CSUN child and adolescent development professor Virginia Huynh.

Money, family obligations and discrimination all play key roles in discouraging high school students from persisting on to and in college, according to a new study by California State University, Northridge child and adolescent development professor Virginia Huynh.

First-generation Latino students, in particular, are affected by a lack of knowledge about financial aid, family responsibilities and racially insensitive interactions with adults while they are in high school, the study found.

“Colleges need to be realistic about the barriers students face as they make decisions about higher education,” Huynh said. “It’s one thing to lament the state of the public school systems and say they are not doing enough. Colleges need to get out there and fill the gap, even if it’s something as simple as having college students visit high schools and talk to the students there, raising their awareness and understanding of the consequences of not going to college and the financial aid that exists to help them pay for college.”

Huynh, Willamette University psychology professor Melissa R. Witkow and UCLA psychology professor Andrew J. Fuligni have been following a cohort of 408 Latino, Asian and white teenagers in three Los Angeles-area high schools for more than four years. As the students completed high school, the researchers decided to study what factors affected the students’ decisions to go or not to college. The results of their research, “Understanding Differences in College Persistence: A Longitudinal Examination of Financial Circumstances, Family Obligations and Discrimination in an Ethnically Diverse Sample,” can be found in the online journal Applied Developmental Science.

Many of the students were the children of immigrants, Huynh noted.

“Pundits find it easy to lump all immigrants together, but there is so much diversity out there,” she said. “Many immigrants, some of whom are Asian, come here with money and other resources. The parents have college and even graduate degrees, and have the experiences and resources to help their children make informed decisions about going to college. Others come here as refugees, and the adults in the family may never have had an opportunity to get much education. No matter what race or ethnicity, kids are more prepared to go to college if their parents have higher education experience.”

It’s that familiarity with higher education and college financial aid resources that can make a difference in a student’s college persistence, the study found.

Huynh noted that many students start working in high school and contribute to their family’s finances.

“Their paycheck can literally make a difference in whether or not their family pays the rent that month or whether there is enough food on the table,” she said. “It can be hard for a student who has no family tradition of higher education to grasp that it’s worth it to quit their job, or at least cut back their hours significantly, and go to college. Recent college graduates make significantly more — nearly $20,000 a year more — than their counterparts with only a high school diploma. But when your family is facing the possibility of not having enough money to put a roof over their heads or food on their table, going to college can be a very hard choice to make.

“Our study found that many first-generation students, particularly Latino students, weren’t aware that there is financial aid out there — and not just student loans — to help them pay for college,” she continued. “That knowledge alone can make a difference in the path a student chooses.”

Other obstacle are callous, racially insensitive interactions with adults — from teachers or police officers — while the students are in high school.

“It’s during adolescence that we develop our sense of self, of who we are and what we are capable of,” Huynh said. “If a teen has been harassed, called names or been suspected of suspicious activity because of their race or ethnicity, it can affect the decisions they make later in life.”

The study found that the more adult discrimination an adolescent experienced in high school, the less likely they were to go on to college, regardless of their ability.

“It’s hard enough being the first one in your family to go to college,” Huynh said. “You have to do it all by yourself — from filling out complicated forms to trying to figure out how to pay for it all. Plus, there’s the guilt from feeling you’re letting your family down financially. If you’ve been told all your life by authority figures that your life isn’t going to amount to anything or that your kind doesn’t have it in them to succeed, then going to college may seem impossible.”

Huynh said she would love to see colleges establish programs with local public high schools, similar to ones CSUN has, that provide students and their parents with information about navigating the college application process and financial resources — from grants and scholarship to work-study arrangements and even loans — that exist to help students pay for their education.

“There needs to be a conversation so that the students know how going to college can truly change their lives for the better, and that there are resources out there to help them,” she said.

Tall and lanky, Jared Sinn has the look of an athlete. That’s what he was for many years, as Sinn played a variety of sports growing up in Simi Valley and enjoyed the thrill of competition and sense of camaraderie built by playing on a team.

He also has experienced one of the difficult, and less glamorous, parts of sports: injuries. He has seen teammates get hurt on the field of play. In some instances, those injuries threatened their ability to play that sport again. Watching his teammates recover gave Sinn his life’s calling.

Sinn saw his friends find healing through physical therapy and rehabilitation, and he hoped to do the same for others. He enrolled at California State University, Northridge after being accepted to its acclaimed physical therapy program, hoping to help both athletes and non-athletes improve their physical well-being.

“My classmates, we all have the same values as well,” Sinn said. “We all strive to give the best treatment, the best care, to everyone. It’s my goal to let everyone know that everything’s going to be OK, and there’s something that I can do for them.”

Sinn, who is president of CSUN’s Physical Therapy Class 57, is looking forward to a long career, and he has continued his studies partly thanks to the Roy and Roxie Campanella Scholarship. Funded by the Roy and Roxie Campanella Foundation and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, the scholarship is the university’s only one dedicated to physical therapy students.

On Jan. 23, 10 scholarship recipients gathered at a luncheon with Joni Campanella Roan, the daughter of Roy and Roxie Campanella, and members of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and staff from CSUN’s College of Health and Human Development.

The scholarship honors the memory of baseball great Roy Campanella, who was awarded three Most Valuable Player awards during a remarkable 10-year career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, led the team to its only World Series title in Brooklyn in 1955 and was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. Campanella may have had an even larger role in American history, as he was the second African-American player for the Dodgers when he debuted in 1948, a year after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier with Brooklyn.

In early 1958, just months before the Dodgers would play their first game in Los Angeles, Campanella was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. As his daughter recounted at the luncheon, the man who was one of the pillars of the “Boys of Summer” dynasty became wheelchair bound, his spirit crushed because he could no longer play the game he loved.

He started physical therapy, which helped Campanella gain enough mobility to become a guest instructor at the Dodgers’ Spring Training facility. In an area called “Campy’s Corner,” he offered lectures to young catchers in the organization. Campanella was also involved in the Dodgers’ community relations efforts.

The Hall of Famer passed away in 1993, and a year later, Roxie began to donate scholarship money to physical therapy programs, continuing to do so until her death in 2004. In 2005, the Roy and Roxie Campanella Foundation and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation joined forces to dedicate scholarships to physical therapy students at CSUN. The Campanellas’ daughter, Joni, relished the opportunity to meet the students.

“Knowing how we’ve come together in terms of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and the Roy and Roxie Campanella Foundation, helping these students get out there and help people have independent lives — and that through them, my father’s and mother’s dream and their legacy are continuing on means a lot,” Joni said. “They can help people to succeed, like the physical therapists helped my father to regain his feeling that he could be independent and self reliant. That meant a lot to him, and these students will be giving the same opportunity to a lot of other people in the community.”

“This is a unique partnership for us, being able to team up with Joni Campanella, and the rich history that Roy had with the Dodgers, to directly impact 10 scholars who we know need the funds to continue and to graduate from this program,” said Executive Director of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Nichol Whiteman. “It’s very rewarding for us, and it’s a testament to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and how we believe our investments are best suited.”

The partnership has grown to add more scholarships, and since 2010, the Dodgers have invited a CSUN physical therapy student to intern with the team’s medical staff, including the Dodgers’ Medical Director Stan Conte, M.S. ’78 (Physical Therapy), through the team’s nearly two-month Spring Training. It is quite rare to have a physical therapy intern work with a professional sports team, but it also shows the strength of CSUN’s program.

“CSUN has enjoyed a long and strong partnership between the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and the Campanella family that has been instrumental in supporting our students as they finish the graduate program — and now the doctoral program in physical therapy,” said Sylvia Alva, dean of the College of Health and Human Development. “This is really in the spirit of the Campanella Award [awarded yearly to the Dodgers’ most inspirational player]. Physical therapists can truly transform and enrich the lives of the people they serve. It’s nice to see that legacy and the need to give forward initiated early in our students through these scholarships.”

As the scholars expressed their gratitude during the luncheon, many gave a brief description of their circumstances. Some are the first members of their families to enter higher education. Some have come to CSUN after growing up in different countries. Some are even living away from loved ones as they pursue their dreams.

Sinn spoke for so many others as he explained the inspiration he drew from Roy Campanella’s story.

