The program began as an idea from Marilyn Huerta, the college's marketing, communications and engagement specialist. Huerta envisioned creating a student-led leadership and communications team to highlight the work and impact of CEHHS programs. She helped develop the program and guided the launch of its first group of student ambassadors.

The inaugural team includes four students who are helping expand the college’s visibility while building professional skills that will support their future careers.

Ariana Saenz hosts the college’s new podcast series, “CEHHS Unplugged,” in which she interviews health and education professionals about their backgrounds, programs they teach, career pathways and words of wisdom.

“Through the ‘CEHHS Unplugged’ podcast and the ambassador program, I’m proud to help amplify student voices and showcase the incredible community within our college,” Saenz said.

Daniel Lopez launched the CEHHS Student & Success Story Series, producing written profiles that showcase the journeys and accomplishments of CEHHS students and alumni.

Serving as the team’s lead ambassador, Natalya Taseveki helps coordinate student engagement efforts and supports events and activities across the college, including programming connected to Scholars in Wellness and Innovation Fast-Track (SWIFT) Health Programs, kinesiology, human development, social work, education, nursing, speech-language pathology and public health.

The team’s digital presence is led by Audrie Smith, who started the college’s TikTok account and helps manage CEHHS social media platforms, sharing content that highlights events, fundraisers, student life and college achievements.

The ambassadors support a wide range of initiatives across the college. They assist the CEHHS dean, Jennifer Ostergren, during events honoring students who earned dean’s list recognition and participate in outreach and recruitment activities such as Cougar Blue Day and Discover CSUSM.

They also contribute to campuswide efforts such as Giving Day and Cougar Crowdfunding. Last semester, they hosted a student engagement “Giving Tree” event to encourage philanthropy and community support.

Beyond large events, the ambassadors attend student organization meetings and departmental activities to photograph and document student experiences across CEHHS. The team collaborates with the college’s Committee for Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity (CIDE) to support outreach and networking opportunities for students.

Participation in the program also emphasizes professional development. Through the CSUSM Career Center, the ambassadors are building career portfolios, strengthening résumé and interview skills, participating in workshops and attending the university’s Etiquette Dinner experience.

In addition, they remain active across campus through initiatives with Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) and the university’s Orientation Team.

Huerta continues to mentor and supervise the team members as they develop leadership and communication skills while serving as ambassadors for the college.

College leaders hope the program will continue to grow in the coming years, giving more students opportunities to gain real-world experience while helping share the stories and impact of CEHHS programs.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

“From a young age, I helped my family assimilate into our new environment, filling in gaps wherever I was needed as a first-generation Mexican American.” said Chambers, now a Master of Social Work (MSW) student at Cal State San Marcos. “I became their translator, doctor, lawyer and social worker. These experiences shaped why I want to do this work.”

She carried that sense of purpose into every role she has served – including preschool teacher, nanny and YMCA educator – and she saw firsthand how communication gaps between parents and schools can affect a child’s success. 

“That made me want to be part of the solution,” she said. “I want to help families and children feel supported.”

Now in graduate school – something that once felt out of reach as the first in her family to attend college – Chambers recently took part in an innovative Interprofessional Education (IPE) event hosted by the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care, which is part of a larger palliative care initiative funded by the Hearst Foundations.

Palliative care brings together a team of health professionals to provide holistic treatment for individuals with serious illnesses. IPE focuses on training students to work together in this collaborative model.

Designed by CSUSM faculty from multiple disciplines, CSUSM’s IPE program places students from nursing, kinesiology, speech-language pathology and social work together to analyze a case study and develop a comprehensive plan of care. The goal is to help students think collaboratively while gaining an authentic understanding of what teamwork looks like in real clinical settings.

“Graduate school can feel siloed since we focus on our own programs,” Chambers said. “This event brings students from multiple disciplines together under one roof to learn from each other and realize how much stronger we are when we collaborate.”

In this year’s exercise, Chambers’ team worked on a family-centered case study involving a medically complex 8-year-old boy living with his grandparents. 

“These cases remind us that families don’t exist in isolation,” she said. “When a child is struggling, it’s not just on the grandparents or the teacher. There’s a whole network of people who can help. Our job is to strengthen that network.”

“Students will be expected to collaborate with other professions when they enter practice,” said Katie Robinson, assistant professor of nursing. “But as with every other practice competency, we have to teach them why, show them how and guide them through practicing it themselves. And now that we've worked out such an effective IPE model, it's exciting to think about expanding across the campus – and beyond.”

Since spring 2023, the institute has hosted five immersive IPE days, with participation now reaching 150–200 students across the College of Education, Health and Human Services.

“Alumni from previous events have shared how this event helped shape their transition into the workforce,” said Lorene Ibbestson, a social work lecturer. “It gave them confidence in their professional abilities and a deeper appreciation for how collaboration across disciplines can create meaningful change.”

Now, thanks to a generous $200,000 grant from the Hearst Foundations, CSUSM’s IPE program will continue to grow, with plans to:

• launch a new IPE event in spring 2026 focused on health policy, including students from psychology, sociology and political science;
• build a similar IPE model at Fresno State and ultimately other CSU campuses;
• explore cross-campus collaborations with UC San Diego medical students and Clinical Pastoral Education programs.

For students like Chambers, these simulated experiences are invaluable in helping them prepare for meaningful careers.  

For CSUSM, the Hearst Foundations’ generous support not only strengthens IPE but also moves the university closer to its “Blueprint for the Future” campaign goal to raise $200 million in philanthropy and research funding.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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

The initiative – led by Laura Coca, director of clinical education – is designed to give students hands-on experience while providing much-needed speech-language pathology (SLP) services to the local community.

