Christopher Carson once found himself on a dangerous trajectory. He was born and raised on 107th Street and South Vermont Avenue, an area long acquainted with gang culture and the violence that accompanies it. “It’s what you’re used to when you live with it,” says Carson. “It’s what you know.” In 2016, a court convicted Carson of attempted murder and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. But for the steadfast love of family and friends, and the timely intervention of unexpected mentors, Carson might have succumbed to the hopelessness of the prison industrial complex and come to believe that he would only ever be defined by his mistakes. Instead, he joined some 4,400 other students on ... Read More
Benefactors Give Big to College of Ed in Annual Scholarships for Aspiring Educators
The distribution of scholarships each year by the College of Education (COE) demonstrates the generosity of CSUDH’s many benefactors, but it also reinforces the university’s commitment to education and to the training of our next generation of educators. “We’re awarding more than 40 scholarships today, totaling more than $100,000,” said Jessica Pandya, dean of the COE, during opening remarks at an awards ceremony on April 27. “In the current context, with the state budget as it is and with rising tuition costs, these dollars are so critical to our students’ success.” Thomas A. Parham, President of CSUDH, gave a warm welcome to student recipients and their parents, as well as the many ... Read More
Famed Writer Delivers a Lesson in Courage, Calls for New Voices to Rise
J. Michael Straczynski doesn’t much care for rules. As a student at San Diego State University, he risked expulsion by bluffing his way into two writing courses taught by celebrated writer and educator Norman Corwin. Straczynski didn’t get expelled, and Corwin became a lifelong friend and cherished mentor. But he understood the risks, and therein lies an important lesson. “In order to be any kind of creative person, you have to be willing to push outward and engage with the world in ways that sometimes break the system,” Straczynski told students and faculty during his 2024 Patricia Eliet Memorial Lecture at the LSU ballroom on April 11. “When you do that, strange and wonderful things ... Read More
Mental Health Takes Center Stage at Town Hall
CSUDH welcomed U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and the Born This Way Foundation (BTW) to campus on Feb. 22 for a Gen Now Youth Town Hall on mental health. The event brought together youth mental health advocates, students, faculty, and administrators for a panel discussion on ways to better identify the mental health needs of young people and improve the quality and availability of services in the spaces where they’re most needed. Butler was appointed to the Senate in October 2023 by Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Dianne Feinstein. Since her appointment, she has conducted listening sessions with young people across the state on ... Read More
Staff Spotlight: Alex Oliva
Women earn only about one-fifth of the engineering degrees awarded by universities each year in the United States, according to data from the National Science Foundation. Cultivating an interest in engineering at a much earlier age is often touted as an effective way to bridge the gender gap. That’s how it worked for Alex Oliva, the only female building service engineer (BSE) on the CSUDH campus and one of the few across the entire CSU system. “I’ve always loved working with my hands and figuring out how things work,” says the 30-year-old Oliva, the eldest of three daughters. “My dad told all of us growing up that we should never have to rely on a man to do things for us. So, I was ... Read More
