'm looking forward to establishing partnerships with local community organizations and clinics to collaborate on research projects that improve the health and well-being of underserved communities. 

What is your favorite activity during your down time?

Rosas: I enjoy working out, primarily lifting weights, though I also like to add a cardio session from time to time. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

The CSUSM fellows are: 

• Hugo Peralta-Ramírez, studying history and sponsored by history professor Alan Malfavon.  
• Karissa Tran, studying psychology and sponsored by kinesiology professor Richard Armenta.  

Seven CSUSM alumni were selected in the previous 2024-25 cohort. 

CDIP aims to increase the number of faculty with the qualifications and skills needed to teach the diverse students of California State University. The largest program of its kind in the United States, CDIP has supported more than 2,500 fellows pursuing doctoral degrees since 1987. CDIP also prepares promising doctoral students for CSU faculty positions by providing financial support, mentorship from CSU faculty and professional development with grant resources.  

Media Contact

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

The first cohort is set to start in fall 2026 with 25-30 students, said Aleksandria Perez Grabow, an assistant professor of psychological science.

The clinical counseling psychology program becomes the sixth master’s degree offered by the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences, though it will be housed in Extended Learning.

The program was approved by the Chancellor’s Office and CSUSM’s Academic Senate this summer based on curriculum developed by a steering committee composed of Grabow and fellow assistant psychology professors Allison Jobin and Lisa Graves. The initial work toward establishing the program began more than a decade ago under the guidance of psychology professor Gerardo Gonzalez.

The clinical counseling degree is designed to address a significant shortage of qualified and diverse workers in the behavioral and mental health fields in San Diego and the surrounding regions. According to the San Diego Behavioral Health Workforce Report, the region needs almost 20,000 more professionals in the field over the next five years.

“This program will address critical needs in several areas, including for our students interested in becoming therapists and counselors, for our campus in offering a program that directly leads to a specific career, and for our community in supporting the shortage of mental health practitioners and training therapists in areas specific to our unique population here in San Diego and bordering counties.” Grabow said. “CSUSM has a wonderful social work program, and I think our students will welcome the option of attending another local, affordable graduate program and working in an applied field related to psychology.”

Media Contact

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

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

Alexandria (Alli) Mulqueen, psychological science  

President’s Outstanding Graduate  

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

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

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

Learn more about Mulqueen. 

Tyler Glasser, business administration 

Gerevas Family Dean’s Award, College of Business Administration 

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

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

Nathan Lenski, master's, public health 

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

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

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

Maya Qaddourah, biochemistry  

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

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

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

Kate Carlson, master’s, kinesiology 

Dean’s Award, Graduate Studies 

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

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

Miyah Walker, psychological sciences 

Dean of Students Leadership Award 

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

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

Learn more about Walker. 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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The event, which was held at Cal Poly Humboldt, brings together scholars from each of the 23 California State University campuses to showcase undergraduate and graduate research, scholarship and creative works.

The top 10 projects from the CSUSM Symposium on Student Research, Creative Activities, and Innovation moved on to the statewide competition.

Delia, a third-year student with a data science minor, was first drawn to neuroscience while taking professor Yasmine Sherafat’s biopsychology course in 2023. She then joined the research lab. 

Delia’s project investigated the role of NACHO, a critical chaperone protein that enables the expression and function of nicotinic receptors in the brain. 

Media Contact

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

Being a middle child among three sisters, Walker was often the person who would help and listen to her siblings, cousins and close friends when they needed someone to discuss their feelings or mental health challenges. Without even realizing it at the time, Walker was already heading down the path of psychological sciences.

Coming to Cal State San Marcos, Walker felt introverted and nervous to talk to others, but that did not stop her from pushing herself to step outside her comfort zone.

Walker has been inspiring her peers and helping create a safe space on campus through her work as a residential adviser; as a collections, delivery and access student assistant in Kellogg Library; and by educating and advocating for BIPOC mental health awareness at Student Health & Counseling Services as a HOPE peer health educator.

Walker’s efforts led her to be selected as the recipient of the 2025 Dean of Students Award for Outstanding Leadership.

“I was just watching true crime and crocheting when Dean of Students Jason Schreiber called and told me that I won the award,” Walker said. “I was shocked. After I talked to him during the candidacy process, I felt really good about our conversation. I was kind of thinking, ‘Wow, I just finished talking to the Dean of Students.’ ”

Walker first knew that she wanted to work in the psychological sciences at 13 after experiencing her best friend going through a challenging time. Walker was a constant advocate for her best friend by being there for meetings with social workers and comforting her when others were dismissing the friend’s mental health struggles.

Walker was able to separate herself from the situation and truly just be there for her best friend.

The experience opened Walker’s eyes to the need for mental health advocacy, specifically for BIPOC communities when she would hear people dismiss the mental health experiences faced by young individuals.

Walker reflected on the rhetoric used during her experience advocating for her best friend.

“People would say, ‘You're too young to be depressed. You don't have anything to be depressed about. You don’t have anything to be stressed about,’ ” Walker said. “There were a lot of things that were happening in her life and happening to her that people were dismissing, and that was taking a toll on her mental health as well. Just seeing how big of an effect it was having on her, I was shocked by the lack of support. It made me aware that people in communities of color do not care as much as they should.”

Walker is from Los Angeles and a first-generation college student, so coming to San Marcos was a big transition. But being so active on campus helped her thrive, leading her to believe that you always end up where you need to be.

After she graduates next month with her bachelor’s in psychological science and a minor in Spanish, Walker has big plans for the future. She plans to return to L.A. and work as a mental health counselor specializing in underserved communities and communities of color.

Her educational and career goals, however, do not end there. Walker intends to obtain her doctorate to work as a psychologist, along with continuing her advocacy and educational work for BIPOC communities, which is similar to her focus at CSUSM.

Walker’s hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed.

“Miyah’s commitment to excellence in leadership, scholarship and service is clear, both as an RA and as a HOPE peer educator,” Stephanie Burga, a residential director, wrote in her nomination of Walker for the Dean of Students Award. “In all of her roles at CSUSM, she has challenged herself to think creatively and communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals. She has also played a significant role in developing programs and initiatives that advance the university’s mission, and each of the programs she’s hosted has contributed to enriching student life at CSUSM.”

There’s little doubt that Walker’s legacy at CSUSM will live on as she moves forward with her education and career goals of being a pillar for mental health awareness in BIPOC communities.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

After all, years later she owns an MFA from San Diego State in filmmaking and is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in literature and writing studies from Cal State San Marcos. 

She’s earning the latter while also working full time as the administrative coordinator with the LTWR department. She’s also a wife and mom to three children. 

Creating art has always been inside Mendez, and her work reflects that. She will show her documentary “Bad Child” on March 4 in Arts 111 as part of CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series.  

The 13-minute film will be shown at noon, followed by a brief discussion from Mendez. She’ll also lead a panel discussing the impacts of sexual assault, how trauma is expressed artistically and the many resources available to survivors. Staff from Student Health & Counseling Services and faculty and staff from the department of psychology and the School of Arts will sit on the interdisciplinary panel. 

As with most A&L events, CSUSM students, faculty, staff and alumni are free. Community members are $5. Tickets are available online. 

The topic is heavy. She wrote and produced it as a retelling of her personal sexual abuse as a child primarily at the hands of her step grandfather.  

“So the film is entirely my story,” Mendez said. “It goes through every kind of what I see as different stages of the outcomes. I was sexually abused as a child multiple times, so this is something that impacted me throughout my entire lifespan. The film goes through different developmental stages and how it affected me throughout that time.” 

The film also has interviews with psychologists who speak to the technical side of recovering and healing. Mendez included facts from her own research as well as statistics on recovery.  

Her own personal story is woven throughout the film. 

She sees the event as an opportunity to discuss a subject that still doesn’t get enough attention on college campuses, although she is quick to praise the work done by SHCS. 

“There’s a lack of people who talk to their children about sexual assault,” said Mendez, 42. “It's not discussed enough as kids are growing up. It's ignored. So I think a lot of young people get to college and they don't think about these risks, and they don't think that these things do happen. And then when they happen to someone they know, or they're aware that these things are occurring, they don't know what to do. They don't know how to help. They don't know how to positively contribute to such an important issue. And so those are all things I want to touch on.” 

Filled with expert interviews and personal narratives, the film touches on her experiences while also placing a hard emphasis on the importance of parental and caregiver support in the aftermath.  

Healing is an individual journey, one that could be made much longer and more difficult without the presence of support.  

That’s particularly important when the abuse happens to a child, according to Mendez. 

“How that event impacts you is greatly determined by the support you receive or don't receive when you disclose that event, it is so critical for someone who has had horrible things happen to them,” Mendez said. “After disclosure is supported appropriately, they (a victim/survivor) will likely have less severe outcomes compared to someone who might have had something happen and they tell someone, and the person doesn't believe them, or they tell them they're a liar. There's such a big impact.” 

The switch in pursuits to visual arts as an undergraduate student at a small liberal arts college in Portland wasn’t as much of a stretch as it seems because it aligned with Mendez’s interests. And when she took a film class in the SDSU MFA program in 2018, it sparked a passion for filmmaking, leading to a transition from fine art to film. 

While some people choose activities when they have free time, Mendez simply doesn’t have much. Instead, she makes time for her creative outlets partly by involving her family. 

Her first film — a short narrative about a girl and her grandma — was inspired by her childhood experiences – memories of making tamales with family and listening to music, which often sparked creative ideas. In the film, the girl goes into one of her grandma's rooms and starts using her sewing materials and tries to make herself a dress. At the end, the grandma comes in and offers to help her as a form of connection through action. 

Mendez finds inspiration from both real-life experiences and music, particularly non-lyrical film scores. Her art is personal, often reflecting childhood experiences and family dynamics as someone who grew up in Chula Vista but also lived in Florida, Connecticut and other parts of San Diego and L.A. 

In addition to making documentary films, she’s an accomplished painter. She painted her daughter for a decade in a series that explored themes of childhood innocence and the contrast between child and adult expressions. 

“That was obviously a very personal series,” Mendez said of her now 16-year-old daughter. “I was, in a sense, reexamining my own childhood through these pictures of her. And then when I went off and started making films, I did some animations, and all of those had to do with my childhood. And then the film about the dress. There were elements of my childhood that were put into that.” 

Her love for color and patterns is evident in all her work, from painting to filmmaking to her personal style. 

Mendez of course finds it challenging to balance full-time work, family responsibilities and creative pursuits. She has slowed down on creative work to focus more on family time, especially as her three children — one in high school and two in elementary school — have more activities. 

Mendez’s goal is to educate and inspire collective improvement in supporting victims and addressing sexual assault. Healing is a process, and it’s one that is different for every survivor. 

She reported her abuser during the making of the documentary, which took a long time to be processed. He was arrested the same week the film was completed in spring 2022, adding another level of emotional impact to the project.  

Just last month — three decades after the abuse began — he was sentenced to six years in prison. At age 87, he will most likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. 

The reporting process was challenging with delays and emotional tolls, but Mendez felt it was important to go through it at the pace it required. The documentary serves as a testament to her persistence. The long journey of reporting and seeking justice is over, but the healing continues. 

“I won't say there's a real resolution because I do feel like when someone experiences sexual assault of any sort, no matter how minor it is, it affects you forever,” Mendez said. “It'll affect you less if you handle it, you face it, you deal with it, you process it and process it and process it. I do believe it gets better, and some of that is shown in the film. It's not all just dark and negative. It’s more factual and just this is how it was and is. 

 “I want people to take something away from it as far as how can we be better? Just collectively, parents, teachers, mentors, people who are in those positions to receive that information, those disclosures. How can we as a community, as society, be more supportive and be better?” 

Mendez the chemist and/or mathematician never surfaced, and probably for good reason as her art has and will inspire others.  

But perhaps there’s something to order, problem solving and truth that chemistry and math provide that also speaks to who she is.  

Whatever she chooses to do with her career, it’s clear Mendez is one thing above all — resilient.  

“I want to focus on how to help people who have experienced that because when someone discloses sexual assault, the reactions that they receive to that disclosure impact the outcomes of that assault, sometimes more than the assault itself,” Mendez said. “It has such a profound impact on how someone heals or is able to cope that it is really critical that people have an idea of the language to use and how to address those situations.  

“And the reality is this does happen, or people have experienced it in their past. But it still affects them, of course.  To know how to interact with someone about those topics who has had those experiences, that’s really important.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

At the time, there were four main buildings on campus with University Hall having just opened a couple of years before Charles graduated with her liberal studies degree.

So, it’s easy to imagine her shock at seeing campus for the first time since those commencement ceremonies when she arrived in the summer of 2023 to attend family orientation with her daughter, Kaiah, who was an incoming first-year student that fall.

“It was crazy,” Charles said. “I thought, ‘This was my little school, and it's just so beautiful.’ I was so proud of how far it's come. I almost got teary eyed. I feel like I was there at the beginning, and it's become this incredible university. Attending orientation, I don’t know why people in the area would want to go anywhere else. It’s so gorgeous and you have everything.”

Charles attended CSUSM with a single goal – becoming an elementary school teacher. And she credits the university for helping to prepare her for the career she’s enjoyed for more than two decades.

“Like with anything, once you actually get into teaching it can be so different than what you learned in school,” Charles said. “But CSUSM really does a great job of setting you up for success.

“It was helpful that so many of my professors had been in the classroom before. It wasn't someone just telling you what it was going to be like, it was based on real-life experience. That made a huge difference learning from people who actually know what you're going to be going through and what it’s like. They didn’t sugarcoat everything, which was good because they know that there are good things about teaching and there are challenging things about teaching.”

Charles was a first-generation college student, and she was focused from a young age on becoming a teacher (brief thoughts about becoming a nurse ended in fifth grade when she sliced open her hand and saw the blood). She always loved working with kids – even when she was one herself. In elementary school, she often helped in the kindergarten classes, loving every minute working with younger students.

An Escondido native, Charles taught in her hometown at Conway Elementary (now known as Conway Academy of Expeditionary Learning) for three years before moving across town to help open Bernardo Elementary School in 2005. She has been at Bernardo ever since, teaching first grade throughout her career.

“I love what I do,” Charles said. “First grade is so much fun because a lot of these kids come in knowing letters and sounds, but they literally leave as readers. First grade is so foundational that just to see their growth is so rewarding.

“And we have great families at Bernardo. I love my team that I work with and we have an awesome principal. I couldn't work at a better school.”

Charles has similar feelings about CSUSM. She was about 7 months pregnant with her first child, Benjamin, when she received her teaching credential at commencement in 2001. A year later, she began teaching at Conway. She had three more children – Kaiah and sons Elijah and Josiah – with Kaiah following in her mom’s footsteps by attending CSUSM.

Like her mom, Kaiah is looking toward a career working with children. She is majoring in psychological science and works about 30 hours a week doing applied behavior analysis therapy to help young children with autism learn and develop skills.

“I love working with kids. I feel like I was born to do it,” said Kaiah, who likely will pursue her master’s with an eye on being a therapist.

It's gratifying for Charles to see how Kaiah is finding her place at CSUSM and looking forward to diving deeper into her major as she completes her general education courses.      

“I'm so happy she's there, and she's really happy that she's there, too,” Charles said. “Right from the time we got to orientation, it just felt like a family and a community.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

The event is March 4 at noon in Arts 111. Reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website. 

The film is a short documentary about the more intimate, less visible outcomes of enduring repeated childhood sexual abuse. The film focuses on one survivor's reflections while expert interviews place emphasis on the importance of parental and caregiver support. Director Nicole Mendez will discuss the film’s format and its contents, then host an interdisciplinary panel examining impacts of sexual assault, artistic expressions of trauma and resources available to survivors. Panelists include CSUSM faculty and staff from Student Health & Counseling Services, the Department of Psychology, the School of Arts and more. 

CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic, cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. 

What: Arts & Lectures event “Bad Child,” a film screening and interdisciplinary panel on sexual assault 

Who: Panelists include director Nicole Mendez and CSUSM faculty and staff from Student Health & Counseling Services, the Department of Psychology, the School of Arts and more. 

When: March 4, noon 

Where: Arts 111 

Cost: Free for CSUSM students, faculty, staff and alumni; $5 for community members 

Tickets: Visit the Arts & Lectures ticket webpage 

Media Contact

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

“I went through most of school having a really difficult time academically, not thinking I was smart, and not thinking that I could do things,” said Mulqueen, a Cal State San Marcos psychological science senior. “I just had differences in terms of how I communicate with other people.”