“I want to be the guy to make a difference in everyone’s life,” Sinn said. “If I can do that just by going to work, to me that’s not work. It’s something I want to do every day, to go out and save the world, I guess.”

Members of the Canoga Park community and CSUN officials celebrate the creation of the Bridge to the Future Scholars program at a gala on Feb. 6. Photo by Victor Kamont.

California State University, Northridge officials announced Friday night the creation of a scholarship program that would cover CSUN tuition for high school students from Canoga Park who are committed to giving back to their community.

Through the Bridge to the Future Scholars program, CSUN officials said the university intends to offer free tuition to up to 100 high school graduates from Canoga Park each year who meet the program’s qualifications. The announcement was made during a gala celebration in Canoga Park that honored the university for its outreach in the area.

“At the heart of this program is the desire for young people to give back to their home community,” said CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison. “Through dedicated service, we believe the next generation of Canoga Park leaders will emerge who are informed with the highest level of knowledge and skills that our programs at CSUN can provide.”

Canoga Park officials said they were thrilled by the creation of the scholarship program.

“The scholarship program will serve as a multifaceted approach toward bringing out the voices of students who are silent and tearing down barriers preventing students from accessing the American dream,” said Luis Rodriguez-Cazares, principal of Canoga Park High School. “The emphasis on giving back to the community fosters the reinvestment of economics and social capital within the community by reinforcing the core values we have worked to instill in our students and encouraging them to ‘pay it forward.’

“On a wider scale, the program compels and lays the foundation — developing a robust infrastructure and augmenting social capital — for other leaders to follow when looking to implement similar pathways to educational opportunity,” he said.

To build community service awareness and participation among local youth, CSUN and Canoga Park officials said scholarship recipients will be required to volunteer and, if possible, return to Canoga Park to work after graduation.

The scholarship program grew out of an initiative, Neighborhood Partners in Action (NPA), launched by CSUN faculty, staff and students three years ago to help build bridges among community-based organizations and stakeholders in Canoga Park. The initiative fosters communication and collaboration among the stakeholders and with the university.

CSUN officials spent the first few months of the initiative listening to community leaders as they talked about what services they felt were lacking in their area. Faculty, students and staff then worked with community leaders to identify resources they could tap into and areas where university programs could fill gaps.

The successful, ongoing programs include nutrition education and food bank assistance from CSUN’s Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics to the Guadelupe Center and Child Development Institute; on-site tuberculosis testing provided by Providence Health and Services for men in the recovery program at the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center; CSUN social work interns working with El Centro de Amistad; an oral history project by CSUN students and student veterans, working with senior veterans at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2805; and leadership development training and an all-sports day led by the CSUN baseball team at Coutin School, R.U.T.H. YouthBuild and other Canoga Park schools and centers.

CSUN students, faculty and staff also are working with the area’s K-12 schools, initiating math and science tutoring, drama and music classes and college-prep programs. They also are working to provide after-school activities with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Topanga PAL’s and the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley. NPA helped launch a robotics and space academy that brings Canoga Park High School student volunteers to Columbus Middle School and Hart Street Elementary School to build robots and serve as mentors.

“The goal of NPA is to be a good neighbor — and by good neighbor, we mean establishing a very long-term, reciprocal partnership that is evolutionary in nature and that meets the needs of the Canoga Park community and the campus,” said recreation and tourism management professor Craig Finney, who leads the initiative on behalf of CSUN’s Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing. “That is exactly what has happened. Authentic partnerships are based on trust, mutual respect and the mutual understanding that we all benefit from the sharing and leveraging of resources. The scholarship program is just another example of what we can accomplish when we work together. From the students who participate in the Bridge to the Future Scholars Program, we will see impacts and influences to Canoga Park and beyond what we can imagine at this time.”

Below is Harrison’s video presentation shown at the Canoga Park gala celebration.

A CSUN kinesiology students leading an exercise class at San Fernando’s Recreation Park. Photo by Nestor Garcia.

100 Citizens – a California State University, Northridge student-powered program developed through the Department of Kinesiology that educates adults through exercise to encourage healthier choices at home – has partnered with San Fernando Valley-based nonprofit Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND) to provide a free introductory exercise program to community members.

Kinesiology students will offer a two-hour exercise class to MEND clients every Wednesday thru May 6. The program is designed to provide MEND community members with an introductory experience of the free 100 Citizens programs, which take place three days per week.

“It makes sense for us to combine our resources to improve the health of the citizens in the northeast Valley,” said kinesiology professor Steven Loy, the program’s faculty advisor. “We are reaching people with our free program that either can’t afford or don’t belong to other structured programs or simply don’t know where to start and progress with their exercise program.”

Kinesiology students have also developed a diabetes prevention program that combines exercise and information aimed at combating obesity through education and physical activity.

“We are deeply committed to partnering with individuals and organizations that are dedicated to improving the health of our community,” said Andrea Banuelos, MEND medical clinic assistant manger. “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with 100 Citizens. We look forward to seeing our partnership flourish!”

Since 100 Citizens began in 2011 in a public park in the city of San Fernando, it has evolved from a small group of 20 participants to one with more than 100 participants. The program proved to be so popular that it has expanded to three additional Los Angeles parks in Sylmar, La Crescenta and Canoga Park.

Loy said that 100 Citizens is committed to broadening the scope of their program outreach and will be conducting a workshop designed to spread the model throughout the CSU system.

“Our kinesiology students now represent the second-largest department at CSUN and together have the capacity to change the health of the citizens in the San Fernando Valley,” Loy said.

100 Citizens has been recruited as part of a Center for Disease Control REACH grant to re-create their program in two South Los Angeles locations beginning this summer.

For more information about 100 Citizens, visit its website at www.100citizens.org. Please visit http://mendpoverty.org/ if you would like more information about the community programs offered through MEND.

The 36th annual TRENDS Fashion Show, “A Universal Dream: Through the Eyes of the Designer,” was held on April 26 in the Northridge Center at California State University, Northridge’s University Student Union. Twelve apparel design and merchandising students in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences teamed up with the Fashion Show Production class and a student-run club TRENDS to showcase 67 of their culminating designs. Graduating seniors presented their collections of five to six different pieces with the help of student models, who walked the runway.

California State University, Northridge kinesiology professor emeritus Sam Britten, founding director of CSUN’s Center of Achievement through Adapted Physical Activity and Abbott and Linda Brown Western Center for Adaptive Aquatic Therapy (Brown Center), received the 2015 John K. William Jr. Adaptive Aquatics Award for establishing the Brown center.

Sam Britten helps lower client into one of the pools in the brown center. -Photo provided by the College of HHD

The award will be presented to Britten, on Friday, June 19 during the International Hall of Fame’s 51st Annual Honoree Weekend in Santa Clara, California.

Britten said credit for the honor goes in part to Charles Lowman, the “father” adaptive aquatic therapy.

“I had the good fortune of meeting and working with Dr. Charles Lowman, a famous orthopedic surgeon, who was a great proponent of the use of water exercise for rehabilitation purposes,” said Britten. “In 1952, the Los Angeles Unified School District opened the Lowman School Special Education Center, named in honor of Dr. Lowman. The center was dedicated to serving children with severe disabilities, and it included the first adapted aquatic facility in the L.A. School system. Because of my swimming background, Dr. Lowman asked me to teach the Adapted PE instructors how to work with the children in this wonderful new aquatic facility.

“To see and experience how effective water exercise was for these children was truly life changing for me,” Britten said. “In my heart and mind, I was determined that if the opportunity ever developed in my future professional life, I would endeavor to build an adaptive aquatic facility that would serve all people with physical disabilities.”

Established in the early 1990’s by the Adaptive Aquatics Committee of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, award honors an individual who has made significant and substantial contributions to the field of adaptive aquatics (aquatics for persons with disabilities) as a participant, athlete, teacher, instructor, coach, organizer, administrator or media representative.

“S. R. Smith –a world leading manufacturer of commercial and residential pools, as well as ADA compliant pool lifts providing disabled people safe access to aquatic activities– is honored to recognize the life contributions of Dr. Sam Britten, for his outstanding work and commitment to the aquatic health of persons with disabilities,” said Dan Jorgensen, an Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer and vice president of sales at S.R. Smith, in a press release from the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

After becoming a kinesiology professor, in 1958 at what was then San Fernando Valley State College, Britten created an adapted physical education program, which later became the Center of Achievement for the Physically Disabled. There, he worked with injured athletes as head trainer and worked with students with disabilities who were enrolled in his adapted classes.

