David W. Scott

David W. Scott, whose operatic voice and directing vision lifted the California State University, Northridge opera program to international acclaim, passed away on Saturday, Aug. 4, after suffering injuries in a car accident. He was 82 years old.

Elizabeth Sellers, chair of the Department of Music, remembered Scott fondly. “He was always kind and sincerely interested in what I was doing,” she said. “I respected all he accomplished, including his ability to work into his 70s and 80s. He truly touched the lives of so many.”

Scott’s stellar reputation followed him to CSUN from Indiana University, where after receiving his master’s and doctoral degrees in music, he performed 15 baritone roles in opera and studied voice with legendary teachers Frank St. Leger, Anna Kaskas and Paul Matthen.

An award-winning singer and director, Scott led the CSUN Opera Theater for 30 years. During that time, he staged more than 125 major opera productions that garnered acclaim throughout the region. Under his direction, the Opera Theater performed in front of the national convention of the National Opera Association and also participated in an operatic exchange program with the Shanghai and Beijing Opera theatres.

As a professor, Scott helped many students achieve their dreams of singing professionally. Many students of Scott’s went on to professional singing careers, including renowned soprano Carol Vaness. On multiple occasions his students advanced from regional Metropolitan Opera auditions, and five won the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Other students have sung with numerous regional, national and international opera companies, including the Paris Opera, Royal Opera at Covent Garden and La Scala.

A memorial service for Scott was held on Aug. 11 at the Northridge United Methodist Church.

The Scott Family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the CSUN Foundation and mailed to: Music Department, MCCAMC, CSUN, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330-8314 (please include the last four digits, as they denote the mail drop). Please write “DAVID SCOTT MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND” in the memo portion of the check to ensure proper crediting of the funds.

Donations may also be made online at www.csun.edu.

Click on “Give” on the far right side of the red navigation bar, and then click on “Give Online!” Where it says, “Direct my gift to,” please click on the down arrow and highlight the “Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.” Then, under “Special Instructions,” please type “Music Scholarship in Memory of David Scott.”

About 9,200 students—including 7,174 bachelor’s, 2,065 master’s and 24 doctoral degree candidates in a total of 64 fields—participated in commencement ceremonies at California State University, Northridge this spring. Graduates of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences stood during the formal opening of their ceremony at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 23 on the Delmar T. Oviatt Library lawn. About 2,386 students graduated from the college this spring.

Marketing professor Brian Connett leads the procession of faculty at the commencement ceremony of the College of Business and Economics on May 24 carrying the university mace. The mace was presented to Cal State Northridge by the Bibliographic Society of CSUN (precursor to the Friends of the Library) during the 25th anniversary of the university. The soaring bird atop the staff symbolizes academic freedom, while the silver marks the silver anniversary of CSUN.

Alumnus, business executive and former U.S. Census Bureau Director Vincent Barabba ’62 (Marketing) accepts an honorary doctor of laws degree during the College of Business and Economics’ commencement ceremony. Vice President of Student Affairs William Watkins ’74 (Urban Studies) William Jennings, dean of the College of Business and Economics (far right) make the presentation. Barabba was among 1,573 conferred degrees during the ceremony.

Graduates in the College of Health and Human Development stood to cheer during their May 22 commencement ceremony. Some 1,611 students, including 1,288 undergraduates and 323 graduate students, were eligible to graduate from the college this spring.

Hundreds of family and friends attended graduation ceremonies at Cal State Northridge this spring. In this picture, the audience looks intensely during the College of Health and Human Development commencement ceremonies on May 22 on the Delmar T. Oviatt Library lawn.

Interim President Harry Hellenbrand addressed graduates at the May 21 Honors Convocation. The Honors Convocation recognizes outstanding graduating students who are distinguished based on academic or personal achievement.

Graduates of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication blow bubbles in celebration of their May 22 commencement ceremony.

Students from the College of Science and Mathematics applaud during graduation ceremonies on May 22 on the Manzanita Hall Lawn. About 400 students participated in the ceremony this spring.

Students distinguished themselves in a crowd and celebrated graduation with decorative caps. A student in the College of Humanities displays a “Superman” logo prominently on her mortarboard. About 1,035 students graduated from the college this spring.

Rebecca Mieliwocki '96 (Secondary English Education) delivers the keynote address at the Michael D. Eisner College of Education commencement on May 24. Earlier in 2012, Mieliwocki was recognized at the White House by President Barack Obama as the National Teacher of the Year for her exemplary work at Luther Burbank Middle School.

