Academe & Me

Academe & Me

Academe & Me features an intimate discussion with invited faculty members or graduate students about their journey to CSUSM. Guests share stories regarding academic and career experiences as well as specific research interests. The program provides an opportunity to develop a meaningful relationship with invited faculty, demystify faculty as unapproachable, and present a potential path in academia or graduate school, particularly for students of color. Learn who will join us this semester.

Previous Faculty & Guests

• Spring 2023
  

  Dr. Dropout: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Where I’m From 

  Dr. George Brusch, Assistant Professor, CSTEM Biology

  

  How a Religious Sex Scandal Led to a History Dissertation 

  Dr. Suzanna Krivulskaya, Assistant Professor, CHABBS History

• Fall 2022
  

   Circling Back to the CSU: A First-Generation College Student’s Journey from CSU Student to Professor

  Dr. Mallory Rice, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

  

  The 3-Word Mantra that Guided My Academic Journey and Allowed Me to Take Risks: From Not Good Enough to Ivy League to Department Chair at CSUSM

  Dr. Christina Holub, Interim Director, CEHHS Public Health

  

  Leading the Charge

  Dr. Aswad Allen, Chief Diversity Officer

• Spring 2022
  

  Gender Journeys: Being a Trans Activist in Academia 

  Dr. Mikee Inton-Campbell, Assistant Professor, CHABSS Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

  

  The Road to Grad School Runs Through CSUSM

  Dr. Ray Malfavon-Borja, Assistant Director, TRIO McNair Scholars Program

  

  Danzando/Cantando/Preguntando: Dancing While Singing While Asking

  Dr. Marcelo Garzo Montalvo, Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies

• Faculty & Guest Listing | Topic
  • Toni Olivas, Lalitha Nataraj, and Holly Hampton, BIPOC Librarians: Changing the Face of Academic Libraries and Research
  • Dr. Emiliano Ayala, The Only Frog in the Fish Pond - You Don't Have to be the Entire Voice of Your Gente
  • Dr. Suzi Van Steenbergen, Why a Career in Teaching Matters for Equity and Social Justice
  • Dr. AsherLev Santos, Paving My Path by Dancing Tinikling in a Suit: Weights and Wings of Identity
  • Professor Kimberly Dark, Reclaiming our Power as Social Creators
  • Professor Frank Perez, Struggling For and Studying Social Justice: My Educational Journey to become an Ethnic Studies Activist, Researcher, and Educator
  • Dr. Jon Spenard, Assistant Professor, Anthropology | How I Unintentionally Became a College Professor
  • Dr. Sheri-Lynn, Assistant Professor, Sociology | Claiming Your Space
  • Dr. Eric Tippeconnic, Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies | Dragons and Snakes

  • Dr. Mohamed Abumaye, Assistant Professor, Sociology | From Refugee to PhD: A Difficult Journey Through Higher Education
  • Dr. Patric Amon, Asistant Professor, Theatre | From Law to Theatre
  • Dr. Xochitl Archey, Assistant Professor, Multilingual & Multicultural Education | Denouncing Structures of Hegemony and Reclaiming My Right to Be Present
  • Shane Anderson | A Graduate Student's Mantra: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
  • Dr. Carly Bertand, Assistant Professor, Human Development | Letting the Road Rise Before You: Taking Risks and Managin Instability in Professional Growth
  • Dr. Ranjeeta Basu, Professor, Economics | From Mumbai to San Marcos: Seeking My Purpose, Finding My Joy
  • Dr. Susie Lan Cassel, Professor, Literature and Writing Studies | #MeToo: Case Studies in a Career Working with Men
  • Dr. Antonio De La Garza, Assistant Professor, Communication | A Field Guide to the Path of Red and Black Ink
  • Dr. Darel Engen, Associate Professor, History | Find a Job You Like and You'll Never Have to Work: My Path to a Fulfilling Career and Life
  • Graduate Representatives Council | Is This Exactly Where I'm Supposed to Be? Insights from Graduate Student Journeys
  • Dr. Michelle Holling, Professor, Communication | A Series of Firsts...Being Brown in Academe
  • Dr. Emmanuel Iyiebuniwe, Associate Professor, Public Health | A Career in Public Health: How I Discovered My Passion
  • Dr. Kelsey Jones, Assistant Professor, Human Development | When You Feel Like a Fraud: Healing from Racial Stress and Imposter Syndrome
  • Dr. S. Deborah Kang, Associate Professor, History | Throwing Away the Etiquette Book: Practical Tips for Surviving the Academic Workplace
  • Dr. Cyrus Masroori, Professor, Political Science | Tolerance, Sympathy, and Empathy
  • Dr. Cynthia Chavez Metoyer, Professor, Political Science | 212° The Extra Degree: From First Generation College Student to Professor
  • Dr. Joe-Joe McManus, Chief Diversity Officer | Building a Life's Work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Dr. Jason Magabo Perez, Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies  Showing Up: Ethnic Studies Matters
  • Dr. Andrew Spieldenner, Assistant Professor, Communication | From C student to PhD: An Irregular Journey Through Universities
  • Dr. Theresa Suarez, Associate Professor, Sociology | How Do I Know if Academic Research is for Me?
  • Dr. Darcy Taniguchi, Assistant Professor, Biology | A Random Walk to Studying Marine Science
  • Dr. Keith Trujillo, Professor, Psychology | This is Your Brain on Drugs: The Winding Journey of a Chicano Psycho Pharmacologist
  • Dr. Gabriel Valle, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies | Kitchen Rebellion: A Journey Through the Politics of Place, Power, and Food
  • Dr. Yongjie Zheng, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Information Systems | Learning Software Engineering by Working as a Software Engineer