According to CSUDH men's basketball head coach Steve Becker, this year's Toro squad is “right on the verge of something special.” After a 2021-22 season that saw the Toros finish fifth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and advance to the semifinals of the CCAA tournament, he feels that an NCAA tournament berth is an attainable next step for the program. “We were one of the bubble teams that just missed getting into the NCAA tournament last year, and we retained a large majority of that team,” he continues. “Last year was a building time. We had some really good players and most of them stayed. We're really excited about the group that we have now.” The CCAA ... Read More
Student Affairs
4th Annual Celebrate First Generation College Students
Hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and alumni joined in celebration of Toros who are the first in their family to attend or graduate from college on Nov. 8 for the fourth annual CSUDH “Celebrate First Generation College Students.” Rain caused a location change for the celebration, but the weather did not dampen the spirits of those who attended. They enthusiastically demonstrated that while first generation students don't have the family history of college to lean on as they navigate college life, they do have a strong network from other first-gens, the entire campus community, and the many services in place at CSUDH to support their success. Teddy the Toro, the CSUDH ... Read More
Toro Women’s Basketball Building on Success
For the 2022-23 CSUDH women's basketball team, this season is all about building on the foundation of success that they established last year. With an entirely new batch pf players, the team was able to finish fourth in the ultra-competitive California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). This season, they're looking for more. “Last season was a pleasant surprise,” says head coach John Bonner, who is entering his seventh year in charge of the program. “We had 12 new players that we hadn't coached before, and one returning player who had redshirted. Because we were so young and didn't have a lot of experience, we didn't know what to expect.” “We wanted to utilize that time to ... Read More
Student Janelle Nelson Attends Reproductive Rights Summit with Vice President Harris
CSUDH criminal justice major Janelle Nelson was among 75 student leaders who participated in a meeting at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss the fight to protect reproductive rights. Nelson, a CSUDH senior and Presidential Scholar who will graduate this December, was one of two students chosen from the 23 CSUs across the state. She joined students from 65 other campuses and 33 different states at the forum. “It was amazing,” says Nelson. “I was only there for two days, but I slept a lot on the plane, so I had time to walk around and see as much as I could–to just soak it all in, because I don't know when I'll be going to Washington DC again!” In selecting a ... Read More
New MSA Director Hakeem Croom Aims to Inspire
“I think my life's purpose is to inspire and influence people to be their best selves–lifting as I climb, and leaving a positive impact in people's lives,” says Hakeem Croom. As the new director of CSUDH's Male Success Alliance (MSA), he's in a position to do just that. Initially formed on the CSUDH campus in 2009, MSA is a support program and campus resource designed to improve access, retention, and graduation rates for undergraduate men of color. MSA aims to support the college and career success of its members by providing academic support, professional development, and mentoring. Croom says that his primary goal in his new position is to “help others recognize what they have ... Read More
