2018 Dean's Awards: Meet the Recipients

Adella Katz is the Wolfson Scholar Nominee from the College of Health and Human Development. She told us that since graduating from high school she has always worked one or two jobs and volunteered in at least one healthcare organization at any given time. She came to CSUN to major in Health Administration and always looked for additional activities that would support her in her future profession.  This month, Adella will receive her Bachelor of Science in Health Administration.

Driven by a passion for addressing health disparities and bringing people together to create positive change, Adella sought research opportunities with faculty, establishing a place for herself as a researcher, research assistant, and student team-leader for two Health Sciences faculty.

She wanted her volunteerism to strengthen her organizational skills, and she found a way to use those skills to save lives by organizing  a bone marrow drive on campus.  She partnered with Be the Match from City of Hope Hospital and directed a group of 60 CSUN students in a collaborative effort to recruit bone marrow donors. 99 donors signed up that weekend, and Adella was offered an internship at City of Hope to assist healthcare educators and conduct community outreach across Southern California.

With an overall 4.0 GPA, Adella has made the dean’s list every semester since 2014. She is a recipient of the Judge Julian Beck Outstanding Health Sciences Senior Scholarship and is on the CSUN Honor Roll. She told us she walks into CSUN each day with, “a scientific mind, a sword of practicality and a shield of compassion.”

The Wolfson Scholar Award is presented each year in memory of CSUN’s first vice president, Leo Wolfson. The student selected to receive this award must have an exceptional academic record and must have made significant contributions to CSUN or to the community through co- and extra- curricular activities. Each college presents one nominee to the university annually. Adella is the 2018 nominee from the College of Health and Human Development.

Anna Cho has earned a 3.9 cumulative GPA. In addition, she was selected into the Child and Adolescent Development Department’s Honors Program in 2016.

Anna was raised in Santa Clarita and graduated from Academy of the Canyons Middle College High School in 2015 with both her high school diploma, and an AA Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from College of the Canyons.

Anna entered CSUN in fall 2015 as a Child and Adolescent Development major and Psychology minor. Raised by a single mother, Anna had taken on the role of helping and contributing to her family from a young age. She attributes her personal experiences as both a student and caregiver to positively influencing her success at CSUN.

In 2016, Anna joined BUILD PODER, an undergraduate research program funded by the National Institutes of Health. As a student researcher, Anna has worked closely with Dr. Shu-Sha Angie Guan in the CulTRe Lab. Her research interests include working with ethnic minority youth who have developmental disabilities and promoting mental, physical, and emotional well-being. She has most recently been working on a research study that examines social support, attitudes toward people with disabilities, and well-being among college students at CSUN.

For the past two years, Anna has presented her research at conferences such as CSUN’s Creative Works Symposium and the Western Psychological Association annual convention. As part of her participation in the honors program, Anna has collaborated with Dr. Nancy Miodrag and created a newsletter designed for parents and community members who work with children with disabilities. The focus of the newsletter is to reduce “disability stigma”. She plans to become a clinician in the field of Pediatric Occupational Therapy to further develop and actualize her passion for helping those in need.

Department Chair for Child and Adolescent Development: David Wakefield

Sean Wyner completed his master’s degree in the Communication Disorders and Sciences distance-learning last fall with a GPA of 3.90 and will cross the platform and get his diploma this month. He learned about the field of Speech-Language Pathology through the CSUN Language, Speech and Hearing Center when his younger brother visited the center for speech therapy services.

Sean has over 20 years of experience working as a teacher and a private tutor, engaging students in songwriting and performing.  By day, he provides speech therapy services to middle and high school students in Pacoima, and in the evenings, he tutors and teaches guitar and voice. Sean has recorded three albums and has had songs selected for television shows.  The training he received in the area of voice even helped him recover from a vocal injury.

As he worked on his degree, he also became a father of  two sons. He said it has been fascinating to watch their development in light of all he has learned in the program. Yet, he approaches graduation with a heavy heart, as his father, who has cancer, is now facing his final days.  Sean said he knows that his father is proud of him—and that gives him strength as he looks ahead to spending more time with his children as he moves forward in his new career.