A graduate of the College of Engineering and Computer Science—one of the 554 students eligible to graduate from the college this year—looks back during commencement ceremonies on May 23.

CSUN Chief of Police Anne P. Glavin.

Anne P. Glavin, California State University, Northridge’s chief of police and director of police services, was recently sworn in as the 55th president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators.

Sworn in on June 19 by IACLEA’s outgoing President Paul V. Verrecchia, assistant vice president and chief of police at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Glavin will serve a one-year term of office starting immediately. She was installed on the last day of the organization’s annual conference and exposition in Reno, Nev.

“I am truly honored to serve IACLEA in this role and to represent CSUN,” Glavin said. “I am grateful for all the support of the university and my staff. To be in a position to represent all of college and university public safety on a national and international stage is both daunting, challenging and exciting.”

Tom McCarron ’77 (Accounting), vice president for administration and finance, called Glavin a “skilled leader” who will serve IACLEA with distinction as she has as chief of police at California State University, Northridge.

Glavin has a distinguished 38-year career in campus public safety and has blazed a trail for female campus police executives in the United States. On July 31, 2002, she was appointed as the first woman chief of police at California State University, Northridge. Prior to coming to Cal State Northridge, Glavin served as chief of police at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. She served for 27 years in the MIT Police Department, holding all ranks and serving as the chief of police for her last 13 years at the university—the first woman to serve as chief at MIT. In 1987, when she assumed the position, Glavin became the first female chief of a major university department in the country. In 2001, she was promoted to director of public safety in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Treasurer.

Glavin is recognized for her work in sexual assault prevention and women’s self defense. She is the author of an MIT booklet, Acquaintance Rape: The Silent Epidemic, and was recognized in 1996 with a Susan B. Anthony Award presented by Rape Aggression Defense System program. She is a past president of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives and past president of the Massachusetts Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. She is also a former commissioner for the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission and a former chair of IACLEA’s Accreditation Standards Committee. She earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Wheaton College in Norton, Mass., and a master’s degree in education from Boston University.

IACLEA is an association that advances campus public safety for its more than 1,200 educational institution members and 2,000 individual members by providing educational resources, advocacy and professional development services. IACLEA is led by a board of directors and managed by a professional staff with headquarters in West Hartford, Conn.

—Shanté Morgan

Evelyn McClave

“She is so lively and makes the material fun,” said a former English 302 student.

“She will inspire you to really learn the material,” added a student in English 301.

These are just a few of the consistently glowing reviews students have posted on ratemyprofessor.com—the highest-trafficked college professor ratings site in the United States—about Evelyn McClave, professor of English and linguistics and the coordinator of the Linguistics/TESL program at California State University, Northridge.

Her history of highly complimentary feedback on the website is what helped McClave recently secure a spot in The Princeton Review’s first comprehensive guidebook to America’s top undergraduate professors, “The Best 300 Professors,” released in April by Random House/Princeton Review.

Using extensive survey data to compile an initial list of 1,000 candidates, The Princeton Review partnered with ratemyprofessor.com to help find professors who have made a lasting impact on the lives of their students. Editors combined additional input from students and school administrators with data from The Princeton Review’s surveys of professors under consideration to make final selections.

“I’m grateful to my students who have said nice things about me,” McClave said. “I love them for that. I love them period, but I’m surrounded by great teachers. I see them. I know them. I know their level of dedication.”

She humbly likens the accolade to a “Greatest Mom in the World” award.

“It’s why Hallmark can make 15,000 Mother’s Day cards—because everyone thinks they have the greatest mom in the world,” she laughed. “I’m grateful to be on the list, but I’m very aware that this is arbitrary and that there are fabulous professors all over. How can you pick the best 300? It’s like picking the best 300 mothers. It’s impossible.”

Her history of glowing student-offered reviews on ratemyprofessor.com also led to a ranking of 13 on the website’s 2010-2011 list of top 25 professors at universities across the United States.

McClave insists she’s just doing her job.

“I think teaching is a privilege,” she said. “I tell my students that teaching is a sacred profession. It really is a privilege to teach people … to be able to go out and convey knowledge. And it’s not just one way. I think all the good teachers know that there’s knowledge coming back the other way. Students are asking questions, pointing out fallacies in hypotheses and finding data that doesn’t support current theories. They don’t always recognize that. You as the professor may be the one who says, ‘Hey wait a minute, you have something there.’