Mulqueen was recently honored with the President’s Student Champion Award for Inclusive Excellence and Diversity, which is given out every fall. She received the award at the All People’s Luncheon in October.

Many 17 year olds in her shoes would have been frustrated over the delayed diagnosis and perhaps the unnecessary struggles that she endured. But those who know Mulqueen know she leveraged her experiences and observations to bring about change.

A student who radiates positive energy, she instead went exploring.

As a beginning college student, she dove into all the services and support options for neurodiverse students. 

What she found was a system filled with dedicated faculty and staff, but unfortunately also a system that nonetheless fell short in many ways.

Ever the optimist, she’s interested in identifying issues and then casting a wide but realistic net when it comes to solutions.

“In many ways I was very fortunate,” said Mulqueen, who is also minoring in linguistics. “Going to college and having a better understanding of myself gave me the opportunity to really flourish, but in doing so, I've also recognized the needs that need to be addressed.”

Mulqueen is a doer. She is co-president of CSUSM Best Buddies, which is the campus chapter of Best Buddies International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to a volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). 

As the only student organization on campus focusing on neurodiversity and disability justice, the student leaders vision a place for community building, belonging, learning, and advocacy for students with disabilities and allies.

Best Buddies has a strong partnership with the CSUSM Aspiring Scholars Program, a four-year non-degree university program for students with intellectual disabilities seeking an inclusive college experience and focused on promoting competitive integrated employment.

“Both programs serve a very important role in the college experiences of students in the general CSUSM population as a whole,” Mulqueen said.

She serves as a peer mentor for the Aspiring Scholars Program, where she provides academic and social engagement support to students in the program. The program is growing each year, necessitating more peer mentors.

Sammy Eckard is a psychology major at CSUSM after transferring from Palomar College. He identifies as autistic, although he hasn’t received a formal diagnosis. The cost in seeking a diagnosis as an adult is significantly larger than being diagnosed as a child.

Eckard met Mulqueen through an internship class with Allison Jobin, an assistant professor in psychology.

Both students have worked with neurodivergent students in various capacities, as peer mentors through the Aspiring Scholars Program on campus and as providers within community organizations supporting early development for individuals with developmental disorders including autism.

Eckard was immediately drawn to Mulqueen’s upbeat energy and positive outlook with anyone she encounters.

“She helps them out, be it making connections at the club, helping them make friends or talk to people and making sure that everyone's enjoying themselves in the club she's a part of,” said Eckard, who has future aspirations of becoming a relationship counselor specializing in neurodivergent clients.

Jobin is principal investigator and director of the SPARCC Lab on campus. Her psychology research lab is dedicated to improving community-based services and supports for autistic individuals and their families.

Mulqueen, who is interested in studying socioemotional and relationship-based therapeutic strategies for neurodivergent individuals, knew upon her arrival on campus that she wanted to get involved in helping others.

She just wasn’t sure how. That is, until she met Jobin.

Mulqueen credits meeting Jobin with “sparking” her interest in research.

“Our lab is really focused on doing community-partnered work,” Jobin said. “There’s research to tell us how important that is…the work that researchers are doing doesn't always reflect the needs of the community. And so one thing that I'm really proud of Alli for doing is seeing, hearing, listening. Hearing a need, even experiencing a need, as a student.”

Jobin describes how community-engaged scholarship can be challenging, but it is worth it.

“Not only are we working on making sure that our work is collaborative with the community — that makes research really hard and messy —but also that it has an impact,” Jobin said. “And she's just a beautiful example of doing that.”

Mulqueen plans to pursue a doctoral degree, where she can expand her clinical and research training, after graduating from CSUSM.

There’s still significant work that needs to be done. Chiefly for Mulqueen is a center for disabled and neurodiverse students and allies on campus, and the integration of disability and neurodiversity into DEI efforts.

CSUSM has been lauded for the physical spaces — mostly in the University Student Union — provided for traditionally underrepresented groups of students. The Student Life Centers for Identity, Inclusion, & Empowerment celebrate, educate and create spaces for students to find a sense of belonging.

The latest to open this fall semester was the Asian & Pacific Islander & Desi American (APIDA) Student Life Center. The American Indian SLC should be the next space to open on campus.

Mulqueen emphasized the need for a dedicated center for students with disabilities or who identify as neurodivergent, highlighting the lack of such a resource despite CSUSM’s diverse campus community. Her mentored research examining neurodivergent college students' social belonging aims to address these gaps.

“There's still work that needs to be done and implemented, and I want to create that opportunity for as many people as possible because I know that there are people who are struggling,” Mulqueen said.

Along with other student leaders and faculty mentors, she sees a need for a student life center that recognizes neurodiversity as a unique aspect of student life, invests resources to increase neurodiversity-oriented programming efforts on campus and in the community, and increases access opportunities for students and allies to gather, experience belonging, and make their unique experiences known and heard.

“To find that one student organization can't meet the needs of everyone who needs a community and who needs the support and sense of belonging that they don't really get elsewhere,” Mulqueen said. “I'm just going to push.”

Although she empowers her students to be at the forefront of the push for a disability and neurodiversity student center, Jobin is right alongside them.

Many difference-makers on campus have heard from Jobin.

“We talk a lot about thinking big and thinking long term, about sustainability and impact,” Jobin said. “And these are students who are so passionate and driven to bring about change. Their presence on our campus is transformative in and of itself.”

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball 77 years ago, famously shared this thought on self-reflection.

Eckard remembers the day he first crossed paths with Mulqueen. What stood out the most in that meeting was the immediate feeling of inspiration she provided through her impactful words.

“She has this aura of kindness and understanding,” Eckard said. “Alli has a way of making ripples, and to her, it's a very small thing. But those ripples eventually lead into waves that she doesn’t even see. She doesn't even realize it. If it wasn't for meeting someone like Alli, I wouldn't have thought someone would listen to me. I feel heard with her.”

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

“I am incredibly grateful to have received the opportunity to present my research and represent CSUSM at the CSU Student Research Competition,” Orea said. “The experience of presenting at this conference was really special. My family was present throughout the conference and this was their first time seeing me present my research. Additionally, as someone who struggles with public speaking, winning first place for my session feels surreal. It makes me realize how far I have come from my first presentations as an undergraduate student.” 

Through Orea’s internship with the CSUSM/UCSD Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Program, she has worked alongside psychology professor Kim Pulvers to conduct research. 

Orea and Pulvers plan to continue working together throughout the summer to expand the analysis. They hope to study whether using cannabis to cope with negative experiences explains the relationship between distress tolerance and cannabis dependence. The goal is to submit both projects for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

“Jessica is delightful to work with,” said Pulvers, who serves as the director of CSUSM’s Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Program. “She has strong research skills, is a great writer, and is very hardworking and dependable. Jessica conceptualized an original analysis identifying a modifiable behavioral health risk factor for cannabis dependence, which was even stronger for young adults from racial and ethnic minoritized groups.”

The CSU Student Research Competition showcases undergraduate and graduate research, scholarship and creative works by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments across the 23 campuses. Each year, over 200 students submit written papers and make oral presentations before juries of professional experts from major corporations, foundations, public agencies and universities in California. Competitors win $500 for first place and $250 for second.

“Competing made me realize how far I have come from my first presentations as an undergraduate student,” Orea said. “I credit this achievement to the incredible mentorship and support that I have received throughout my higher education journey. I am especially thankful to my principal investigators, the TRIO McNair Scholars Program, CTREE, the Smoke and Vape Free Scholars program and my family and friends.”

Media Contact

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

Since he started at CSUSM in 2020, Huynh has taught classes on such topics as social psychology and advanced research methods in social psychology. As a social and cultural psychologist, he is interested in culture, diversity and understanding different perspectives. Using these interests, Huynh co-wrote a paper that shows the process of explaining controversial political issues to others. The paper encourages open-mindedness and emphasizes minimizing negativity toward those who disagree politically. 

Huynh’s paper discusses four different studies performed by him and co-authors Abdo Elnakouri and Igor Grossmann. They explore the method behind the studies, participants and results, then conclude with a discussion about the results found from each of the studies. 

The authors' conclusion supported their hypothesis -- providing an explanation of a topic results in more open-minded political thinking.

The paper, “Explaining contentious political issues promotes open-minded thinking,” was published online on March 23 and is free to read for a limited time.

Media Contact

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

Edwards was only 12 years old when he taught himself how to cut his own hair. It was a talent born of necessity. He and his family had moved to San Ysidro, just north of the Mexican border, and there were no barber shops in the area that specialized in styling the hair of Black clients.

As Edwards grew, so did his skills, and his customer base. He started by practicing on a few kids in the neighborhood. In high school, he was the unofficial barber of his football team, and he expanded the operation as a football player at Grossmont College, charging $5 per head every Thursday.

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.

That’s half of Edwards’ career track. It’s the other half, though, that elevates his story from merely intriguing to truly unique.  

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. Before graduating last May, he became the first student in the state (according to some digging he did on the topic) and possibly the nation to conduct a preliminary study on a college campus in which barbering is used as a tool for trauma-informed advocacy.

Edwards is now building on this novel project while in his first year as a Master of Social Work student at San Diego State.

“I’ve always had the ability to talk to people, build rapport with them and connect with them in that moment of cutting hair,” Edwards said. “But I never thought of it as an interaction that could help someone, where a person felt that they could trust me enough to share certain information with me. It wasn’t until I came to Cal State San Marcos that I started thinking about it from the standpoint of a mental health advocate.”

Starting in the fall of 2022 and under the direction of psychology professor Aleksandria Grabow, Edwards embarked on a year-long independent study course through which he constructed his research project. After forming a pool of 60 male participants (15 of whom were CSUSM students) and doing a survey about their backgrounds and experiences with barbers, he gave each of them a haircut in a lab in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building.  

For one group, Edwards talked to the participants as a normal barber would – chatting about sports, the weather, weekend plans, et cetera. For the other, he talked to them specifically about mental health and advocated for their mental well-being.

Of the latter group, nearly 100% of those individuals who received the advocacy said they would be willing to seek professional help, whether at Student Health & Counseling Services or a mental health clinic in their area. Of the control group, they almost universally said they had no desire to go out of their way to talk to a mental health professional (meaning unless that person was there in the room).

Edwards’ main takeaway from the study?

“There is a direct correlation between the level of trust that a client has with their barber and their ability to share and receive new information regarding mental health, which can lead to help-seeking behaviors following an interaction with a barber who is trauma-informed,” he said. “As a psychology major, I learned how to be trauma-informed – that’s how to listen, how to answer, how to share information with people from an advocate standpoint. When you're trauma-informed and a barber, and you have someone coming to you with vulnerabilities, there's going to be a change in their behavior for the better. This is all through getting a haircut, and that's because these individuals trust you, they feel safe and they don't feel like they're being pressured to do anything other than just exist in that moment and engage in a conversation.”

Grabow was inspired by Edwards’ fusing of his twin passions when she met him at career panel for CSUSM psychology students. She agreed to be the faculty adviser for his independent study course, and though she assisted him with the logistical aspects of the research, she says the bulk of the project was “all John – the idea, the drive, the execution.”

“What John is doing is bringing healing to the individual,” Grabow said. “This preliminary study shows that, whether it's mood improvement or an increase in openness to mental health services, a barber visit can go beyond providing a haircut. John worked diligently to apply as controlled a research environment as possible, from cutting hair in the same space to the same music and ambience for all the participants in his study. The project is certainly novel, and has the potential to contribute to how we research and apply mental health healing and advocacy.”

At San Diego State, Edwards is furthering his research from CSUSM, exposing it to additional academic rigor that can aid in the eventual publication of what he believes is a first-of-its-kind study. He also has started a nonprofit called Better CUTS (which stands for “Connected, Uplifted, Transcended and Saved”), his spinoff of the mental health platform BetterHelp. The goal is to create a space where men in distress – maybe they’re experiencing a mental health crisis or just need someone to talk to – can get their hair cut by a trauma-informed barber, whether that’s Edwards himself or someone he trains.

“My vision is to partner with as many people as I can who want to be a part of this project and come up with a curriculum where I can teach barbers how to be trauma-informed, how to listen, how to look for clues, how to identify certain behaviors,” Edwards said. “Not to approach clients as a mental health professional, but as a person who is able to lead them to individuals who can help, and they will be a part of my coalition of professionals.

“There are barbers all over San Diego County who have men and women who come in and talk about mental health in some capacity, and I believe barbers should be educated and encouraged to welcome those conversations.”

Like his love of barbering, Edwards’ fascination with mental health comes from his formative experiences. He grew up in a household with his mother, three sisters and no male role models (his father was out of the picture). For much of his adolescence, he struggled to relate to other males or express his emotions, though learning to cut his friends’ hair helped ameliorate that deficiency.

After graduating from Chula Vista High School, he attended Grossmont College mostly to play football, and when that path didn’t pan out, he dropped out of school, presumably for good. In 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hired him as a contractor to work in the Otay Mesa Detention Center. His mother has worked in the same facility for more than 25 years, and Edwards valued the position because he was able to interact with detainees (mostly men) and help them begin to make better decisions while serving time.

But then came a double whammy: Edwards lost his job and the COVID-19 pandemic struck in rapid succession. He found himself briefly unhoused due to the inability to afford high rental costs in San Diego and so immersed in negative thoughts that he could barely function. For a man who had never tried therapy and was highly skeptical of its value, this was a good time to start.

The mental health professional whom he visited improved Edwards’ head space, and Edwards was moved to act on an idea that already was marinating in his mind: Why not help men find their way through cutting their hair? Soon after, he enrolled in both barber school and CSUSM, beginning to put his plan into action.

Better mental health through better cuts.

“This is everything that I should have been doing all along,” Edwards said. “I believe that God tells us to use our gifts to serve other people. My gift is talking and my gift is barbering, and I'm using those gifts to serve my community.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

A month into his first semester at CSUSM, King left to try community college instead. But he decided that wasn’t for him, either. 

“College felt pretty difficult because I come from a single-parent family household,” King said. “But I’m glad I came back. I was just very confused at the time. I didn't understand how financial aid worked. I didn't have structure in my life. I didn't really have any guidance during that time. I was all over the place. I didn't feel good about coming to school because I didn't see the resources that were available to me.”  

King joined the Marine Corps in 2018 to find the structure he desired. While serving at Twentynine Palms in Southern California’s High Desert, he attended Marine Corps Communication Electronics school to become a telephone systems personal computer repairer. 

“I was coming back from Twentynine Palms, and I was trying to figure out what my next step would be," he said. “Do I want to do the job that I'm doing in the Marines outside of the Marines? And after looking at it, it wasn't really what I wanted to do. I was more interested in finding a way to help other people.” 

King decided the best way to do that was to return to college and focus on a career helping veterans while maintaining a close connection to the military by joining the Marine Corps Reserve. That plan is coming to fruition, as he graduates this month from CSUSM with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

King thrived in his return to higher education. He earned his associate degree in psychology at MiraCosta in 2021 before transferring back to CSUSM. King built a community at the Epstein Family Veterans Center, where he has met other students who have faced similar challenges. As a reservist, King often has had to put his classes on hold. 

“There have been times where I’ve been called to do training and I’ll have to be gone for maybe almost a month,” King said. “Then I’ll think about the exams and school I have to miss, so I have to email my professors to try to figure out something.” 

King is the undergraduate peer advising case management intern for Veterans to Energy Careers (VTEC), which is a grant-funded program from the Office of Naval Research, under the Department of the Navy. This national program based at CSUSM helps student veterans translate their military experience into sustainable energy careers through internships and professional development.

King helps student veterans with their resumes, career planning and coaching. One of the mentors he worked closely with during his internship is Joshua Loop, the VTEC technical programs manager. 

“David's passion and curiosity for the military-affiliated community was obvious from the moment he walked into the Veterans Center, and the students that are easiest to mentor are those who are passionate and curious," Loop said. “We are excited to watch him grow and make an impact in his community.”

King has certainly shown resilience throughout his academic journey. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work at CSUSM next fall and continue working for VTEC. 

“I would give student veterans the advice of coming down to the Veterans Center and learning about all the resources that are available to them,” King said. “I never really set foot in the Veterans Center until I started working here. But there's so much that they can do, so many programs, so many clubs and things that they can do to help them out with their professional development.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The Great American Smokeout is held annually by the American Cancer Society on the third Thursday in November to encourage people to quit smoking. The Smokeout acts as a starting point for people’s journeys to give up smoking, encouraging them to make at least a single day tobacco-free. 

