The Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA), founded and led by CSUDH Department of Music faculty member Charles “Chuck” Dickerson, performed on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, DC, on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. The event was livestreamed on the center’s website. The performance was part of the prestigious venue’s “Social Impact” series, which offers free events several times a month to “reduce barriers to participation in the arts, celebrate the human spirit, and encourage intercultural understanding.” Founded in 2009, the ICYOLA seeks to transform the lives and minds of local young people through high quality music education, providing opportunities for ... Read More
Campus News
Leadership Program Gives Black Students the Tools to Thrive
It’s never been more important for young people of color to fully engage in civic life and to know they can shape the way we move forward as a state and as a country, says California Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Oakland). “On the eve of one of the most consequential presidential elections ever, we need to give our future leaders the tools they need to face these moments,” said Bonta. “They need to know they can do something.” Bonta visited CSUDH on July 17-20 for the ninth annual African American Leaders for Tomorrow program, an event coordinated by the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and hosted by the Mervyn M. Dymally African American Political and Economic ... Read More
Toro Earns Black Student Success Scholarship, Aims to Elevate Black Artists
Armand Jovaughn Egere is proud to be a Black artist. “It’s a type of activism,” says the CSUDH fifth-year student. “The way my story is typically written, I’m not supposed to make it. But I’m out here beating the odds, and trying to be a symbol for other young Black artists.” Egere’s leadership, as well as his service promoting antiracism and culture change to elevate Black excellence, have earned him the CSU’s first-ever Black Student Success Scholarship, sponsored by the CSU Foundation. Egere is one of six CSU recipients for 2024-25, and will receive $5,000 in recognition of his efforts. “These scholars represent the highest ideals and brightest future of our university system and ... Read More
No Time To Waste: Toro Gets Her Psychology Degree at Just 19
From a young age, Mariah Sarabia understood that education was a vital lifeline to the future she envisioned for herself. “I knew the value of higher education,” she recalls. “When my parents immigrated from Mexico, they didn't have any education at all. My mom didn’t even speak English when they moved here.” Sarabia’s mother served as an inspiration, taking ESL courses to learn the language before attending nursing school and eventually becoming a licensed vocational nurse. “I saw how valuable higher education is, especially as a woman of color,” says Sarabia. “I knew that if I had an education and got a good paying job that I was happy at and interested in, no one could take that ... Read More
Alum Bria Overs Brings Passion for Community Journalism to The Baltimore Banner
“It’s never been a better time to be a good journalist, says Bria Overs, a CSUDH alumna, award-winning reporter, and former editor of the campus newspaper The Bulletin. It’s also never been harder to build a successful career in a shrinking industry plagued by hyper-partisanship, layoffs, and increasing competition. At 27, Overs has already seen first-hand the devastation caused by mass layoffs. She worked through the turbulent years of the global COVID-19 pandemic. She’s also seen how each wave of new reporters competes for fewer and fewer available jobs. “Every graduation season, I get a bit antsy,” she says. “It’s like the next generation is already coming for my job. That’s ... Read More
