President Thomas A. Parham did not sugarcoat the opening of his virtual 2020 Fall Convocation address. He reminded the more than 300 attendees who logged in to the Sept. 15 virtual meeting of the many unprecedented challenges the nation is currently facing and “the most extraordinary of circumstances” in which the semester began, but also reflected on the resilience the campus community has shown since COVID-19 reshaped the academic world. “Despite all of the chaos and turmoil of our times, I am pleased to report that CSUDH enrollment remains strong,” he said. “Toro Nation continues to grow and prosper, and while the pandemic may have slowed our momentum, the university’s future has never ... Read More
Features
Skye Harris Honored with 2020 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement
CSUDH undergraduate Skye Harris’ educational pathway has not been a traditional one, but she has overcome every obstacle placed in her path and is set to graduate with a degree in sociology in spring 2021. For her hard work and persistence, Harris has been named the California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) recipient of the 2020 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. The award is the California State University’s highest recognition of student achievement, providing annual scholarships to one student on each CSU campus who demonstrates superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service, and financial need. “It's really an honor to be getting ... Read More
Alumna Rhiannon Chavez Named LAUSD Teacher of the Year
Hearing “Mrs. Chavez, we miss you!” from her 4th grade class encouraged Rhiannon Chavez to set up a weekly summer Zoom call to check in with her students. Some have shared their Lego creations, while others just talk about their day. One asked “Can we do this every day?” and she thought, “Wait, this is my summer vacation, too.” Summer had been a welcome break for teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Like her colleagues, Chavez has had to adjust to online teaching methods during the pandemic, and her role at Gardena's 186th Street Elementary School as teacher of the English Learning Development (ELD) class presented unique challenges. Fortunately, the California ... Read More
Cheryl McKnight Honored with CSU’s Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award
In the 1990s, when gang violence in Los Angeles County was at its peak, Cheryl McKnight was a member of the Gang Prevention and Intervention Unit in Long Beach. She helped initiate a truce between the East Side Longos and Insane Crips gangs, resulting in a long-standing peace that remains to this day. She soon became director of the city’s Future Generations Youth Center, where she enabled marginalized youth to take some ownership of the program. In 2007, she joined California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) and used what she learned about empowering to expand experiential learning and service opportunities for students as coordinator for the Center for Service Learning, ... Read More
CSUDH Jumpstart Celebrates 10 Years of Service
Editor's Note: Interviews for this article took place in late 2019. It’s 9 a.m. on a school day, but Paola Gonzalez isn’t in a lecture hall. She’s leading a rapt circle of four-year-olds in a rousing rendition of “Slippery Fish” at the YWCA preschool in Compton. “Slippery fish, slippery fish, gulp gulp gulp,” she sings, wriggling her hands as the children squeal with delight. Gonzalez, a fourth-year theatre arts major at CSUDH, is well experienced in putting on a show. As a team leader for Jumpstart, she has ample opportunity to put those creative skills to good use. Each week, Gonzalez and her team of fellow Jumpstart volunteers plan and deliver an engaging curriculum for local ... Read More
