The CHABSS Staff Spotlight was created to engender greater fellowship and camaraderie amongst the staff of the college. Each month the college will shine a light on a staff member, treat them to lunch and feature them on the college website. Brought to you by the CHABSS Dean's Office in collaboration with the Staff Development Workgroup.

Staff Spotlight on...

shantel nilson

Shantel Nilson
CHABSS Dean's Office
Assistant to the Dean

Please take a moment to learn more about our colleague: Shantel Nilson. We encourage you to reach out to Shantel to recognize her contribution to the college and University via email, telephone or in person. 

Current Position: Assistant to the Dean

Years at CSUSM? 1 year this September

What is your short term goal?  Bringing my daughter into this world in a calm and peaceful way.

What is your long term goal?  To live healthy, enjoy life, and to own a home with a garden and chickens!

What is your greatest accomplishment (personal or professional)?  Getting a couple of my poems published.

What is your favorite movie? I love the classics, The Misfits is one of my fav’s.

What is your favorite food?  Burmese food, yummy!

What is your favorite book? I am an avid reader, so this is a hard one. One of my all time favorites is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

What are your hobbies?  Yoga, knitting, sewing, reading, hiking and camping.

Tell us about your family: I have a very blended family. I have 1 older sister, 1 younger sister and 3 younger brothers.  Although we all didn’t grow up together, we are very close. I am also creating my own little family with the addition of my daughter, Josephine, this Winter.

What is the proudest/happiest moment of your life?  Seeing my baby girl for the first time on ultrasound and hearing her little heart beat.

What is your favorite thing about working at CSUSM? The environment, the people, and the work itself. I love it all! I feel like this position was made for me; it is challenging and satisfying, yet it uses all the skills I’ve acquired so far in my career. I feel blessed to be working with so many wonderful people whom I have so much to learn from and who have been incredibly helpful and kind. I also love working in an environment that makes a difference in people’s lives and helps to shape their minds.

What would you like to do when you retire? I hope when I retire I can do some traveling and have more time to devote to volunteering in the community.

Who is the most famous person you ever met? Never met anyone famous, but I did see Quentin Tarantino twice in San Francisco. He is tall!