In 1971, Lillian Bixby, a woman paralyzed with cerebral palsy, was the first student with a severe disability to approach Britten with a request that he develop exercises that would help her to gain movement and control of her arms. Excited about the challenge and fueled by the hope of making Bixby’s life better, Britten started her on the long, hard and sometimes painful journey.

By the time Bixby left in 1977 she had achieved her goal of being able to live independently and drive a van. Her success in Britten’s care was a turning point for him and the center.

“Over the years, in his work with students and clients in land-based adaptive therapeutic exercise programs, Britten came to see that exercise in aquatic environments could bring even greater progress to people with disabilities,” said Sylvia Alva, dean of CSUN’s College of Health and Human Development. “In the late 1990s, he drew up plans and began rigorous advocacy and fundraising efforts to make this vision a reality.”

In 2003, the 18,400-square-foot Abbott and Linda Brown Western Center for Adaptive Aquatic Therapy opened its doors. Four pools, each designed to meet specific needs, bring clients the buoyancy of water and reduced risk of pain. The aquatic facility established new educational training opportunities for CSUN students and made physical activity available to even more community members with physical disabilities, including small children and infants.

“You wouldn’t know how big it is from the outside,” said Becky O’Brien, client coordinator for the Center of Achievement’s Brown Center, motioning to the center’s four state-of-the art pools. “Clients are always amazed when they walk through our doors for the first time and realize this is all for them, and this is all because of Sam. This whole center is here because he dreamed it, and it’s truly wonderful that he got to see his dream come full circle, and be recognized for it.”

“Dr. Sam Britten exemplifies the ideals of the highest quality of adapted aquatics exercise programs,” said Alva. “A trustworthy, reliable, honorable and earnest person in his academic and community pursuits, Sam is also caring and compassionate, driven by a desire to see others not only achieve their health and fitness goals, but to find happiness. His history and reputation across campus reflect these same characteristics.”

Britten said the addition of the aquatic component has completed the offerings of the Center of Achievement and provides an excellent model for colleges and universities of the future to emulate.

Taeyou Jung, director of CSUN’s Center of Achievement through Adapted Physical Activity and and a professor in the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Health and Human Development, said he and his colleagues were thrilled to learn Britten was getting the honor. “I believe this is a token of appreciation and acknowledgement of Dr. Sam’s lifelong dedication and contribution to developing adapted aquatics programs for helping people with disabilities,” said Jung.

Britten himself was humble about receiving the honor. “CSUN allowed me to develop this unique program and area of special expertise in the field of adaptive aquatics and aquatic therapy,” said Britten. “I am so grateful to all the people that supported me and believed in this project. This award is truly a great honor.

“Since the Brown Center opened in 2003, it has provided restoration and relief for thousands of additional people traumatized through accident or disease, to rebuild their lives and be mainstreamed back into society,” he said. “The tremendous success of the center has resulted in an increasing local, national and international recognition. I believe the work that we have accomplished in therapeutic and adaptive exercise and aquatics is just beginning, and the future for this field is very promising. The Brown Center is a dream come true.”

After retiring from the University, Dr. Britten founded the Western Independent Living Foundation, Inc. A non-profit organization that seeks to improve home safety for elderly and disabled individuals. For more information on the Brown aquatic center and Britten, please visit http://www.csun.edu/hhd/kin/capd.html.

Many of the hopes and dreams of California State University, Northridge’s Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing gelled June 4 in one well-aimed squirtgun shot.

“Gaaaaaaaaah! That’s cold!” wailed Carla Vega, a graduating senior from the R.U.T.H. (Resilience, Unity, Transformation, Hope) YouthBuild program in Canoga Park. The teen laughed, picked up her own squirtgun and retaliated against her friend and fellow senior, Mario Lima.

The pair were part of a group of 16 at-risk teens and four CSUN students that traveled to Castaic Lake with the university’s student-run Outdoor Adventures program for a day of kayaking, paddleboarding and fun in the sun.

CSUN’s College of Health and Human Development (HHD) runs the Boating Instruction and Safety Center on the lower portion of the man-made lake, part of a state park. The idyllic location on the park’s “Paradise Cove” boasts a sandy beach, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), wakeboarding and more.

“Welcome to Castaic!” exclaimed Erin Eiholzer, boating center manager, welcoming the teens and CSUN students to the lakeshore. “We don’t have anything here that will hurt you. We don’t have sharks. Unless you saw Dinocroc (a 2004 horror flick), which was filmed here. We do have fish in the lake, and there are bees in the grass — so please wear your shoes when you’re walking back and forth.”

Eiholzer polled the group about their level of swimming experience and time in the outdoors. One teen said he’d never been on a large body of water (lake, ocean, river) before the June 4 adventure.

Eiholzer and her staff of lifeguards, all CSUN students, taught the teens how to properly don a lifejacket, carry a kayak paddle and sit on the watercraft.

“We are not rocking the boat today,” she said, grinning. “We are not capsizing or tipping the boats. Also, if you’re using the SUP, make sure you feel comfortable falling into the water — because you will fall in a lot!”

The graduating seniors were only too happy to fall in the water, which measured at a comfortable 72 degrees, a little warmer than the air temperature just before lunchtime. It was tough to tell who was having more fun — the teenagers or their young leaders from CSUN. The sounds of laughter, splashing and cheering echoed across the lake.

Part of CSUN’s Department of Recreation and Tourism Management, the boating center opened in 1976 and serves nearly 11,000 people annually with community service programs and activities, as well as classes for college credit and noncredit. In addition to boating, water safety education and wakeboarding, the center offers water skiing, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing and nature walks.

As part of the university’s Neighborhood Partners in Action (NPA) program with Canoga Park, the college has worked for several years to send CSUN undergraduates and graduate students into the Canoga Park community to lend expertise, manpower and energy — and to learn by doing. The program teams students, faculty and staff with more than 30 community agencies to improve the lives of San Fernando Valley families.

In fall 2012, CSUN launched the NPA program with Canoga Park, a community of about 60,000 in the northwest corner of the Valley, through the Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing.

“If you want to assist a community in moving itself forward, the chances of helping an open community are greater,” said program coordinator Craig Finney. “Canoga Park was opening their doors. … As [outgoing Provost] Harry Hellenbrand puts it, ‘We need to be stewards of place.’”

Canoga Park is a culturally diverse community, heavily Latino and economically challenged in some areas, Finney said.

“We go to each agency and ask them, ‘What is it you need? What kind of resources do you have? Where would you like to go?’” Finney said. “We’re not trying to go in and ‘fix’ Canoga Park. We’re letting Canoga Park figure out what it needs to grow. We’re a neighbor, long term. At the end, we’re trying to increase quality of life, and we’re also giving CSUN students and staff opportunities for community service.”

R.U.T.H. YouthBuild is just one NPA partner agency. The organization provides a high school education, job training, counseling and leadership development to teens and young adults in Canoga Park. The young people that YouthBuild serves have faced barriers and challenges including growing up in the foster care system and single-parent homes, and struggling with addiction, domestic violence, trying to move on from gang involvement, and living as undocumented teens. They come to YouthBuild because they are ready to turn their life around, said Michelle Miranda, founder and executive director.

During the academic year, CSUN students provide math and science tutoring to YouthBuild participants, with the help of the organization’s credentialed staff. Many of those teachers received their credentials at CSUN, Miranda said.

“Our young people also can make visits to CSUN, to see what college life is like and that it is attainable,” Miranda said. “A lot of them see the barriers before them, and this really bridges that gap — especially when they see familiar faces.”

Finney and professor Connie White have provided strategies that have helped the YouthBuild staff in meeting the diverse needs of their students, Miranda said. Mentors from CSUN’S MOSAIC program (through the Department of Sociology) work with the high school students throughout the academic year to set goals and provide encouragement and support.

Other CSUN participants have included professor Veda Ward, whose recreation and tourism management class visited with the students. The undergraduates sparked hope and excitement in the teens about their potential to attend college in the future, Miranda said.

