California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) undergraduate Berenice Rojas is no stranger to hard work. Its value was instilled in her at a young age, as her Mexican immigrant parents toiled in the Yuma, Arizona sun as farmworkers to provide for Berenice and her two brothers. “They would start working at five or six in the morning,” says Rojas. “They would work all day, then come home at about eight at night.” Today, the third-year Toro student is doing plenty of hard work of her own, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at CSUDH. She wants to use the knowledge she gains at the university to help mitigate the effects of climate change in the Arizona fields where her parents ... Read More
Students
President Parham Addresses CSUDH’s Present and Future at Fall Convocation
CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham welcomed the Toro Nation back to campus for the fall semester with a stirring, wide-ranging speech at the 2021 Fall Convocation on Sept. 8. The event was held at the University Theatre, and was livestreamed on YouTube for those unable to attend in person. Provost Michael Spagna opened the proceedings with some light-hearted remarks about reassimilating onto campus after 18 months in COVID-19 seclusion, joking that he never wanted to use the words “unprecedented” or “pivot” again. Spagna introduced CSUDH Senate Executive Team member Terri Ares, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing. Ares noted that this year marks 30 years since she stepped ... Read More
New Student Convocation Welcomes Toros to Campus
New Student Convocation has become an annual tradition at CSUDH—and it took place in person for the first time in two years on Friday, Aug. 27. Several hundred first-year, transfer, and graduate students turned out for the afternoon to learn more about the many student resources available to them during their time at CSUDH, and get to know each other and their new academic family. The event was also a chance for President Thomas A. Parham, senior leadership, faculty, and alumni to welcome these new students into the Toro community. After a DJ and the CSUDH Dance and Cheer teams pumped up the crowd, new students were introduced to the various Toro sports teams that will represent the ... Read More
CSUDH Philanthropic Gifts Top $8 Million in Record-Breaking Year
California State University, Dominguez Hills received a total of $8.3 million in philanthropic gifts and pledges during the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The record-breaking amount continues the upward trend of CSUDH giving, almost doubling the total of $4.5 million raised in 2019-2020. Vice President of University Advancement Scott Barrett shared his excitement for the success of the university’s fundraising efforts. “We set a very aspirational goal for the university, and we were very fortunate to meet that goal,” he said. “It’s clear that our campus is doing inspiring work, and our donors are answering the call to support the needs and opportunities across our campus.” One important effort ... Read More
Move-In Day Gives Toro Students First Look at CSUDH’s New Housing
CSUDH’s brand-new Student Residence Hall threw open its doors on Thursday, Aug. 19, welcoming hundreds of first-year students to the place they’ll call home for the next nine months. Throughout the day, the hallways buzzed with excitement as families and friends helped the new Toros move their things into the complex. In all, over 200 students moved into their new rooms on the first day the hall was open. Each student had their individual motivations for wanting to move into the new residence hall, but most agreed that the combination of living on their own and proximity to classes were the biggest factors. Masha Mukumoto, a first-year student from Yorba Linda, Calif., moved into the ... Read More