Eugenia Castro completed her master’s degree last fall with a GPA of 4.0.  She works as a part-time Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in care of the voice for vocal-professionals and working with adults who have neurogenic speech disorders. She is an accomplished performer and singing teacher with a degree in music from a conservatory in Argentina, having sung with one of the country’s most renowned jazz bands.

While completing her graduate studies, she was part of the CSUN vocal hygiene and vocal health booth at the Chumash Days Gathering and Pow Wow, in Malibu.  She has presented a talk on vocal health and hygiene to Mariachi singers, conducted a vocal health workshop at Cal Poly Pomona for Musicians’ Health Day, volunteered for CSUN’s CAMINO in support of Latino graduate students, and volunteered for the Veterans Hospital at the speech and language program.  Also with CAMINO,  she received a grant to work as a research assistant on a project that involved creating and testing software to deliver home-practice for individuals diagnosed with aphasia.

Eugenia is grateful to many in the department, and said she is eternally grateful to her husband, Adrian Migliore, and her family back in Argentina, her father Miguel Castro, mother Maria Elena Murillo, brother Gaston and sister-in-law Luli, for their encouragement and unconditional love and support.  Eugenia plans to pursue a doctorate degree and to continue serving individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds—both as an academic and as a clinician.

Communication Disorders and Sciences Department Chair, Patricia Seymour

Harol Duenas graduates with his BA with an emphasis in Speech-Language Pathology and a 3.74 GPA. Harol told us that when he began his journey at CSUN in 2014, it was not with the intention of majoring in Speech-Language Pathology—he loved soccer and planned to be a professional athlete. But a knee injury changed his path. A conversation with an alumnus of the Communication Disorders and Sciences Department led him to a new professional goal, and he reached a turning point during phonetics class when he discovered confidence and passion for the Speech-Language Pathology similar to what he had experienced playing soccer.

As a full time student, Harol worked in LA’s Best After School Program (LAUSD) tutoring children in K-5th grade.  He also works one shift per week at Adventist Health Glendale as part of a commitment to donate 280 hours as a volunteer—an experience that led to his being able to network with nurses, physicians, and Speech-Language Pathologists there. He assists in therapy sessions providing intervention services to survivors of stroke and other medical conditions that inhibit communication.

Harol is the first in his family to attend college.  He wants to thank them, especially his mother, for instilling in him the idea of pursuing a career that not only benefits him, but others as well.  He considers himself lucky for having such a supportive family.   In April 2018, Harol received an offer of admission to CSUN’s graduate program for Speech-Language Pathology, an offer he accepted for Fall 2018.  He plans to provide assessment, intervention and counseling services in both Spanish and English to clients and their families.

Andrew Evans was active with the EOH Student Association from 2013 to 2015, receiving awards for excellence and outstanding service. In spring of 2015, work as a graduate student intern for the Ventura County Environmental Health Division led to employment, and since then, Andrew has worked as an Environmental Health Specialist for Ventura County. Andrew is graduating with distinction and a 4.0 GPA.

In August of 2016, he was featured in the Ventura County Star News in an article covering food inspections at the Ventura County Fair. More recently, in the aftermath of the Thomas Fire, Andrew volunteered at the Local Assistance Center in Ventura, providing information and resources to people who had lost their homes.  He also acted as a county liaison to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, facilitating debris removal and rebuilding by removing, household hazardous waste from the Thomas Fire.

Andrew enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and being close to nature. He credits much of his success to professors and fellow students within the EOH program, and strong support from family and friends. Andrew plans to contribute to the strength and success of his profession through the Ventura County Environmental Health Division and act as a mentor to others.

Environmental and Occupational Health Department Chair: Frankie Augustin

Dorian Burleson graduates with his Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental and Occupational Health.  He told us he has overcome numerous obstacles to get to this day, and at 42 years of age, he describes himself as a family man and a deep-sea fisherman who loves to travel, cook, grill, and bake.  He volunteers in the community as a team leader for Mental Health America, Los Angeles, assisting homeless youth and working with other programs that provide outreach to the homeless.