“I really appreciate President [Dianne F.] Harrison’s initiative to focus a lot of CSUN’s work on specific communities,” she said. “We’re establishing a good, solid foundation so we can serve the community for years to come.”

The seniors from R.U.T.H. YouthBuild will graduate from the organization’s charter high school on June 22, in a commencement celebration at the Hilton in Woodland Hills. The students come from all over the San Fernando Valley, some from as far as Sun Valley, said Vanessa Solache, mentor director for the program, who chaperoned the class trip.

As NPA participants — on the CSUN campus, across Canoga Park and in the great outdoors — look to the future, they are developing plans to touch even more families and students through the university and its agency partners, Finney said. And the future is bright.

“We can have CSUN students come and inspire young people who’ve had the flame go out,” Miranda said. “The community comes in and gives them time, inspires them and gives them hope. I can’t put a dollar amount on that. We have exceeded our expectations.”

For more on the aquatic center at Castaic Lake, visit the website.

When Adam Moore ’15 (D.P.T., Physical Therapy) was finishing up his undergraduate degree at Cal State Long Beach and looking toward his post-graduate work, he focused on California State University, Northridge. And for good reason.

Moore saw one of the top programs in the country, which had expanded to offer a doctorate in physical therapy. Yet, there was something more that he saw as key: the CSUN Department of Physical Therapy’s relationship with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Every year, the ballclub chooses one Matador student to attend spring training with the Dodgers’ medical staff — a rarity in professional sports — learning alongside some of baseball’s top medical professionals and treating players who entertain millions of fans every year. Leading that medical staff is Stan Conte ’78 (Physical Therapy), who spearheaded the program because he knew the quality of CSUN students.

Moore dove into his CSUN doctoral studies and early internships in hopes of contending for this rare opportunity. In October 2013, he applied for and was selected to be the Dodgers’ physical therapy intern. The only problem was having to wait almost a year and a half for the assignment to work with the team’s medical staff.

By the time January 2015 rolled around, Moore was ready. He received an email from his predecessor, Tyler Dorrel ’14 (M.S., Physical Therapy), who had worked in the internship in 2014. Dorrel shared his insights on the hours, daily routine and what to expect during the two-month rotation.

Not long after Moore reported to the Dodgers’ Arizona spring training facility, the players started reporting to camp for their physicals. There was a steady stream of All-Stars: Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, to name just a few. It would have been easy to be star-struck, but Moore had a job to do.

“After the first couple days of shock and awe of seeing these guys in person, you realize that they’re just normal guys going through their daily routines,” Moore said. “They respect that you treat them like that, and don’t treat them any different than you would anybody else. The medical staff treats them the way they want to be treated — with respect — and I just followed their lead. It’s fun treating these guys and watching them play every night.”

Moore found himself helping the big league players early on, and then, when the minor leaguers reported to spring training a couple weeks later, Moore filled an educational role as well as offering medical treatment. While the major leaguers are older and have more established training regimens, the minor leaguers — some still teenagers — are still learning about their bodies. These players are learning how to train effectively, how to listen to their bodies, and how to recover and be ready for the next game — as well as the daily grind of playing baseball from April through the end of September.

“Most of them didn’t really know why they were hurting in certain areas,” Moore said. “So, it was a lot of education — just telling them, ‘This is why you’re hurting, this is what you can do to help yourself and this is what I can do to help you so you don’t have this problem in the future.’ Once they understood this concept and how they could help themselves, I felt like they were better off in the long run.”

The players weren’t the only ones facing long, grueling hours. The medical staff logs long days during spring training. From the beginning of February until the end of March, the training staff starts work before dawn, as many players start their days before 6 a.m. — some even earlier. This includes weekends.

“The first week was probably the roughest — [I was] not used to being on my feet that much,” Moore said. “I was constantly busy with something, so I didn’t feel like I was there for that long. But at the end of the day, 6 o’clock would roll around and you’d be like, ‘OK, I’ve been here close to 13 hours now.’ Then I really didn’t have anything else to do but just go home and eat dinner, go to bed, and wake up and do it again in the morning.”

Conte, who helped forge the Dodgers’ relationship with CSUN in 2010, watched closely.

“[The CSUN interns] have done really well,” Conte said. “Adam Moore, this year, has been exemplary in regards to working hard. One of the biggest things is they don’t realize how many hours we put in. We say they have to be there at 5:30 in the morning, and they’re still there at 6 or 7 at night. At first, they don’t think it’s too much, but then after three or four weeks, they realize it’s not going to get any better. To a person, they’ve done very, very well.”

“It’s been a humbling experience watching Stan work,” Moore said. “He’s one of the most respected and knowledgeable people I’ve had a chance to work with. It’s been a great experience to be a sponge and absorb all the knowledge that he spews out when he’s talking.”

Moore’s work did not finish when spring training wrapped. He was invited to continue working with the Dodgers in Los Angeles through the start of the 2015 season. He worked with several pitchers on shoulder-strengthening programs. In May, he received his doctorate from CSUN — as part of the department’s first Doctor of Physical Therapy cohort — and he is now working at Beach Cities Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Torrance. He looks back at his internship with the Dodgers as a wonderful experience that prepared him for anything.

“The opportunity to work with the Dodgers is the main reason I selected CSUN over other programs,” Moore said. “It [gave] me [an] edge just to have the opportunity to … do the internship with the Dodgers. All the students that have gone before me, everybody [with the Dodgers] had nothing but great things to say about them and their work ethic. So I knew that CSUN prepared me for going out there and doing the internship. I felt a little bit more comfortable with that, and then talking to the guys that have gone out there before.

“They said, ‘Put your head down and keep working.’ I haven’t found anybody else that has an opportunity like this for a physical therapy student to be working with a professional team, and I attest that to Stan’s relationship with the CSUN department. I tried to do everything I could to further enhance that relationship by helping out as much as possible.”

The California State University Board of Trustees granted California State University, Northridge approval to begin concept development for an on-campus hotel project that could become a valuable asset for the university and the local community — at no cost to taxpayers.

Should the project be realized, CSUN would be able to host campus events and programs, house students’ visiting family members and alumni, and support the academic and business communities both locally and outside the region.

“This is yet another example of how CSUN is looking to grow and expand its resources to service both its campus community and the many visitors coming to campus,” said CSUN Vice President of Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer Colin Donahue. “This hotel project would enable CSUN to host more academic symposiums and business conferences, and give our students experiential opportunities to launch their careers.”

Currently out-of-town visitors do not have easily accessible accommodations. This project would serve students’ family members, visiting scholars, alumni and others visiting campus throughout the year. In addition, it would support the increased success of CSUN’s Valley Performing Arts Center and the university’s 19 Division I athletic teams.

The hotel would also offer CSUN students majoring in Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation Management internship opportunities to help them gain valuable experience and fulfill their coursework.

The financing for the planned hotel project will be established through a public-private structure that avoids campus debt, minimizes risk and produces annual non-state revenues for the campus. Upon completion of the concept development stage, CSUN will finalize a timeline for completion.

There was a point in Paulette Lambert’s life when she wanted to be a pastry chef.

For a lot of people, it’s a good thing that she went in another direction.

“I remember her saying years and years ago, ‘I’ve seen enough patients to fill up Dodger Stadium,’” said Ellen Bauersfeld, her former business partner and a California State University, Northridge’s Klotz Student Health Center registered dietitian. “(I’d say) every one of them would say, ‘Paulette changed my life.’”

Lambert ’75 (Dietetics) is one of the most accomplished and sought-after dietitians in California. She was the first registered dietitian in California with a private practice, is a published author and for years has been a go-to expert on health and nutrition for various media, including a stint on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.

Lambert is currently the director of nutrition for the California Health & Longevity Institute in Westlake Village. She has been at the institute since its opening in late 2006, and continues to make an impact on lives every day.

“My goal is always to impart knowledge that empowers [people],” Lambert said. “We’re teachers. Motivation has to come from within, but very often people lack motivation because they don’t have knowledge. If we can communicate in a very simple way that gives that person the ah-ha moment, [thinking] ‘I can do this,’ then they can make those few changes we’re asking them to make, it can have great impact on their health.”

Lambert’s story could have been very different, though.

