Like so many children, as a boy Salvador Valdez (Class of '09, B.S., health science, community health; '12 M.A., education, counseling) wanted to become a doctor when he grew up. Intending to go to medical school, he began his freshman year at California State University, Dominguez Hills, majoring in biology. He also volunteered at UCLA-Harbor Medical Center and at a community medical clinic in Bell Gardens. He was on the right path to achieving his goal, but then he caught a bug. The teaching bug. “Teaching or education itself kind of always called my name,” Valdez said. As a university student, he was beginning to seriously evaluate his life's priorities, and after ... Read More
Human Services
Women and Philanthropy: Mentors, Students Develop Strong Bonds
Several participants in the Women and Philanthropy (W&P) group at California State University, Dominguez Hills reunited during the organization's annual fall student-mentor mixer held in the Loker Student Union on Sept. 18. The event was also an opportunity for new and potential participants to meet and discover details about the program. Founded by Shirley Smith, the wife of former mayor of Carson and past member of university advisory boards Gilbert Smith, the organization is dedicated to mentorship between women who are successful professionals and those who are students at the university. There are currently 19 mentees and 15 mentors participating in the program. Smith asserted ... Read More
Salvadorian Educators Study at CSU Dominguez Hills through USAID SEED program
Some have lost parents and even entire families to a civil war that lasted 12 years, yet others narrowly escaped getting caught up in the endemic gang life in El Salvador before finding their professional calling, and they have put the details down on paper. Deep in concentration, some fighting back tears, 17 middle school teachers and administrators from the Central American country read each other's autobiographical essays that were published in personalized books they can take with them when they complete their six months of study at California State University, Dominguez Hills. “Some were raised by grandparents when their parents were killed in the revolution in El Salvador. ... Read More
Nop Ratanasiripong: A Career Dedicated to Research, Teaching, and Caring
“One day I walked into the gynecology ward. There was a row of patients with cancer. I approached a lady, she was about to die. I helped her turn from one side to the other side. She looked at me and said, 'Thank you.' She was crying. Just turning a patient, it makes a difference. That moment I realized, I need to be a nurse.” That was the life-changing moment for Nop Ratanasiripong, a registered nurse and assistant professor for the School of Nursing at California State University, Dominguez Hills. On a full four-year scholarship and graduating with honors–in fact, ranking the highest among her peers within the major–Ratanasiripong earned a bachelor's in nursing from Boromarajonani ... Read More
Michelle Padilla Wholeheartedly Believes in Disease Awareness
“Gooood afternoon… This is K-D-H-R coming live from Cal State Dominguez. This is Michelle Padilla. …Happy Valentine's Day everybody. It's also go red for women American Heart Association Month …and we're winding down Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week…” Michelle Padilla, a junior at California State University, Dominguez Hills, really puts her heart into raising awareness of heart disease. And she takes to the airwaves to do it. She's one of two-dozen student volunteer on-air hosts at the on-campus radio station KDHR, which is funded by the Associated Students, Inc. “I want to help those that want to get help and want to get better,” she said of why she hosts the talk and music ... Read More
