DEAN’S MESSAGE
This has been an extraordinary year for the College of Arts and Letters. The steadfast commitment of our faculty and staff to educational excellence, high research activity, and student success helped CAL achieve several significant milestones, many of which are recounted in this issue of Insight magazine.
The number of students graduating this year from CAL soared to nearly 1,600, including over 300 graduate students and seven newly-minted Ph.D.s. Additionally, SDSU had the pleasure of conferring an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters on CSU trustee Adam Day, who graduated from SDSU with a B.A. in political science in 1991. Day’s father, Thomas B. Day, served as SDSU’s president from 1978 to 1996.
Several CAL faculty members received national recognition of their path-breaking research. Zamira Abman, assistant professor of history and comparative and international studies, was awarded an American Council of Learned Society (ACLS) Fellowship for her research on the effects of Soviet delimitation. Walter Penrose, Jr., associate professor of history, and Amira Jarmakani, professor of women’s studies, each received research awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Erika Robb Larkins, professor of anthropology, and Kristal Bivona, assistant professor of classics and humanities, also received NEH awards for their work as director and co-director, respectively, of the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies.
CAL’s efforts to support and enhance student career readiness also expanded significantly this academic year, with the adoption of two new courses designed specifically to equip CAL students with the essential skills and knowledge for fulfilling careers. In addition, the Undergraduate Research Office of the College of Arts and Letters (UROC) developed the CAL Mentoring for Undergraduate Student Excellence (MUSE) Program, which offered opportunities for undergraduate students to work on projects ranging from the automated detection of archaeological sites using satellite imagery to Black Muslims and racial capitalism.
Finally, the College of Arts and Letters welcomes a new dean, effective July 1, when Todd Butler joins SDSU from Washington State University. We thank Interim Dean Ronnee Schreiber for her dynamic leadership of CAL this past year, as well as all who help make the college such a powerful center for teaching, research, and community engagement.
Sincerely,
Michael Borgstrom Interim Associate Dean College of Arts and Letters
STUDENTS
3 | Overall Outstanding Graduating Senior: Grayce Honsa
5 | Senior Spotlight: Maxine Amaru 'blazes trails' on graduation journey
7 | Senior Spotlight: Richard German is change agent for disability advocacy and education
9 | International student secures coveted spot in Stanford's art history doctoral program
11 | Graduate student in history, Kayla Daniels joins Capital Fellows
12 | 2024 SDSU Student Symposium (S3) largest yet
DEPTS +
13 | New CAL Mentoring for Undergraduate Student Excellence (MUSE)
15 | Career readiness courses debut in fall
RESEARCH
16 | Looking to the past to prevent future extinction
17 | Preserving and revealing Tijuana's past thanks to NEH grant
19 | SDSU anthropologists in Tahiti monitor effects of temporary fishery closures
FACULTY
21 | CAL Excellence awards
22 | Alvin Henry selected for new prestigious faculty innovation fellowship at national nonprofit 23 | Newly-minted Fulbright Scholars pack their bags
25 | Zamira Abman receives ACLS Fellowship for research on effects of Soviet delimitation
26 | SDSU faculty receive NEH awards to advance research in humanities
27 | Geographer elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
ALUMNI
29 | SDSU alumnus transforms passion for sustainability into purposeful career
31 | From SDSU to the White House: Raul Leon's inspiring internship in D.C. leads to job offer back home
33 | Alumni Awards of Distinction PHILANTHROPY
34 | Jon Davidi sponsors inaugural Mock Trial Advocate of the Year Award
MILESTONES
37 | CAL staff and faculty reach milestones
EVENTS
38 | Spring recap CAL IN THE NEWS
39 | CAL faculty, alumni, and students featured in a variety of media outlets
Grayce Honsa selected CAL Overall Outstanding Graduating Senior
A double major in political science and women’s studies, Honsa is an activist and community builder at the top of her class.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
Grayce Honsa is a first-generation student who began their academic journey in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic during a time of widespread social and political division. Honsa’s passion was piqued as a result, and they worked diligently in pursuit of social justice and community building during their years at San Diego State University.
Kimala Price, chair of the Department of Women’s Studies, notes that Honsa excels academically. “Professors Whatcott and Donadey both attest to their very strong academic performance and excellent papers in feminist disability studies and feminist theory,” Price said. “Grayce has been indispensable as the undergraduate intern
for the Department of Women’s Studies, working on its newsletter and promoting the major, minor, faculty, and alumni throughout campus and beyond.”
A foundational part of their scholarship in women’s studies is Black-feminist and scholar-activist Angela Davis. “Davis’ revolutionary work exploring LGBTQ+ rights, prison abolition, and political philosophy has always resonated deeply with me and inspired me to explore those topics in my own academic and activist work,” Honsa said. “I hope one day to meet Angela Davis in person and tell her how much she has inspired me to foster these passions in pursuit of liberation.”
Some of Honsa’s fondest memories at SDSU
Interim Dean Ronnee Schreiber and CAL Overall Outstanding Graduating Senior Grayce Honsa.
come from their time working at the Women’s Resource Center. ”The professional staff and student assistants there have been the biggest support and source of community for me at SDSU, and I truly believe that I would not be who I am today without them,” Honsa said.
The WRC provided Honsa a nurturing environment to grow as a “student, activist, and human being.” Honsa said that their time working with the WRC will forever be cherished.
Though busy with work and academics, Honsa found time to attend events to support the many diverse and creative communities within SDSU student organizations. For the past three years, Honsa was a member of IGNITE SDSU, a club focused on educating and empowering young women in politics.
Honsa won a number of scholarships and awards to include: the Andrea O’Donnell Memorial Scholarship, which honors the memory of an activist student at SDSU. The scholarships are designed for women’s studies majors who demonstrate commitment to community activism and leadership in developing, promoting, or supporting activities which empower women, and the Cotton Metzger Scholarship for LGBTQ+ Students that provides support for students who are members of the LGBT community and contribute to enhancing perceptions of members of their community.