“It’s about being able to nurture, and model, and convey confidence and say, ‘You can do it.’ It’s giving them a feeling that they can walk on water or move mountains if they want to.”

McClave, who has a bachelor’s in English from St. Bonaventure University in New York; a master’s in Germanic languages and literature from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and a Ph.D. in linguistics from Georgetown University, began her teaching career as a teaching assistant while studying at the University of Michigan.

Her love of languages expanded to American Sign Language in 1981 when, although she did not know the language at the time, she was hired to teach German to deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.

“They stuck us in the woods in West Virginia for a week, and we were forbidden to talk,” McClave recalled. “That was our introduction, and then we came back for a whole summer of intensive language work—eight hours a day—in American Sign Language.”

While at Gallaudet, she became interested in studying the manual movements made by hearing non-signers. She became part of what was, at the time, a small group of linguists, psychologists and anthropologists studying spontaneous gesture. Her research has focused on gesture in the context of speech and what the movements reveal about cognitive processes.

“There’s really nothing about linguistics that doesn’t fascinate me,” said McClave.

McClave joined the CSUN community in 1992 and is as complimentary of the students as they are of her.

“We have an incredibly dedicated faculty and staff, and fantastic students,” she said. “They’re working, raising families, supporting parents; they’re remarkable here. They have such boundless energy. It’s amazing. It’s a privilege to teach, and it’s a privilege to teach at CSUN because of the students.”

—Stephanie Colman

Dr. Mack Johnson. Photo by Lee Choo.

Dr. Mack Johnson, associate vice president for Graduate Studies, Research and International Programs and professor of biology at California State University, Northridge, passed away on June 6.

“This is a very difficult and painful loss for the university and for me personally,” said Harry Hellenbrand, Cal State Northridge’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “The university has lost a dedicated and effective administrator who advocated for international relationships and students, graduate programs and research. His career spans an era during which the university has undergone tremendous growth and a significant rise in its profile. He changed and moved forward with the campus without ever forgetting the core values of service and commitment this institution were founded on. I speak for his many friends and colleagues on campus and the community when I say he will be greatly missed both professionally and personally.”

Johnson, appointed to his position in 1988 by then-President James Cleary, was a respected administrator and advocate for students who wished to pursue graduate studies. He also was an internationalist who provided support and encouragement for international students, visiting scholars from other countries and international faculty who taught at Cal State Northridge. As a proponent for strong partnerships with universities and colleges overseas and international exchange programs, he helped establish more than 50 cooperative agreements between Cal State Northridge and overseas institutions. He was responsible for overseeing nearly 60 master’s degree programs and one educational doctorate program and a doctorate in physical therapy program that had more than 6,000 post baccalaureate and graduate students enrolled. He also was responsible for the management of research projects and grants totaling more than $26 million.

Johnson arrived at Cal State Northridge with an extensive background in teaching, research and academic administration. His research interests and publications focused on autoimmune diseases and immunopathologic mechanisms involved in diseases caused by infectious agents. He conducted his teaching and research in the U.S. and overseas, including at the world-renowned International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases in Kenya and the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in the Sudan and Kenya. He also gave lectures at CSUN’s sister universities in China.

He received a baccalaureate degree in biology from Virginia Union University, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Tuskegee University and a doctorate in veterinary and comparative pathology from Washington State University. He served as a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow while pursuing his Ph.D. degree. He held faculty positions at Tuskegee University, University of California, Davis and Washington State prior to arriving at Cal State Northridge. He spent a year as an American Council on Education Fellow in Academic Administration prior to entering higher education administration. At the time of his appointment at CSUN, he was associate vice provost of the Graduate School at Washington State University and on the graduate faculty of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Other administrative appointments include associate dean and project development officer for the graduate school at Washington State.

Johnson is survived by his wife, Gail, and two adult children: Traci and Christopher. A university memorial service will be held on Tuesday, June 19, from 1–3 p.m. in the University Student Union, Northridge Center. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the CSUN Foundation to support the Mack I. Johnson Graduate Research Awards.

—Shanté Morgan

From left, Rebecca Mieliwocki (courtesy of CCSSO) and Vincent Barabba (photo by Lee Choo).

America’s 2012 Teacher of the Year Rebecca Mieliwocki, Amgen executive Nicholas Timinskas, telecommu­nications entrepreneur Paul Jennings and business executive and former U.S. Census Bureau Director Vincent Barabba, all CSUN alumni, are among the dignitaries who will address California State University, Northridge students when they graduate later this month.