Dorian said he was terrified of returning to college after fifteen years of menial jobs and compromise but that once he made the decision to get the degree his resolve strengthened. He restored a damaged GPA, bringing it up from below 2.0 to a CSUN GPA of 3.87. How did he do it? He cites, “years of dedicating my focus to a cause greater than myself - for the preparation of future opportunities yet to come.  Throughout the process of this journey, life has not only been challenging for me but my family as well, and I am so relieved to finally complete this aspect of my life.  Nevertheless, this struggle has been far more rewarding than I initially anticipated.”

He is also thankful to parents for their sustained hope and strength in their spiritual foundation. Dorian chose Environmental and Occupational Health to support him in living in a deeper conviction of selflessness to help as many people as he can.

Environmental and Occupational Health Department Chair: Frankie Augustin

Madelynn Esquivias: Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) is known as “the people profession” and Madelynn exemplifies the credo. Her academic journey toward her master’s in FCS/Apparel Design and Merchandising has been focused on improving the quality of life for others. She has demonstrated this idea with many course projects, but none as much as her graduate thesis project, Functional Fashion: Children’s-wear for Insulin Pump Therapy. She created clothing with hidden pockets for insulin pumps, and which are structured to be fashionable, comfortable, and fun to wear. The results also benefit others with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and other life challenges.

She has continually volunteered to share her research and projects with classes,  organizations and even FCS department displays. She has also acquired numerous grants and honors over the course of her graduate work, including an Association of Retired Faculty grant and the Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society Award.

Madelynn has networked with the community vendors to acquire donations of materials to help her fellow students in both the interior design and apparel design programs. She has helped the programs receive over $15,000 worth of donations in fabrics, notions, magazines, etc.

Family and Consumer Sciences Department Chair: Yi Tom Cai

Michelle Sakoda graduates with her Bachelor’s in Family and Consumer Sciences/Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science with a 3.9 GPA. She is an active member of the Food Science Association (FSA), serving as historian and web Administrator. She is also a member of the Student Dietetic and Food Science Association (SDFSA).

Michelle is finishing an internship providing quality assurance at Fresh & Ready Foods in San Fernando. She completed an internship at the Marilyn Magaram Center last summer. Michelle is a member of several professional organizations including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and its Southern California section, SCIFTS, and the Food Industry Business Roundtable (FIBR).

She participated in the 2018 SCIFTS Food Industry Conference Student Product Development competition. She was a volunteer at SCIFTS Supplier’s Night Expo in 2017 and 2018 and has volunteered with the Nutrition Department at West Hills Hospital and the West Hills Food Pantry.

Michelle is a co-investigator on a qualitative study on how hearing and deaf/hard of hearing college students respond Nutrition Facts labels that include color coding and visual aids. She presented the project at CSUNposium and the CA-AFCS Conference in San Francisco to positive response. Next, Michelle plans to pursue a MS in Human Nutrition at CSUN.

Family and Consumer Sciences Department Chair: Yi Tom Cai

Dalia Sanchez served in the United States Marine Corps from 1992 until 1996 when she joined the California Army National Guard where she continues to serve.  She deployed to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011. 

She attended Loyola Marymount University, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in 2004.  She then attended CSU Los Angeles where she received a Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2007.

This month, she is receiving a secondary Master’s Degree in Health Administration.  Dalia has worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2007.  Dalia is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and is employed as a Supervisory Social Worker for the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  

Health Sciences Department Chair Lou Rubino

Joshua Parsons will receive his Bachelor’s Degree in Health Administration in just a few weeks. As a student, Joshua served as co-chair of a charity event benefitting the victims of the Las Vegas shooting.  He delivered the keynote address for CSUN at the 2017 Health Policy Conference in Sacramento.  He also completed an internship in Clinical Informatics at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

He told us he has wanted to be an astronaut, archaeologist, anthropologist, journalist, musician, philosopher, writer, teacher, and lawyer.  He said that although he has never been to outer space, he makes frequent trips to the planetarium and weeps at the sight of a grounded space shuttle.  Though he has never uncovered a lost city, he did find what he thinks was an arrowhead in a field once while in Boy Scouts.  And though he has never established relations with an uncontacted tribe, he strives every day as an adult on the Autism spectrum to bridge communication gaps and establish relations between himself and the rest of the human race.  He has released a full album of music, and has written numerous philosophical tracts which, he said, may or may not ever see the light of day. Joshua spent a full year as a free-lance music journalist interviewing some of the most influential artists of his generation.