After graduation, Honsa will work during the summer at the State Bar Association of California as a human resources intern in San Francisco. In a few years, they plan to return to graduate school, but in the meantime they are looking forward to developing professional skills, engaging in community activism, and continuing to advocate for more equitable public policy.
“The work that I have done in and out of the classroom during my time at SDSU has never felt like a chore, but a privilege to be able to learn, work, and grow in so many unique spaces,” Honsa said. “I am so incredibly grateful for this recognition of my hard work and resilience while a student at SDSU.” n
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I hope one day to meet Angela Davis in person and tell her how much she has inspired me to foster these passions in pursuit of liberation.
Maxine Amaru ‘blazes trails’ on her inspirational journey to graduation
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
She’s a mom, grandmother, first-generation non-traditional transfer student, and an award-winning senior. If that doesn’t keep her busy enough, she is involved in a wide array of student, community, and volunteer organizations.
And, she somehow fits in fun activities by regularly participating in the 40+ Double Dutch Club. — a community group that empowers women through social activities.
Nothing stops San Diego native Maxine Amaru, on her journey to graduation, summa cum laude, with a degree in Africana Studies plus a minor in social work.
Amaru is on a mission. Her ultimate educational and career goal is to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in pursuit of a career with San Diego County’s Child Welfare Services. “‘I am a natural born social worker, counselor, mentor, and teacher by nature,” Amaru said.” I love to support, help, and assist anyone in need.”
Since August 2021, Amaru has been involved in SDSU student organizations that include the Black Social Workers Association (BSWA), where she was 2023-24 president. She also was the treasurer of the Social Workers of Color Student Coalition (SWC). Amaru has been involved with the Black Resource Center (BRC), Harold K. Brown - Knowledge, Education, Empowerment Program (HB
(L): Maxine Amaru at the state capitol building in Sacramento, during the NASW “Legislative Lobby Days” conference, April 2024. (R): Amaru displays her scholarship awards at the MLK Jr. Luncheon at SDSU.
JOURNEY AT SDSU
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
KEEP), Black Transfer Student (BTSS), and others.
For more than a decade she has been involved in community and volunteer organizations such as Gangs Be Gone, a nonprofit group offering children workshops on how to stay away from gang life, and House of Hope, a homeless shelter for single women and their children.. She also volunteered with and was a student member of the National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) with whom she recently attended the “Legislative Lobby Days” conference held in Sacramento at the state capitol.
To add to her long list of scholarship awards, in 2024 she was awarded two Department of Africana Studies scholarships: the Shirley Wade Thomas Memorial Scholarship, developed in honor of a professor in the Afro-American Studies department from 1972 until her death in 1988; and, the Danny Scarborough Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the founder, choreographer, and director of the SDSU Black Repertory Total Theatrical Experience from 1977 to 1987.
The first to graduate from college, Amaru said, “I’m blazing trails in my family.” n
Maxine Amaru prepares to enter the arena as the official day of commencement approaches.
Amaru attends a donor/ scholarship appreciation luncheon.
Black Social Workers Association.
San Diego 40+ Double Dutch Club.
Richard German at spring training camp.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
Graduating senior is change agent for disability advocacy and education
Sustainability major Richard German is a leader in helping improve environmental impacts and community inclusivity for sports venues.
He wakes up at 5 a.m. to make it to campus by 8. Many times he puts in 15-hour days that include using public transit to get to campus, attending classes, and working on internship projects.
Richard German cares deeply about the environment and chose sustainability as a major partly due to an interest in reducing the widespread litter he encountered on his trek between campus and home. At one point, he had to remove the tires of his wheelchair to extract all the trash that had accumulated.
German, born with cerebral palsy, transferred to San Diego State University in spring 2022, after attending Grossmont College for 16 years.
When he enrolled in lecturer Savanna Schuermann’s Sustainability and Culture course he had a frank discussion with her about how he would manage the course workload. German recalled that Schuermann told him, “I’m not going to let you go through this semester alone.” The two bonded immediately. “She’s a good listener, and she’s patient,” German said.
stoked to see him prepare to graduate with his degree and go on to make this world a more inclusive, less-ableist place. And, he is just a hilarious and smart guy.”
German’s academic journey
Schuermann was the sustainability internship coordinator last year and since German was required to take on an internship before graduation, she knew the perfect fit: something in the sports field where he could help improve environmental impacts, enhance community inclusivity, and offer valuable feedback on ADA compliance for stadiums and entertainment venues.
Nate Davis, Richard German, and Geno Gerbo gather after a league game.
Enter Geno Gerbo, general manager of San Diego Strike Force, the professional indoor football team, and the Strike Force Cares Foundation, a community nonprofit foundation that operates in tandem with the football team to do work with the community, particularly with marginalized and underserved community members.
“Working with and advocating for Richard has been one of the most memorable and life altering experiences of my life,” Schuermann said. “Richard thinks he has learned from me, but really, I have learned from him. I am so
Working with the San Diego Strike Force has allowed German to embrace his passion for sustainability, sports, and accessibility. Many of his internship hours were completed virtually, and oftentimes Gerbo drove to campus for biweekly in-person meetings at the sustainability student center in
(L): Savanna and Richard meet oustide class in Hardy Tower. (R): At commencement, sustainability majors gather prior to entering Viejas Arena (Geno and Savanna are behind Richard).
the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. They talked weekly to discuss feasibility projects and Gerbo arranged appropriate transportation for German to complete on-site visits at the football arena or other community spaces.
German’s internship assignments included surveys of the organization and feedback as a key informant from the disabled community perspective. He also attended training camps and offered to draw up plays for the team, some of whom were his teammates at West Hills High School when he was the football captain and others were players he befriended on the team at Grossmont College.