Lambert’s Rise

Lambert spent much of the first 12 years of her life living on a dairy farm in New York. She was reading labels on the backs of spice bottles at 4 years old and was making jam by the time she was 7.

At 12, the family moved to California’s Ventura County. She later chose to study at CSUN because of its proximity and value, she said.

When she was a junior, she was at a crossroads. Lambert was a political science major, thinking she would teach one day. But teaching jobs were scarce at the time, prompting her to rethink her direction. She was accepted into nursing school, but strongly considered culinary school to become a pastry chef because of a love for baking.

Ultimately, her mother, knowing Lambert’s fondness for food, suggested she become a nutritionist. Lambert researched the possibility and decided it was worth changing majors, even if it meant extending her stay at CSUN.

A couple of years after graduating from CSUN and completing an internship in Dallas, Paulette became a clinical dietitian at Medical Center of Tarzana. She worked on the pediatric floor, including the oncology unit, for the first year and then went on to handling the hospitals outpatient nutrition clinic.

Within months she had a long waiting list. She asked the hospital’s administration for more space and more staff, but there weren’t enough resources to accommodate her needs.

“I went back to my office and had a conversation with my boss, and he said, ‘How’d the meeting go?’ I said, ‘It went fine. I just resigned,’” Lambert recalled. “She looked at me and said, ‘What?’ ‘[I told her] I’m just going to do this on my own.’ I (became) the first dietitian in private practice in California. That was in 1979.”

It was a gutsy move. Not only were there no private dietetics practices, but she was only 28 years old and relatively new in the field.

“I had no clue what I was getting into,” she said. “It wasn’t something they taught you in class or even in my internship. Nobody was in private practice. But I thought, ‘I’m going to do this.’”

Lambert already had a number of patients and a connection to open up her own office, so she felt she had a solid foundation. The business, Lambert and Associates, grew. She estimates seeing 100 to 125 patients per week. Lambert became a certified diabetic educator, and her reputation grew.

She contracted with other dietitians to work at her office, including Bauersfeld, who began working with Lambert in 1990.

“She’s a human dynamo,” Bauersfeld said. “She’s one of the people I admire most in my world in so many ways. First of all, she’s brilliant. She is incredibly creative, but she’s also business smart. It’s really challenging to have to program (for people) and be business savvy and still have that human side where she cares so deeply about her patients. She gives everything in her approach to counseling and teaching.”

Lambert said one of her strengths is communication — simplifying the complexity of nutritional language and planning so it can be simple for people to get healthy.

She also is active in the kitchen because she believes she needs to have answers for whatever question her patients might have. For example, if a mother’s son has diabetes and wants to know how to do a birthday cake for him, Lambert needs to have the answer.

After 28 years of doing the same thing in private practice, Lambert wanted a different challenge.

The Next Adventure

The California Health & Longevity Institute is the brainchild of businessman, philanthropist and dedicated health and wellness advocate David Murdock, the owner of Dole Food Company, Inc. A headhunter sought out Lambert and convinced her to apply for a job at the health and wellness center in anticipation of its December 2006 opening. She got the job and left her private practice behind.

She runs the culinary school, develops the institute’s nutrition programs and protocols, and lectures about nutrition and wellness to individuals, high-level leadership in the corporate world and other groups. One of her objectives is to feed people knowledge that will empower them to reach their goals.

“The consumer is more confused now more than ever because they can’t decide what is science and what is marketing hype,” Lambert said. “They don’t really know what to listen for — what to believe and not believe. A big part of my job is to make nutrition science and medicine easy for people to understand. We’re based on medical evidence. We don’t follow the latest fad.”

In addition to her work with the California Health & Longevity Institute, her book The Wellness Kitchen was published in December 2014. It features recipes and offers nutritional and wellness advice. The book incorporates everything she does in the kitchen at the Westlake Village institute.

Lambert said that to this day, she still relies on what she learned at CSUN.

“What I still use is [information from] clinical nutrition classes — disease prevention, understanding your physiology — and my advance nutrition therapy classes because that’s the base,” Lambert said. “Basic chronic disease prevention and nutritional science and prevention of disease stays pretty solid. It changes slightly. New studies come out. But you have that base of understanding, and that clearly stayed with me.

“And the two classes I took with Christine Smith — she always gave the practical approach [when she taught] . … She made it really come alive, and it was really important. There was always a practical application to this not just science.”

Lambert returns to CSUN from time to time to guest lecture.

She said she’s reached the point in her life where she’s beginning to think of her post-professional future. In her remaining working days, Lambert wants to continue to help grow the wellness institute because “great things are happening here.”

Bauersfeld called Lambert “the epitome of what we would hope a CSUN graduate could be.”

“She was able to go out there, follow her dream, be successful and be a great ambassador through everything she does, everything she touches,” Bauersfeld said.

The idea of helping others is something that hits home for California State University, Northridge physical therapy student Ashley Peña.

In her second year in the university’s renowned doctorate in physical therapy program, Peña already has been able to help make a difference in the lives of so many people through the many clinical hours and volunteer work that she and her fellow classmates put in as part of their postgraduate work. Yet for Peña, there is more. Her mother is fighting a battle with multiple sclerosis, and her sister is receiving treatment for cancer.

Her family lives in central California, so Peña keeps up with their respective treatment protocols as best as she can while keeping her pace in such a demanding program. Yet, when joining them for medical appointments, Peña has seen “how people can treat you differently, either pity you or ignore you just because there’s something going on, because it’s easier,” she said. “So I think just going through that with them and helping them along with their rehab process has influenced me.”

Peña is one of 15 physical therapy students who recently were honored at a luncheon to commemorate a partnership between CSUN’s Physical Therapy doctoral program, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and the Roy and Roxie Campanella Foundation. The Dodgers and the Campanella Foundations have donated scholarships to CSUN physical therapy students like Peña who are on track to help people rehabilitate their bodies and, in some cases, their lives.

“It’s such a rare association to have with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Campanella family and their foundation, who have been such strong supporters of our program,” said Aimie Kachingwe, a physical therapy faculty member who was at the initial meetings to discuss this partnership more than six years ago. Kachingwe noted that the number of scholarships awarded by this partnership has grown from one to 15, and it will increase to 25 by fall 2017.

Helping these CSUN students is a way of giving back for the Campanella Foundation, as physical therapists played such a major part in the life of Roy Campanella, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. From 1948 to 1957, Campanella built one of the most decorated careers of any catcher in baseball history, earning the National League MVP award three times and leading the Brooklyn Dodgers to the World Series five times — winning it all in 1955. He was also one of the first African-American players in baseball history, debuting just a year after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947.

Campanella’s career came to a tragic halt when he was involved in a car accident during the offseason preceding the 1958 season, the Dodgers’ first in Los Angeles. The accident left him a quadriplegic, and his life changed forever at age 36.

His life began to change for the better when he started physical therapy. Though he would be wheelchair bound until his death in 1993, the work he did with physical therapy led him to become an active member of the Dodgers’ community relations department and part-time instructor of young catchers. Two of his prized pupils were Mike Scioscia and Mike Piazza, the latter joining Campanella in Cooperstown this summer.

“It’s wonderful to know that we’ve got great physical therapists who are going to be going out and helping people who have disabilities, who will be working with people like my father, and how they made such a difference in his life in terms of the immediate relationship of helping him find his spirit again and wanting to live,” said Roy’s daughter Joni Campanella-Roan, who attended the luncheon at CSUN’s Orange Grove Bistro and helped present the scholars with gifts. “It’s always inspiring to hear their stories and how much us giving them this wonderful scholarship impacts their lives, so that they can get out there and make a difference within the community, help to bring back people’s independence and make themselves self-sufficient. That was a major part of what made my father reenter society and reenter baseball — the independence he gained from the physical therapists.”

Though she never got the opportunity to see Campanella play, Peña and her classmates want to carry on his legacy in hopes of being able to help other patients who might be facing similar circumstances.

“It’s devastating to somebody — especially if they’re an athlete — to have a major injury like a car accident, like Roy Campanella, and their life is going to change,” Peña said. “But just being able to help them either adapt to those changes and get back to their life or form a new one, I think that’s definitely one of the biggest reasons why I love physical therapy. Just being able to help people on those journeys, help people adapt to a new way of life or get them back to what they were before if that’s possible. [Campanella] is an inspiring person in general.”

