Johnny Gonzales could play it safe and buy an expensive telescopic lens for his camera and stand on the sand to take his photographs, but “What fun would that be?” To capture a charging backside ride up close, he would rather strap on his fins, grab his camera, and swim out to where the waves are breaking to join a professional surfer inside a barrel. Gonzales, a Redondo Beach resident, will graduate with his bachelor's degree in digital media arts (DMA) from California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) May 19 with the College of Arts and Humanities' Class of 2017. He is known as a “waterman,” a surfing photographer who swims out through the pounding surf to shoot his subjects from ... Read More
Features
Kendrick Jones Takes Only 3 Years to Graduate, Mentors Kids Along the Way
While most of his peers are taking five to six years, and the state of California wants them to finish in four, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) student Kendrick Jones asked himself, “Why not finish college in just three years?” So he did. Jones is studying social psychology at CSUDH and will receive his bachelor's degree in Africana Studies May 19 during CSUDH's 2017 Commencement ceremony. To earn the right to cross the commencement stage just three years since graduating from View Park Preparatory High School in 2014, Jones took at least 15 units each semester, the maximum of nine units in the summer, and two courses each winter without having to retake a class ... Read More
We Shall Overcome: Mother Daughter Return from Tragedy to Graduate Together
Cynthia Perry and her daughter, Keisha Keller began attending California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) together as business administration majors in the fall of 2014. As they progressed in their studies, the strength of their relationship and “friendship” always helped them support each other to achieve their academic goals, and on May 16, 2016, when the close-knit mother and daughter faced unthinkable tragedy, their bond is what helped them stay strong, sustaining them in the face of deep sorrow. Keller had gone to bed the night before, anticipating taking her last final exam the next day. She was excited about the prospect of donning a cap and gown later that week during ... Read More
Kathryn Theiss on Climate Change and the Evolution of Plants
Earth's biodiversity has been profoundly shaped by global climate change for eons, and researchers expect the current ongoing and rapid changes to have as great an effect, especially on the evolution of plants, says Kathryn Theiss, assistant professor of biology at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Theiss is fascinated by the evolution of plant reproduction and how reproductive strategies are affected by conservation issues, especially global climate change. She tends to focus on rare plants, favoring moth-pollinated species such as Evening Primroses, the plant group she is currently studying. “Evening primroses are generally not considered rare yet, but could ... Read More
Alumna Sofia Pop Tunes in to Breaking News for Telemundo
One moment she is fact checking a story online, seconds later she is sending reporters into the field, all the while she has one eye trained on her email, and an ear tuned into two police scanners for breaking news. It's all in a hectic day's work for Sofia Pop, assignment editor for KVEA-TV Telemundo 52. Pop ('01, B.A., communications) often finds herself in a well-orchestrated frenzy while sitting at her assignment desk for the Los Angeles-based Spanish language television station, where the California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) alumna has worked since 2014. Her main duties include following up on and researching news leads, and dispatching reporters and news ... Read More