German is a well-liked and committed member of the Strike Force team on the sidelines where he connects with players, thinks strategically, and attends every home game. “He has a charismatic personality,” said Gerbo. “He powers through and raises everyone up.”
During his internship, German proposed the idea of sharing his personal experiences associated with accessibility at San Diego sports venues. He and Gerbo presented a proposal to the builders of the new Oceanside San Diego Sockers arena in which German gave recommendations on key technical features necessary for an ADA-compliant venue.
On campus, German offers a helping hand
to other students with disabilities. On a recent evening at the library, he helped a student upload documents when they needed assistance, even though he was in the midst of doing his own homework at the time. German received the “Outstanding Persistence” award from the Office of Educational Opportunity Programs, Outreach and Success (EOPOS). “Richard is remarkable and has demonstrated unparalleled perseverance, determination, and resilience throughout his San Diego State University academic journey,” said Charnise Bumpus, EOPOS counselor. “Despite many challenges and obstacles he may have faced, he always maintained exceptional perseverance and relentless commitment to his studies.”
Commencement and future plans
A San Diego Strike Force road game took place in Las Vegas on May 10, the same day as the College of Arts and Letters commencement ceremony. German considered going to Las Vegas until he realized that he cannot miss this chance to cross the stage — with family and friends watching — on a very important day of his academic journey.
After graduation, he intends to continue his work in the field of disability-rights advocacy. German will focus on making a difference by advocating for better treatment and understanding of students with disabilities — and access for all. n
International student secures coveted spot in Stanford’s art history doctoral program
Kehinde 'Kennii' Ekundayo faced tumultuous path to fund her education, but her resiliency paid off.
By Mike Freeman
Kehinde “Kennii” Ekundayo laughs with ease these days, a levity that belies having to work multiple jobs, sell her blood to pay for college in her native Nigeria, or sometimes not be able to afford groceries during her graduate studies at San Diego State University.
Her high spirits stem from an email this spring from Stanford University, accepting Ekundayo into its Art History Ph.D. program.
Ranking among the top in the country, Stanford’s program is extremely selective. It typically admits fewer than eight candidates per year, according to its website.
“Certainly, I could say people who have a degree from an Ivy League institution regularly do not get admitted because it is so competitive,” said Gillian Sneed, assistant professor of Art History and area coordinator for Art
History and Foundations. “We are very proud of Kennii for her achievement.”
Stanford is providing Ekundayo with a fellowship that pays her tuition and living expenses for five years. For her research, she also received a supplemental award through the university’s Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) Fellowship.
This is uncharted territory for Ekundayo, who will graduate this month from SDSU’s interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences (MALAS) program.
“Since starting my undergrad at 16, when I left home, I’ve had to fund myself,” she said. “And now at Stanford, I get this amazing opportunity to focus on my education and my research without having to focus on where my tuition is going to come from.”
Her SDSU community of faculty mentors, classmates and friends expects big things.
“Look out world,” said SDSU English and Comparative Literature Professor William Nericcio, who heads the MALAS program. “Her support package is extraordinary. For this brilliant woman who has been scrabbling together monies to cover living expenses, it could not have happened to a better person.”
Hustling for Art
Raised by a single mom, Ekundayo paid her way through college in Nigeria working as a courier, cosmetics salesperson, and other odd jobs.
She began freelancing for a local artist friend, helping curate events. Prior to that, she had rarely visited a gallery or
museum. Her major was French.
During an exhibit at a hotel, Ekundayo recognized a Nigerian state governor and his entourage in the lobby.
“I ran after him, and the security was like, ‘Go away girl,’” she recalled. “I said I am trying to invite you to a show that just opened. I made a spectacle and he said, ‘OK, I am going out now, but I will stop by when I return.’”
The official kept his word. “He bought so many works that day. We had never sold anything like that before,” she said.
That got Ekundayo on the artist’s payroll and hooked her on the vibrant creative scene in Lagos where she began meeting people and learning all she could about contemporary African art and curating shows.
Coming to San Diego
Looking for freedom to pursue her ideas, Ekundayo quit her job. She had built relationships with prominent gallery operators and Nigerian artisans. As a newcomer to the art scene, she occasionally felt the sting of elitism. But she persisted.
“The thing about me is I say yes to everything,” she said. “And even if, at the end of the day, I say I do not want to do this again, at least I did something.”
At a film festival in Lagos, Ekundayo met SDSU Professor Niyi Coker, director of the School of Theater, Television, and Film. The encounter led to a plan for a retrospective at SDSU of works from iconic African artist Bruce Onobrakpeya, accompanied by Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. READ FULL ARTICLE >>
Having this opportunity allows me to combine my research skills, writing, historical knowledge, and public speaking to make a difference in the lives of everyday Californians.
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Graduate student in history, Kayla Daniels joins Capital Fellows
Fulbright Scholar, CSU Casanova Scholar and now Capital Fellow, Daniels continues on an award-winning trajectory
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
Kayla Daniels, graduate student in history, has been selected for the 2024-25 Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship.
The fellowship brings 18 students each year to the state capitol for the 11-month program where their work will directly shape public policy, from education to environmental justice, while they are being mentored by senior legislative staff. The fellowship offers students in the cohort a chance to hone skills, expand professional networks, and expand experience leading to a meaningful career.
“I am extremely grateful to have been selected as a Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellow for the upcoming 2024-2025 class of the Capital Fellows Program,” Daniels said. “Having this opportunity allows me to combine my research skills, writing, historical knowledge, and public speaking to make a difference in the lives of everyday Californians. I am excited to see where working in government and policy in Sacramento takes me in this new endeavor as I move forward after graduation.”