In support of the day, both CSUSM and SDSU will share their projects about smoking waste at a community meeting from noon-1 p.m. in Markstein 101 on CSUSM's campus. 

CSUSM will present a collaborative research project with UC Davis. The project, called the Tobacco, E-cigarette and Cannabis Waste Randomized Control Trial, is led by CSUSM psychology professor Kim Pulvers and UCD professors Elisa Tong and Susan Stewart.

Pulvers, Tong and Stewart will study CSUSM and UCD students’ perspectives of tobacco and vaping product waste. Students enrolled in the project will watch videos, take surveys and talk with researchers throughout a six-week intervention. These study visits will allow researchers to consider students’ views and behaviors about tobacco, nicotine and cannabis vape waste. CSUSM and UCD students interested in participating in the study can email tecwrct@gmail.com. 

SDSU’s Center for Tobacco and the Environment will present its Tobacco Product Waste Reduction Project. For this project, the researchers collected almost 30,000 pieces of tobacco-related waste items, such as cigarette butts and vape cartridges, in just 60 census blocks around the county. They estimate that, throughout the eight largest cities in San Diego County, there are about 9 million pieces of tobacco trash.

“There’s really a lot out there,” said SDSU psychology professor Georg Matt, the principal investigator on the project. “Our goal is to figure out how to get tobacco product waste in neighborhoods, shopping malls, parks and beaches to zero.”

After the researchers finished collecting waste, they restarted the process beginning with the last block. They found that within two months, 96% of the original amount of waste had reaccumulated. Their next step in the project is to engage with the community to consider ways to limit waste. Click here to see the schedule of meetings and register.

Kimel’s article, titled “Finding Your Roots: Do DNA Ancestry Tests Increase Racial (In)Tolerance?”, focuses on understanding if an individual’s opinions of other racial and ethnic groups can be impacted by the results of their own DNA ancestry test. Essentially, the goal of Kimel’s research and experiment was to understand the effect of knowing how genetically similar or different you are to someone.

Despite the popularity of DNA ancestry tests, with millions of customers each year, the results are regularly misunderstood and interpreted incorrectly. The ancestry results are frequently, yet falsely, assumed to illuminate one’s true racial and ethnic lineages.

“This tendency has led to significant public and scientific concern — and optimism — over the potentially far-reaching implications of this inference. Yet, whether DNA ancestry tests actually increase racial tolerance or, alternatively, intolerance has been largely untested,” Kimel writes in the paper.

During her experiment, Kimel gave real or bogus DNA ancestry test results to general and student populations of majority-group members in the United States to analyze the effects on factors including multiculturalism, essentialism and outgroup bias. After collecting and analyzing data, she found no clear indication of support for either hypothesis, meaning that “receiving DNA ancestry results appears not to impact feelings and attitudes about other racial and ethnic groups.”

Kimel's psychological research focuses on intergroup conflict and culture, drawing inspiration from her background in public policy and her experience working at the United Nations.

Before being hired by CSUSM in 2018, Kimel was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at Harvard University.

Media Contact

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

The event allowed students the chance to share their work in psychological research and connect with fellow students and faculty. This year’s event included two student poster sessions (with 38 total posters), a student blitz talk session, graduate school and careers in psychology panels, and a keynote address by Dr. Franki Kung, an assistant professor of psychological sciences in the College of Health and Human Sciences and director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Purdue University.  

Kung's keynote address on “Robotic Asians: A Mechanistic Dehumanization Perspective of Bias Against Asians in the U.S.” struck a chord with one CSUSM student in particular. 

“His keynote address was quite informative and interesting,” Jonathan Solorio said. “I am unfamiliar with industrial psychology, so it was nice to hear from Dr. Kung, an expert in the field. I found Dr. Kung’s research crucial to making the workplace more inclusive. Research aside, his final statements (about doing research and applying to graduate school), on not underestimating yourself and going for all possible opportunities I feel resonated with several of us undergraduate students.”

Karissa Tran was the Seward Paper Award winner, and the two poster award winners were Alex Leon (Best Poster Quality) and Amanda Mata (Best Poster Presentation).  

Media Contact

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

To understand the reasoning behind this report, Cortes conducted empirical research examining important aspects of Latino wellness such as food and culture, sense of belonging and mental health treatment.  

“I wanted to further explore what made the Cougar Pantry such a great resource on campus,”  Cortes said. “And I wanted my research to be relevant to myself and my community.” 

His hard work paid off when he was announced as one of six winners of the 2022-23 CSUSM Library Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity award, which comes with a $600 cash prize for each recipient. 

“It is inspiring to see the work that our students are doing here at CSUSM,” said Rosa Rodriguez, CSUSM’s award chair and outreach librarian. "I am proud of our awardees and all those who submitted their amazing research and creative works.”  

Cortes was encouraged to apply by sociology professor Jill Weigt as this was an excellent opportunity to showcase his research and expand his professional experience.  

The library helped with his research process by providing access to the databases and resources on how to correctly write citations, literature reviews, abstracts and narrow down research questions. And there was one other advantage. 

“Everything was free,” he said.  

Cortes’ paper details that understanding the mechanisms beneath the reasons why Latinos reported mental health benefits from using the pantry can provide the university with information that can help it better support students. 

Other winners 

Creative works category 

Submission: Photographic Reflections on Landscape, Post-Colonial Society and Colonial Artifacts 

Student: Ken Waddy 

Program: Art, Media, and Design 

Adviser: Nancy diBenedetto 

Summary: This photobook highlights landscape, focusing on Rancho Guajome Adobe, the location of a settler colonial project that was built on the servitude of the Payómkawichum people (native to California). The photos reflect the different factors of settler colonialism, most notably how all of the subjects are a product of the process erasing and replacing.  

Submission: “Triggers” 

Student: Kelly Ibarra Perez 

Program: Art, Media, and Design 

Adviser: Siobhan Arnold 

Summary: “Triggers” (Transeúnte) is a short film that conveys how living somewhere between two places feels, physically and mentally. As an immigrant and a first-generation Mexican daughter, Perez portrays the relationship with her family and roots, and the distance between herself and her memory of home. 

Empirical research category 

Submission: Altruism and Mindfulness in Prosocial Helping Behavior 

Student: Alyssa Hudkins 

Program: Psychology 

Adviser: Virginia Tasulis 

Summary: This study’s results reveal how participants with higher mindfulness rates did not show significantly higher altruistic tendencies, and participants who rated themselves higher in altruism were not statistically more likely to help others in a high-risk situation.  

Submission: ‘Don't Jew Me’: How Antisemitism is Expressed, Experienced, and Ultimately Challenged 

Student: Eric Wilsker 

Program: Sociology 

Adviser: Mary Roche 

Summary: Through interviews, an in-depth literature review and a content analysis of items from contemporary American culture, this paper examines how Jewish people experience antisemitism, how antisemitism is expressed through various social mechanisms and a means by which antisemitism may be challenged.  

Interpretive analysis category 

Submission: Engendering Binaries: The Transhistorical Experiences of Catalina de Erauso 

Student: Hugo Daniel Peralta-Ramirez 

Program: History 

Adviser: Miriam Riggs 

Summary: This paper examines the crossdressing Basque Monja Alferéz Catalina de Erauso to demonstrate how gender performance iconography and symbolism are rooted in the way people experience and interact with Erauso and their performance within the archetypal standards of their contexts.  

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

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

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

President’s Outstanding Graduate 

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

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

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

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

Kianni Albrecht, Master of Social Work 

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

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

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

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

Serena Farrell, biological sciences 

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

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

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

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

Learn more about Farrell here.

Jennifer Figueroa, master’s psychological science 

Dean’s Award, Graduate Studies 

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

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

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

Rachel Jackson, business administration, management  

Gerevas Family Dean’s Award, College of Business Administration 

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

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

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

Ilianna Ramirez, psychological sciences 

Dean’s Award, Dean of Students 

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

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

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

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The event was held April 28-29 at San Diego State University.

Biological sciences student Jaeden Flury received first place in Session 7, Biological and Agricultural Sciences with her research titled “Investigating Wound Microbiome Composition in Type 2 Diabetic Mice.” Flury’s faculty mentor is Elinne Becket.

Mariella Castaneda, a graduate student in psychology, received second place in Session 18, Behavioral, Social, and Public Administration with her research “Effects of Repeated Exposure to Animals in Anthropomorphic Contexts.” Castaneda’s faculty mentor is Nancy Caine.

Twelve CSUSM students made 10 of the 195 presentations at the two-day event. The university was represented in four disciplinary categories: Biological and Agricultural Sciences; Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences; and Behavioral, Social Sciences and Public Administration.

The CSU Student Research Competition is an annual event that brings together scholars from the system’s 23 campuses. The competition showcases undergraduate and graduate research, scholarship, and creative works by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments. Undergraduate and graduate student participants from all disciplines are judged by experts for their oral presentations and written abstracts. Students who compete can win $500 for first place and $250 for second place in their session.

Media Contact

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

And then there’s the story of Juan Alva. And the simple but powerful motto he has lived by – you don’t know how tough you are until being tough is the only option you have. 

Staring death in the face 

Alva’s mom left when he was 12. He learned to be independent while relying on his father for most of his physical and emotional needs.  

Growing up in a broken home can break some people, but it only strengthened Alva and his relationship with his father. The void left him without things others take for granted. But it also turned him into the compassionate, resourceful and strong man who entered Cal State San Marcos with hope and a little chip on his shoulder. 

But the road became rougher when, in his second year on campus, his father was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. This lung disease is brutal, especially when you must watch a loved one endure it. As it progresses, the lung tissue becomes damaged, which makes it more difficult for the lungs to work properly. A slow but gradual shortness of breath ensues, and the average survival is three to five years. 

Alva spent the next couple of years taking care of his father while juggling a double major in psychology and sociology.  

He watched his father slowly wither way until he died during what was supposed to be his final semester at CSUSM. 

Then it all came crashing down. 

So close to the finish line 

Distraught over the loss, the pandemic hit Alva even harder than most.  

He had put so much time, money and energy into caring for his father to the end, he was left unemployed due to the worldwide shutdown. Also without a place to live, Alva was unable to finish his final semester of college with about a month to go. 

To hear him describe it, the remainder of Alva’s extended family did not offer the necessary help. 

“My family fell apart after my father passed away,” he said. “But every single tragedy in our lives, those are just our next challenges. I think toughness is developed all the time. You should always look back and reflect about the things that you have overcome and realize that you are tougher than all that. So I remember all of my heartbreaks and disappointments and realize that I'm tougher, and that helped me know how to overcome.”

And then life knocked him down again, this time with an uppercut straight to the chin. 

Cancer diagnosis 

Shortly after quitting school, Alva started to have a chronic sore mouth. 

He saw doctors, but mostly via telehealth because of the pandemic. None of the doctors seemed concerned about his symptoms, mostly because he was not a smoker. 

But the soreness and uneasy feelings didn’t go away. Eventually he was able to be seen in person. A biopsy was ordered, and the tests came back with the worst possible news – cancer of the tongue.  

Facing obstacles that would destroy many of us, Alva underwent surgery to have almost half of his tongue removed.  

He also immediately began a course of treatment that included radiation and chemotherapy in hopes of the cancer not spreading to other parts of his body. 

The result has affected his ability to speak clearly, but it hasn’t changed his willingness to make the world a better place. 

“I promise you it’s going to be OK,” Alva said. “The reason? I'm still here. I've learned how tough I am. And we're 100% capable of rising to the occasion. Cancer is very painful. Chemotherapy is a pure poison. And they inject you with as much poison as possible that hopefully kills the cancer. And you feel the poison. You feel nostalgic, feel scared, feel tired. At one point I was so drowsy that I wasn't sure if I had enough energy to take a next breath. But I was so tired of that. I was too tired to be afraid of dying.” 

He spent more than two years fighting off a return of the cancer.

Then it came back. 

Staring death in the face, Part II 

Cancerous tumors were discovered in both of Alva’s lungs last fall.  

Most likely a result of the cancer traveling south, it meant a return to the treatments that made him sick in 2020. He eventually was diagnosed with stage four cancer, also known as metastatic cancer because it spread from its original location in the body. 

Stage four cancer doesn’t always mean impending death, but in Alva's case, the prognosis was grim. 

Doctors recommended hospice care to make him more comfortable at end of life. 

But those doctors seemed to forget how tough this patient was. 

“They told me I was done,” Alva said back in March. “And I said I’m not done as long as I have hope. And I kept fighting, and I'm still fighting at the moment.” 

Recently, immunotherapy has allowed his entire immune system to attack the cancer. 

He recently met with his oncologist, who alerted him that the CT scan showed no signs of cancer. 

“Your story has that positive ending you hoped for,” he wrote in a recent email.  

A culture of care 

Alva is quick to praise the faculty that has supported him in his long, winding journey at CSUSM. 

He remembers when psychology department chair Dustin Calvillo showed him compassion and grace when Alva was caring for his father. He said practically every faculty member he came in contact with in both psychology and sociology has positively influenced him in one way or another. 

He feels he’s better prepared for life thanks to the culture that exists among CSUSM faculty.  

“We are all awed by Juan's perseverance,” said Liora Gubkin, the dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences. “It’s a testament to the impact of science and the power of the human spirit, coupled with the support of key people and mentors in life, that Juan is still here with us. Watching him walk across the stage at next month’s graduation ceremony will be a proud moment for all of us.” 

He will walk at graduation with his head held high, knowing he is meant to be here. 

He stared death in the face multiple times and never blinked. 

“The end of hope is the end of new opportunities and of growth,” Alva said. “But life is the opposite. As long as you have life, you have a challenge for new love, new opportunities, new joy, new experiences. So as long as you have life, you have hope.” 

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The first is the basketball court, where she was one of the driving forces behind the ascension of the Cougars’ women’s program into one of the most successful in NCAA Division II over the last few seasons.

The second is the Black Student Center, which long has been her oasis away from athletics.

“I am extremely grateful for the Black Student Center,” Buckner said. “It has been life-changing for me, honestly.”

Buckner has been involved with the center, at least sparingly, almost from the day she stepped foot on campus as a 17-year-old freshman back in 2018. But her participation ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic when the campus was virtual and seemingly everyone was seeking ways to feel more connected with the CSUSM community and less isolated at home.

Now, as her five years at CSUSM come to a close, Buckner stands at the heart of the Black Student Center – she doesn’t work there, but she might as well given how much time she spends in it and how vital she is to its operations.

Buckner is one of 260 Black undergraduate and graduate students who have been invited to attend the annual Sankofa recognition ceremony for Black graduates. The event, which is celebrating its 25^th anniversary, will take place on Thursday, May 11.

“Dynnah radiates greatness,” said Shanelle Watkins, assistant director of the Black Student Center. “She’s so pleasant, professional and eager to learn and assist. As a student-athlete, she’s very busy but still makes time to serve in multiple roles for the center.”

Watkins met Buckner soon after she was hired as coordinator of Black student success initiatives in 2021. Watkins became the staff adviser for a new center program called Circle of Sisters, a support network for Black women at CSUSM, and Buckner quickly agreed to sign on as the first student coordinator.

Circle of Sisters now includes more than 30 members, and the program that launched virtually because of the pandemic meets monthly in person for gatherings on such topics as navigating Black girl friendships, reproductive wellness and group yoga.

“We serve each other,” Buckner said of the Circle of Sisters. “We push each other academically, and we support each other emotionally. It’s pretty much a connection community and making sure we’re all in line.”

Buckner also is a member of the Black Student Union, and last semester she joined the Ujamaa Achievement Program, a Black Student Center group that’s dedicated to academic excellence, leadership development, professional advancement and community engagement. An important component of the program is mentorship, and Buckner’s mentor is none other than Watkins.

Buckner describes Watkins as “one of the most inviting people I have ever met” and “like a light in the room.” Watkins, in turn, sees a lot of herself in Buckner as a fellow Black woman who graduated from CSUSM in 2013 with a degree in sociology (Buckner is a double major in sociology and psychology).

“Her courage and willingness to seek out mentorship and her personal morals, values and goals that she set for herself during her higher education journey and beyond remind me a lot of myself when I was in undergrad,” Watkins said.

Watkins says Buckner, as a fifth-year senior, has served as a kind of big sister to other women in the Black Student Center, but she’s a literal big sister to one of them. For the last two years, she has shared the center and the basketball court with Deannah Buckner, a member of the Circle of Sisters and a sophomore on the Cougars’ team.

“It’s the highlight of my college career to be able to be with my sister,” Dynnah Buckner said. “We definitely have gotten a lot closer, and to play with her at the collegiate level, that doesn’t happen often. That’s something that I will cherish forever.”