He is thankful to the guidance and influence of Health Sciences faculty, Cathy Rusch, Joni Novosel, and Kyusuk Stephan Chung for preparing him to enter the Master’s program at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health to complete a MPH degree with a focus in Health Policy in the hopes of addressing access to services for adults who, like himself, are on the Autism spectrum.

Health Sciences Department Chair Lou Rubino

Chris Rogers is described by faculty as an outstanding individual in scholarship, teaching and service. His grades are stellar, he has been teaching undergraduates in upper division Health Sciences classes and labs and receives outstanding teaching evaluations. He ran a workshop on data analysis for Master of Public Health students which was well attended. He serves on the Master of Public Health Student Association (MPHSA) and has presented at the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Society for Behavioral Sciences, he has a first-author publication, and has been accepted at USC for a doctorate program.

Health Sciences Department Chair Lou Rubino

Anna Geozalian stands out for her high achievement, intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm and team spirit in the CSUN Public Health undergraduate program. In addition to being a top student with a 4.0 GPA, Anna has volunteered for the past four years at All Inclusive Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center in Burbank which serves low income populations throughout the Los Angeles area.

On completion of her internship in the surgical unit at Adventist Health Glendale, she received an award for excellent service. She also conducted clinical case-shadowing at the CSUN Klotz Student Health Center for one semester. Anna is a passionate and talented young woman who plans to start Nursing school in the fall.

Health Sciences Department Chair Lou Rubino

Edwin Serna Gonzalez is the fourth child of immigrant parents. He said that when he was growing up, he often didn’t see his father for weeks as he worked so many jobs to support the family. Even still, the family suffered many financial setbacks. Edwin’s oldest sister became the person who took care of the children while their parents worked.

Ultimately, Edwin’s father’s hard work led to his becoming a licensed contractor. He hired Edwin, which allowed Edwin to pay for tuition. Edwin also received a music scholarship which paid for his first year of college. The desire to get into the Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Sciences program was stronger than his interest in music, and Edwin competed against 70 applicants for 24 positions to get into the program. He completed over 400 volunteer hours at local hospitals (only 50 were required).

As he has excelled academically and clinically, Edwin has helped other students. He has been active in the BSRS student club’s events and has advanced as a kind and caring medical imager who aspires to become an Interventional Radiologic Technologist or Cardiac Cath Technologist. Both Edwin and one of his sisters, the first in all of their family to go to college, are graduating this month.

Health Sciences Department Chair Lou Rubino

Daniel Parsons is a clinical supervisor and research program coordinator at the Center of Achievement through Adapted Physical Activity in the Department of Kinesiology. In this role, he has the opportunity work with Kinesiology undergraduate students to guide their application of evidence-based clinical practices. Additionally, conducting comprehensive clinical evaluations for community members interested in both land and aquatic-based adapted physical activity services enables him to apply his knowledge and design corrective exercise programs.

Daniel has maintained a 3.8 GPA throughout his graduate studies and is a CSU State-Wide Scholarship recipient.  His commitment to producing quality work has led him to represent CSUN at the 32^nd Annual CSU Research Competition in Sacramento.  He will be presenting his research at a national conference of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSA) in Denver, and was recently awarded first-place at the CSUN Annual Student Research Competition.  Daniel attributes these achievements to the support and guidance he has received from his family and department faculty.  He is eager to explore PhD programs and continue taking steps toward a career in teaching.

Kinesiology Department Chair: Konstantinos Vrongistinos

Erica Burke is graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, Dance option.  She has a 4.0 CSUN GPA (overall GPA of 3.92). Erica transferred from Santa Monica College, choosing CSUN because of the unique opportunity to study the artistry of dance along with the science of movement. She was a grieving widow with a four year old child, and had just recently discovered the healing power of dance.  A commitment to teaching strengthened her recovery.