Daniels was a 2022-23 Fulbright Scholar in Canada, a CSU Sally Casanova Fellow two years ago, and a Presidential Award and Diversity Award winner at SDSU's Student Research Symposium (now S3) during her time as a grad student. n
2024 SDSU Student Symposium (S3) was largest yet
More than 650 students shared their scholarly projects with larger San Diego community
By Sarah White
The17th annual San Diego State University Student Symposium (S3), held March 1, was the largest in university history. Over 650 students participated across more than 500 posters, talks, exhibits and performances. Upwards of 450 volunteers from the SDSU and larger San Diego community judged and moderated student presentations. During Friday’s sessions, mentors, peers and parents alike encouraged and celebrated student research, innovation and creativity. Students appliedtheir skills and knowledge to myriad topics: solving problems like homelessness, exploring the role of gender in media, and understanding rural high school students’ college decisions. Every academic unit, including SDSU Imperial Valley, had multiple student presentations throughout the day.
In the 41 years that Geography Professor Emeritus Doug Stow has been at SDSU, he said this year’s presentations were the “most consistently solid” he has judged.
11 CAL students received awards at the March symposium and two were invited to attend the 38th Annual California State University Student Research Competition in April.
Belen Rashidi + Elena Miller President's Award
Faculty Mentor: Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk
Aurora Valdez De La Torre HSI Award
Faculty Mentor: Irene Lara
Grace Dearborn Library Award
Faculty Mentor: Elizabeth Pollard
Darya Ardehali Library Award
Faculty Mentor: Desmond Hassing
Allison Gallant Undergraduate Research Excellence
Award Faculty Mentor: Jonathan Graubart
Fernanda Carrillo Escarcega Provost's Award: Arts and Letters
Faculty Mentor: Gabriela Fernandez
Elizabeth Bushnell Provost's Award: Arts and Letters
Interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate student teams from mechanical engineering professor Sam Kassegne’s NanoFab lab presented their lessons learned iterating designs for sensors to aid in diabetes management, from detecting glucose and cortisol to stimulating the vagus nerve.
READ MORE ONLINE >>
Faculty Mentor: Doug Stow
Jorge Arana Dean’s Award: Arts and Letters
Faculty Mentor: Jeanette Shumaker
Brenna Fowler Dean’s Award: Arts and Letters
Faculty Mentor: Doug Stow
Chiara Malvestiti Philosophy Award
Faculty Mentor: Tawny Whaley
New CAL Mentoring for Undergraduate Student Excellence (MUSE) program takes flight
First cohort of CAL student research assistants begin work in spring 2024.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
While many undergraduates get their start in research, scholarship, and creative activities (RSCA) by volunteering, not every student has this option. In spring 2024, the Undergraduate Research Office of the College of Arts and Letters (UROC) developed an innovative student assistantship plan to expand meaningful opportunities for CAL undergraduate students.
Interim Dean Ronnee Schreiber said, “With this funding we offer continued support for our CAL undergraduates to bring forth opportunities that often lead to transformative work for both the students and faculty mentors in the social sciences and humanities. Embarking on these research projects helps raise visibility through publishing and other creative endeavors.”
Six faculty members received funding for nine undergraduate student assistants
(SAs) to work on projects ranging from the automated detection of archaeological sites using satellite imagery to Black Muslims and racial capitalism. In exchange, faculty are providing rich undergraduate mentoring experiences to their SAs while also assisting them in presenting or publishing their work. Some have presented at the SDSU Student Symposium (S3); some have submitted their research to Splice, CAL's URSCA journal.
“The kinds of one-on-one relationships our program enables help students prepare for meaningful careers after college; they also contribute to a strong sense of belonging and boost retention and graduation rates. Faculty, too, find them very fulfilling,” said Elisa (EJ) Sobo, director of UROC.
The work is intended to ultimately lead to professional growth for the faculty mentor as well as for the students.
The spring awardees and research descriptions are as follows:
Anthropology // Mentor: Isaac Ullah // Students: Ace Boyle and Kylie Coughlin
Project Title: Automated Detection of Archaeological Sites from Satellite Imagery
Ace Boyle and Kylie Coughlin will assist in Ullah’s “proof of concept” research intended to train and test an AI (machine learning) image pattern detection algorithm using satellite imagery to aid in our current understanding of the spatial variability in desert kite sites of eastern Jordan.
Economics // Mentor: Ryan Abman // Student: Hattie Jenkins
Project Title: Environmental and Economic Effects of the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade program (FLEGT)
Hattie Jenkins will co-author a paper for a professional/academic journal with Abman and another professor as an extension of her summer participation in this investigation.
Geography and ISCOR // Mentor: Dan Sousa // Students: Daniel Carr and Stuart Olsen
Project Title: Mapping and Monitoring Geogenic Arsenic in Cambodian Smallholder Rice
Daniel Carr and Stuart Olsen will be trained to work via remote sensing to monitor arsenic levels and will participate in writing and disseminating findings.
Department for the Study of Religion and Africana Studies // Mentor: Esra Tunc // Student: Tiffany Hungerford
Project Title: Black Muslims and Racial Capitalism in the United States
Tiffany Hungerford will examine newspaper archives representing the Nation of Islam’s understandings of self-help, charity, and economy in the 1960s and the 1970s and connect this to existing literature on the topic.
Political Science and History // Mentor: Latha Varadarajan // Student: John-Michael Ellis
Project Title: The Rise and Fall of the “Third World” Idea
John-Michael Ellis will help track the discourse relating to the rise and fall of the concept "Third World" through a systematic search of documents from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and other archival materials.
Sociology // Mentor: Charlene HolkenbrinkMonk // Students: Belen Rashidi and Elena Miller
Project Title: Frontier Housing: A Qualitative Research Study on an Oft-Forgotten Part of San Diego Housing History
Belen Rashidi and Elena Miller will use visual and documentary methods for a socio-historical analysis of the defunct Frontier public housing project (which was in the Midway area). Their “action research” investigates the idea of community, and documents neighborhood concerns regarding race, socioeconomic status, and affordable housing. n
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The kinds of one-on-one relationships our program enables help students prepare for meaningful careers after college; they also contribute to a strong sense of belonging and boost retention and graduation rates. Faculty, too, find them very fulfilling,
Career readiness courses debut in fall
Two new courses help CAL students get ready to launch careers
We’ve created two new courses designed specifically for CAL students to equip them with the essential skills and knowledge to translate unique strengths into fulfilling careers.