During her basketball career at CSUSM, Buckner started all 112 games in which she appeared across four seasons (her junior year was wiped out by the pandemic). She was named to the All-California Collegiate Athletic Association first team each of her last two years, and she was the Cougars’ leading scorer this past season as CSUSM went 25-6 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA women’s tournament for the first time.

In her last three seasons, she helped lead the Cougars to a cumulative record of 72-16 and their first three trips to the NCAA tournament.

After graduation next month, Buckner plans to return to her hometown of Rancho Cucamonga to work as a substitute teacher before she heads overseas to continue her basketball career, likely in France or Spain. When she hangs up her sneakers for good, she aspires to earn a master’s degree in business administration or leadership management and enter a business field.

“I was able to be a part of something great. I was able to be a part of making history,” she said of playing basketball at CSUSM. “It's been life-changing, not just the basketball aspect, but in terms of community and leadership and working under pressure – all the valuable skills that I can take into the real world when I work with other people. I will always be thankful for that experience.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Every year, almost half a million people die from the effects of cigarette smoking, which is more than the number of deaths from auto accidents, drugs and alcohol, murder, suicide and AIDS – combined.

Further, Pulvers came to discover that tobacco companies aggressively target vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, leading to vast disparities in not only tobacco-related death, but also disease, use and cessation rates.

“I began dedicating my research to addressing this preventable problem among people from low-income and racial/ethnic minoritized backgrounds who smoked,” Pulvers said.

She never really stopped, and for more than a decade, Cal State San Marcos has been the beneficiary. Hired as a psychology professor and clinical health psychologist in 2008, Pulvers has dedicated her career to reducing the risk of smoking, helping people stop smoking, and researching tobacco control policy. In the process, she has incorporated more than 100 students in her research and helped dozens of them advance to postgraduate education in the field.

For her tireless efforts, Pulvers has been chosen as one of two CSUSM nominees for the 2023 CSU Wang Family Excellence Award, which annually recognizes four California State University faculty members and one staff member who have distinguished themselves through exemplary contributions and achievements. Pulvers was nominated for the Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award, with history professor Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall nominated for the Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award.

“I am thankful for the privilege to be a faculty member in the largest state university system in the nation and the opportunity to have devoted my faculty career to CSUSM,” Pulvers said. “Contributing to social and economic mobility in California and in North County San Diego specifically, while addressing the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States through my research, makes me excited to work every day.”

During an eight-year period starting in 2014, Pulvers was awarded nine different research grants totaling $1.8 million in funds. From those projects arose four nationally recognized contributions to addressing the public health crisis of cigarette smoking:

• Being among the first U.S. studies establishing electronic cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for smokers.
• Serving as co-investigator on a randomized trial testing the effect of cigarette packing on smoking perceptions and behaviors. This study demonstrated that graphic warning labels are effective reminders of the negative health consequences of smoking.
• Serving as a co-investigator on a randomized trial testing filtered vs unfiltered cigarettes.
• Serving as principal investigator on a multi-site study promoting engagement and compliance with college smoke- and vape-free policies. The project led to the creation of a real-time Tobacco Tracker to help keep college campuses smoke and vapor free.

Far from resting on her laurels, Pulvers now is taking her research to the next level. In the last year, she applied for and received three new grants totaling $3.1 million and representing 12 years of continuous funding.

The most notable of these allows her to develop and administer a training program for students from diverse backgrounds to conduct tobacco-related research projects in partnership with UC San Diego. The inaugural CSUSM/UCSD Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Initiative Program for Reducing Tobacco Disease in Diverse Communities is funding 15 CSUSM students from racial/ethnic minoritized, low-income and/or LGBTQ backgrounds – the populations that tobacco companies frequently target – for a comprehensive, two-year training experience, filling a critical gap as the first student training program devoted to tobacco control and advocacy.

Pulvers says she was prepared to lead this program because of her long record of mentoring students. In her 14 years at CSUSM, she has trained 100 students, more than half of whom completed at least two years of mentored research. That kind of experience has proved instrumental in many of her students gaining admission to competitive master’s and Ph.D. programs.

“As a minority student, the road to graduate school was difficult,” said Eleuterio Limas, a former undergraduate and master’s student of Pulvers’ who went on to earn a Ph.D. at Indiana University and is now a staff psychologist at UCSD. “Fortunately, Dr. Pulvers has made a career of helping underrepresented students such as myself. I have never seen her turn a student away. Even if a student had little to no research experience, she would give that person a chance. That type of approach goes a long way for an underrepresented student because it gives them hope and the confidence from someone believing in them.

“She continually puts out top-tier research, is admired by her colleagues, and is an inspiration to her students. It is an example that I hope to be to the students I have a chance to impact and mentor.”

Throughout her career, Pulvers has been inspired by a quote from, of all people, a hockey player. The legendary Wayne Gretzky once said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it’s been.” Similarly, as Pulvers observed, tobacco executives employ that philosophy to stay ahead of mitigation efforts and keep certain people addicted to nicotine to remain profitable.

Her work, and her mentorship of students from groups most affected, is devoted to fighting back against that harmful ethos.

“The research I have conducted over the past 14 years at CSUSM,” she said, “is designed to counteract the disastrous effects of cigarette smoking and the unjust predatory practices yielding this unimaginable toll.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

That’s the mantra that was drilled into the head of Krystal Alvarez-Hernandez by her father when she was a child. It translates to: I’ve always worked with my hands so that you can work with your mind.

It’s an immigrant tale as old as the nation itself. Alvarez-Hernandez’s parents came to America to seek a better life for their children. In this version, her father, Gabriel, and her mother, Maria, married young and escaped traumatic lives in Mexico. After first working as a street vendor in Santa Ana, Gabriel found a job in construction. He would leave the family’s shared apartment before the sun rose and return late at night, caked in dust and grime.

His daughter was expected to aspire to more. Krystal was supposed to become the first person in the family to finish high school, much less go to college. She was supposed to break the cycle in which both her mother and grandmother had borne children very young.

Then she got pregnant as a junior in high school – and broke her parents’ hearts.

“When that happened, I was more concerned with what they were going to think and less concerned about what it would mean for my future,” Alvarez-Hernandez said. “I was really upset that I hurt them.”

Alvarez-Hernandez knows how that story almost always ends. She’s familiar with the statistic that only 2% of teenage mothers go on to earn a bachelor’s degree before age 30. The odds were overwhelmingly against her doing so.

Yet this month, seven years after learning the news that could have derailed her life almost before it got going, Alvarez Hernandez not only will graduate from Cal State San Marcos with a degree in psychology, but she will do so as the most decorated graduate in the entire Class of 2022, which numbers almost 4,500. Last week, she was named the President’s Outstanding Graduate after previously winning the dean’s award for the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences.

And she’s not stopping there, either. In August, Alvarez-Hernandez will move with her husband, Alfonso, and their 7-year-old son, Santiago, to Chicago so she can begin a Ph.D. program in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University.

“I’m determined to make my parents proud,” she said. “That’s partly what pushed me harder to continue with school after I had my son. Not only do I need to be a role model and example for him, I also need to give myself the best opportunity to honor their sacrifices by respecting myself enough to pursue my goals and interests. Because they were so disappointed in me, it was like, ‘OK, I’m going to show you guys that your sacrifices didn’t go to waste.’ ”

In Alvarez-Hernandez’s telling, she and her younger sister, Gaby, enjoyed a happy, sheltered childhood that stood in stark contrast to those of her parents in Mexico. Once her father established himself in construction, he was able to start his own company and buy a house in Lake Elsinore with plenty of room for curious girls to roam.

That idyll began to be punctured when Alvarez-Hernandez’s parents underwent a contentious separation during her freshman year of high school. Two years later, she was forced to grow up even faster when Santiago arrived. She had never excelled in school, and the turmoil at home didn’t help matters, but her son’s birth – far from causing her to drop out – resulted in her becoming laser-focused on education.

“It was no longer just about me,” Alvarez-Hernandez said. “I felt like I’d be doing my son a disservice if I just gave up and stopped trying to be my best self for him.”

After graduating from Lakeside High School, Alvarez-Hernandez enrolled at Palomar College, and the hour-long commute was only part of the problem. Because of the pregnancy, she didn’t get a driver’s license, so her grandmother had to drive her to campus every day. She was also shuttling back and forth between her parents’ now-separate residences, but as a student she was locked in and increasingly interested in psychology after planning to pursue pre-med.

At Palomar, Alvarez-Hernandez was first exposed to the foreign concept of scientific research as she worked for two years around her class schedule as an early interventionist for children under 5 diagnosed with autism through applied behavioral analysis (ABA). She transferred to CSUSM in the fall of 2019, and the ensuing spring she took the next step in terms of research by becoming an undergraduate research assistant for psychology professor Kimberly D’Anna Hernandez.

One of D’Anna Hernandez’s specialties is the role of acculturation and other psychosocial measures on the biological response to stress in pregnant women, especially Mexican and Mexican-American women. That dovetailed perfectly with the background and interests of Alvarez-Hernandez, who of course is both Mexican-American and a mother. Working during the dawn of the pandemic, she assisted D’Anna Hernandez in collecting data related to the impact of COVID-19 on the well-being of Mexican mothers living in the United States.

Alvarez-Hernandez quickly found a home in the research lab, partly because there were close to a dozen other Latina students working in it but mostly because of D’Anna Hernandez, in whom she found a kindred spirit.

“I owe her so much,” Alvarez-Hernandez said of her mentor, who moved on to Marquette University this academic year. “I didn’t have anyone to see myself in, to identify with. She’s someone I look up to. She’s a mother, she’s Latina, she’s successful, she’s independent, she’s making a significant impact on people’s lives. I can’t think of anything more fulfilling than to do that with my life as well.”

Later in the spring 2020 semester, D’Anna Hernandez connected Alvarez-Hernandez with Keith Trujillo, a longtime psychology professor who’s co-director of the U-RISE (Undergraduate Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) program, which provides professional development and research opportunities to students from underrepresented groups who show promise for success in graduate studies. Through U-RISE, Alvarez-Hernandez honed her burgeoning passion and talent for research, resulting in 10 presentations at local meetings and large national conferences, as well as multiple awards for her work.

Last summer, she participated in the UCLA Brain Research Institute summer undergraduate research experience (BRI-SURE), during which she examined electrophysiological indicators of autism spectrum disorder.

“Through my work with Krystal, I’ve grown increasingly impressed with her,” Trujillo said. “She is thoughtful, organized and motivated, and regularly contributes insightfully to scientific discussions and assignments. She takes the program seriously and is a leader among this very successful group.

“Given her inspiring path from teen mom to Ph.D.-bound, she reflects the best of CSUSM.”

As she prepares to make family history by graduating from CSUSM, followed by moving across the country, Alvarez-Hernandez still sometimes can’t believe that she’s a budding neuroscientist. Only a few years ago, she wouldn’t have even known what that entailed, much less been able to imagine doing it for a living.

But she knows that Santiago is watching, and she’s resolved to show him that he can be anything he wants to be – just as her parents did for her.

“I’m really hoping to change the norms of what it means to be a scientist, what it means to be a mom, what it means to be a daughter from a Mexican-American background,” she said. “I just want to make other people proud and be proud of myself as well.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

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

Krystal Alvarez-Hernandez, psychological science

President’s Outstanding Graduate

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

Alvarez-Hernandez overcame numerous challenges on her path to earning a degree. She became a mother at 16 and, as a first-generation college student from an immigrant family, had little support to help her navigate higher education. But Alvarez-Hernandez is highly motivated with a strong work ethic, and she consistently showed the persistence to thrive.

Alvarez-Hernandez was one of 10 students selected for the U-RISE@CSUSM program, which is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to provide professional development and research opportunities to students from underrepresented groups who show promise for success in graduate studies and careers in research.

Nominating professor Keith Trujillo noted that Alvarez-Hernandez is thoughtful, organized and motivated, and regularly contributes insightfully to scientific discussions and assignments. She takes the program seriously and is a leader among her peers. She will pursue her Ph.D. in cognitive science and neuroscience at Northwestern University.

Learn more about Alvarez-Hernandez here.

Melissa Hernandez, human development

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

Hernandez was lauded for her strong record of educational achievements and service to CEHHS, the university and the region. Nominating professor Teru Toyokawa praised Hernandez for her passion for serving others and generously providing time for people in local communities.

As a first-generation college student, Hernandez navigated her own way into her academic achievement while working full-time and engaging in on- and off-campus activities.

Among the many ways in which Hernandez demonstrated her leadership is by serving on the CEHHS Committee of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity as a student representative. She also has been an active member in the Society of Pre-Health, a student organization with a mission to have students become involved with health-related issues and activities and facilitate students’ career exploration in health care. Through this organization, Hernandez helped other club members develop several projects and provided opportunities for club members to find jobs in health-related fields.

Learn more about Hernandez here.

Karolina Lindberg, business administration

Gerevas Family Dean’s Award Recipient, College of Business Administration

An international student from Sweden, Lindberg distinguished herself in the global business management program and across the college. She demonstrated consistently high academic performance, became increasingly involved within student organizations, and harnessed lessons learned in her professional experiences. And she did all of it while completing her degree in only three years.

Nominating professor Eric Rhodes noted that Lindberg arrived at CSUSM with a strong professional background in customer service and finance, incorporating her unique perspective and bilingual capabilities into her academic endeavors.

Among the challenges Lindberg has overcome are a diagnosis of epilepsy. When the pandemic hit, her family wanted her to complete her studies back home in Sweden, closer to her doctors and family. That meant attending CSUSM for the entire 2020-21 academic year from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Zoom, five days a week, due to the nine-hour time difference. Despite this hurdle, she maintained a 4.0 GPA.

Learn more about Lindberg here.

Billy Unger, mathematics

Dean’s Award, Graduate Studies and Research

Unger has demonstrated outstanding achievement across each of the rigorous selection criteria, graduating with a 3.8 GPA.

Unger’s thesis work involved the study of graph theory and the study of space, or topology. His work centered on a conjecture from graph theory posed in a paper that nominating professor Andre Kundgen coauthored in 2002 with CSUSM colleague Radhika Ramamurthi. A math conjecture refers to a statement that is assumed to be correct but has not been proven. Although the mathematical community had made little progress in addressing this conjecture in the last 20 years, Unger gravitated toward working on it when he came on as Kundgen’s student. In a few short weeks, he made a major breakthrough by coming up with the first graph that had the predicted behavior.

Kundgen praised Unger as an outstanding example of what can be accomplished as a graduate student at CSUSM.

Madison Wagner, chemistry

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

Wagner overcame numerous challenges to become a role model to her classmates in her commitment to excellence in academics, service leadership and research.

A first-generation college student, Wagner was a top academic performer, including a 4.0 GPA since transferring to CSUSM from Palomar College in fall 2019. Wagner consistently scored in the top 1% on all exams and written assignments in nominating professor Robert Iafe’s organic chemistry lecture and scored in the top 4% nationwide on the ACS Standardized Exam in organic chemistry. Wagner also was awarded the 2021-2022 CSUSM Beckman Scholars research award – one of only two on campus – to support 15 months of mentored research experience.

Iafe noted that Wagner works proficiently in a team setting, is not afraid to be a leader, and also has a professional and patient quality that builds confidence when she helps lab mates.

Learn more about Wagner here.

Anastasia Zacky, political science

Dean’s Award, Dean of Students

Zacky has made lasting contributions to student life at CSUSM through her many involvements, including as a Cougar Pantry intern, Orientation Team leader, event programmer/student coordinator with USU Live!, onboarding a new sorority as Panhellenic Affairs vice president, and most recently, as chapter president.

Zacky also excels in the classroom with a cumulative 3.6 GPA and membership in the Order of Omega and Gamma Sigma Alpha honor societies.

Zacky had multiple nominators for the award who said she has proven to be an outstanding role model for students by actively seeking ways to integrate her passions, student life experiences and dedication to her education. They noted that she has transformed the lives of CSUSM students, positively impacted the campus community, and served as an ambassador and change agent.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The four-year grant funded by the California Tobacco Related Disease Research Program is a partnership with UC San Diego. It’s called the CSUSM/UCSD Smoke and Vape Free Scholars Initiative Program for Reducing Tobacco Disease in Diverse Communities (SVFSIP).

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.