She jumped into volunteer work with both an adapted PE program for students with Down Syndrome and with the Special Olympics of Southern California. This inspired to get her Bachelors so she could pursue a teaching credential with a specialization in Adapted Physical Education.  Her next step after graduation this month is to return to CSUN in the fall for a Master’s degree in Kinesiology.

Erica is both performer and choreographer. She choreographed a waltz for CSUN Theatre and for Kinesiology’s student choreography showcase “Kinesis” as well as CSUN’s annual concert “Colaboratoria”.  She has been honored by Tau Sigma Transfer Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society among others.  She has researched physiology of dance with Dr. Danielle Jarvis. Erica thanks  her mentors and faculty at CSUN for inspiring her to create a career trajectory aligned with her passion and to be a positive role model for her son, now ten years old.

Kinesiology Department Chair: Konstantinos Vrongistinos

Olivia Simpson discovered her passion for Athletic Training as a senior in high school where she observed over 1,000 hours at the high school and community college level before being accepted into the CSUN Athletic Training Program.

Working as an orthopedic scribe and physical therapy aide for Ventura Orthopedic, she maintain her overall 3.95 GPA. Her clinical sites during the Athletic Training Program included St. Francis High School, Pepperdine, Bodylogic, and Agoura High School.

Olivia was a first-responder for CSUN’s youth baseball camps and at the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) Christian Yelich "Players Going Home" Baseball ProCamp.  She also volunteered as a chaperone for over 50 high school students, at the annual St. Francis High School Sports Medicine Competition and Staples Center High School Sports Medicine Seminar over several years.

Attending conferences pertaining to her profession including the Far West Athletic Training Conference, National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Southwest Regional Conference, CME presented by Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, and at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, Erica has worked to expand her Athletic Training experience and knowledge.  She has participated in CSUN CLIMB inter-professional workshops for people living in prosthetics, and traveled to Italy over spring break to study Sports Medicine.

Olivia is currently the Vice President of the Athletic Training Club and a member of the Kinesiology Majors Club.  She proudly represented CSUN at the 12th annual Bailey Arnheim Games by bringing home overall first place in all three events including taping relay, super relay, and quizbowl.  After graduating, Olivia plans to take her Certified Strength Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification exam to become credentialed in this area as well as Athletic Training.

Her goal is to work with extreme sports athletes. She wants to travel the world so she can keep broadening her horizons and learning new ways to prevent, treat, and provide the best patient care possible.

Kinesiology Department Chair: Konstantinos Vrongistinos

Fruma Gluck told us she has wanted to be a nurse for as long as she can remember, but said the road to becoming one was very long.

She said she grew up in an ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jewish community where secular education and women having careers were prohibited. She did not have a formal secular education until she left that community and went to college.

“My first college degree was a crash course in basic reading and writing. I worked full time while supporting myself in college,” she said. “I then married my wonderful husband and had three amazing children. I was fortunate to be able to stay home with them and went back to school part-time for my nursing pre-requisites when my son was one year old.”

Fruma’s next step was to get her Associate Degree in Nursing, which led to her being able to work as a nurse in a cardiac unit.  “I then started the RN-BSN program while still managing my family and working as a nurse in the ER,” she said. “I was awarded the evidence-based practice day student poster winner this spring and my son will be sixteen years old when I finally graduate. I have been on this road for fifteen years, but I never gave up. Now I plan to use my hard-won training to continue being the best nurse I can be.”

Ruben Garcia Varo was born in Mexico in 1993. “My parents brought me to the United States when I was around one and a half years old - undocumented,” he said.  “They wanted to provide me with a better life, one not filled with fear of poverty and violence.  I was pretty shy as a child and when I came to understand my political status towards the latter part of middle school, I became saddened, afraid, and somewhat apathetic. I grew hesitant about attending college, however with the whole-hearted support and insistence of my family, I carried on.”

He told us he chose nursing as his major because he wanted to help others.  College offered opportunities to network with youth in similar circumstances. Ruben said that thanks to the initiation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, he flourished. While at LA Valley College, he became involved in immigration activism.  He graduated with honors and received recognition for his perseverance as a Latino student.