CAL CAREER READINESS COURSES | FALL 2024
CAL 100
For students who want to explore career options via a CAL major. This one-unit course is geared toward lower-division students.
CAL 400
For fourth-year students rapidly approaching the full-time job market. Included in this three-unit course students will earn training in a Coursera Professional Certificate program in a high demand career field.
DOWNLOAD FLYER WITH MORE DETAILS>>
Professor Alvin Henry and Assistant Dean Aileen TaylorGrant will teach the courses.
Looking to the past to prevent future extinction
San Diego State University anthropologists created a computational model to predict the likelihood of animal extinctions based on the complex interaction of hunting and environmental change.
By Susanne Clara Bard
During the Late Pleistocene, Califor nia — at least at its lower elevations — was teeming with vegetation. While much of North America was covered in Ice Age glaciers, here, mastodons lumbered across verdant meadows, stopping to feed on brush, warily eyeing the forest’s edge for saber-tooth cats on the prowl for their calves.
Humans also flourished along the coastline, which extended hundreds of feet below where it is today.
for the complexity of human-animal interactions, life history traits and environmental change and tests variations of these anthropogenic and environmental pressures.
But by 11,000 years ago, mastodons were extinct. Today, scientists are still debating the reasons for their demise: did human hunting do them in? Climate change? A cataclysmic event? Diminishing genetic diversity? Or some combination of factors?
Explaining what caused the extinctions of large animal species like the mastodon is often fraught due to the difficulty of piecing together an accurate picture of the past based on fragmentary evidence about the human and environmental pressures that may have contributed to their disappearance.
Now, San Diego State University researchers report in the journal Quaternary Research that they have created a computational model to help predict the likelihood of large animal extinctions. Their model accounts
The “megafauna hunting pressure model” could ultimately inform conservation management strategies and policy during a time when animal extinctions are skyrocketing, according to co-authors Miriam Kopels (’22, M.A., anthropology) — now a Ph.D. student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas — and Isaac Ullah, associate professor of anthropology.
“We have carefully crafted the model with understandings from anthropology and archaeology about human behavior and how humans interact with nature,” said Ullah. “We're taking that knowledge and information and encapsulating it so that it can be applied to other cases.”
ARTICLE ONLINE >>
“San Diego State anthropology professor builds an extinction calculator,” by Thomas Fudge.
READ KPBS ARTICLE>>
The faculty and staff of IMAC and SDSU celebrate their collaboration.
Preserving and revealing Tijuana's past thanks to an NEH grant
By Rebecca Williamson
TThe faculty and staff of Tijuana’s Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura (IMAC} and SDSU celebrate their collaboration San Diego State University has been awarded a Humanities Collections and References Resources Grant for $336,762 by the National Endowment for the Humanities for its project, “Preserving and Revealing Tijuana’s Past.” Continuing their collaboration with the City of Tijuana’s Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura (IMAC), a team of experts from the SDSU Library, led by Head of Digital Collections Lisa Lamont, and the SDSU Center for Regional Sustainability will organize, digitize, and make accessible more than 50,000 photographs, slides, maps, and related materials currently held in the Archivo Histórico de Tijuana.
This NEH implementation grant will build on the foundational work conducted by SDSU and IMAC as part of a pilot project funded in 2022 by the UCLA Modern Endangered Archives Program.
Tijuana and San Diego together form a vibrant, bi-national community distinguished
by cultural engagement among U.S. and Mexican nationals, and among the Indigenous communities that have made this region their home for thousands of years. The holdings of the Archivo Histórico document the complex society, culture, and politics of a unique border region, as well as the evolution of the City of Tijuana throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Collaboration between SDSU and IMAC will preserve and promote greater access to primary source materials that may be of value to students and scholars in fields such as history, political science, anthropology, urban planning, Latin American studies, and border studies. “This significant award enables us to continue a collaboration that enriches our social science and humanities scholarship as well as to have an impact on the cross-regional efforts that are crucial in building strong ties between our university and the community,” said Ronnee Schreiber, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Letters.
“Partnerships of this type between SDSU and cultural heritage organizations in Mexico
are a critical component of the university’s strategic plan, especially its commitment to developing and sustaining programs distinctive of a public research university that is also a Hispanic-Serving Institution,” said Scott Walter, Dean of the University Library.
The University Library’s collaboration with IMAC on the “Preserving and Revealing Tijuana’s Past” initiative is part of a broader program of engagement with cultural heritage organizations in Mexico being launched as part of the SDSU Center for Mesoamerican Studies in Oaxaca, Mexico. Among the complementary programs being pursued in Oaxaca is one focused on the digitization of Indigenous language materials held in the Biblioteca de Investigación Juan de Córdova.
From the Archivo Histórico de Tijuana: Colección Jaime Ortega:
A contingent of schoolgirls from the 10 de Mayo school marches in a patriotic parade on Calle Benito Juárez 2da. The scene may be located at the corner with Avenida Constitución. Crowds line the streets, restrained by police.
“As a proud transborder university and Hispanic-Serving Institution, SDSU embraces our collaboration with IMAC and our role in studying, promoting and preserving this region’s rich history,” said SDSU president Adela de la Torre. “Access to these important materials is vital not only to our scholarship in San Diego, Imperial Valley and Oaxaca, but also to global understanding that goes far beyond our university.”
Previously digitized materials for both projects in both Tijuana and Oaxaca can be found in the library's Digital Collections and a recent SDSU NewsCenter story featured a video of the project. Be sure to visit the collection to see the exciting work already completed for this ongoing project. n
WATCH
VIDEO ABOUT DIGITIZING TIJUANA'S HISTORY
From Archivo Histórico de Tijuana: Colección Aída Barrón de La Paz:
Portrait of bride Elena Barrón de La Paz, with her four bridesmaids standing behind her in 1928. This digital image was created from a photocopy of a photographic print.
