When alumna Suzette Mitchell visited her tribe’s reservation as a child, the children weren’t allowed to play with her. “Some even called me the n-word,” she said. Her grandmother was Goshute—a western branch of the Shoshone nation—and was ostracized after being the first in the tribe to marry an African American, a similar fate her mother shared after being stereotyped as a half-breed. Mitchell’s family experienced what many African-Native American individuals who stand on the border between two worlds do; they are often not readily accepted as Native American, and misunderstood as bi-racial persons with dual social identities. “It was very unpopular to marry a Black man back then. ... Read More
Features
Graduate Tiffany Hall Finds an Angel in Uniform
There was a time when Tiffany Hall did all she could to avoid Long Beach Police Officer Jim Foster, even frantically knocking on the door of a stranger’s home pleading “Help me, the police are coming. Can I go out your back door?” She got away, that time. Run-ins with Foster were the norm for Hall in the early 2000s when she was on the streets and addicted to crack cocaine and PCP, but the usual outcome placed her in handcuffs cursing and pleading to be released from the back of his cruiser on the way to the police station. Clean for nine years, Hall was greeted by Lieutenant Foster on May 18 not with cuffs, but with a hug. After shaking the hand of California State University, ... Read More
Cambria Rodriguez Takes 1st at Statewide Student Research Competition
Walking through the “Becoming Los Angeles” exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles where she works, Cambria Rodriguez came across a small box labeled “Dead Man’s Island: Demolished in 1929,” which contained several artifacts. Intrigued, Rodriguez, a history major who graduates with her bachelor’s degree this spring, began looking into the history of the tiny island at the entrance of San Pedro Harbor. The former island whose ominous name was given for the human remains buried there in the 1800s, was demolished to make way for the expansion of Los Angeles Harbor because many sea-going vessels had run ashore on the island. “I thought ‘What? There was an island there?’ When I ... Read More
Hilary Dayag’s Research Takes on Complex Healthcare Issues
Hilary Valenova Dayag has pushed his research and other academic endeavors far beyond what is typically expected of a college student. A passion for seeking solutions for issues related to healthcare, diversity, and inclusivity, Dayag, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) student at California State University, Dominguez Hills, has delved deep into such complex topics as the economic impact of counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs on the medical supply chain and how to better provide healthcare for underserved communities. “This is an exciting time to be living with all the innovations in healthcare coming to Southern California, as well as the rest of the nation. Changes in policy and ... Read More
Benito Gómez Personalizes Spanish Literature for his Students
Professor Benito Gómez’s passion for researching and writing about Hispanic authors and literature is only matched by his enthusiasm for sharing it with his students in unique ways. As a professor of modern languages at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), Gómez prepares students who intend to study Spanish in graduate school, and/or teach Spanish in high school. His unique ways of creating intellectual stimulation and motivating his students have earned him CSUDH’s 2018 Excellence in Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Award. “I felt very honored when I was nominated because the nomination came from my students. I’m not a big fan of recognitions when they are ... Read More