An estimated 9,263 students—about 7,174 bachelor’s, 2,065 master’s and 24 doctoral degree candidates in a total of 64 fields—are eligible to take part in the ceremonies scheduled to begin the evening of Monday, May 21, with the university’s Honors Convocation.

“Commencement is a time when students, their friends and families, and the greater campus community join together to celebrate a significant milestone in the lives of our students,” said Cal State Northridge Interim President Harry Hellenbrand. “We do so using the pomp and circumstance that are a traditional part of graduation, but the ceremonies also have plenty of spontaneity and moments of genuine emotion that reflect the unique character of the graduating class and its students.”

“Given the challenges that our public universities face in one of the most difficult fiscal environments in generations, this year’s commencement is particularly poignant and calls attention to the importance of higher education in our society,” Hellenbrand said.

The graduation celebration begins at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 21, with the Honors Convocation on the lawn in front of the Delmar T. Oviatt Library, located in the heart of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge. About 1,600 graduating students have been invited to participate. All graduation celebrations are open to the public.

This year’s convocation speaker is Hellenbrand, who has served as Northridge’s interim president since December, when former CSUN President Jolene Koester retired. Dianne F. Harrison, president of CSU Monterey Bay, will be assuming the permanent position in June.

Hellenbrand was appointed CSUN provost and vice president for academic affairs in 2004. He is the former dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where he also taught. Hellenbrand was also a professor at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and California State University, San Bernardino. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and American literature from Harvard College and a doctorate in modern thought and literature from Stanford University.

Computer science alumnus Nicholas Timinskas will address the graduates during the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s ceremony, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23, on Manzanita Hall lawn.

Timinskas, who earned a bachelor’s degree from CSUN in 2009, is the global commercial operations information systems portfolio manager and project manager for breakawayfromcancer.com. Founded in 2005 by Amgen, breakawayfromcancer.com is a national initiative to increase awareness of important resources available to people affected by cancer—from prevention through survivorship.

Telecommunications entrepreneur Paul Jennings, who graduated from Northridge with a degree in marketing in 1985, will give the commencement address during the ceremony for the College of Business and Economics, which begins at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 24, on the Oviatt Library lawn.

Jennings has been in the telecommu­nications industry since 1983. He has founded, developed and successfully built; operated; and sold various technology companies, including an industry leader in the provisioning of inmate correctional telephone services throughout the country. Concurrent to operating technology companies, in 1994 Jennings formed PCS Development, which has become an active real estate developer in Southern California. Jennings has built, managed and owned more than 4,000 multifamily units. PCS Development currently has a portfolio of land assets that are in various stages of development in Park City, Utah, as well as a planned resort community in Mexico.

Business executive and former U.S. Census Bureau Director Vincent Barabba, who received his bachelor’s degree in 1962 from what was then San Fernando Valley State College, will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree during the ceremony.

Barabba has had a long career in public and private service. Most recently, he was a member of the California Citizens’ Redistricting Commission and is serving as chairman of The State of the USA, a prominent nonprofit organi­zation dedicated to helping the American people assess the nation’s progress based on unbiased information. He was appointed director of the U.S. Census Bureau by President Richard Nixon in 1973, by President Gerald Ford in 1974 and by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. He also has held executive positions at Xerox, Eastman Kodak and General Motors. Barabba was recognized by the university in 2003 as a distin­guished alumnus.

National Teacher of the Year for 2012, Rebecca Mieliwocki, will address the graduates during the ceremony for the Michael D. Eisner College of Education at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, on the Oviatt Library lawn.

Mieliwocki, who received her credential in secondary English education from Northridge in 1996, teaches English to seventh-graders at Luther Burbank Middle School in the Burbank Unified School District and was one of California’s five 2012 Teachers of the Year. She was selected as the 2012 National Teacher of the Year, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious teaching honor, last month and was feted at the White House by President Barack Obama.

—Carmen Ramos Chandler

Cal State Northridge Interim President Harry Hellenbrand and Shanghai Normal University Dean Cong Li (both seated) sign an agreement to launch the “3+1+1” master’s in music program. From left: (standing) Elizabeth Sellers, music department chair; Maureen Rubin, associate dean of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication; Robert Bucker, dean of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication; Mack Johnson, associate vice president of graduate studies; Katherine Baker, music professor and director of CSUN’s Women’s Chorale; and Justin Su, director of CSUN’s China Institute and professor of Educational Leadership. Photo by Lee Choo.

