Scholarships in Family & Consumer Sciences

Scholar: Naikea Ward

Year Awarded: 2015

Major: Family and Consumer Sciences/Apparel Design and Merchandising

Naikea Says: “It feels good to be recognized for your hard work and it gives you an extra push to keep [reaching] for your goals and dreams. I [am] really honored to be a part of that. Houman Salem is an awesome guy and I ended up taking an internship at his company and that was through the scholarship connection. Thank you [Houman] for being a donor at CSUN and for giving me an internship at Argyle Haus.”

Career Aspiration: Naikea is passionate about fashion. She decided on the program at CSUN because it allowed her to be in Los Angeles and to study fashion. Naikea contributes the internship she got at ARGYLE Haus to the connection she made with the donor of this scholarship, Houman Salem. She says she has been able to gain real-world field experience and learn the ins and outs of apparel production in the fashion industry because of the internship. She considers the internship experience the best a student can strive to achieve in college. She plans to be bi-coastal one day, living and working in fashion in both Los Angeles and New York. Currently, Naikea is a graduating senior and the president of CSUN’s fashion club, TRENDS, and will dedicate most of her time to the production of the TRENDS Fashion Show in 2016.

About the Scholarship: Houman Salem is the founder and chief executive officer of ARGYLE Company that has divisions in apparel manufacturing and management consulting, including ARGYLE Partners and ARGYLEHaus.  He is a seasoned business leader in the fashion and apparel industry. Houman graduated from CSUN in 1994 with a degree in History, and earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in 2001. He created this scholarship to help students financially and also extend opportunities to them that would otherwise not be available.

Scholar: Olympia Jewett

Year Awarded:2015; Awarded the Pastor Herrera Jr. Scholarship in Family and Consumer Sciences Education

 Major: Family and Consumer Sciences

Olympia Says: “I recently graduated and all I can say is, of all of my courses, Pastor Herrera was my greatest professor. He cared and took the time to listen to every students’ voice. I am so grateful to the Lord for bringing him into my life because he helped shape me into who I am today. I refuse to be complacent and I will continue to grow and help others the way that Pastor Herrera helped me.”

Career Aspiration: Olympia has a bright future, she began teaching sooner than she expected and is also currently a division one track and field coach at CSUN. Olympia is passionate about the family and consumer sciences field because it focuses on areas related to family, community, home, and financials.

Scholar: Michelle Garcia
Year Awarded: 2015; Awarded the Pastor Herrera Jr. Scholarship in Consumer Affairs
Major: Family and Consumer Sciences/Consumer Affairs

 About the Scholarship: Pastor Herrera, Jr. has been an adjunct professor at CSUN since 2011. He has also served on the California State License Board and held multiple positions at the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs for over 19 years. His most recent position at the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs was serving as the Director for the Consumer and Business Affairs Department. Pastor understands the importance of giving back and felt that supporting scholarships would make the greatest impact and help students with their finances as they work their way through the family and consumer sciences programs. 

Scholar: Esmeralda Galaviz

Year Awarded: 2015

Major: Family and Consumer Sciences

Esmeralda Says: “The scholarship has helped me get a step closer to becoming a registered dietitian and has allowed me to continue my education uninterrupted. It has provided the funding [that is] necessary for registering for classes. I want to express my sincerest gratitude to the donors Nancy and Joseph Owens for supporting me in my goal.”

Career Aspiration: Esmeralda is passionate about the family and consumer sciences discipline because it focuses on families, which is something she values deeply. Her goal is to become a registered dietitian who can addresses nutrition-related preventable diseases (such as diabetes) by utilizing the family component in the prevention. She also wants to address discrepancies in health outcomes due to language barriers and socio-economic status; barriers she believes should not impede communities from proper nutrition. Esmeralda aspires to provides quality nutrition care to underserved communities as well as become a certified diabetes educator.

About the Scholarship: Nancy Owens taught in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences for 36 years, specializing in apparel design and merchandising. She was highly involved at CSUN and has continued volunteering at the university since her retirement. Nancy served as the university’s chapter advisor for Kappa Omicron Nu, the leading honor society for students in the human sciences. Nancy and her husband Joe have continued to support the society by creating this scholarship for an undergraduate and/or graduate student in the department who meets the academic requirements for membership in Kappa Omicron Nu.

Scholar: Andrea Cummings

Year Awarded: 2015

 Major: Family and Consumer Sciences (Nutrition/Dietetics)

 Andrea Says: “I volunteered at the Marilyn Magaram Center my first semester at CSUN and continued to work there as a student project manager through spring 2015. Tom Chen and Christine Smith were influential to the Center and I am honored to be awarded this scholarship. Receiving this award has allowed me to allot more time towards my thesis work and volunteer opportunities. I am grateful.”

 Career Aspiration:  After Andrea completes the graduate program she will apply to dietetic internships. It is her hope to use the knowledge she has learned at CSUN in nutrition to help children and their families better their health and ultimately their quality of life. She says the family and consumer sciences discipline concentrates on helping people on an individual, community and societal level. Once Andrea becomes a registered dietitian she would like to educate children and their families on nutrients, healthy food choices and the impact that nutrition has on overall health. She also has a strong interest in nutrition in relation to neurological disorders and would like to be involved in research within this realm of study one day.

About the Scholarship:  The late Dr.Christine “Chris” Smith was a beloved professor in the Family and Consumer Sciences Department for almost 30 years. She was a co-advisor for the department’s Student Dietetic and Food Science Association for over 20 years and also served as the director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD). Chris was instrumental in guiding students into becoming registered dietitians and she remained a large part of the DPD program after her retirement. Dr. Tungshan “Tom” Chen was also a professor in the department and was the founding director of the Marilyn Magaram Center. Dr. Joyce Gilbert, also a professor and former director at the center, set up this scholarship in dedication to the two individuals who were such a large influence on the dietetics and food science programs.    

Scholar: Melissa Rangel

Year Awarded: 2015

 Major: Family and Consumer Sciences

 Melissa Says: “Receiving the Rosalie Hilger Scholarship was such an honor and I’m so grateful for it. I want to give a special thanks to Ernest Hilger for founding this scholarship and encouraging me to always keep learning and never give up. Thank you for this award, because of it I will always remember to give back.”

 Career Aspiration: Melissa says the Rosalie Hilger Achievement Scholarship has motivated her to begin the next chapter of her education. She is pursuing a degree in accounting at Los Angeles Mission College so that she can pursue a career in the kind of office environment that makes her most comfortable. Melissa says she knows continuing in school is what Ernest and Rosalie would want for her. 

 About the Scholarship: This scholarship was made possible by a generous gift from Ernest Hilger, on behalf of the Hilger Family Trust, and in honor of Ernest’s most beloved wife, Rosalie Hilger. Ernest established this scholarship to carry on Rosalie’s legacy, her caring and gentle spirit, and to benefit future generations of students, something that Rosalie was passionate about.

 Rosalie Hilger was an alumna of CSUN’s Family and Consumer Sciences program and served as an adjunct professor at East Los Angeles Community College and Los Angeles Mission College. This scholarship is awarded to students who have demonstrated a positive life path for themselves and their family and who utilize their own positive energy and education as a way to help them succeed in their chosen profession.