With Campanella having been such a prominent part of Dodger history both on and off the field, it seemed natural for the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation to become involved in the partnership to award these scholarships. In addition to the scholarships, the Dodgers have hosted a physical therapy intern during every Spring Training since 2011, with the intern getting real-world experience alongside the athletic trainers for the Major and Minor Leagues.

“We are proud to be supporters of such a special group of individuals,” said Nichol Whiteman, executive director of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. “It is our hope that the scholarship recipients will exemplify the proud legacy of Dodger great Roy Campanella.”

During the luncheon on campus, the scholars expressed their thanks for the scholarship, and how the funds will help them realize their dreams. They talked about the scarcity of scholarships that are dedicated to physical therapy students, and how they are able to volunteer as a result of the scholarships. Peña pointed out an event that is for recent amputees to help them adapt to their new lives.

“We were able to help out at that point, and if we had to find part-time jobs, we wouldn’t be able to do a lot of the volunteer things that CSUN brings to our attention,” Peña said.

“The more we have them out there in the community helping others, the prouder we are,” Campanella-Roan said. “My father’s dream was to be able to give opportunities so physical therapists could go out there and help so many people. Through the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, this has been one of the partnerships that has allowed us as the Campanella Foundation to provide more scholarships, so there are more kids out there helping everybody.”

Through the CSUN physical therapy program, which only in recent years became a doctoral program, these students are thoroughly prepared to impact patients’ lives in the future. Their enthusiasm and passion was very evident, and those who are there to foster that drive look forward to the increase in scholarships — to help others grow their dreams through this unique association between CSUN, the Dodgers and the Campanella Foundation.

“It’s not about the job, it’s not about the money. It’s because they want to help people,” Kachingwe said. “It really becomes evident when you’re at something like this, and you hear them speak those words. They’re great PTs. If you ask anybody who works with CSUN physical therapy students, they will say these are some of the best physical therapists that are out there. Not only are they educationally prepared, but they’re just really good people.”

On the Saturday before the 2016 Los Angeles Marathon, California State University, Northridge kinesiology students experienced what it is like to perform under pressure.

Sharing the stage with top Los Angeles-area fitness leaders, 10 CSUN Department of Kinesiology majors demonstrated the benefits of their wellness program, Commit to be Fit, to marathoners the day before the big race at the Skechers Performance LA Marathon Expo. Presenting at a fitness convention was a first for many of the students.

“The pressure of having hundreds of random people walk by and check out what we were doing was different, compared to our controlled room up in Redwood Hall,” said Kyle Cook, a senior kinesiology major and intern with the Commit to be Fit program.

Commit to be Fit is a free community wellness program for all fitness levels, designed and led by CSUN kinesiology students. Offered Monday through Thursday evenings on campus, the class provides one-on-one and group cardiovascular and resistance training to CSUN faculty, staff, students and community members.

Focusing on mobility, flexibility and warm-ups, the students showed the runners at the expo how training in Commit to be Fit could help them achieve their goals. The students had to use their enthusiasm for fitness and motivating others to encourage interaction, learning valuable lessons about appealing to a different type of crowd in a new setting.

The audience was less likely to want to participate in the demonstration, since they were running 26.2 miles the next morning — which presented a new kind of challenge for the students.

“Usually at a presentation, you have a group of people sitting there waiting to hear what you have to say, whereas [at the expo] you had to do it yourself,” said Teal Geyer, a senior kinesiology major and program intern. “You have to have an intro ready, and you are going to participate and present whether someone is watching or not.”

The presentation sparked some curiosity from onlookers and family members. By raising awareness about the program at outside events like the expo, the group hopes to increase awareness of the program’s benefits to the community while giving students experience outside the classroom.

“These kinesiology students get a hands-on, practical approach to training, and they are getting real-world professional knowledge,” said Shabnam Islam, the kinesiology instructor overseeing the Commit to be Fit program. “It’s our job as teachers to provide them as much exposure to the world as possible within our field, and it would be limiting if we kept that in the classroom.”

To learn more about the Commit to be Fit program, visit http://www.csun.edu/development/training/events/commit-be-fit-spring.

Months of planning, deliberating and discussion led to the 20th annual Student Research and Creative Works Symposium, showing off some of the best and brightest work that California State University, Northridge has to offer.

Students from every college and background came together in the University Student Union’s Northridge Center to present their research on a number of topics, ranging from solutions to the obesity epidemic and ways to help those living with autism, to the relationship between the Los Angeles River and the federal government.

The event began with students presenting their research to a panel of judges, faculty members and representatives from other organizations. The judges evaluated the content and delivery skills of the students, and the top entries were honored at a ceremony later in the day.

The second part of the symposium was a gallery with posters lining the walls, produced by students participating in various research programs. Visitors were free to walk around and admire the students’ hard work, as well as interact with the students presenting on a more personal level. There was a huge crowd, and the room was packed as students, faculty, and guests walked through the aisles. Assistant Vice President of Graduate Studies Maggie Shiffrar spoke in admiration after talking to each of the presenters.

“There was a young man, and his presentation was impeccable,” Shiffrar said. “Afterward, I asked him what doctoral program he intended to go to, because he was a doctoral-caliber student. It turned out that he was an undergraduate junior. It’s just phenomenal. You have faculty talking about how much they’re learning — these students are upping the bar for all of us. If I could do a cartwheel, I would.”

The accessibility of the symposium allowed other students to learn from one another and become inspired by their peers, Shiffrar said.

“Students can see people with whom they can relate, who look like them, talk like them, from the same background, and they see them doing world-class research,” Shiffrar said. “That changes conversations, because a conversation is no longer, ‘Some people can do cutting-edge research, but I’m not one of those people.’ That’s the beauty of this event. It turns that entire framework on its head, and the conversation becomes, ‘Wow. Look at what my peers are doing. I can do this.’”

Hedy Carpenter, director of graduate studies at CSUN, said she was impressed by how much the symposium had grown since it began.

“This symposium has come a long way,” Carpenter said. “When it first started 20 years ago, we had about 70 participants in total, and today we have 192. We’re even thinking about renting more space and spreading it over two days to accommodate all the projects.”

As Shiffrar took a moment to absorb the talent of the CSUN students on display at the symposium, she was overcome with excitement.

“These are all people who are using their smarts to make the world a better place, and that’s the best thing there is,” she said.

Here is a summary of all the honorees at the symposium:
10-Minute Presentations

Session 1

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

First Place

Holly Gover, Graduate, Department of Psychology

“Teaching Functional Play Skills to Preschoolers with Developmental Disabilities”

Second Place

Michele Zamora, Undergraduate, Department of Political Science

“Federalism and the LA River: National Government and Local Water Resource Management”

Session 2

College of Science and Mathematics

First Place

Kevin Kossick and Alex Schultz, Undergraduate, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

“N,N-diarylbenzimidazolium Compounds”

Second Place

Eric McDonald, Graduate, Department of Geological Sciences

“Basin Analysis and Detrital Zircon Geochronology of the El Paso Mountains: Permian Stratigraphic Sequence”

Session 3

College of Health and Human Development/Michael D. Eisner College of Education

First Place

Amy Edwards, Graduate, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

“Gender in Higher Educational Leadership”

Second Place

Eugenne Rivas, Undergraduate, Department of Health Sciences

“Text You Later: Preliminary Results of a Texting and Driving Health Education Program”

Session 4

Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication/College of Humanities

First Place

David Stamps, Graduate, Department of Journalism

“Entertainment Media’s Perception of SNS Use Among Teenagers”

Second Place

Hsiao-Hsien Shen, Graduate, Department of Music

“Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11”

Mrinalini Watson, Graduate, Department of Linguistics

“An Examination of Inter-Generational Language Transfer in the Marwari Speech Community of India”

Session 5 

College of Science and Mathematics

First Place

Sarah Merolla, Graduate, Department of Biology

“Effects of Ocean Acidification and Water Flow on Calcification for Different Morphologies of Coralline Algae”

Second Place

Barbara Weiser, Graduate, Department of Biology

“Estuary Opening Effects on Population Connectivity of California Killifish”