Representatives from California State University, Northridge’s Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication signed an agreement this week that will allow students at Shanghai Normal University (SHNU) to complete an accelerated master’s degree in music.

The program, which is called “3+1+1,” will begin this fall. It is exclusively for students in the Music College at SHNU who qualify for con­ditional enrollment in the Department of Music’s graduate program.

“This kind of a partnership is very enriching for our own students and faculty,” said Robert Bucker, dean of the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication. “The introduction into our community of more international students just gives our youngsters a better sense of what the competition is around the world.

“In the arts, we work in a business that’s not just about the region. It’s about the international community,” he said.

Shanghai Normal University is one of more than 40 “sister” relationships Cal State Northridge has with Chinese universities and government entities. Shanghai Normal University has had a relationship with CSUN for more than 20 years, hosting the Women’s Chorale, jazz band and theater students. Visiting scholars from SHNU have come to Cal State Northridge, and CSUN administrators and faculty have gone to China.

The 3+1+1 program is one of several degree program agreements between CSUN and SHNU. The College of Business and Economics and the Department of Art have undergraduate programs that allow Shanghai Normal University students to earn a bachelor’s degree through a combination of courses taken in China and at CSUN.

“One of the most important goals of Chinese education is to be international,” said Cong Li, dean of the Music College at SHNU, through an interpreter. “Music is without borders. We are really happy to develop this relationship.”

Li said Cal State Northridge has “one of the best” music programs in the United States. He said this is the second educational exchange program approved by SHNU. A year ago, they signed a 2+3 agreement with a Russian university to allow Chinese students to earn a bachelor’s degree and master’s in music through work in both countries.

Shanghai Normal University will begin the process of admission into the program when freshmen are accepted into the university. At that time, SHNU faculty will recruit promising students, enroll them in intensive English language classes and supervise the application process. CSUN faculty will first become involved in the audition process at the conclusion of the freshman year. Each year, a cohort of between 20 and 25 SHNU freshmen who pass the audition will be conditionally accepted into the program.

The summer before the SHNU student’s senior year, the student can opt to take a summer classes at the Tseng College in “Summer English and Cultural Experience” to help them transition to the campus and Southern California culture. Students in the 3+1+1 program must pass an approved English profi­ciency exam prior to admission. Shanghai Normal University students are respon­sible for all tuition, living expenses and other costs associated with the program. The first cohort is expected to arrive at CSUN in the fall of 2014 and graduate with a master’s degree in 2016.

Katherine Baker, director of CSUN’s Women’s Chorale and one of the music faculty traveling to China this summer to audition freshman students for the program, said this is a wonderful oppor­tunity for students at both universities.

“This is an opportunity for them to make great friends and scholars that will be part of their network,” said Baker, who has traveled to China with the Women’s Choral.

—Shanté Morgan

Stacia Short-Baguio. Photo by Jenny Donaire.

Stacia Short-Baguio thought she was done with education when she dropped out of high school at 17. She had always been a bright student, but the chaos in her life was hectic. Her single, teenage mom had a hard time keeping a roof over their heads and provided little support. She needed stability and a job.

Short-Baguio left high school five units short of her diploma. She began working in the garment district in downtown Los Angeles. Her talent was recognized, and she was recruited to work in sales at a retail apparel boutique. She quickly moved up the ladder, overseeing a network of 23 stores across six districts. But she was keeping a secret and knew something was missing.

“The shame of not graduating high school continued to torment me,” Short-Baguio said. “I kept it a secret.”

At 39, Short-Baguio had a child and decided it was time to “reinvent” herself. She enrolled at Pierce College and finished her two remaining high school classes to earn her diploma. In the spring of 2009, she had hopes of transferring to UCLA, but tragedy struck. Her husband was hospitalized, and she had to reduce her class load. She didn’t have enough units to transfer.

“I was distraught,” Short-Baguio said. However, after some research, she found out she was eligible to transfer to California State University, Northridge.

Today, the 44-year-old communications studies major said coming to Cal State Northridge was the best decision. Inspired by her professors, Short-Baguio immersed herself in campus life, both academically and through activism, serving as vice president of the Gender and Women’s Studies Student Association and volunteering at the Women’s Resource and Research Center. She also served as a production intern for the “Dr. Phil” show. Her paper on Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign was accepted for the 2011 Undergraduate Scholars Conference. She was one of only 30 undergraduates chosen to participate in that conference. These accomplishments are the reason Short-Baguio has been selected the 2012 Wolfson Scholar.