From Archivo Histórico de Tijuana: Plaza de toros:
At a bullfighting arena, two men with tubas watch the bull fight. The ring is lined with advertisements including those for Tecate.
SDSU anthropologists in Tahiti monitor effects of temporary fishery closures
The community of Parpara on the south coast of Tahiti opened their marine reserve, which they call rāhui, for the first time in four years and SDSU researchers were there to study the process
By Matt Lauer
Throughout French Polynesia communities are reinstituting a form of traditional resource management. Prior to European colonization Polynesians closed sections of their reefs for several years and then opened them to harvest fish for important events like feasts or the marriage of important leaders. Instead of permanent marine closures, rāhui closures are opened to allow fishers to harvest fish and monitor the state of the marine ecosystem.
Building on this ancient Polynesia practice, the rāhui in Papara was opened for two days on two different days (Feb. 14 and Feb 28,
2024) from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Our research team, which includes ecologists from UC Santa Barbara, was invited to monitor the entire process for the Feb 14 opening. We conducted underwater fish surveys prior to the opening to assess the state of the coral reef fishery and we will be conducting follow up surveys in the coming months to assess the impact of the one day opening. We also had anthropologists live in the community for two months before the opening to conduct interviews with the fishers and stakeholders.
During the opening we monitored the number of boats and fishers out on the
water, interviewed fishers about the state of lagoon resources, and measured their catch using photographic methods. As part of this research our team is also conducting work on the growth rates of fish within marine reserves so some of the fish were dissected for that purpose.
Our initial results suggest that rāhui was partially successful in terms of protecting the marine ecosystem and had big effects building cohesion among the fishers and the rāhui management committee. Many fishers in our interviews stated that after a four-year fishing moratorium there should have been many more fish. The reason, they suggested, is that there has been frequent nighttime poaching in the rāhui. The fishers, with our help, are now attempting to encourage the French Polynesia government to grant them more power to monitor and enforce the rules of the rāhui.
Many fishers stated that holding an event like a one-day opening provides an opportunity for fishers to meet and celebrate their management initiative, increasing social cohesion and trust.
Understanding dynamic social- environmental feedbacks in temporary fisheries closure
The fishers, with our help, are now attempting to encourage the French Polynesia government to grant them more power to monitor and enforce the rules of the rāhui.
I am currently involved in a $1.6 million project initiative awarded by National Science Foundation’s Dynamics of Integrated Socio-Environmental Systems (DISES) program.
I along Anastasia Quintana (UCSB), Steve Gaines (UCSB), Hunter Lenihan (UCSB), and Erendira Aceves Bueno (Univ. of Washington) will study one of the most vexing questions for the continued health of our oceans: How do we best manage coastal fisheries in manner that is both ecological beneficial and socially acceptable for the people who depend on them for their food and livelihood? Around the world over a billion people in coastal communities, especially in the developing world, depend on small-scale fisheries for seafood and income yet many are threatened by climate-change and overfishing.
To better manage these fisheries, scientists have long advocated for permanently closing some marine areas to fishing as means to sustain the fisheries. Yet despite the well documented ecological benefits of these permanent marine protected areas or “MPAs” there is growing recognition that more often than not local people do not embrace them, and they fail. Instead, many fishing communities prefer to close areas to fishing for a limited amount of time and then reopen them, a strategy that was employed for millennia throughout the Pacific Islands as a traditional fisheries management practice and that is gaining steam through grass-roots movement around the world.
It remains an open question, however, how well temporary closures work, what social ecological effects they many have, and more broadly who deems them a failure or success? READ MORE ONLINE >>
CAL Excellence Awards
The College of Arts and Letters is pleased to announce its annual awards for Excellence in: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity; Service; and, Teaching in the humanities and the social sciences. Recipients receive $1,500 in support of their professional activities.
Please join Interim Dean Ronnee Schreiber in congratulating the 2023-2024 College of Arts and Letters award recipients:
CAL Excellence in Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity, Tenured Faculty
Erin Riley, Anthropology
Naseh Nasrollahi Shahri, Linguistics and Asian/ Middle Eastern Languages
Jess Whatcott, Women’s Studies
CAL Excellence in Service
Olivia Chilcote, American Indian Studies
Latha Varadarajan, Political Science
CAL Excellence in Teaching, Lecturer
Charlene E. Holkenbrink-Monk, Sociology
James Murren, Political Science
Alvin Henry and Byron Purse selected for new prestigious faculty innovation fellowships at national nonprofit
The Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), based in Washington, D.C., selected two from SDSU to join the first cohort of 19 fellows from across the country.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
Alvin Henry, associate professor and director of Asian American Studies and Byron Purse, professor, chemistry and biochemistry will join the inaugural cohort of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) Faculty Innovation Fellows. These fellows represent 13 institutions across 10 states and come from a diverse array of disciplines including business and hospitality, nursing, and social sciences.
The Faculty Innovation Fellowship program provides the tools, resources, and space to design, develop, and lead innovations in establishing equitable talent pipelines that expand pathways to student success.
Fellows will participate in virtual and in-person sessions over several months on innovation mindset, change management, and leadership. They will also work with their peers and industry experts to develop projects that enhance student success through innovative employer collaborations.
“Collaboration between business and higher education is vital to ensure that higher education experiences pave the way for rewarding employment,” according to the BHEF. Faculty fellows are leaders empowered to drive positive change that position students for success.
A portion of Henry’s research has centered on employment trends for humanities and social sciences majors since his arrival to San Diego State University’s College of Arts and Letters last year. “With the new career-readiness courses we are preparing for fall in the College of Arts and Letters, this fellowship will give me even more material to share with our students as they find innovative skills to secure meaningful employment after graduation,” he said.