Session 6

College of Science and Mathematics

First Place

Andrea Haberkern, Graduate, Department of Biology

“Spider Form and Function: Foraging Guild, Morphology and Performance”

Second Place

Nickie Cammisa, Graduate, Department of Biology

“Genotypic Variation in Response to Mutualists and Drought in an Invasive Plant”

Session 7

College of Science and Mathematics

First Place (tie)

Malachia Hoover, Graduate, Department of Biology

“Identification of a Novel Cripto/MyosinII Interaction that Promotes Stem Cell Mediated Tissue Regeneration”

Justin Molnar, Graduate, Department of Biology

“Quantification of the Metastatic Potential of HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Using the Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay”

Second Place

Sa La Kim, Undergraduate, Department of Biology

“The Role of ITGA1 in Pancreatic Cancer”

Session 8

College of Science and Mathematics

First Place

Eliana Ochoa-Bolton, Undergraduate, Department of Biology

“BMP Signaling Patterns Dorsal Interneuron Populations Throughout Spinal Cord Development”

Second Place

Stephanie Kennedy, Undergraduate, Department of Biology

“Regulation of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-induced Protein 8 and Its Association with B-Cell Lymphomas”

Session 9

College of Science and Mathematics

First Place 

Bobby Teng, Undergraduate, Department of Biology

“Characterization of TBX5 Cardiac Progenitor Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells”

Second Place 

Osvaldo Miranda, Undergraduate, Department of Biology

“Developmental Genes Regulate Stress-Induced Sleep in C. elegans“

Kelly Ibañez, a graduate student in CSUN’s Department of Communication Disorders and Sciences and 2015 recipient of the Ruth Rothman Scholarship, was working full time.

The key word is was.

“It’s been challenging because going to graduate school in and of itself is a full-time job,” Kelly said. “It’s so rigorous with having clinical coursework while at the same time having clients at school and then working as a child development specialist for a vendor of the North Los Angles Country Regional Center with my own case load of young children with disabilities and simultaneously being married to someone who is also in school.

“When I found out I was a recipient of this award, it was mindblowing,” she added.

The scholarship allowed Kelly to focus earning her master’s degree while lessening her off-campus workload. The children she works with are between of ages of 15-36 months old, many with developmental delays and disabilities like autism and Down syndrome.

Aside from focusing her work in and out of the classroom, there was an even more personal benefit for Kelly. The reason that she chose this field of study was her husband Renato Ibañez.

Ten years ago, Renato suffered a traumatic brain injury in an automobile accident. The injury still affects his memory to this day. Kelly met her husband after the accident and has been an instrumental figure in his progress by using techniques that she learned from her speech therapy education to help him overcome post-accident hurdles.

“Being awarded a scholarship that allows me a little more time with him — on mentoring him, on how he can problem solve, on how he should approach talking to a professor or asking for more time for tests — really makes a world of difference for us,” Kelly said. “Because in addition to being married, we’re also partners in school and trying to improve our own lives. And it wouldn’t be possible if I couldn’t spend more time with him, helping to guide him to move on with his career as well.”

The Ruth Rothman Scholarship was originally established in 2010. Rothman’s connection to CSUN is long, as she earned a master’s degree in Speech and Communication Disorders (now Communication Disorders and Sciences) in 1977 and worked as a speech pathologist in the Los Angeles Unified School District for two and a half decades.

“This little money she had she wanted to give back,” said her nephew and estate trustee John Rothman. “Years ago, she said, ‘I went to Cal State Northridge. Is there anything we can do to help students? I’d like to show my thanks for the benefit of receiving an education.’”

Thus, the scholarship was established, and Rothman was able to see it awarded until she passed away in 2013. The scholarship continued, though, as it was set up as a planned gift.

“All she had to do was incorporate a provision in her will,” John said. “There were a few papers to sign, and that was it. When she passed away, the money just came over here to continue the scholarship. It was a very simple process.”

In July, Kelly met John for the first time. The first words Kelly said to him were “Thank you.”

“I’ve always felt, and I know that Ruth always felt, education was the No. 1 thing,” John said. “She believed that dedicating her life to that, and teaching and working with children who had those disabilities was really important. To be able to give to CSUN now and help students who will engage in the same practice, I feel very comfortable about the future with people out there like Kelly working with kids.”

Like Ruth, Kelly plans to improve the lives of many children with her work. She also plans on returning the favor down the line.

“If there were more people like Ruth who offered more scholarships, more of us would be able to take time to study and focus on finishing the program sooner,” Kelly said. “So I for sure will be donating to CSUN once I’m a licensed professional. I’m so inspired by Ruth’s story, and it’s inspired for me to give back to the CSUN community as well.”

HOPE Latina honored CSUN student Naomi Ogaldez with the Future History Maker Award 2016. Photo courtesy of Naomi Ogaldez.

Naomi Ogaldez is not an ordinary student. The first-year master’s student in health administration already has traveled to Mexico to build houses, to South Africa to volunteer in hospitals and homeless shelters, and she will volunteer in Nicaragua this summer to assist Mayo Clinic College of Medicine on a medical trip.

Locally, Ogaldez is a research assistant and student representative in her master’s program, and she volunteers for the Anne Douglas Center for Women at the Los Angeles Mission, the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission and California State University, Northridge’s Project D.A.T.E. (Discovering Alternatives for Today’s Encounters), a rape-prevention peer education organization.

“Naomi is an exceptionally hard worker — she’s passionate about being the voice for the voiceless and is not afraid to speak up if she perceives that an injustice is taking place,” said Frankie Augustin, professor in the Department of Health Sciences. “The healthcare management field is in desperate need for someone like her.”

To recognize Ogaldez for her charitable contributions in the local community and around the world, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) Latina honored her with the Future History Maker Award 2016. The nonprofit organization has been supporting Latina leadership in political and economic positions since 1989.

“Awards like the HOPE Future History Maker Award are important because it puts people like Naomi in the forefront, so that all other Latinas, as well as other students of color, can witness an example of how someone made a difference in their community,” Augustin said.

“It feels nice to be recognized,” Ogaldez said. “I feel so honored that all my work is paying off.”

The ambitious student received her bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2015 from CSUN and decided to pursue a master’s in health administration after working in an internship at the CNN medical unit in Atlanta three years ago.

“That opened my eyes to the healthcare world,” Ogaldez said. “I really liked reporting on medical and health content. After that, I started writing more articles about Latinos and the health sector for El Nuevo Sol, CSUN’s online bilingual newspaper.”

Ogaldez, who also has a minor in Spanish-language journalism, said she wanted to improve her communication skills and understanding of the health sector to cross the boundaries she faced during her internships. Ogaldez said she didn’t have any health or science background, which caused some frustrating experiences while working with health professionals as an intern at CNN’s medical unit and at Mayo Clinic’s public affairs unit in Rochester, Minn..

“CSUN provided me with journalistic skills, tools and essentials. From there I’ve been able to obtain prestigious internships and sharpened my skills,” she said. “Now, I’m learning the business, the science and clinical aspects of healthcare through my master’s program, which is really helpful.”

Ogaldez said she aspires to become a public relations professional in the health sector and hopes to see more Latina women in management positions, especially in the areas of healthcare and journalism.

“If you don’t have writers, reporters or people in medicine that are aware of the culture, language and the diseases, it’s hard for someone else from another ethnicity to cater to them, unless they take classes and are culturally competent of the Hispanic community,” she said.

In addition to Ogaldez’s crammed schedule, she started a mentoring program for Latino journalism students through the California Chicano News Media Association in 2013 to support future journalism professionals.

“We pair up Hispanic journalists with students, so they can see that there are successful Hispanics in journalism and management positions,” Ogaldez said. “I don’t have time for myself sometimes, but I make it work. I love what I do and still have fun.”

As a senior baseball player at Azusa Pacific University in 2012, Johnathan Erb blasted a two-run homer over the right-field wall in an exhibition game against the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ single-A affiliate.

Little did Erb — now a California State University, Northridge student in the physical therapy doctorate program — know that four years later, he’d have the opportunity to intern with the Dodgers’ medical staff.

CSUN and the Dodgers established a partnership in 2010 which allows one CSUN physical therapy student to intern with the team’s medical staff in Glendale, Ariz., for eight weeks during spring training.