“I connected with the instructors and developed relationships,” Short-Baguio said. “I feel that I got recognition that has propelled my success.”

Short-Baguio will be among approximately 1600 students recognized during the university’s Honors Convocation ceremony at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 21. She is one of CSUN’s outstanding graduating seniors. The award is presented each year in memory of Cal State Northridge’s first vice president, Leo Wolfson. Not only must the student have an exceptional academic record, but he or she must also have made significant contributions to CSUN or to the community through co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Short-Baguio has a 3.93 GPA.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude in December 2011 with a degree in communication studies and a minor in gender and women’s studies. The resident of Woodland Hills credits CSUN professors for helping her “embrace” and appreciate the good qualities about being an older and returning student. She said they also helped her find her passion.

“My life experience allowed me to mentor younger people and advocate for social change,” Short-Baguio said. She said as a peer educator at Joint Advocates for Disordered Eating (JADE), she was able to arm college students with valuable knowledge about eating disorders, media literacy and body image.

“She is at the top of the list of intelligent, engaged and well-rounded human beings with whom I have had the privilege to work, learn and teach,” wrote communication studies professor Kathryn Sorrells, in her assessment of Short-Baguio.

In addition to being the mother of an 8-year-old, Short-Baguio said she is busy researching graduate school options.

“I am a first-generation college graduate, and I’m proud of that,” Short-Baguio said. “It’s never too late to pursue a dream.”

Other 2012 Outstanding Graduating Senior Award Winners:

Alicia Ana Ayala, of Venice, is the recipient of the Karen, Leon, and Rita Goldstein-Saulter Memorial Award. She is a psychology and child and adolescent development double major who has maintained a 3.40 GPA. Ayala, a recipient of the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Scholarship and the National Institute of Mental Health Undergraduate Honors Fellow, is a well-rounded student who maintained a rigorous and advanced course load. She was a research assistant under Gabriela Chavira, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, and a member of the student organization “Hermanas Unidas.” Ayala has been committed to volunteering with community organizations such as Relay for Life, AIDS Walk, Day of the Child, Meeting Each Need with Dignity (MEND) and Adelante Hombres Youth Summit. After overcoming countless adversities and disparities, Ayala aspires to be a developmental psychologist who aims to enhance the health and well-being of individuals within the community. “(My) motivation stems from past experiences as well as future capabilities,” she said. In the fall, Ayala will pursue a master’s degree in human development and social intervention at New York University.

Marissa Colangelo, of Northridge, is the recipient of the CSUN Foundation Award. She is a child and adolescent development major who has attained a 3.56 GPA. Colangelo, who has been accepted to both Columbia University and the University of Southern California masters of social work programs, has a love for volunteer and social work. She has successfully managed to balance a 35-hour work schedule while maintaining involvement as a peer mentor in the Professional Pathways, Careers in Child and Adolescent Development class; Monday Night Missions; and the Middle School Diversity Project (MSDP). In addition, Colangelo presented research at the 11th Annual Psi Chi Whittier Undergraduate Research Conference and the 21st Annual UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference. Despite her achievements, Colangelo has overcome adversity by becoming the first person in her family to attend a four-year university. She has decided to attend Columbia. Her career goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker working with students with special needs.

Swapna Pawar, of Northridge, is the recipient of the CSUN Foundation Award. She is an electrical engineering major who has maintained a 3.92 GPA. A student of academic distinction, Pawar has consecutively been on the dean’s list since 2007. She is the recipient of several scholarships, including the Nirmal Mishra Engineering Annual Scholarship (2007–2012), the Solid State Microwave Engineering Annual Scholarship (2010–2011), the Pradip and Rekha Choksi Endowment in Engineering and Computer Science Scholarship (2011–2012), and the Northridge Scholars Program Recipient (2010–2012). Pawar has successively demonstrated academic excellence throughout her undergraduate career. In addition to maintaining high academic standards, she has maintained a successful career as a collegiate athlete. She was a member of CSUN’s women’s tennis team and a nationally ranked lawn tennis player in India. Pawar tutored students in the Department of Mathematics as well as participated in other extracurricular activities, including her participation with the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers HKN Etta Kappa Nu Chapter. During her senior year, Pawar obtained an internship at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, along with other extracurricular activities. Upon graduation, Pawar plans to work as an engineer and eventually return to school to earn an MBA.