SDSU will have an opportunity to be a national model for workforce responsiveness through the faculty fellows, who are poised to influence peers around innovation and the work on their initiatives that will be implemented on campus. n
The Faculty Innovation Fellowship program provides the tools, resources, and space to design, develop, and lead innovations in establishing equitable talent pipelines that expand pathways to student success.
Newly-minted Fulbright Scholars pack their bags
Brazil and Spain are destinations for SDSU alumni faculty members seeking to further their research.
By Michael Klitzing
Oneis off to Brazil, the other Spain. One is an experienced global traveler, the other is fulfilling a wanderlust long deferred.
But San Diego State University faculty members and alumni Kristal Bivona (’07, English) and Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk (’23, Joint Ph.D. in Education) share an important thing in common: Both are among a select group of U.S. academics who will pursue their research and scholarly passions as Fulbright Scholars.
While more than 2,200 students study internationally each year through the Fulbright program, fewer than half that number are accepted into the Fulbright Scholars program, which sends university and college faculty, and artists abroad to teach, conduct research, and carry out professional projects.
“I believe that the Fulbright program works to foster mutual cultural understanding — it
is an exchange and it has an interesting social element,” said Bivona, assistant professor of classics and humanities and associate director of SDSU’s Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies. “It is research and it is work, but it’s also meeting people and bridging language and culture to forge relationships.”
Added Holkenbrink-Monk, a lecturer in the Department of Sociology: “I'm very excited to be in a different academic environment. I've been teaching for seven years now at the college level and I've taught all over Southern California, but that's still very much my comfort zone.
“I am excited to not be in that same silo.”
A return to Brazil
Bivona is no stranger to the U.S. Fulbright program. Her first Fulbright award arrived in 2007 when she was an SDSU undergraduate in English. Walking through the halls of
Adams Humanities, she noticed a flier on a bulletin board that touted the student Fulbright program — the deadline to apply was only nine days away. She rushed to draft her application, revised it 14 times, submitted it, and received the Fulbright award for an English teaching assistantship in Argentina.
Her fascination with Brazil was stoked when she enrolled in a Portuguese course where she learned about Brazil and the Lusophone culture. Students in the class engaged in many Brazilian cultural activities in San Diego that gave Bivona a front-row view of the vibrancy of Brazil and Brazilians.
“That class literally changed my life,” she said.
In 2008, she packed her bags and headed to Brazil to teach English. A student of comparative literature, she saw how two countries — Brazil and Argentina — dealt with military dictatorships. How Brazilians and Argentines remembered those times during the Cold War motivated her to head back to the U.S. to attend the University of California, Los Angeles for graduate school. In her dissertation, Bivona looked at how filmmakers deal with disparate memories of dictatorship.
Fast forward to 2024, and Bivona has attained yet another Fulbright, this time as a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil.
With the Fulbright Scholar award, Bivona will conduct field research from September through December in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and attend film festivals during the 2024 festival season.
The primary purpose of her travel is to complete research for her book project on politics and post-dictatorship Brazilian cinema.
Also, while in Belo Horizonte, she will advance ongoing research projects with colleagues at the Federal University of Minas Gerais.
At the festivals, she will have a chance to watch film premieres and meet filmmakers and others who work in the film industry, which will give her a deeper understanding of
her research topic and add new dimensions to her work.
“This opportunity will advance my project in the ways that I have proposed, but I also look forward to seeing how this opportunity fosters new collaborations and inspires new projects,” Bivona said.
A Lifelong Dream
Holkenbrink-Monk always dreamed of exploring the world. Life, however, always seemed to intervene.
The product of a working-class San Diego household, Holkenbrink-Monk worked long hours to afford her undergraduate education at the University of California, Los Angeles, making study abroad an impossibility. Things only became more complex from there. She became a mother, started teaching college sociology, embarked on a career as a classroom teacher through the pandemic, and, eventually, tackled graduate school.
As a result, Holkenbrink-Monk has still never left North America. As she prepares to travel to Spain next January, she’s finally ready to live that dream.
“It's about being able to do something that I've always wanted to do,” said HolkenbrinkMonk, a graduate of SDSU’s Joint Ph.D. Program in Education with Claremont Graduate University. “I came home to San Diego when I was pregnant with my son and then year-after-year-after-year just kind of started getting tacked on. Now it's been 12 years since I've been back here.
“It's time to do something new.”
Holkenbrink-Monk will spend January through May in Málaga, a port city in the southern coast of Spain’s Andalusia region. Hosted by the University of Málaga, she will conduct participatory visual research that builds on her SDSU dissertation work using sociological concepts.
Zamira Abman receives ACLS Fellowship for research on effects of Soviet delimitation
The $60K award from the American Council of Learned Societies will allow Abman to complete important research in Northern Tajikistan.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
To understand the present is to understand the past of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.
There is little research that comes from that part of the world due to limited access to the region. “In fact, if you're not a local, it is challenging to research that area because oftentimes three to four languages are spoken: Tajik, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Russian,” Zamira Abman, assistant professor of history and comparative and international studies said.
contributions to knowledge in any field of the humanities or social sciences.
Abman is one of the 60 early-career scholars, selected from a pool of 1,100 applicants, to receive a total of $3.6 million in grant funding from the American Council of Learned Societies
(ACLS), a 100-year-old organization supporting scholars who are poised to make original and significant
regular basis), she has first-hand knowledge and experience working within these territories and communities.
Abman has previously done archival research on the area of Tajikistan and authored the book, “Coerced Liberation: Muslim Women in Soviet Tajikistan,” however more needs to be done to extrapolate key historical documents about the area in order to understand how the political, social, and environmental landscape has changed in the past 75 years.
With the ACLS Fellowship Program award, Abman will conduct archival research and oral history interviews for her project titled, “The inevitable conflict: the Soviet delimitation of Central Asia, a case study of northern Tajikistan.”