“I am delighted to bring a training program dedicated to addressing tobacco-related health disparities to our campus,” said Kim Pulvers, a CSUSM psychology professor and the CSU principal investigator for the grant. “I am passionate about this issue and am so excited to have the necessary resources to provide students a substantial training experience. Personally, it will be extremely rewarding to work with students toward the common goal of reducing the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. I am looking forward to teaching them best practices in tobacco research, placing them into great internships, and promoting their success in graduate school and careers.”

Pulvers procured the grant along with CSUSM kinesiology professor Richard Armenta. Pulvers will coordinate the administrative functions of the program, while Armenta will recruit prospective students and support them during their time in the program.  

The principal investigator from UCSD is Dennis Trinidad, a professor of family medicine and public health who previously has collaborated with both Pulvers and Armenta.

The grant will support the training of 15 CSUSM students across two cohorts beginning this August. Students will spend the first year working with a research mentor on an individual prevention or treatment research project. During the second year, they will work with a community-based tobacco control specialist on a local advocacy project.

Throughout the two-year term, the students will receive structured education through a research class and weekly seminars and workshops on tobacco control topics and professional development, and receive academic advising, networking and career guidance.

The program will be run through CSUSM’s Office for Training, Research and Education in the Sciences (OTRES).   

“This program is a great addition to the other training programs we have at CSUSM and fills a gap in our existing programs,” Armenta said. “We are excited that CSUSM students will have the opportunity to work with amazing research and advocacy mentors to address tobacco-related disparities that their own communities face.” 

To be eligible to participate, students must be a member of a racial or ethnic minoritized, low-income or LGBTQ+ group; have an interest in health research or advocacy; and have two years remaining to complete an undergraduate or master’s degree at CSUSM. Selected students will receive an annual stipend of up to $14,760 for two years and 50% tuition and fees coverage for two years.

For more information about the program or application process, go to the OTRES website.

Even when he was exposed to the concept early in his EDUC 364 course, he understood it mainly as a 20-hour requirement to complete the class. But the experience of tutoring foster youth as part of his service learning project affected Edwards deeply, so much so that he’s bringing a decided spirit of giving to the holiday season.

Edwards this month organized a toy drive with the student organization Brotherhood Alliance through the Black Student Center that netted 322 toys that will become Christmas gifts for local foster kids. If that weren’t enough, he also raised hundreds of dollars for a San Diego nonprofit that helps former foster kids transition to independent living.

“I just thought, ‘It’s the holidays and there are so many kids in the foster system who are going without and who just want to get a sense of what it feels like to have Christmas or be supported through their journey of being in foster youth,’ ” Edwards said. “So I took it upon myself to go a little farther and do these acts to demonstrate that we can all be the change that we want to see in terms of helping foster kids.”

Edwards embarked on the service learning project in a course taught by School of Education lecturer Sherry Freeborn called “The Role of Cultural Diversity in Schooling.” In that class and other education prerequisites like it, CSUSM partners with a program called Tutor Connection run by Michelle Bailow, who works in foster youth services for the San Diego County Office of Education.

After teaching students about the effects of trauma and the ins and outs of the child welfare system, Bailow matches them with a foster youth from somewhere in the county for 20 hours of tutoring supervised by her.

Edwards met for two hours every Monday with a seventh-grade foster youth who has special needs. Assuming at the outset that the sessions would revolve around classwork and other educational problems, Edwards soon discovered that was not the case.

“When I started talking with the kid, it became clear that he just needed a friend, someone to lift him up a little bit,” Edwards said. “That's what I began to do, and that's what got me thinking about the fundraisers that I have been participating in.”

Edwards derived so much inspiration from his weekly tutoring meetings that he volunteered to be paired with a second foster youth as well. And when he approached Bailow with his desire to do even more for the holidays, Bailow connected him with two local agencies. 

Promises2Kids, founded in 1981, is a San Diego nonprofit that annually supports more than 3,000 current and former foster youth in the county, and each December it holds the “Give from Your Heart” toy drive. In concert with the Brotherhood Alliance, Edwards stationed two drop-off boxes in the Black Student Center and several more at various locations around the county. Last week, he picked up the hundreds of toys and delivered them to Promises2Kids for distribution before Christmas. 

At the same time, Edwards worked with Just in Time for Foster Youth, specifically its My First Home program, which assists former foster youth in furnishing their new apartments as they exit the system and begin to live on their own. Edwards visited all of the EDUC 364 classes to present his fundraising plan and ask students to chip in up to $5. He and his friends in the Brotherhood Alliance then teamed up to match what the students gave, which amounted to a total of $600. 

Bailow has been a community partner of CSUSM for about 15 years, and she said Edwards’ level of initiative and generosity is rare in her experience.   

“I have phenomenal students who are dedicated to their kids and become mentors,” Bailow said. “But the fact that he took on all this on his own because this class had such an impact on him and that he wanted to give back and do something special for kids in the foster care system, he definitely stands out as one of the shining stars from all my years of doing this.” 

Edwards is on track to graduate in May 2023 with a degree in psychology. At 31, he also just became a licensed barber, having recently completed the required 1,500 hours of training and passed the California state exam. His career ambition is to fuse his two interests, bettering his clients’ mental state while cutting and styling their hair.  

“A lot of men won't go and talk to a therapist, but they'll talk to their barber,” he said. “I also hope to continue to partner with Michelle and offer my service for free to foster youth who need haircuts. I want to use that skill of cutting hair to support my education and to tie it in with everything else that I do.” 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

The study, titled “Short-Term Training in Mindfulness Predicts Helping Behavior toward Racial Ingroup and Outgroup Members,” is the sixth peer-reviewed publication by Berry, but the first in Social Psychological and Personality Science.  

Berry began the research in 2014 when he was a doctoral student in general experimental psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and completed data collection in 2017, just before he was hired as an assistant professor at CSUSM. He runs the Social and Affective Psychophysiology (SAP) Lab, which studies how people respond to others in need and show kindness to one another.  

“This paper is special to me because it was part of my dissertation research toward my Ph.D.,” Berry said. “As director of the SAP Lab, I’ve worked to get this paper published since arriving at CSUSM.” 

Berry’s study, which he undertook with two student assistants, explored whether practicing mindfulness meditation increases acts of kindness in interracial social interactions. Mindfulness is a self-regulation skill that entails directing one’s attention to present experiences.  

In the experiment, self-identifying white participants were randomly assigned to compete a four-day mindfulness mediation training or a sham meditation training. Mindfulness trainees were taught focused breathing exercises that rested their attention on the sensations of breathing and thoughts and feelings that came to mind. Sham meditation trainees were led to believe that they were receiving a real mindfulness mediation and completed breathing exercises that did not involve mindfulness.  

Before and after the training, participants were put into staged lab scenarios — helping a racial outgroup member pick up a stack of dropped papers or offering their seat to a racial outgroup member on crutches. The participants weren’t aware that their social behaviors were being studied. They also completed pre- and post-intervention daily diaries about their social behaviors with strangers and acquaintances.  

Berry and his team found that mindfulness trainees were three times as likely to help racial outgroup members in the staged scenarios as compared to sham meditation trainees. Mindfulness trainees also reported more helping behaviors toward racial ingroup and outgroup members in their daily diaries.  

The results included two important qualifiers. First, mindfulness training only increased helping behavior among people who were less predisposed to experience mindfulness in daily life. Second, participants in both trainings reported helping racial ingroup members more than outgroup members. Because helping behavior was preferentially given to racial ingroup members, the study recommends mindfulness meditation to complement existing efforts to reduce preferential helping.  

“This is critical in getting our students prepared to join the workforce and understand what research really involves and what their career path could be if they go into research,” said Jackie Trischman, interim dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. “The presentation skills that they gain from something like this can be very helpful in every stage of their career from this point forward.” 

The showcase was created more than a decade ago by the Committee for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) to share students’ passion for research while encouraging them to take the next steps in their future careers. This year’s event was presented by CUGR and the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.

“We are a campus that is deeply committed to undergraduate research for multiple reasons,” said Chuck De Leone, interim dean of Graduate Studies and Research. “We know that it's wonderful for our students and we know that it helps our faculty in accomplishing the research goals that they have.” 

There were 19 research posters at the showcase, covering an array of topics. 

Ciara Sanders, a master’s student in biological sciences, used the showcase as an opportunity to spread awareness around climate change. Sanders wanted to explore the effect of extreme weather conditions on horizontal gene transfer among coastal microbiomes. 

“It gives us a really good idea of how it's going to impact antibiotic resistance genes on the coast, which can be been really detrimental to human health because the of the antibiotic resistance crisis that's currently happening,” Sanders said. 

Sanders curated her experiment in the lab of biology professor Elinne Becket, who recently received an award from a state organization recognizing up-and-coming professionals in the life science industry.  

Sanders is hoping to publish her research before she begins a Ph.D. research program next fall. 

Devanshi Upadhyaya, Rosalva Romero and Kasandra Barajas studied the differences of wise reasoning in first-generation and continuing-generation college students under the direction of psychology professor Alex Huynh. Last summer, they were able to collect data from over 200 participants. 

“We're all psych majors,” Upadhyaya said. “We have a realm of amazing professors who have their own labs here. Professor Huynh was our mentor and he guided us through the study.” 

As a first-generation student, Romero was curious to explore the differences.

“I think for me personally, you oftentimes hear a lot of conversations between the experiences and differences between first gen and continuing gen,” Romero said. “I can resonate with a lot that we did with my background. This is just a great way to bring more awareness of these differences between first gen and continuing gen. It's very important.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The COVID-19 Farmworker Study (COFS) team released its first report last February, and now it’s back with another one. Bade, a professor of medical anthropology, participated in a press conference on Oct. 18 to discuss the new report highlighting extensive interviews with Indigenous agricultural workers and the dire conditions they are facing during the pandemic. 

Titled “Experts in Their Fields: The Lived Experiences of California Indigenous Agricultural Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” the report shares stories of Indigenous farmworkers about COVID impacts and the support that these communities will need to recover from the pandemic. 

COFS is a research project facilitated by the California Institute for Rural Studies, a Davis-based organization for which Bade serves as a senior research associate. The institute collaborated with a team of social science researchers and six farmworker-serving, community-based organizations, including the FarmWorker CARE Coalition and Vista Community Clinic, which both are in North County.  

"During the pandemic, all farmworkers, classified as essential workers, have been living in stress and fear due to the lack of protection offered to them as essential workers who play a crucial role in global food supply chains," Bade said. "Indigenous farmworkers, who prefer the term 'campesinos' to recognize their ancient agricultural knowledge and crop specializations, experienced further marginalization that manifested largely as language justice issues. Campesinos speak pre-colonial languages like Mixtec, Zapotec and Triqui that have no relation to Spanish. Campesinos make up about one-quarter of the 800,000-plus farmworkers in California’s $50 billion per year agricultural industry.

"In addition to being excluded from economic and housing relief programs, the coronavirus educational materials, testing and vaccination efforts, online learning challenges for families and relief program paperwork have not recognized the language needs of the campesino communities and have further excluded them from appropriate COVID-19 protection protocols and relief programs. Because of the communal approach to society inherent in campesino communities, regional indigenous-language-speaking, community-based organizations have filled that gap by assisting campesinos with interpretation, financial, food and logistical support in the absence of culturally and linguistically appropriate federal, state and county assistance programs."

Psychology professor leads study on tobacco reporting tool 

CSUSM psychology professor Kimberley Pulvers is the lead author of a study that examines the impact of a new online reporting tool in shaping college campus attitudes and behaviors about smoke and tobacco-free (STF) policies. 

The study was published Oct. 21 in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research by Oxford University Press. It’s a joint venture between CSUSM and UC Davis.  

The study explores whether an online tool for crowdsourced reporting of tobacco use and related litter called Tobacco Tracker is effective in supporting STF policies on college campuses. Surveys were administered to students, faculty and staff at CSUSM and Davis, which both have 100% smoke- and tobacco-free policies in place. 

Results showed that awareness of Tobacco Tracker to report tobacco use or related litter on campus doubled, and use of the online tobacco reporting tool tripled, from pre- to post-assessment. 

“Campus community members are critical to the success of their smoke- and tobacco-free policies,” Pulvers said. “Almost all adult daily smokers started smoking before the age of 26, making college and university campuses a high priority for these policies.” 

Tobacco Tracker was developed based on student and staff input, as described in a related study published by the same team in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. In a user survey, the top motivations for using the tool were a cleaner environment (79%) followed by health concerns (69%).

Myra Rice, a 2020 graduate of CSUSM, contributed to the study.  

Alumnus receives administrator of year honor 

Carlsbad High School principal Bryan Brockett, an educational leadership graduate of the joint CSUSM-UC San Diego doctoral program, was recognized by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce as a School Administrator of the Year on Oct. 14. 

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Perhaps no person on the planet, however, is more responsible for the term “fake news” achieving worldwide ubiquity, with the meaning often depending on the perspective of the person using it. It can refer to an outright fabrication. It can refer to a story containing elements of misinformation. And, in the more recent twist, it can refer to a largely true media article that the subject simply doesn’t like. 

Fake news increasingly has become a topic ripe for academic research, and one of those scholars is Cal State San Marcos psychology professor Dustin Calvillo, whose interest in memory distortions has evolved into the study of misinformation that’s prevalent on social media.  

Question: How did you become interested in fake news as a subject?  

Dustin Calvillo: My background is in cognitive psychology. My primary research interest is in understanding how memories become distorted. One method that we use to create memory distortions in the lab is to provide participants with misinformation that contradicts details of an event that they just witnessed. We then measure participants’ memory for the event to determine if the misinformation has distorted it. This interest in the effects of misinformation led me to start investigating people’s susceptibility to the real-world misinformation that surged on social media in the months before the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  

Q: Is there an academic definition of fake news?  

DC: There are a few academic definitions of fake news. One characteristic of these definitions is that fake news involves a deliberate attempt to misinform people by including information that is untrue, only partially true, or out of context. Another characteristic is that the information is presented as though it is coming from a legitimate news source.  

Q: It seems to me that it’s impossible to talk about fake news without bringing up the influence of Trump and his co-opting of a term that historically has referred to something strictly false. Now it can be anything the accuser disagrees with or doesn’t like. What do you think about that evolution?  

DC: The term “fake news” has been co-opted by politicians. I think this is unfortunate for a couple of reasons. First, it diminishes the meaning of the term. News could be called fake because it is untrue or just because it is unflattering. More importantly, this co-opting decreases trust in news media. Technology has given people access to a plethora of information, and it can be difficult to know what to believe. Having reliable news sources helps with this problem, but when these sources are accused of peddling fake news, it becomes more difficult to know what to trust.  

Q: Who are the people most susceptible to fake news and why?  

DC: We’ve done several studies to identify who is most susceptible to fake news. We have found that people low in analytic ability, people with less relevant knowledge and people who score low on the personality factors conscientiousness and open-mindedness are most susceptible to fake news. These people may lack the critical thinking or knowledge necessary to discern between real and fake headlines. With fake news about politicized issues, such as COVID-19 and fraud in the 2020 election, greater political conservatism and more viewing of conservative-leaning news are related to greater susceptibility in believing fake news. Claims from conservative politicians and political pundits that COVID-19 was a hoax and that the election was stolen seem to play a role in these findings.  

Q: What types of stories are most likely to be spread as fake news?  

DC: People tend to spread fake news that aligns with their prior beliefs, particularly if it is negative. If they feel negatively about a person, group or policy issue, they will be more likely to spread fake news that highlights negative aspects of that topic. For example, if someone believes that vaccines are dangerous, they would be more likely to spread fake news that is consistent with that belief than more general news about vaccines. This is especially true when people experience strong emotions related to a topic. One of the recent studies in my lab shows that when people are induced to experience emotions, their belief in fake news increases.  

Q: It’s frequently argued that the proliferation of fake news is one of the biggest threats to our democracy. Do you agree with that?  

DC: I believe that fake news poses a serious threat because it interferes with the solutions to other important problems. People need to work together on issues such as the pandemic and climate change. Fake news misinforms people about these issues and hinders collaborative problem-solving. It is a problem that exacerbates other problems.  

Q: What steps can be taken to decrease susceptibility to fake news?  

DC: Information literacy training shows promise in decreasing susceptibility to fake news. Playing 30 minutes of a video game that teaches people about fake news reduces susceptibility to it. Additionally, a graduate student in my lab is currently testing if providing people feedback on their decisions about the truth of news increases their subsequent performance on this task. Finally, when people are getting their news on social media sites, encouraging them to critically evaluate the stories, to consider the sources and to search for fact checks of the stories reduces sharing of fake news. We have found, however, that people are biased not only in what news they believe and share; they are also biased in what news they fact check. Furthermore, people are not aware of their biases; they believe that they are less biased than average people. A current project examines whether making people aware of their biases can reduce susceptibility to fake news.  