“I recently jumped over my own personal hurdles again with continuing with My [CSUN] BSN,” he said.  “Due to a change in administration and the threat of DACA ending, I was conflicted about continuing. Fresh with my RN, I had considered the possibility of working full time as a nurse through the year and saving money for any possible legal resources. However once again I have my parents to thank for their support and encouragement. I look forward to graduating and becoming a CSUN Alumni.”

Nursing Department Chair Rebekah Child

Cathy Soliva is a proud member of CSUN’s Department of Physical Therapy (PT) Class 60 and has had the opportunity to serve as the student representative for the California Physical Therapy Association’s (CPTA) Education Committee, as a student representative for the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) House of Delegates, as a writer for the CPTA’s Student Special Interest Group’s Newsletter, and as PT CSUN Class President.

In these roles, she has helped plan the educational material presented at the annual CPTA conference and at the California Student Conclave. She has written articles about the need for LGBTQ competence in PT and ongoing legislation concerning PT, and is a member of the California delegation for the governing body of the American Physical Therapists Association (APTA).

She has had the honor of presenting at California Student Conclave regarding the specific challenges facing LGBTQ patients and how the profession can better serve them. Cathy has traveled to Malawi for research on people post- stroke, and to Vietnam where she treated patients at a rehabilitation hospital. She has attended PT conferences at the international, national, and state levels where she has been inspired by the passion, dedication, and leadership of those who attended, and discovered an interest in pain-science. She received the Roy and Roxie Campanella Scholarship award in 2017 and has worked with different professors as a work-study student for the past three years.

“I’m deeply humbled and honored to receive this award. I couldn’t have done it without the professors and faculty who believe in me, whose earnest desire is that I become not just a clinician who is proficient in skills, but one who cares deeply about her patients,” she said.  “I never want to lose the passion and drive that made me into a physical therapist, and I want to always serve my patients, my community, and the PT profession. On behalf of my class, my professors, and everyone who has helped me on this PT journey, thank you for this award.

Physical Therapy Department Chair: Janna Beling

Jacqueline Spitzack grew up in Minnesota and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Women’s/Gender Studies from DePaul University in Chicago. After graduating, she decided that she wanted to explore a new region of the country and applied for a job at CSUN as an Assistant Community Director in Student Housing & Conference Services. This spring semester, she will graduate with a Master of Science in Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation Management (Tourism emphasis) with a 4.0 GPA.

Jacq is very interested in outdoor recreation. In her first year in the graduate program, she volunteered to assist RTM’s coordinator for outdoor experiential courses and provided support for the Winter Mountaineering class. She is currently interning with the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, where her internship focuses on education and interpretation for elementary school students. She is also a graduate assistant for the CSUN Department of Recreation and Tourism Management, supporting faculty with research and projects.

In spring 2017, the RTM department awarded Jacq the Tal Morash Scholarship for the Outstanding Student with an emphasis in Outdoor Recreation and the Chair’s Award for Outstanding Graduate Student. Her plan after graduating is to pursue a career that combines her love for travel, education, and the outdoors.

Recreation and Tourism Management Department Chair: Mechelle Best

Skyler Szczepanski graduates this month with a Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation Management. For the last four years, he has been an extremely active member of the CSUN community while maintaining high grades which resulted in his current 3.8 GPA.

Skyler has held—and continues to hold— several positions with the Associated Students. Since fall 2014 he has been a trip leader with Outdoor Adventures (OA). In the years since, he has added concurrent positions such as OA Team Building Supervisor, Sports Clubs Office Assistant and Supervisor, and Camp Matador Administration, Development and Programming Coordinator where he is responsible for a budget of over $40,000, year-round staff training, developing schedules and managing logistics for all staff and campers, and generally ensuring the success of a special 4-day camp for incoming freshmen.

Skyler has attended several conferences including the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association, Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education, American Camp Association, and Western Regional Outdoor Leadership Conference (WROLC). He presented at WROLC in 2016 and 2017, and was part of the host team in 2015 when it was held at CSUN.

In his leisure time, Skyler volunteers with the Associated Students’ Sport Clubs, Productions, Sustainability and Recycling, and the RTM department. In the wider community, he volunteers with Tree People, Surf Rider Foundation, and Heal the Bay.

Recreation and Tourism Management Department Chair: Mechelle Best