Zachary Roof, of Northridge, is the recipient of the Karen, Leon, and Rita Goldstein-Saulter Memorial Award. He is an economics major who has maintained a 3.75 GPA. He credits both the University Student Union and the Department of Economics for helping him achieve success. During most of his time at Cal State Northridge, Roof has been actively involved at the University Student Union. He started as a member of the Finance Committee, has served on the USU Board of Directors and was elected in 2011 as vice-chair of the USU Board of Directors. He was a member of the Business Honors Association in the College of Business and Economics. Through the association, he has tutored numerous students and developed himself professionally. Roof said he “credits” CSUN for giving him an opportunity to challenge himself. He has been accepted into Johns Hopkins University’s nursing program. He is considering a career either as a psychiatric or anesthesia nurse and plans to pursue a doctorate in nursing.

Outstanding Graduating Veteran Award Winner:

Marco Antonio Duarte, of Northridge, is a cinema and television arts major, with an emphasis in multimedia, who has achieved a 3.42 GPA. After high school, Duarte joined the U.S. Marines Corps. He was meritoriously promoted three times. Determined to get a college education, Duarte would take satellite college courses when he had a spare moment. Upon his honorable discharge from the Marines, Duarte continued to pursue his education, eventually earning an associate’s degree from a community college before transferring to Northridge in 2009. While at CSUN, he often served as a mentor to fellow students. He completed his studies last fall and within a month landed a job in the film industry.

—Shanté Morgan

César Soto. Photo by Lee Choo.

For César Soto, failure is not defeat. Rather, failing is an opportunity to learn and grow. “All the obstacles I’ve faced have only made me better,” he said.

Soto, 32, grew up as one of eight children in a working-class family in Pacoima, where the kind of hard work you do with your hands was valued. An avid reader, Soto said he felt “different.” When he dropped out of school in the 10th grade and took on a series of menial jobs, Soto continued to read on the sly, concerned that his passion for literature wasn’t “macho” enough.

“Where I grew up, what it meant to be a male did not include the love of reading,” he said, adding that his parents, who obtained a grade-school education and were concerned abut their family’s survival, didn’t know how to support their son’s passion.

Soto recognized that manual work was not what he wanted to do all his life and applied to Valley College, but he ended up failing his classes and dropping out.

“I just wasn’t ready yet, but I knew that college was something I wanted to do,” he said.

After a couple of years, he returned to Valley College. This time, he aced his classes and set his sights on a four-year university: Cal State Northridge. He reached out to CSUN’s Educational Opportunities Program director, Jose Luis Vargas, who exchanged emails with Soto, offering him advice and encouragement.

“You know, I think I only met the man once, but his support and encouragement in those emails made all the difference,” Soto said.

Soto transferred to Northridge with the goal of becoming a doctor. But after struggling in a couple of biology classes, he realized that medicine was not for him. It was while fulfilling an English major core requirement, Literary Theory, that Soto found his “calling.”

“I did really well, and I realized this is what I loved,” he said.

Soto switched his major to Honors English, and his grades took off. He earned his bachelor’s degrees in English and Chicana/o Studies from Cal State Northridge in 2007 and remained at CSUN to earn his master’s in English, which he is receiving this year. His emphasis is British Romanticism.

Soto is this year’s Nathan O. Freedman Outstanding Graduate Student award recipient. He will be among several students recognized during the university’s Honors Convocation ceremony at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 21. The award is presented to a CSUN graduate student who shows the best record of distinguished scholarship, has a minimum GPA of 3.5 and has made significant contributions to their field of study.

Soto has a grade point average of 3.81.

Soto’s time at CSUN has not been entirely immersed in books. He spent three years as a residential advisor, four years as a tutor in the Chicana/o Studies Writing Center and the past two years as a teaching associate in the English department, a privilege awarded few graduate students.

For the past few weeks, Soto had been weighing offers from all seven schools to which he applied for doctoral studies. He chose the University of Notre Dame, where his doctoral research will focus on the similarities between the revolutionary aspects of the works by British Romantic authors and Chicana/o literature of the 1960s and 1970s.

He has also been awarded a Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, which includes an annual stipend of $20,000 for three years of doctoral work. Of the more than 1,300 people who applied, only 60 received fellowships.

Soto is among several graduate students who received prestigious awards this year. Four graduate students have been selected to receive the Association of Retired Faculty Memorial Award. The award recognizes and provides financial support to graduate students for excellent scholarship and creative activity. The award will support a project that is part of a master’s program. The determining factors for the award are based on a record of GPA of 3.5 and contributions to the field.

Following are the 2012 ARF Memorial Award recipients.