“This project is a win-win,” Coca said. “Our students get to apply what they’re learning in a real-world setting, and Interfaith gains access to services that support families and caregivers in meaningful ways.”

Through the partnership, students will collaborate with community members and allied health professionals, offering screenings, support and educational resources. The goal is to strengthen student learning while promoting community well-being.

Alison Scheer-Cohen, chair of the SLP department, said the initiative reflects the department’s commitment to community-engaged scholarship.

“We’re proud to be part of a university that values service and connection,” Scheer-Cohen said. “This partnership bridges academic knowledge with practical service, and it’s a great example of how our students are making a difference even before they graduate.”

The collaboration with Interfaith is expected to enhance access to care for underserved populations while giving students a deeper understanding of the social and cultural factors that shape health outcomes.

“This is about more than clinical skills,” Coca said. “It’s about empathy, communication and building trust with the people we serve.”

The department plans to share outcomes from the project with the campus community, highlighting how engaged scholarship can create lasting impact.

Media Contact

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

Keehr, who graduated in 2016, now works as a speech-language pathologist in the San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD). She has remained closely connected to CSUSM, regularly supervising SLP graduate students working as interns in the district. 

In somewhat of a full circle moment for Keehr, she now sends her daughter to the CSUSM SLP clinic where she once trained as a graduate student. 

Keehr’s daughter Lyra was born with Nicolaides-Baraitser syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects how a child grows and develops. It can cause learning difficulties, seizures, delayed speech, and unique physical features like coarse facial features or small hands and feet. 

Though Lyra will turn 3 years old in September, she weighs just 15 pounds and is still learning to walk independently. When Lyra's physical therapist recommended a walking device to improve her mobility, the SLP clinic was there to help. Lyra’s tiny frame meant a standard walking device wouldn’t work, and a custom-made one came with an exorbitant price tag. 

One of Keehr’s SMUSD coworkers suggested she talk to CSUSM about the possibility of developing something. 

Laura Coca, CSUSM’s director of clinical education for the SLP department and one of Keehr’s mentors while she was a student, reached out to engineering professor Reza Kamali, who is the faculty adviser for the university’s chapter of Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM), an assistive technology organization that matches students with people living with neglected disabilities.  

“It was such a wonderful opportunity for students to collaborate,” Coca said. “I cannot thank Reza and TOM enough. They were just so fast and so comprehensive.” 

Kamali and the TOM team had several meetings with Keehr and Lyra’s physical therapist. Less than four months later, they had created a lightweight walking device tailored for Lyra. 

“These experiences offered a unique opportunity for students to engage in community-based projects where they could see firsthand how their knowledge and skills could be applied to create meaningful change,” Kamali said. “Watching their product go from an idea to a tangible device used by a child in need was an emotional and inspiring moment for everyone involved.” 

Keehr said the additional support has helped Lyra in many ways, including socially, with play skills that she’s learning from the SLP clinic and in her general mobility. 

“I didn’t know what to expect, and that’s why I was pleasantly surprised,” Keehr said.“Since getting the trainer, she has been able to stand by herself for a few seconds. It’s definitely been helping with her development. 

"I'm just very grateful for both of those programs and what they're doing for the community. Trying to navigate the insurance world and all the paperwork and everything that comes with it, it's programs like the SLP clinic and TOM that make it just a little bit easier for families like ours. They’re people who have good hearts and just want to help their community. So I'm very grateful for making those connections and also being able to promote them to other families that I work with so that they can benefit from these services.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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

Belanger is a 2020 master’s graduate of CSUSM’s speech-language pathology (SLP) program, and she recently returned to campus as part of the university’s SLP summer clinic. A regional implementation lead for the state-funded Open Access project, she made a significant impact by mentoring students and introducing pediatric clients to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.

“CSUSM’s SLP program provided me with a solid foundation for a successful career,” Belanger said. “Returning to supervise this summer was my chance to give back to a program that helped shape me as a clinician. I was thrilled to enrich my supervisees’ experience and inspire their passion for the field.”

At the summer clinic, which operated for four hours each weekday morning through Aug. 9, Belanger and other supervisors helped 120 pediatric clients and 24 adults receive vital speech and language services at no cost. The program not only provided crucial support to the community, but it also served as a hands-on training opportunity for graduate students in the SLP program.

Adrienne Shah, a lecturer and supervisor at the clinic, highlighted the dual benefits of the program.

“Our students provided over 3,000 hours of free speech therapy this summer,” Shah said. “It was an incredible opportunity for them to build clinical skills while serving our community.”

Shah, who had a positive experience as a CSUSM student, was driven by a desire to support current students.

“I wanted them to recognize the value of their hard work and the difference they were making in people’s lives,” she said.

Sarah Alapizco, another clinical supervisor, emphasized the importance of building confidence among students.

“I aimed to build their confidence and show them that they had the skill set to implement successful therapy,” she said. “The summer clinic also fostered collaboration, helping students support each other and enhance their learning experience.”

The clinic’s impact extended beyond the academic and professional spheres. A mother of a young adult client shared her appreciation for the services.

“I was so happy that we found this clinic,” she said. “We had never been a part of a program like this, and my son had needed these services for a very long time. This was a special place, and I was excited to continue coming.”

Karen Delfau, visiting from France, brought her 10-year-old daughter, Augustine, to the clinic.

“I sought a range of speech and communication resources unavailable in my region,” Delfau said. “While visiting family this summer, I was pleased that Augustine could benefit from the program, and I hope to return next year.”

For more information about career opportunities in speech-language pathology or to learn about clinic services, visit CSUSM’s SLP department website.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

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