Thomas Richardson was a shy and unassuming teenager in South Los Angeles who didn’t express his feelings too often, even with his family, until one day when he decided to tell his siblings “I love you.” The show of affection was just one of several ways Richardson started connecting on a more personal level with family and his peers at John C. Fremont High School, as suggested by his mentors from California State University, Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) Male Success Alliance (MSA) program. “It was strange, but cool, too. My sister would laugh and my brother would call me a name, or say ‘I love you, too, but I don’t need to tell you that. You know I do.’ But I thought, ‘Do I?’” said ... Read More
Male Success Alliance
Male Success Alliance Celebrates 10 Years of Empowering Students of Color
(Carson, Calif.) California State University, Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) innovative Male Success Alliance (MSA) program is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The first of its kind in California to address retention and graduation rates among male college students, and high school dropout rates and access to higher education for boys of color, the MSA has garnered accolades and the funding to help develop similar programs statewide. Primarily serving African American and Latino males, but open to all ethnicities, the MSA was established in 2009 with a small group of seven CSUDH students. A decade later, the program has grown to approximately 80 members and, over recent years, has seen an ... Read More
CSUDH Receives Grant to Improve Degree Completion for Male Students of Color
(Carson, Ca.) – California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) has been awarded a $166,000 grant from the College Futures Foundation to improve bachelor degree completion for male students of color in the California State University (CSU) system. “Whether presented on a national or regional platform, the access, retention and graduation rates for young men of color are alarming,” said William Franklin, vice president for Student Affairs at CSUDH. He was also responsible for writing the grant and will serve as the principal investigator on this systemwide initiative. “While school success and postsecondary degree attainment of men of color at all levels in the national pipeline are ... Read More
Nick Cannon Addresses Teens at African American Leaders of Tomorrow Conference
(Carson, Calif.) Nick Cannon, the multi-faceted artist and philanthropist, will be the keynote speaker Wednesday, July 26, during the Annual African American Leaders for Tomorrow (AALT) Conference kick-off dinner at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). A summer conference of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) that is hosted at the university, AALT aims to give nearly 100 African-American high school students from across California the tools they need to take on leadership roles in their communities, and embark on successful college careers. Students are selected to participate in AALT based on their academic standing, involvement in leadership activities at ... Read More
Nearly 800 Local Students Attend Male Success Alliance’s Annual Spring Summit
Eagerly seeking motivation and inspiration, nearly 800 young men of color from 18 middle and high schools converged on California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) on March 17 for the Male Success Alliance’s (MSA) 8th annual spring summit “Reclaiming Our Legacy” to learn how to reach their potential, and find the tools and resources to do so. Each spring, MSA hosts the day-long summit which attracts students from MSA partner schools from the Compton, Centinela, and Lynwood school districts. The students, many dressed for success in suits or ties, attended workshops and breakout sessions throughout the day. They got to know CSUDH students from their neighborhoods, schools, and ... Read More
