Students Overcome Challenges on Way to Graduation

Recent CSUSB graduates preserve and graduate with top honors and recognition after fighting a long battle uphill to receive their degrees. All of the graduates plan to make a difference in their communities within different fields. These graduates come from the College of Business and Public Administration, Education, and College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Arts And Letters and College of Natural Sciences. Before Schulz began pursuing her M.P.A. at CSUSB, she completed her undergraduate degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she graduated with cum laude honors. Schulz, who wants to pursue an information technology career with a federal agency, was a member of CSUSB’s Cybersecurity Club the last two years, and president of the club this past school year. She has also competed in several cyber competitions, such as the Information Technology Competition and the National Cyber League. “My drive for getting through these challenges kept me focused and outside support kept me encouraged to accomplish all that I have today,” she said. Straight ‘A’ Redlands native Alyssa Ramos completed her undergraduate career with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. “I plan to work for my dad,” said Ramos. That comes as no surprise, as her parents are the ones who most inspired and mentored her. The core values of the Social Work profession: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence,” said Reyes, a resident of Coachella, explaining why he chose social work as a field of study and a career. “Every day, people are facing situations that leave them vulnerable, oppressed, or in poverty,” he said. “I was in a vulnerable spot at one point in my life and I was treated with these values and I truly believe it was a life changing experience. So as a social worker, I will care about the people I serve, I will walk side by side with them, and together we will face these challenges.” His future plans are to continue to work for the Riverside County Department of Mental Health. Reyes has accepted the position of clinical therapist with the department, will also work to become a licensed clinical social worker, and hopes to one day earn a doctorate specializing in addiction studies. Diaz, an Upland resident who graduated from Rialto High School, studied psychology, “because I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. Based on my own past life experiences, I wanted to be able to help other people who may have gone through the same or similar experiences that I have, in learning to cope and becoming resilient.” “I want to help empower people to have the best quality of life they can have,” she said. Like Reyes, she faced challenges working toward her degree. A first-generation immigrant from Colombia, she struggled with English when she entered college and it affected her self-esteem, which led to her dropping out of school for two years. Once she felt more comfortable with the language, she re-enrolled. Since then, Diaz has pursued her research interests that focus on empowering women, depression, sexual assault prevention and topics related to mental health. “I am very proud to be graduating with my bachelor’s degree, being the first one in my family to ever do so,” Diaz said. She plans to continue her education by pursuing a master’s degree in experimental psychology, then a doctorate in clinical psychology. Chavez received her bachelor’s in biology, two master’s degrees in education and educational administration, a single subject life science credential, a certificate of eligibility for the administrative credential, and most recently, her doctorate in educational leadership. While going through the rigor of academia, Chavez has also been a teacher in Fontana for the past 12 years. “Throughout her career, she has demonstrated integrity and an assiduous work ethic, along with an internal drive and passion to seek improvement for student success,” said Donna Schnorr, co-director of the doctorate in educational leadership at CSUSB. As a science educator, Chavez teaches biology, anatomy, physiology, and subjects in Advancement Via Individualistic Determination, which is a college-readiness system designed to increase school-wide learning, performance and the number of students who eventually go on to graduate from a four-year university. Esqueda-Plascencia is an exceptional student and active member of the learning community around her. “She not only wants to get her degree, but she is genuinely interested in learning and developing her thinking skills and has used the academic resources to this end,” said Lorraine Hedtke, program coordinator and associate professor of the counseling and guidance department of educational psychology and counseling. Research in the regenerative powers of stem cells by Sal Garcia and Robert Rigby’s keen interest in chemical and biological components of living systems have helped them to land where they are today. Garcia is a biology major from Los Angeles and Rigby is a biochemistry major from Fontana. Stem cells, of all of the areas in biology, have intrigued Garcia most. They can become any cell type in the body. “This incredible ability that stem cells possess can lead to the generation of new tissues or organs that can help millions of people with many different kinds of diseases,” said Garcia. Because stem cells break down with age, Garcia believes stimulating and isolating adult cells can improve the lives of many who have degenerative diseases. “I want to be a part of the pool of scientists that will one day bring many different cures one step closer to the bedside.” Garcia presented his CHLA research at the 2014 Academic Surgical Congress – one of just four graduate students to present. Rigby is interested in chemical and biological components of living systems, coupled with the good reputation of the college’s faculty, that led him to major in biochemistry at CSUSB. “I also knew biochemistry would prepare me for medical school and that it would help me stand out from the students who chose the pre-med track,” he said. Not only was Rigby a Presidential Academic Excellence Scholar at CSUSB, but he was also a member of the Chemistry Club and Student Ambassador Society. When he wasn’t working in the water analysis lab on campus or presenting his research findings, Rigby was tutoring other general, organic and biochemistry students. He is currently an adjunct instructor for the general chemistry course. Although Rigby plans on working as a scribe for a year before he attends medical school, he has plans for the future. “I plan on attending medical school, surfing a lot during my year off, and I’m getting married in September,” he said. As an advocate of preventive medicine, Rigby hopes to be accepted into Western University, where he can study to become an osteopathic physician and practice his personal philosophy that stresses the importance of benevolence, determination, diversity and healthy living. Students Ryan A. Goble and Jessica Williams have been honored for their academic achievements in the College of Arts and Letters. Goble received a master’s in English composition, with a concentration in applied linguistics and teaching English as a second language. A resident of Fontana, Goble cites Caroline Vickers, professor of linguistics in CSUSB’s English department, as his inspiration for pursuing a master’s degree in the field, showing him how powerful language is and why it is important to study. “Language is a window into the human experience, used to perform our different identities such as mother, friend, teacher, to give meaning to our life experiences and to shape reality as we know it,” said Goble. A CSUSB alum who earned a bachelor’s in 2010, Goble plans to teach English abroad for a year to acquire further teaching experience. During that time, he will apply to doctoral programs and plans to resume his graduate studies in fall 2015, with a long-term plan of becoming a professor and researcher of linguistics. Williams, also an English major on the linguistics track is described by one of her English professors as “intelligent, sharp, energetic, mature and modest despite her many achievements.” She plans to enroll at Cal State Fullerton in the post-baccalaureate program in communicative disorders. Williams combined her passion for writing, politics, history and culture through studying the different aspects of language. As a result, the 21-year-old enjoys writing about language relating to sociopolitical and historical issues. For her honors project, she analyzed commentary surrounding the testimony of prosecution witness Rachel Jeantel during the Trayvon Martin trial. She hopes to become a speech therapist after completing her master’s degree and wants to work with people from different linguistic backgrounds in underserved communities. Because Williams also likes research, she is considering pursuing a Ph.D. Cal State San Bernardino will bestow Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters to Hardy Brown, philanthropist and Inland Empire publisher of The Black Voice newspaper, during the College of Arts and Letters commencement ceremony; and to entrepreneurs Jesus (posthumously) and Luz Cardenas, founders of Cardenas Markets, at the College of Business and Public Administration’s ceremony.