Q: How important is it to hold social media companies accountable for the spread, and how could it be done?  

DC: I think social media companies bear some responsibility for the content on their platforms. Facebook and Twitter have made attempts to limit the spread of fake news by labeling and removing content and banning users. Some people may view these actions as censorship and may feel these companies are unfairly limiting certain viewpoints, leading them to seek other platforms. As a psychological scientist, my work focuses on understanding why people believe and spread fake news, and in determining effective interventions to reduce susceptibility to it. If we can be successful, it would take some of the onus off social media companies to act as gatekeepers of information.  

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

Sharon Hamill had just arrived on campus as a young assistant professor. She was also pregnant with her third child, facing the challenge of establishing herself in a brand new educational setting while not knowing anybody. She was also recently diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. Her hills to climb were many.

But she was thrown a lifeline. It may be more accurate to say a quilt figuratively covered her with a sense of community.

“I don’t think I ever shared with anybody who I was quilting with what was going on with me, but that connection to people and sense of normality made all the difference,” said Hamill of the lunchtime quilting in the University Commons building. “I think of it as hearts connecting. I think of what Pat and Leslie did in a very simple gesture to invite others in. I still have such tremendously positive feelings about that.”

Pat and Leslie are Pat Worden and Leslie Zomalt, legendary CSUSM faculty who had large impacts across the university. Some of the quilts the duo facilitated the creation of have been hung in various spots around campus like the library.

Fast forward to a new century, a campus that looks nothing like it did in 1996 and the challenge of creating caring programs when the community perhaps has never needed it more.

Introducing the CSUSM COVID-19 compassion quilting project, which will soon begin creating a campus quilt to commemorate the community’s collective experience around the pandemic.

For Hamill, giving back has no expiration date.

“President (Ellen) Neufeldt has set the stage for a culture of care, and COVID has provided the opportunity to really show where the rubber meets the road; are you able to live what you espouse?” said Hamill, who in addition to her roles as psychology/child and adolescent development professor and chair of the Academic Senate, is the founding faculty director for the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM.

“Across all universities it is a real struggle with students’ mental health and physical health. Staff, faculty, administrators – everyone is feeling it. One of the things that make a big difference is just opportunities to show our common humanity. And when you see suffering – and that is what our campus is doing right now is suffering – there’s a beautiful opportunity for people to reach out to one another and lend a hand, lend a heart and help people to feel like they’re not alone.”

Members of the CSUSM community are encouraged to create a panel to honor someone who died during the pandemic, honor someone who has performed exemplary service during this time or to simply show expressions of gratefulness during the challenge of the past year.

The CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM office is partnering with Hamill. Michael McDuffie, the faculty director for the IPC at CSUSM, has worked closely with Hamill on the details. Jillian Dunn, a graphics and public relations specialist, has created a video to show how to make your own 10” quilt panel.

When campus reopens, the plan is to gather people in the CSUSM community who like to sew, have an artistic bent or simply want to help. Those who don’t know how to sew can be taught. Once the piecing happens (when the top of the quilt is put together), the stitching will proceed perhaps in front of the University Student Union with tables and volunteers in an open setting that hopefully encourages shared experiences and feelings.

“It’s a way to allow people to give a name to the losses they’ve had or to those individuals and things they’re grateful for and to share it with other people,” said Hamill, who was one of nine children in her family and has three sons of her own. “Where it has an impact is not just on the community but on the individuals themselves. There’s a lot of research out there on using expressive arts as a way to deal with your own grief, your own stress.”

Depending on how many squares they get, the plan is to have an exhibit on campus in the spring of 2022. Most likely there will be multiple quilts rather than one massive quilt because after the exhibit it will be important to share it.

Individual quilts could be put in places like the library, and the IPC at CSUSM senate offices as a reminder that this is now part of the campus history.

Much of Hamill’s career research has focused on family caregiving. In fact, her and graduate student Sean Griser are currently conducting a survey on caregivers of family members with Alzheimer’s disease during COVID-19. She is starting to see an increase in the number of college students doubling as caregivers for family members.

The hope is that the study will further understanding of how COVID-19 is impacting caregiving and what caregivers need for support.

Hamill teaches a class on risk and resiliency. While students, faculty and staff all deal with life’s challenges on a daily basis, doing it when you’re isolated and feeling like you’re the only one not handling it well can be overwhelming.

Positive effects need to come out of the experience.

“A big part of resiliency is learning how to cope with the stresses that you have in very healthy ways,” she said. “That includes expressive art, mindfulness, communicating with other people and common projects. Those are ways for us to build community. It will have the benefit of improving our own mental and physical health if we do that.”

While on sabbatical in 2017, Hamill took a quilting class at Grand Country Quilters on Grand Avenue in San Marcos. Virginia Palomari was the expert quilter who taught her, and neither Palomari nor anyone else she watched or quilted side-by-side with had any affiliation with CSUSM. But Hamill couldn’t help but think of her quilting experience at CSUSM’s Dome two decades previous when the campus was a fraction of what it is now in population, architecture and influence.

It was another one of those serendipitous moments that showed her that life is more than just a series of random events, but rather a tapestry of experiences that are defined by how people treat each other. How our hearts are shaped. How much love we put out in the world.

“The sense of community around creating something and connecting with other people was so powerful,” Hamill said. “We really need to build opportunities to connect with others over things we love. When things get rough, people do rise up and they reach out and they look for opportunities to connect with other people. We have our issues. But what I see is a real drive in people to make changes to create a better campus and a better world.

“As hard as it is (with COVID), we still every day see people coming up with yet another way for the campus community to connect. That’s what gives me the hope that when we finally are able to return to campus it won’t be coming back to exactly the way it was initially, but the heart will be there.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Dr. Kim Pulvers, a professor of psychology at CSUSM, was the principal investigator of a study published Nov. 18 in the American Medical Association journal JAMA Network Open on the world’s first randomized clinical trial of fourth-generation “pod” e-cigarettes. The research shows that, in the short term, e-cigarettes are substantially safer than combustible cigarettes. 

“My hope is for this research to contribute to lessening the burden of preventable death and disease from cigarette smoking, particularly among those who experience tobacco-related health disparities,” Pulvers said.   

Pulvers collaborated on the study with researchers from Brown University, the University of Kansas School of Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco. Myra Rice, a recent graduate of CSUSM, also contributed.  

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.  

The clinical trial included 186 African-American and Latinx smokers, as racial and ethnic minority groups tend to experience higher rates of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality even when they smoke at the same rates as other groups. Two-thirds of the participants were provided nicotine salt pod system (pod) e-cigarettes for six weeks; the rest continued smoking regular cigarettes as usual. 

By the end of the study, participants who switched to e-cigarettes showed significantly lower levels of the pulmonary carcinogen NNAL compared to those who continued to smoke regular cigarettes. The e-cigarette users also had significantly reduced carbon monoxide (CO) levels and reported fewer respiratory symptoms. These benefits were greatest among participants who switched completely to e-cigarettes. 

“Pod e-cigarettes are a real alternative for cigarette smokers,” Pulvers said. “Switching to pod e-cigarettes was feasible: 86% of our smokers made a switch. Most critically, switching to pod e-cigarettes significantly reduced exposure to toxicants that cause disease. Smokers who made a complete switch experienced the greatest reduction in toxicant exposure. Smokers who made a partial switch also experienced reduced harm.” 

Pulvers emphasized that further research is needed to establish whether smokers who switch from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes maintain that behavior over time, and to explore the long-term harm reduction of e-cigarettes.  

Pulvers also said the study does not address smoking cessation due to the Food and Drug Administration classification of e-cigarettes as tobacco products rather than therapeutic devices.  

“Our findings support using e-cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for smokers,” she said. “Smokers who cannot or will not quit smoking would be well-served by switching to pod e-cigarettes. While our study demonstrates that pod e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes, there is no safe level of tobacco use and e-cigarettes should not be used by youth or non-smokers.”   

But seeing how elders in her church shunned a teenager who had been the victim of sexual assault led Benjamin to look for another outlet for her faith.

Now, many years later, Benjamin is sharing how faith impacts her as part of Cal State San Marcos’ new Beyond the Stereotype campaign, which was unveiled during the All Peoples Luncheon on Oct. 29.

“I hope that people have the opportunity to try to explore different backgrounds and different religious faiths and try to understand where another person is coming from,” said Benjamin, a psychology major. “I want people to know that just because you're brought into a faith by your parents, it is OK for you to explore different things. I've explored Buddhism, and now I'm just more a spiritual base. I have no particular religious ties, but I'm always open to getting to understand and learn about other people's religion.”

The Office of Inclusive Excellence sponsors the Beyond the Stereotype campaign to help educate about the impact of microaggressions and stereotypes on marginalized communities. The first campaign, “There is History,” was launched in 2015 and focused on race/ethnicity and cultural appropriation. It was followed in 2017 by “There is Pride,” which focused on sexual orientation and gender diversity. The new campaign, “There is Belief,” challenges stereotypes around religions, faith, spirituality and/or life practices within a social justice framework.

The campaign launched during the All Peoples Luncheon with the unveiling of five posters, each featuring a student, staff or faculty member holding a board with a message combating a stereotype about their respective beliefs.

For Benjamin, that meant holding a board with the message, “My Faith Is Not Evil.”

Benjamin found her way to Southern California from South Carolina through her service in the Army National Guard, which she joined in 2012. She transferred to CSUSM after two years at Palomar College.

“Once I had the opportunity to tour campus and see that it’s very diverse and they try to include everyone, I thought, ‘I want to join in and be a part of this campus community,’ ” she said. “I've been searching for a sense of belonging since I came to California because I have no family here and all my friends are from my military branch, and Cal State has definitely made me feel at home.”

Benjamin has been active in myriad programs at CSUSM, including the Educational Opportunity Program, the Student Veterans Organization and the Tukwut Leadership Circle, in which she serves as a member of the Peer Leadership Team.

Benjamin still remembers the impact that seeing posters from a previous Beyond the Stereotype campaign had on her, and she hopes the new posters have a similar impact on others.

“I'm hoping that people will take an opportunity to look at the posters with an open mind and just be able to be more inclusive in their practices every day,” she said.

Ariel Stevenson, the OIE’s assistant director of programs and initiatives and director of the campaign, stressed that the release of the five posters signifies the beginning of the campaign.

“Each of the five posters represent the many diverse perspective of our CSUSM community,” Stevenson said, “but they do not represent all of our perspectives. The campaign launch showed a representation, but the campaign is open, and we welcome more participants.

“I think some people were hesitant to participate because they could not envision how religion or belief would be displayed on the posters. Now they have an opportunity to see how it’s beautifully represented.”

Stevenson praised the work of Marcus Torres, visual communications specialist in University Communications, for his efforts in designing the posters and Alan Brown, multimedia productions specialist, for his work creating an accompanying campaign video.

“I’m grateful to all of the participants who modeled and shared their beliefs with us,” Stevenson said. “And I really want to encourage others to participate as we continue to challenge and investigate the stereotypes surrounding belief, religion, spirituality, faith and life practices.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

The middle-aged man is many people’s stereotypic image of a “scientist,” which is a barrier for many talented Latinx and first-generation students striving for a biomedical research career.

To break down this barrier, Cal State San Marcos professors Anna Woodcock and Kamel Haddad were awarded a three-year, $830,000 grant from the NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences for a research project called Families for STEM Success. The project is a fusion of Haddad’s vision to educate families to help their sons and daughters in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors and Woodcock’s program of social psychological research on balancing stereotypically incompatible identities.

While volunteering at a campus student research competition, Haddad was inspired by the presentation of one of Woodcock’s students who was presenting research on identity balance regarding gender in STEM and realized that this was immediately applicable to his vision.

Before coming to CSUSM, Haddad was on the mathematics faculty at Cal State Bakersfield, and he observed that many students, especially Latinx and first-generation students, were struggling with not having enough time for homework and studying because of obligations at home.

“Anecdotally we would get lots of stories, especially from the Hispanic community, where the parents would ask their kids to spend a lot of time with the family business, with their siblings,” Haddad said.

Haddad enlisted the Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) to help create a series of workshops for the families of incoming science majors. PIQE had pioneered workshops and outreach to the families of high school students across California for more than 30 years and accepted the challenge to expand its reach to the families of college students. The workshops educated parents on how to foster their children’s success at college and their interest in STEM fields. A significantly higher percentage of students whose parents graduated from the workshops were still STEM majors during their second academic quarter than those whose parents did not and performed better academically.

CSUSM’s Families for STEM Success grant will provide a rigorous test of a new Spanish-language workshop series for families of incoming first-year STEM majors. CSUSM will offer customized workshops designed for families to understand the value of a science degree, the compatibility between scientific research and Latinx heritage, and the support systems students need to be successful in the first year of college, and graduate with a biomedical sciences degree.

“Children succeed when families, schools and communities work together,” said Patty Chavez, PIQE’s director of policy. “However, many schools struggle to engage parents. The challenge is complex, with reasons ranging from cultural and language barriers to parents’ limited time or rigid work schedules to lack of know-how, fear and distrust.”

A rigorous longitudinal research study will track student outcomes across students’ freshman and sophomore years. There will be two control groups tracked alongside the students whose families graduate from the workshops so they can see the direct impact of the intervention in order to see how much it improved academic outcomes such as persistence, retention, grade-point average and staying in STEM.

Woodcock and fellow CSUSM professor Wesley Schultz along with Texas A&M University educational psychology associate professor Paul Hernandez have been working for several years on balanced identity theory. They predict that these workshops will help families support their student developing a strong science identity.

“We do not want an increase in STEM or science identity to come at the price of backing away from a racial/ethnic identity,” Woodcock said. “Our whole intervention is about changing part of the social context, which in this case is the family, that supports the idea of building an identity as a Latinx scientist. That those two things are completely compatible, and what we’re doing is rather than intervening with the students, we’re intervening with the families, teaching them about science and how being a scientist can be a rewarding career that helps people and is not at all incompatible with a Latinx heritage.”

Hernandez is contributing to the statistical analyses on the project. Specifically, he is helping to determine the degree to which students are positively impacted by the project. He is particularly interested in learning how students develop resilient and balanced personal-professional identities and how these identities support engagement, learning and achievement.

“Students in the CSUSM community have the potential to be the next generation of professionals that lead discovery, innovation and scientific advancements,” Hernandez said. “We are thrilled to be able to support them and produce research that may impact many others at institutions across the U.S.”

Added Schultz: “Programs like PIQE’s are grounded in behavioral science, so our partnership provides an opportunity to put the findings from our academic research on things like motivation and identity into practice to improve the success of students interested in careers in STEM.”

Rigorous scientific research and evaluation is vital to scaling up this intervention across the CSU system and beyond. Woodcock said there is no reason other Hispanic-serving institutions with large commuter populations across the U.S. could not benefit from this.

“Once we can provide empirical evidence about the impact of the intervention and why it works, it could help tens of thousands of Latinx students in STEM majors succeed.”

Said Haddad: “The idea is not that we want one cookie-cutter picture of what a scientist looks like and all conform to that picture. That’s not what this country is about. This country is about us succeeding while looking different. That is what is beautiful about this research. We want to see diversity in the ranks of the population that succeeds in science. That is the message we’re trying to promote across the country – that it is possible to succeed while retaining your identity, whatever that identity is.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

In this period of remarkable institutional transformation, CSU faculty and staff are at the center of innovative thinking in redesigning courses, advancing innovative student support programs, effectively using data to address equity gaps and collaborating beyond their campus boundaries to improve student outcomes. This year’s awardees are exemplary faculty and staff leaders who have implemented such innovative practices.

“The CSU’s world-class faculty continue to advance bold, creative solutions to enrich student learning, despite the daunting and unprecedented challenges facing higher education,” CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White said. “The awardees have demonstrated brilliance, ingenuity and adaptability, and their steadfast commitment to student success is at the very core of the CSU’s educational mission.”

A selection committee composed of faculty, student representatives from the Cal State Student Association and staff members from the CSU Office of the Chancellor reviewed hundreds of nominations to identify the awardees.

Awardees receive $5,000, as well as $10,000 allocated to their academic department in support of ongoing innovation and leadership to advance student success at the CSU. Funding for the awards is provided by generous grant support from foundation partners.

Hamill is recognized for her leadership in palliative care education and innovative approach to raising awareness about completing advance directives for health care.

