Lupita Montoya ’89 (B.S., Mechanical Engineering) emigrated from Mexico to Los Angeles when she was 16. Her mother, a former garment district worker, sent for Montoya in 1981. After just a few short years, she graduated from high school, enrolled at CSUN, and found her true calling. Montoya went on to earn advanced degrees in engineering from Stanford and complete postdoctoral training in Public Health at the State University of New York and Harvard.
This summer, Hollywood shined a spotlight on Montoya’s area of expertise — in an industry American consumers know well: the nail salon industry. On April 14 of this year, HBO Max released a docuseries, “Not So Pretty,” which explores the dangerous chemicals used in cosmetics that can pose a threat to consumers and workers alike. The series’ episode that focuses on nail polish and the nail salon industry used Montoya’s extensive research on the topic.