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Cougar Career Champions
What are Cougar Career Champions?
A Cougar Career Champion is a CSUSM faculty or staff member who is a career advocate for our students career and professional success. Our champions are nominated by our students! Champions are recognized with a certificate including the nominators own words.
Want to nominate a CSUSM faculty or staff that has had a positive impact on you? Look for an email from Handshake to nominate in early Spring!
Past Recipients
Professor Testimonials
AMD Lecturer Tony Allard Nominated for 2021 Cougar Career Champion
A Cougar Career Champion is a faculty or staff member who is an advocate for student career and professional success.
"This is a great way for me to end the semester. As I said to Shelby, who nominated me, it is an honor for sure from the University and a real nod to my 30-plus years of teaching. I am grateful for the award and most importantly what it recognizes, which is the benefit my students are recieving."
-Tony Allard
"Professor Allard has supported my career by selecting me to be his Student Assistant in his digital drawing course. I was not looking to be involved in the school, but thanks to him, I have developed a deep relationship with the school and many of those lovely people that work there. I have also gotten the once in a lifetime opportunity to draw virtually with the school iPads and draw in Virtual Reality with the wireless VR Goggles he obtained for us. Without Professor Allard, I would have never been able to further my virtual drawing experiments in such amazing ways."
- Shelby Rossman
Past Nominations
"I was paired with Dr. Berry in fall of 2018 through the Faculty Mentoring Program (FMP) and Dr. Berry is a very friendly professor who cares about his students. As a first generation student, he helped me navigate through my last year of college by offering advice, writing letters of recommendation, and answering any questions I had. Dr. Berry always had his doors opened and made it known as he would help peer review my essays and even after graduation, he opened the doors to his lab and is extremely flexible with my availability to volunteer at his lab and gain research experience!"
- Juan L., CSUSM Alumni 2019
"Dr. Lim has been a super supportive mentor in the CHABSS Career Network this semester and last! Despite her busy schedule as a SHCS counselor, she has always made the time to meet with me in her office about my goals for the future. She has helped me to get ideas for how to write my CV, how to be engaged in my time here at CSUSM, and to plan for my grad school applications that I plan to start in fall 2020. She always provides kind and helpful support toward my goal of attaining a Master's degree in social work or counseling."
- Hayley S., Fall 2021
"He pushed me over and over to be a better "me" at school and professionally. When I first started classes at CSUSM, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do career-wise, but he vetted me, learned so much about me and my personality and guided me in the right direction to figure out what I wanted to do after college. Moses gave me a "warm-handoff" on LinkedIn with 3 recruiters. After hearing their stories about their jobs, I knew that's where I was going. Those warm handoffs were also a huge part in me landing my internship with GEICO. It was the beginning of forming the relationship aspect of networking with one of GEICO's recruiters. Moses has also given me tools and techniques to help myself stand out on LinkedIn. Thank you Mo' for always pushing, believing and never giving up on me."
- Steven S., CSUSM Alumni 2020