As a founding faculty director of the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM, Hamill created and continues to direct the What Gives Your Life Meaning (WGYLM®) annual campaign. Held over the past five years, the campaign raises awareness for students, staff and faculty to advocate for their own health care, including planning for advanced directives. The campaign features guest speakers, a resource fair, films and discussion panels, and a pledge drive to increase the number of students completing advance directives.

WGYLM® allows students to take leadership in educating the community. For example, students developed a website to support children and young adults who serve as family caregivers and lead workshops on palliative care. Other projects include the St. Francis Soup Kitchen, at which students provide weekly health education to low-income and homeless diners, and the Youth Resiliency Project in which students train high school peer counselors and young caregivers in resiliency skills.

WGYLM® is now trademarked and is serving as a model for palliative care education for other institutions, including the UC San Diego hospital system. The campaign has been picked up by PBS, and other CSU campuses have also used Hamill's materials as a model for palliative care instruction and awareness.

"Dr. Hamill is a true leader and innovative thinker," said Elizabeth Matthews, interim dean of CSUSM's College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences. "Her WGYLM® campaign provides students, faculty, staff and community members guidance to advocate for their own health care. She does not shy away from the important topics in palliative care –– often issues people do not want to think about. But through her leadership, addressing the tough issues about health care and end of life becomes an easier reality for many. She is one of the most respected members of our community and an amazing asset to the CSU."

Faculty innovation is crucial to reaching the ambitious student success goals outlined in the CSU's Graduation Initiative 2025. This university-wide effort advances specific goals to eliminate equity gaps and significantly improve degree completion.

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.

Rosa Conrad, outreach staff, University Library

Among Conrad’s many contributions since the University Library’s move to a virtual environment are creating a video to introduce new and potential students to the library and coordinating its first virtual Pause for Paws event.

“Rosa’s ability to adapt and meet short deadlines, all while continuing to be innovative and maintain a positive attitude has been remarkable, and I am so glad I have the opportunity to work with her and that students have the opportunity to interact with her as they learn about the library,” the nominator wrote.

Marylou Gonzalez, retention counselor, Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)

Gonzalez has been instrumental in encouraging students to continue moving forward on their path to graduation.

“Marylou goes out of her way to make sure people reach all their academic goals as she role models solution-focused interventions that help students in the EOP department remain resilient,” the nominator wrote. “She has a great sense of humor and goes the extra mile even on days off to accommodate students’ needs prior to graduating.”

Danielle McMartin, associate director, Global Education

While the COVID-19 pandemic has led to challenges across campus, it has included unique ones for Global Programs and Services as it works to ensure the well-being of international students. McMartin (pictured with the Global Programs and Services team at last year’s International Fair) was highlighted for her ability to rapidly respond to an ever-evolving situation as she continued to provide valuable services and keep international students informed.

“At this time, it's really important to be responsive and dedicated, which she does with great efforts,” the nominator wrote. “Her work should be much appreciated.”

Rachel Miller, lecturer, psychology

Miller was highlighted for her compassion and her ongoing assistance for students during the transition to virtual learning in the spring. The nominator also praised Miller for her support of Disability Support Services.

“Dr. Miller pushes everyone to reach their fullest potential,” the nominator wrote. “She pays special attention to everyone’s schoolwork and provides feedback that is helpful. Dr. Miller will always be memorable to me. She is direct, funny and, most importantly, accountable.”

Toni Olivas, engagement and inclusion librarian, University Library

Olivas was praised for her ability to continually find and implement ways to engage with CSUSM students, faculty, staff and the community, all while implementing inclusive practices. Olivas’ accomplishments during the pandemic include launching the library’s first campus Common Read virtual book discussion, and she is currently working on the next context exhibit, which will be the library’s first all-virtual exhibit of the series.

“Toni’s passion and work ethic has been inspiring and extremely motivating as she continues to engage with the CSUSM community and library partners,” the nominator wrote.

Library Technology Initiatives and Development (LTID) team

The LTID team includes Ian Chan, head of library technology initiatives and development; Amanda Dalgleish, web development and user experience specialist; Roger Delgado, DevOps specialist; Steven R. Espinoza, systems operations analyst; and Khuong Vu, analyst/programmer.

“Ian and his team have been responsive, nimble and innovative in transitioning the library to virtual services – no easy task,” the nominator wrote. “They continually improve the library’s online tools and systems, enhance the user experience, and enable the library’s website to be utilized in new and exciting ways.

“They have also taken on a huge task this summer of testing and changing the process for logging in to library databases so only one login is required. This is especially crucial as students, staff and faculty continue to work virtually. The team has also played a key role in building the infrastructure for the Together/Apart COVID-19 Community Memory Archive.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Maybe you have a loved one who has suffered from, or even died from, COVID-19. Maybe you’re a front-line health worker and live in constant fear of being exposed to the disease. 

Maybe you’re one of the millions of Americans who have been laid off from their job and are struggling to pay the bills. Maybe you own a small business and aren’t sure whether it will be able to survive. 

Maybe you’re a student who struggles with virtual learning. Maybe you’re a 2020 college graduate who missed their commencement and faces a dire job market.  

Or maybe your fear and uncertainty are more general and you’re just wondering how long this new reality will last and when life will ever return to normal. 

COVID-induced stress is everywhere and can have serious effects if left unattended. In this edition of Ask the Expert, Cal State San Marcos psychology professor Aleksandria Perez Grabow discusses coping with COVID-19. Grabow joined the CSUSM faculty last fall after earning a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Oregon. She has worked as a rape crisis counselor, and her academic studies concern various types of trauma and related outcomes.  

Question: What classes did you teach this spring, and what was it like when COVID-19 interrupted everything? How did your students handle it? 

Aleksandria Perez Grabow: This spring, I taught PSYC 340: Survey of Clinical Psychology and CHAD 491: Children, Adolescents and Social Policy, two upper-division courses in the psychology department. Following the interruption of the semester by the COVID-19 pandemic, I feel like faculty, staff and students alike were scrambling to keep our heads above water. I was touched by the patience and compassion with which my students handled the transition to a virtual environment within the scope of two weeks. Overall, I think students were understandably stressed, anxious and overwhelmed by the interruption, but also demonstrated a level of resilience given the unprecedented circumstances. 

Q: We’re now almost three months into COVID-19 being an ever-present issue in our lives. How do you think Americans are coping in general? 

APG: It’s hard to say; I honestly think it depends on who/which groups you talk to. The idea of quarantine has now been normalized to an extent, so the experiences of isolating, wearing face masks, et cetera, may not be as stressful and foreign as they were at the start of the pandemic. Now that the country is starting to re-open, some folks are experiencing an increase in anxiety, while others may be feeling relieved. At the same time, our Black communities are coping not only with the health disparity outcomes related to COVID-19, but with the resurgence of historical, racial trauma reflected in the current events. It’s fair to say many people are struggling to cope, especially our more vulnerable populations. With the global media coverage of both the pandemic and protests, one way in which I see hope is that we see others who are experiencing similar struggles. It can be helpful for people to see and know that they are not alone in their struggles. 

Q: You specialize in the study of trauma. How would you describe the effects of COVID-19 in that sense? How does it compare to more traditional sources of trauma? 

APG: For me, the pandemic is reflective of a collective trauma, one that has affected an entire society. For many of us, our way of living and our sense of safety have been threatened by the pandemic. We hear the phrase “the new normal” thrown around a lot nowadays, communicating that the ways in which we once conducted our normal routines and lifestyles will likely look different in the future. There’s a grieving process that accompanies this, and a lot of us have already started to feel these emotions – shock, denial, anger, guilt, sadness, exhaustion, to name a few. As a collective, it’s important to acknowledge and validate these emotional struggles to be able to move into a place of healing, acceptance and action. As we move forward, I think it will be interesting to see how we shape our narrative and make meaning of this experience, and what we’ll tell future generations. The unique aspect of a collective trauma, as compared to other types or sources of trauma, is that we have a built-in community that is going through a similar struggle, with whom we can heal.  

Q: What do you think are the best steps people can take to ward off the most damaging effects of this pandemic on their mental health? 

APG: I think we can try to find a balance between reframing our struggles to recognize the resilience and strength that have come out of this situation with validating these struggles in a safe space. It’s important to note that not all folks might be at a place to start positively reframing their experience of the pandemic, and that’s OK. As a whole, we can start the healing process through allowing ourselves to experience, express and move through these negative emotions (through talking, writing, art, music, movement/engagement in physical activities, crying, etc.). Overall, I think all of us can benefit from finding a healthy way to soothe and express ourselves. This could look like reaching out for support, seeking professional help, and practicing self-soothing, sensory and mindfulness exercises.  

Q: What are you doing personally as a way to cope? 

APG: I’m fortunate to be living with family; my husband is my rock, and we have a 10-month-old who keeps us on our toes, so I’ve framed this for myself as an extended maternity leave. The research I’m engaging in is also centered around current social justice issues, so I feel rejuvenated during lab meetings with my team. 

Q: What advice would you give to parents whose children are struggling with stress or mental health issues related to the pandemic? 

APG: My 10-month-old was previously in a family daycare setting twice a week, so even though I’m more than happy to spend more time with her and foster attachment, I know she misses being around other little people. I have so much love for parents out there who are adjusting to these circumstances; parenthood is challenging enough on its own! I think it’s important to emphasize that parents absolutely need to make sure they are looking after themselves so that they can be present for their children. That could be having a few minutes to drink tea or coffee, taking a longer shower than usual, doing something simple but enjoyable before bed, etc. A little bit of self-care can go a long way, physically, emotionally and mentally.  

For parents whose children are experiencing mental health challenges during this pandemic, creating a space for their child to process their issues is important. That might look like having an open dialogue with their child, finding a professional for the child to work with (e.g., via telehealth), or finding out how their child best expresses themselves (e.g., physical movement, art, verbal) and being a little creative in creating an opportunity for them to engage in this. 

Q: Do you see signs of hope amid all the devastation wrought by this crisis? What are they? 

APG: Two beautiful aspects of people that bring me hope are our ability to make meaning out of difficult situations as we heal and our desire to connect with one another. I study this intersection through trying to understand how media interacts with our healing. In this pandemic, for example, social media has provided us with a platform to communicate via a Zoom session, an inspirational post, with a therapist via telehealth, through Reddit threads, etc., even with people we may not know but who are also going through similar struggles. There are benefits to being able to create and share memes and GIFs – whether about the pandemic, politics or “Tiger King” – to post TikTok videos and song parodies about life in quarantine, and to invite others to a chain photo challenge. My research lab is currently doing a study examining the positive and negative aspects of media use and exposure on mental health outcomes during this pandemic, so I look forward to sharing our findings with the campus and greater community. Our healing will take time, but I have no doubts that we can and will actively overcome these challenges with the help of one another.  

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

The free event is held annually to raise awareness of and garner support for individuals who provide care to aging family members, family caregivers of younger people who have mental or physical health issues, and to promote healthy living for everyone.

The event is open to the entire family and includes a light breakfast for attendees, short educational workshops, caregiver support and free health screenings.

What: 17th annual Because I Care Community Fair, hosted by the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM and CSUSM Psychology Department

Where: San Marcos Community Center, 3 Civic Center Drive, San Marcos

When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 2

Cost: Free

Information: https://www.csusm.edu/psychology/carefair.html

Ashley is making the most of a second chance to get involved. Not only is she back on campus as a graduate student as CSUSM marks its second anniversary of being smoke- and tobacco-free on Aug. 28, she is helping to educate the campus community about the policy and leading student efforts to support the initiative.

Ashley was hired as the Clear the Air student coordinator for the summer and was so inspired by the program that she is staying on through the fall before graduating with a Master’s in Public Health in December.

“I think what’s really cool about Clear the Air is that it’s something we’re embedding into our campus culture,” said Ashley, who received her bachelor’s in human development. “That’s why I want to stay on through the fall, just to see that vision spread throughout campus and hopefully mesh with our culture for years to come.”

Clear the Air was established at CSUSM to help the university implement an executive order from California State University Chancellor Timothy White calling for a system-wide smoke- and tobacco-free environment for all campuses. The program is led by psychology professor Kim Pulvers, who has done tobacco control research for 15 years, and funded through a $400,000 grant.

Now that CSUSM has been smoke- and tobacco-free for two years, Pulvers is able to provide data when she hears a common question around campus.

“People want to know how it’s going,” Pulvers said. “And we’ve got some compelling data.”

Among the most notable results, Pulvers said there has been a 54 percent decrease in cigarette litter on campus from spring 2017 to now. Exposure to second-hand smoke or vapor has decreased 36.3 percent. Results are based on environmental scans and campus-wide surveys of about 3,000 faculty, staff and students that have been conducted each fall since 2016.

While overall results show that the smoke- and tobacco-free policy is having a positive impact, Pulvers said there is still work to be done when it comes to cigarette litter. Clear the Air has implemented two techniques for helping in that regard: the ambassador program and an online reporting tool.

The CTA online reporting tool, which launched in March, will also be available through the campus app this fall. It allows people to quickly and easily pinpoint on a map where they saw smoking/vaping or cigarette litter. One of Pulvers’ goals for the new academic year is to get more people using the reporting tool. As an added incentive, anyone who leaves their contact information after filling out the form is entered into a weekly drawing for a $10 Starbucks gift card.

“We’re partnering with UC Davis, and they have their own version of the tool,” Pulvers said. “They’ve had a higher utilization rate than we have. We’re trying to spread the word more about the tool so CSUSM students, faculty and staff can be more involved.”

The CTA Ambassador Program was established last fall and is staffed by student interns and volunteers. Ambassadors encourage compliance with the smoke- and tobacco-free policy through peer-to-peer interaction, engagement and education. The program is registered with the Office of Internships through the CSUSM Sustainability Program.

Ashley has attended on-campus orientations throughout the summer to help educate incoming freshmen and transfer students about the smoke- and tobacco-free policy, the online mapping tool and the ambassador program.

Students interested in being an ambassador can apply online. Interns undergo a comprehensive six-hour training to teach them about the policy, the data collection tools and how to appropriately approach and educate people on campus.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to develop their leadership and project management skills and get involved on campus,” Ashley said. “Just starting on our campus and making an impact on our environment and the overall health of our students and surrounding community is a great way for students to get involved.”

Visit www.csusm.edu/smokefree to learn more about Clear the Air.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

When one of her moms was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (bone marrow cancer) and osteoporosis at the same time in fall 2017, her grades as a psychology major at Cal State San Marcos took a drastic hit, but she powered through and got back on track as a shining example of fortitude under pressure.

Then her mom fell last fall and sustained so many injuries that she was confined to a hospital for almost the entire semester while at the same time her grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Most people would not have blamed Stephanie if she quit school and moved back home at that point. But most people don’t know the toughness of Stephanie.

“I knew I had to push through and not let all this affect my grades,” Stephanie said. “My parents always believe the best in me, and even in this difficult time, both my moms pushed me to stay in school and keep positive spirits. I learned my lesson from failing in the fall ’17 semester, so this time I went to seek out help to have the courage to continue.”

That decision to reach out for a lifeline was not easy. But the resolve to make that choice was one of the most important ones in her life.

It led Stephanie to Cougar Care Network, where she met a team of professionals who helped push her through the challenges and pass the rest of her classes. Despite all of the obstacles life has put in front of her, she will graduate this semester.

Part of Stephanie’s path to wearing the cap and gown was joining the Student Veterans Organization on campus. She is now the president of SVO and also works in Veterans Services as the VTEC program specialist. VTEC stands for Veterans to Energy Careers and works to help veterans transition from the military to careers in STEM fields. The program is funded by the Office of Naval Research and helps student veterans throughout Southern California and Hawaii, but is run through CSUSM’s Veterans Services.

“The biggest highlight working with VTEC is being able to help my fellow student veterans,” Stephanie said. “I personally know that being a veteran comes with insecurities when we come into a classroom. We also deal with having to accomplish so much later in life than our university peers. Being part of VTEC, I have the privilege of helping the same student veterans and seeing them receive internships. Seeing each one surpass their expectations makes working with VTEC worth it.”

Stephanie will not only graduate soon but do so by helping numerous veterans on campus. Stephanie feels it’s her duty to help others in the way she was offered a helping hand when she needed it most.

“I wanted to become president of the SVO because I wanted to make a difference here with the student veterans,” said Stephanie, who this summer has plans to move up the coast to Monterey with her girlfriend, an active-duty Marine who has orders to attend the Naval Postgraduate School. “I know that I am not the only one going through a tough time so I wanted to help others to create a network within our community here because we are always stronger together. Just from my experience from the military, camaraderie is key for success.”

