Alexxandra Salazar, 24, has come a long way since graduating magna cum laude as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar in May of this year with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. In fact, the California native is about 8,000 miles away immersed in Cambodian culture. Salazar was selected in spring by the nonprofit Teach Cambodia, Inc. to serve for a month as a volunteer and intern in Cambodia. Within days following commencement, she arrived at the South-East Asian village of Wat Bo in Siem Reap to assist Sambour Primary School with the undertaking of an international Peace Pals project, which teaches children about peace through various art ... Read More
Alumni
Compassion and Advocacy, All in a Day’s Work for Alumna Barbara Haney
Although she has a laid-back demeanor, Barbara Haney is a fierce advocate for those with developmental disabilities. As director of community development for Social Vocational Services Inc. (SVS), a California non-profit organization headquartered in Torrance that provides job placement for individuals with developmental disabilities, the California State University, Dominguez Hills alumna (Class of '89, M.S., special education: severely handicapped) oversees a staff of five people, with whom she works to provide services for more than 300 employers in Southern California, including Toyota, Disneyland, Broadcom, and Chili's. “We're really the eyes and the face of SVS out in the community, ... Read More
Dalia Cornejo Draws on Adversity for Inspiration
Dalia Cornejo once thought she should be practical and pursue a career such as teaching. She even had a role model. As a teenager, she admired an uncle for being the only one of 11 siblings to earn a college degree and for becoming a professor. But a different calling beckoned. “I feel like I have to create something everyday,” she declared. “I always liked to draw and paint. … but I wasn't sure I could make a living at that–living in Mexico.” Try as she might to stick to her original plans, a series of events unfolded that led to her passion, and in May the double major graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Design and Spanish Literature from California State ... Read More
CSUDH Alumni Reunite and Lead 2013 Graduates in Commencement Processional
Whether recapturing the cap-and-gown experience, making up for a missed opportunity to participate in commencement, or reconnecting with the university and former classmates, 54 California State University, Dominguez Hills alumni gathered in full regalia on May 18 to lead the 2013 graduates from the College of Arts and Humanities and College of Extended and International Education into the Home Depot Center Tennis Stadium. “The alumni commencement processional is an important element of community engagement for the university. Alumni have the opportunity to meet with university administration and faculty–some who were once their professors–and fellow and future alums. These sorts of ... Read More
MSA Summit: Young Men of Color Challenged to Make Meaningful Changes
With a dynamic line-up that included a keynote address, workshops, panels and hosted discussions aimed at building their self-worth and empowering them to strive toward success through education, nearly 800 middle- and high-school Latino and African American male students from local Los Angeles and Long Beach Unified school districts, and from California State University, Dominguez Hills were brought together for the Fourth Annual Male Success Alliance (MSA) Summit, a day-long event hosted on May 9 in the Loker Student Union at the university in partnership with Inglewood-based nonprofit Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI). Kicking off the event was an inspirational and edgy ... Read More