Andres Aguilar, of Valley Glen, is a linguistics major who has a GPA of 4.0. His project, “A Phonological Analysis of Contemporary Nahuatl,” focuses on a modern dialect of Nahuatl, an indigenous language from Mexico. His project will document and describe the phonology, or sound system, of a contemporary variety of Nahuatl. To do so, he will work with speakers of the language and audio record data for analysis.

Aguilar’s faculty supervisor is Tineke (Christina) Scholten. In her letter of recommendation, she said Aguilar has the potential to become an “outstanding scholar in the field who is willing to give back.” Aguilar expects to graduate with his master’s degree in linguistics in the spring of 2013 and plans to pursue a doctorate with the ultimate goal of teaching at a college or university.

Olga Kramarova, of Tarzana, is a psychology major who has a GPA of 3.92. Her project, “Cognition and Kinesiology: A Dual-Strategy Approach to Learning Dance Choreography,” explores the efficiency of dance video games and suggests ways to improve their efficiency. Kramarova’s project investigates dance video game manufacturers’ claims that buyers can “learn real-life dance moves,” and then introduces several professional dance choreography techniques that she believes might improve the quality of dance video games. The first part of the experiment introduces and tests the effects of a strategic tutorial, which was created based on findings from previous dance-education research. The strategy focuses on the techniques of organization and counting. Kramarova’s faculty supervisor is Scott Plunkett. In his letter of recommendation, he called Kramarova an “intelligent, creative, personable and friendly person.” Kramarova is graduating and plans to pursue a career in the industry of human factors and continue doing research and improving the use of technology products.

Michael Schram, of Simi Valley, is a biology major who has a GPA of 4.0. His project, “The Effects of Size-Selective Harvesting on an Unexploited Protogynous Temperate Reef Fish, Rhinogobiops Nicholsii,” will investigate the direct effects of size-selective harvesting on protogynous species of fish. Controlled, manipulative studies on the effects of harvesting on protogynous hermaphrodites have not been conducted. Manipulative studies on most harvested species are difficult because of those species’ large size, mobility and late maturity. Schram’s faculty supervisor is Mark Steele. In his letter of recommendation, Steele said Schram is a good student who has proposed an “interesting and valuable study.” Schram expects to graduate in 2014. He would like to apply to a doctoral program and continue his research in marine fish ecology.

Veronica Valadez, of Ventura, is a Chicana/o Studies major who has a GPA of 4.0. Her project, “Dancing Codices: Danza Azteca and Mesoamerican Body Art,” explores and illustrates present-day manifestations of the Aztec dance tradition and Mesoamerican body art, and their connection to the development of Chicanos’ indigenous identities through written research and a creative project composed of photography and paintings. This research will reflect the aesthetics and powerful visions of indigenous resistance evident in the Aztec dance tradition displayed in an exhibition of artwork. Valadez’s faculty supervisor is Yrenia Cervantez. In her letter of recommendation, Cervantez said Valadez is one of the most motivated individuals she knows. She described Valadez as “energetic, focused and hardworking.” Valadez is graduating and plans to publish her thesis. In addition, she would like to pursue a doctorate or Master of Fine Arts and teach Chicana/o Studies at a college or university.

—Carmen Ramos Chandler and Shanté Morgan

Photo by Lee Choo.

Grab your sunscreen and your swimsuits! As the Los Angeles temperature approaches triple digits, what better way to spend lunch on a hot summer day than by taking a cool and relaxing dip in the Plaza Pool?

The Plaza Pool will be open this summer, a convenience for faculty, staff, alumni, students and the public. Individuals who have a membership to the Student Recreation Center can enjoy the Plaza Pool for free. The Plaza Pool is an alternative to the Rec Pool at the new SRC.

For those without a membership to the SRC, you can purchase a day pass to the Plaza Pool for $2 or 10 passes for $18. Faculty, staff and alumni have the added choice of purchasing a summer membership to the SRC for $98, which includes access to the center and the Rec Pool. The discounted rate is good from May 28 through Aug. 25 and is prorated by the day.

The Plaza Pool’s summer hours are Monday­ through Friday from 7–9 a.m. and 4–7 p.m., May 26 through Aug. 26. The pool is closed weekends, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Aug. 20–24.

The Plaza Pool is located on the east side of campus in the University Student Union next to the PUB Sports Grill.

Lunch Break is an occasional series about activities on campus that faculty and staff can do during a one-hour timeframe to improve health and wellness.

—Lauren Glazer