Erb said he found out about the internship after seeing it advertised on the Department of Physical Therapy website.

“The opportunity to work for the Dodgers was very attractive to me because of my experience with baseball growing up,” Erb said. “It felt like a natural fit.”

CSUN physical therapy professor Aimie Kachingwe said Erb prepared himself for the internship by initiating a research project that examined elbow injuries in baseball players, as well as working with the CSUN baseball team.

“Johnathan fit the mold of what we were looking for in a Dodgers intern perfectly,” Kachingwe said. “He has a love and understanding of the game, having played collegiate baseball as well as at the minor league level.”

After he graduated from Azusa Pacific, Erb briefly played for the Washington Wild Things, an independent professional baseball team based in Washington, Penn.

“Playing for the Wild Things was a great experience, and it was eye-opening to see the rigors of life as a professional baseball player,” Erb said. “It gave me a greater appreciation for what players were going through at spring training.”

Erb’s daily tasks at Dodger spring training, which spanned from the beginning of February through the end of March, included meeting with the medical staff to discuss which players needed rehabbing, doing prep work on the field and tending to the medical needs of the players — and there were a lot of them — who were injured.

“The experience was amazing — there’s no other place I would have rather been,” Erb said. “Working in Major League Baseball is something I always wanted to do. When I wasn’t able to as a player, I wanted to stay involved somehow.”

Helping mentor Erb during his internship was Stephen Smith, who became the team’s physical therapist in 2013.

“[Smith] has helped me a lot by pointing out the intricacies of how to treat a high-level athlete,” Erb said. “I was able to learn a lot just by being around him and seeing how he interacts with the players.”

Smith, who originally joined the Dodgers’ medical staff as a rehabilitation coordinator in January 2012, said that Erb showed great training room etiquette and has the right temperament to work in professional sports.

“Johnathan knows how to interact with the staff and the players on a professional and personal level,” Smith said. “He showed a good feel of when to just be seen and when to be heard.”

Erb said he was never nervous being around all-star talent such as Clayton Kershaw or Joc Pederson because the players were always welcoming and professional.

“It wasn’t at all like they were walking around acting like they were the superstar, even though they obviously were,” Erb said. “The guys were amazing — they were a blast to be around.”

Erb did have some memorable conversations with the players, but he made it clear that the majority of his time was spent making sure the players were healthy and ready to play or practice.

“I got to know the guys who came into the training room, but [the medical staff] has things to do — and of course the players do, too — so it’s not like we sit there and talk for an extended period of time,” Erb said.

Whether Erb, who returned to CSUN on March 30, decides to pursue a career in baseball or not, Kachingwe said it’s clear that the 26-year-old has a very bright future ahead of him.

“Upon graduation, there will be multiple physical therapy clinics wanting to hire him, and many experienced therapists will regard him as an expert in baseball rehabilitation,” she said. “If Johnathan should desire to pursue a career working in baseball, he would be prepared and ready. Any professional team would be lucky to have him on the staff.”

Angie Tagtow, the eExecutive dDirector of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

Angie Tagtow, the executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, will speak on Monday, April 11, at California State University, Northridge about consumer dietary guidelines, at a daylong food and nutrition public policy training and information session.

“Advocating for a Healthy and Sustainable Food Environment,” sponsored by CSUN’s Marilyn Magaram Center for Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics, is free and open to the public. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Presentation Room of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library, located at the heart of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

Tagtow will talk about the role of science in developing the 2015-20 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and how the guidelines and key recommendations are put into action for consumers.

“The event is designed to empower individuals to become effective advocates for sustainable food environments and access, as well as nutrition and community health,” said Annette Besnilian, executive director of the Marilyn Magaram Center.

In addition to Tagtow’s address, the day will offer nutrition advocacy panels and workshops featuring representatives from the Los Angeles community, including the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles Food Policy Council, California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Public Health Institute and the Hunger Action Alliance Coalition, as well as CSUN’s own Institute for Community Health and Wellbeing, the Oviatt Library and the CAMINO project, a federally funded effort to create pathways to healthcare careers for low-income, first-generation Latino students.

CSUN faculty also will speak about the role research plays in the evaluation of public policy. There also will be a live cooking demonstration co-sponsored by CSUN Campus Dining.

“By the end of our workshop, we would like our participants to be able to recognize the different sectors involved in nutrition, food and public health advocacy; identify major food, nutrition and health policies at the federal, state and local levels; and explain how to prepare for, facilitate and follow-up on meetings with policymakers and their staff,” Besnilian said.

Dietetics students will share their experiences visiting the state capitol and meeting with legislators in March. They also will help facilitate a breakout session on how to engage with local, state or national representatives on issues of food and health.

She said she hopes exposure to public policy issues will help all students and professionals — not just those interested in nutrition or health as a career choice — feel more empowered.

“Public policy has an effect on the everyday lives of all people,” Besnilian said. “It’s important to understand that food and nutrition policies affect everyone, everywhere.”

The event also will offer continuing professional education units for dietitians.

The Marilyn Magaram Center is housed in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences in CSUN’s College of Health and Human Development. For more information, please contact the Magaram Center at magaram.center@csun.edu.

Three influential California State University, Northridge alumni took the stage separately at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village on April 16 to give acceptance speeches after receiving one of the university’s highest honors — the Distinguished Alumni Award. Each speech delivered its own distinctive feel.

Opera singer and educator Shigemi Matsumoto’s speech was inspirational. Urban developer and philanthropist James Ring’s was emotional. And financial industry leader and social justice advocate Robert D. Taylor’s was powerful.

CSUN’s 18th-annual Distinguished Alumni Awards was a celebration of achievement and recognition of three Matadors who have brought honor to the university through their work, service and dedication.

The first honoree of the evening was Matsumoto ’68 (Music), who acknowledged her mother in her speech. Matsumoto wore a gold coat that her mother made for her some 40 years ago.

The opera singer, who performed in front of thousands throughout the world and has impacted numerous students as an educator at CSU Long Beach, USC and through private lessons at her home in Northridge, detailed her life story to the nearly 500 people in attendance at the event. She spoke of how her parents, survivors of a Japanese internment camp, adopted her at three months old and helped lift her to great heights through their own sacrifices.

“You cannot imagine how proud I am, as you’ll hear in my speech,” she said earlier in the day. “Nothing makes me more proud than to be able to give. That’s the proudest moment of my life of accomplishment — giving back.”

Ring ’70 (Psychology), ’72 (Urban Studies), who has been one of the most successful urban developers in the greater Los Angeles area and a hero to many — including those in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at CSUN — brought tears to many eyes with his speech and determination. Ring, who was in the hospital battling an illness a week prior to the event, needed the assistance of a walker to get to the podium to deliver his address. He said he wasn’t going to miss this event.

When Ring reached the microphone, he spoke with great strength and pride.

“My love of this university is tremendous,” Ring said. “I must tell you, it gives me great pride to reach out and help my fellow students. I guess I feel like I’m always a student.”

Ring, who created the James H. Ring Professorship in Urban Studies and Planning and the James H. Ring Urban Studies Scholarship through a generous gift, announced at the ceremony that he also would create a scholarship for graduate students.

When he left the stage, Ring’s family walked over and embraced him, tears flowing from his youngest daughter’s eyes. It prompted the night’s emcee, former CSUN Distinguished Alumni Award honoree and CNBC anchor Bill Griffeth, to say, “How’s that for perseverance?”

Then, Griffeth commented that Taylor had a tough act to follow. But Taylor, who has been a leader throughout his career as a private equity investor, financial leader and champion for social justice, spoke with such conviction that Griffeth suggested afterward that Taylor should run for office and that he would vote for him.

Taylor ’82 (Engineering), who was a central figure in restoring ravaged communities after the 1992 LA riots — through his leadership in then-Mayor Tom Bradley’s Rebuild LA initiative — credited his mother, among others, for motivating him to become the person he is.

“Work hard,” Taylor began, relaying the message his mother gave him. “Be graceful. Believe in yourself. Stick together. Don’t complain. Don’t quit. And don’t embarrass me by wasting the sacrifice I made for you.”

He later said: “My life is the American Dream. But CSUN played a vital role in my American Dream.”

On this night, all three honorees were celebrated for living their dreams — and helping so many live theirs as well.