Stephanie was recently nominated for the Student Leadership Award for Student Affairs. For those who have worked with her in Veterans Services, the nomination was a slam dunk.

“Stephanie continues to exceed expectations and displays her commitment to our success, mission and goals,” said Shin Ae Kook, the communications and outreach manager for Veterans Services and VTEC. “Her charisma, attention to detail and organization has helped our standard operating procedures to flow in a more fluid manner. Stephanie is part of something this big, yet she is incredibly humble. This is the last thing that speaks volumes to her character. With all this going on, her incredible experience, and paving the way for future military-connected students on campus, she is the most down-to-earth person. This is what attracts students as well as staff to her leadership.”

Stephanie’s future plans fittingly include pursuing a career in counseling. She figures her psychology degree will come in handy while hoping to counsel veterans like herself.

Soon Stephanie will walk the graduation procession with her head held high grateful for the support of those that love her and continue to inspire her.

“I am very close with both my moms,” she said. “I knew I had to do everything in my power to stay strong for them. But I wanted to be the example that going through hard times is a part of life and that we still need to push through and do the best we can with the cards we are dealt.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

For Conner, those challenges not only included helping his parents understand the often complex, painstaking process of earning a degree, but also his decision to continue pursuing higher education beyond a bachelor’s.

In fact, it was only a few years ago that Conner’s father figured his son had it made when he was promoted from busser to bartender at a sports bar and grill at Pechanga Resort and Casino.

“My dad was so happy when I was a bartender,” Conner said. “He said, ‘This is great. You’re set.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, but …’

“I just felt like there was more.”

Today, Conner is just a few months away from crossing the commencement stage at Cal State San Marcos, the proud recipient of a bachelor’s in psychology. He will continue his education in the fall when he begins a Ph.D. program in behavioral neuroscience.

The journey is about more than fulfilling his own dreams. It’s about creating opportunity for other American Indian children.

“He very much pays it forward to other students, just talking about how he got there and how he can help them,” said Kimberly D’Anna-Hernandez, a CSUSM psychology professor and one of Conner’s mentors. “He’s really dedicated to outreach.”

Conner is from the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and has lived on the Pechanga reservation since moving to Southern California from Spokane, Wash., when he was 13. His family relocated in part to help care for his grandfather, who suffers from short-term memory loss due to a brain injury sustained in a car accident.

After graduating from high school, Conner spent his days in class at Palomar College and his nights and weekends working as a busser at Pechanga. While his eventual promotion to bartender meant more money to help his family, it came at the expense of his schoolwork.

“It was tough to juggle it,” he said. “I didn’t have the best grades. I didn’t know what I wanted to be or what I wanted to do.”

Conner’s grades hit a low point when he learned that his father had glioma, a tumor on the brain. Fortunately, the tumor was benign, and seeing the neurological issues that plagued his father and grandfather inspired Conner to pursue neuroscience.

After he transferred to CSUSM in 2016, one of Conner’s cousins recommended that he look into the Native American Research Center for Health (NARCH), a partnership between Indian Health Service and the National Institutes of Health to increase research on health and health disparities in American Indian communities.

Conner also began working in the lab of CSUSM psychology professor Kim Pulvers, who introduced him to the Office for Training, Research and Education in the Sciences (OTRES), which helps students’ career development in biomedical sciences and related disciplines. Conner’s involvement in OTRES led to him being accepted into CSUSM’s Maximizing Access to Research Careers-Undergraduate Student Training Research, better known as MARC U*STAR. The program, which admits just five students each year, prepares underrepresented undergraduates majoring in the sciences to pursue doctoral studies.

Being part of those groups introduced Conner to a wealth of mentors. In addition to D’Anna-Hernandez and Pulvers, Conner is quick to praise Keith Trujillo, the director of OTRES; Angelica Rocha, OTRES’ assistant director for student support; and Richard Armenta, a kinesiology professor who is involved in NARCH.

“I’m grateful for these programs and to have these mentors,” Conner said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be where I’m at or where I’m going.”

Those connections also helped Conner earn enough money in work related to his studies – he worked with the Indian Health Council in Valley Center, and his participation in MARC includes a monthly stipend – that he was able to quit his bartending job.

Being able to focus on his studies has helped him raise his grade-point average to 3.9. He has already been accepted to doctoral programs at West Virginia University and the University of Tennessee, and he has an interview lined up at Georgia State later this month.

“He’s incredibly motivated and shows a lot of initiative,” D’Anna-Hernandez said. “He has independently designed experiments. He really dives into the literature and really tries to understand the deep meaning behind the work he’s interested in, which I really appreciate.”

Conner’s goal is to become a university professor with his own lab so he can provide other American Indians with opportunities similar to those he has enjoyed at CSUSM.

Education has become one of his passions, and he is fond of a quote from the 17^th century writer Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz: “I don’t study to learn more, but to ignore less.”

“That’s always kind of stuck with me,” Conner said. “There’s just so much out there, and that’s the cool thing about a field like neuroscience. You don’t stop learning. That’s what really stimulates me. There’s just so much to know.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

“I just love interacting with students,” said Armando, who will graduate from Cal State San Marcos in May with a bachelor’s in psychology. “In all of my roles here, I’ve been able to talk with students and really see them grow and change. Everything I’ve been involved with has kind of fallen under the realm of student affairs.”

Armando has held numerous leadership positions at CSUSM, from working as a resident adviser for three years to serving as the president of Active Minds and the Chi Chapter of Nu Alpha Kappa, among others. His work has not gone unnoticed.

Armando was recognized with the President’s Student Champion Award for Inclusive Excellence and Diversity during the All Peoples Luncheon on Thursday. The annual award bestows the highest level of recognition to a CSUSM student for significant achievements in advancing the University’s goals in the areas of diversity, inclusive excellence, educational equity and social justice.

“I am proud of his commitment to educational equity and academic success for all students,” said Allie Serrano, associate director of residential education. “I have been overwhelmed by his dedication to providing a safe and inclusive environment for his residents and fellow community members.”

Given his breadth of experience, one might assume Armando was active from his first day on campus. In reality, he wanted to leave CSUSM during his first semester. But he challenged himself to stick it out.

It wasn’t long before his resident adviser during his freshman year suggested he join Active Minds. Armando quickly became a passionate advocate for the group’s mission to empower students to speak openly about mental health in order to educate others and encourage help-seeking. Armando has helped organize numerous on-campus events related to mental health awareness, including “Stress Less Week,” which helps students learn how to manage stress; the “Yellow Pinwheel Project,” which focuses on suicide awareness and prevention; and the creation of events specifically focused on Latinx males to encourage engagement around mental health issues.

Armando is an active member of Nu Alpha Kappa and serves on the executive board of the Multicultural Greek Council. He was Nu Alpha Kappa’s academic chair last year and is now the fraternity’s president. Armando is also serving his second term as the vice president of recruitment for the Multicultural Greek Council, which includes membership from seven cultural fraternities and sororities.

“Throughout all of my interactions with Armando, he has always impressed me with his drive and ability to balance multiple commitments seemingly with ease,” said Megan Ceppi, coordinator of Fraternity & Sorority Life, noting how unusual it is for someone to hold two executive positions simultaneously.

Looking to add a new challenge, Armando joined the Gender Equity Center as a peer educator this fall. He is focused on issues surrounding masculinity, including toxic masculinity vs. healthy masculinity, masculinity from a cultural perspective and masculinity from a Latinx perspective. He credits his colleagues at the Gender Equity Center and Assistant Director Abrahan Monzon for helping him turn his thoughts into actions.

Armando credits a long list of people at CSUSM for their positive impact on him. Ceppi encouraged him to pursue his ideas for Greek life and turn them into reality. Monzon has provided mentorship in student affairs. Serrano helped him develop as a student leader. Cheryl Berry, his adviser in Active Minds, sparked his passion for being a mental health advocate. Annie Macias, the executive director of Associated Students, Inc., encouraged him to continually challenge himself and develop as a person and a student.

“I’ve seen so many great student affairs professionals who have inspired me, so that’s one thing I wanted to do – give back that inspiration that I received,” Armando said. “Having so many great mentors within this field really prompted me to go that direction. I want to be able to offer the same knowledge, the same resources that I received to college students in the future.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

Griser was a junior majoring in psychology in the spring of 2015 when, as part of a field experience class, he began working on a service learning project in which he tested the notion that listening to customized music playlists improves the mood of dementia patients. Now he’s in his third year of a master’s psychology program at CSUSM and, for his thesis, he’s taking that initial research a step further – does so-called music intervention also better the quality of life of the family members responsible for the care of those dementia patients? 

“We know that family caregivers are often the most stressed-out people you could ever imagine, which is why I chose them,” Sean said. “This intervention is a good one because I have experience with it and because it has shown to be really effective and simple to implement as well.” 

Sean says his family has no history of dementia that caused him to be interested in the condition and its treatment. Rather, he first was exposed to the concept of music intervention when he saw, in a psychology class, “Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory,” a 2014 documentary that showcases the restorative effects of music therapy on elderly people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.  

That film sprang back to his mind when he started his 80 hours of service learning work at Sunshine Care, a Poway assisted living facility that specializes in dementia memory care programs. In conjunction with Lisa Lipsey, the facility’s activities director, Sean came up with the idea of loading music onto iPods and seeing its impact on patients.  

First, he toured the facility and interviewed as many of the almost 100 patients who would talk to him, quizzing them about their favorite artists (Glenn Miller, Lawrence Welk and Frank Sinatra were among the favorites, along with old show tunes and gospel hymns). Then he made individual playlists ranging from 20 minutes to an hour that he put on used iPods or iPhones that were donated by family members or staff.  

Finally, he sat back and observed the results. 

“The coolest thing was the immediate impact it had where they would start singing,” Sean said. “Even when we were just talking about music, they would bring up old stories from when they were, like, 20. One guy was a Marine who joined right after Pearl Harbor, and he was telling me all these amazing stories from the war. Sometimes people would cry. 

“I don’t think they had heard music for such a long time, and it’s such an integral part of your life. It was cool to see them come alive.” 

Sean’s work at Sunshine Care earned him an award as CSUSM’s service learning student of the year in 2015, and it also planted a seed for future research. Last month, he successfully proposed his thesis, under the direction of his faculty adviser, Sharon Hamill, focusing more on the caregiver side of the equation than the patient.

“Having been a caregiver, and that’s my area of research, there’s a recognition that caregivers only do as well as the patient,” said Hamill, a psychology professor and the faculty director of the CSU Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM. “If the patient is having a good day, everybody’s having a good day, and if they’re not, nobody is. So if we can do things that help patients have a good day, there should be clear benefits.”

For his study, which he expects to start later this semester and finish in the spring, Sean will track 40 pairs of people (patient and caregiver) over a four-week period during which he will provide personalized music and the caregiver will respond to surveys about how the intervention affects the demeanor of the patient and, in turn, the well-being of the caregiver.

“He has done a phenomenal job,” Hamill said. “He has a passion for what we could do for these people who might be caregiving for years and years – how can we help them to have a good quality of life, how can we support them? It’s been fascinating to watch something that he kind of happened across and how he has become more and more focused.”

For Sean, the accidental nature of his academic pursuit doesn’t make it any less meaningful to him.

“There’s this idea that we kind of put dementia patients in a home and leave them,” he said. “But it is worth your time to actually go out and spend time with them. They can still talk, and they’re still people.

“This has been an all-around experience of growth for me.”

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

She was sure one of the entertainment industry’s most esteemed publications would select someone who lived near the company’s Los Angeles headquarters over “a girl from Escondido.”

But Perez also knew the importance of putting herself out there and taking a chance – and it paid off in more than one way.

“I got the internship,” Perez said, “and it ended up changing my life completely.”

Just two years removed from earning her bachelor’s at Cal State San Marcos, Perez is the assistant editor for The Hollywood Reporter’s online site. She is responsible for a variety of writing and editing in addition to being involved in the behind-the-scenes process of publishing print content to the company’s online database.

Perez has always had a passion for writing, but she was conflicted about what area of study she wanted to pursue at CSUSM. She had other interests she wanted to explore, including psychology. To help alleviate the decision-making stress she was feeling, Perez visited CSUSM’s Career Center where she met with a counselor and took a career aptitude test. The results showed her top two career tracks as journalist or psychologist. So, she decided to study both, majoring in psychology and minoring in literature and writing studies.

“Whether listening to interesting lectures in classes, talking with other students with similar interests or talking with a guidance counselor, CSUSM just really helped me find my way and sort through my confusion of what I wanted to pursue going forward,” Perez said.

Another turning point for Perez was her decision to join The Cougar Chronicle, CSUSM’s student newspaper. She started as a writer for the paper’s entertainment section and eventually became its entertainment editor. The experience not only made Perez a better writer, it helped her fine-tune other critical skills, including interviewing, editing, and pitching and creating content.

“Having that background and building my writing portfolio truly helped me earn the internship with The Hollywood Reporter, which ultimately led to my career,” she said.

As an intern for The Hollywood Reporter, Perez attended events, interviewed people from the entertainment industry and wrote online content. She continued to write for the company as a freelancer once the internship ended. Thanks to her connections, she learned in January that the company was searching for an assistant editor. She once again successfully navigated the application and interview process, earning the full-time position and relocating from Escondido to Los Angeles.

“I’ve always been enthralled with pop culture and a self-proclaimed TV and movie junkie,” she said. “Being able to go to work every day and talk about all the shows that I binge, new movies coming out or dissect who got nominations for award shows is something I thoroughly enjoy and find so much fun.”

While Perez has met and interviewed countless people from the entertainment industry, two stories stand out for her.

While working as a freelancer, she interviewed Marlene King, the creator and showrunner of “Pretty Little Liars” for a story about the show’s series finale.

“That story was special to me because I was such a fan of the series and it didn’t necessarily feel like work for me but rather something fun to do,” she said. “I was proud that it became such a huge traffic story for our online site, having grown to become the top read story for the day, which was rather exciting for me.”

Perez also had an opportunity to interview Justin Hartley, an actor from the NBC drama “This is Us.” Though she typically writes for The Hollywood Reporter’s online site, the Hartley story was her first to be published in the print edition – and Hartley even thanked Perez for the story on Twitter.

Perez knows firsthand the importance of persistence, and when asked if she has any advice to share with CSUSM students, it's that trait that comes to mind.

“Any small effort can end up making a difference,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. With the millions of times you get ‘no’ from your job applications, there is always going to that one ‘yes.’ Just keep trying, hang in there as best as you can and embrace the journey, even if you aren’t sure what it is or where you want it to lead yet.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

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

This year, 396 members were awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin on Feb. 17 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.

This year’s AAAS Fellows will be formally announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal “Science” on Nov. 24.

As part of the Education Section, Dr. Trujillo was elected as an AAAS Fellow for distinguished contributions to science and neuroscience education and mentoring that have advanced diversity at local, regional and national levels.

The AAAS Fellow is the latest in a long list of honors for Trujillo. Earlier this year he was recognized with the prestigious 2017 Wang Family Excellence Award in the category of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Service. In 2001, he earned CSUSM’s President’s Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity. Other honors include the National Award of Excellence in Mentorship from the National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse; the Award for Education in Neuroscience from the Society of Neuroscience; and the National Award for Research from the National Hispanic Science Network on Drug Abuse.

The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the steering groups of the Association’s 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members (so long as two of the three sponsors are not affiliated with the nominee’s institution), or by the AAAS chief executive officer. Fellows must have been continuous members of AAAS for four years by the end of the calendar year in which they are elected.

Each steering group reviews the nominations of individuals within its respective section and a final list is forwarded to the AAAS Council, which votes on the aggregate list. The Council is the policymaking body of the Association, chaired by the AAAS president, and consisting of the members of the board of directors, the retiring section chairs, delegates from each electorate and each regional division, and two delegates from the National Association of Academies of Science.

About California State University San Marcos

Building on an innovative 27-year history, California State University San Marcos is a forward-focused institution, dedicated to preparing future leaders, building great communities and solving critical issues. Located on a 304-acre hillside overlooking the City of San Marcos, it is the only public four-year comprehensive university serving North San Diego, Southwest Riverside and South Orange Counties.

The University enrolls nearly 17,000 students. With approximately 2,000 employees, the institution is a Great College to Work For® (The Chronicle of Higher Education). As a recipient of the annual HEED Award since 2014—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—CSUSM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science (www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine, Science Signaling, a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances, Science Immunology, and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes nearly 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The non-profit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert! (www.eurekalert.org), the premier science-news Web site, a service of AAAS. See www.aaas.org.