Since Abman grew up in Tajikistan and attended university in Kyrgyzstan (crossing the borders on a
“This fellowship recognizes the reason why there is so little research in the area — because it's such hard terrain to get into. It's really hard to speak all the languages. It's really hard to navigate the many cultural nuances,” she said. Most of the state archives remain inaccessible.
Abman’s goal is to shed more light about recent history to give people an opportunity to talk about what is going on now in these countries.
“Lives have been dramatically transformed because of this conflict, and no one was on the ground asking them what happened,” Abman said. “Why did they attack a neighbor?”
This project will give people an opportunity to tell their own histories, which is why the oral history component of the research is critical.
The project traces how these borders were charted, and how the water sharing agreements were made. Abman hopes to discover how the border was drawn to see the history of how it has evolved.
She will include oral histories of the population who went through the collapse of the Soviet Union and learn how their lives were affected. As this population ages, their histories, and their memories might be lost, so gathering their perspectives now is crucial.
This ACLS-funded project provides an
opportunity to take a look at conflict that is driven by climate change. In the mostly agrarian society Abman is researching, water is of the utmost importance in the ability to maintain crops — and livelihoods. Water is scarce now, due to a reduction in snowfall or rainfall in the region.
“Disruption based on this complex situation has not been studied and the borders have not been evaluated but also awareness toward the fact that this might actually only get worse, due to climate change is something that I feel very passionate about,” Abman said.
The fellowship allows Abman to work in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia for 8-10 months, beginning in spring 2025. n
SDSU faculty receive NEH awards to advance research in humanities
The awards are for research and programs at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.
New National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants for 260 projects across the country totaling $33.8 million have been awarded, and four faculty from the San Diego State University College of Arts and Letters (CAL) are recipients.
Walter Penrose Jr., associate professor of history, and Amira Jarmakani, professor of women’s studies, are recipients of the Division of Research Awards for Faculty. The award “strengthens the humanities at Hispanic-Serving Institutions by encouraging and expanding humanities research opportunities for individual faculty and staff members,” according to the NEH.
Erika Robb Larkins, director of the Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies, and Kristal Bivona, co-director, received a Division of Education Humanities Initiatives at Hispanic-Serving Institutions award. This grant funds educational resources, programs, curricula, and other projects to enhance teaching and learning in the humanities.
READ MORE ONLINE>>
Geographer elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Sergio Rey is recognized for work as a leading pioneer of the Python Spatial Analysis Library (PySAL), downloaded two million times.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
Sergio Rey, a San Diego State University geography professor whose innovative geospatial data science software has garnered more than two million downloads worldwide, has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Rey is among 502 scientists, engineers, and others named to the 2023 class of fellows, a lifetime honor. Announced Thursday, the class coincides with the 150th anniversary of the AAAS fellows program, which counts SDSU alumna and retired astronaut Ellen Ochoa, SDSU College of Sciences Dean Jeff Roberts, Endowed Campanile Foundation Professor of Geography Janet Franklin, and Distinguished Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Karen Emmorey and
other emeritus faculty as previously elected fellows.
In its announcement, the AAAS said Rey was being honored for distinguished contributions to the fields of geographical information science and regional science.
The honor “shows that we have a good culture on campus in terms of supporting advanced spatial science and other disciplines,” Rey said, “as well as a strong integration with the SDSU teaching mission. It sends a signal that it is valued broadly.”
“We are very proud of Sergio and his leadership revolutionizing the research tools that are available to scholars and industry
Photo: Sandy Huffaker
“PySAL was born at San Diego State University and I felt really fortunate because at the time it wasn't clear if open source was going to be a thing or not.”
professionals. His dedication to increasing access to scientific exploration is a wonderful example of SDSU’s commitment to equity and boundary-crossing collaboration,” said Hala Madanat, SDSU’s vice president for research and innovation.
Rey is among the chief architects of the The Python Spatial Analysis Library (PySAL,) an open-source software project that has become a cornerstone of spatial data science. It has been adopted by researchers around the globe. As open-source software, it allows users to use and modify the code as they see fit, often resulting in the formation of a community of users and developers.
“PySAL was born at San Diego State University and I felt really fortunate because at the time it wasn't clear if open source was going to be a thing or not,” Rey said.
Rey said his colleagues at SDSU supported the project at a time when peers at other institutions were interested but declined to become involved. SDSU researchers “thought it was a risk, but one worth taking, and I think if I had been somewhere else it probably wouldn't have happened,” Rey said.
PySAL programmers wrote their own code, and then people asked for that code. Rey said, in essence, it was an indication of how sharing code wasn't common at that point, but it was an introduction to the early days of open science and open source where creating reproducible research, tapping into network effects, and sharing innovations enhanced the pace of scientific discovery.
“I became a little bit of an evangelist because I saw the impact it had on my own career and the teams I was interacting with and I became committed to that cause,” Rey said.
Today, the fields using PySAL include geography, chemistry, bioinformatics, environmental science, economics, religion,
sociology, and even theater. Users include Google, Reddit, Instagram, NASA, Netflix, Spotify, and Pixar.
“It has had an impact way beyond what we imagined,” said Rey. Compared to any paper or book he might write, the impact of this work stands out as a major achievement.
PySAL is also a powerful tool for teaching and research at SDSU. It offers a platform for teaching seminars and giving students an introduction to reproducible science. Many SDSU students who have worked on the project in the past have become professors, while some have entered careers in private or public sectors.
Rey attributes his success to the culture at SDSU — the supportive and encouraging nature of world-class scholars and colleagues not only in the Department of Geography but also across campus. He said he is immensely proud of the PySAL team and profoundly grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such a dedicated and innovative group. Their hard work, creativity, and commitment to open science have been instrumental in PySAL's success and in pushing the boundaries of spatial analysis, he said.
Rey taught at SDSU from 1994 to 2008 and is a former geography department chair; he was rehired in 2022 from the University of California, Riverside. His research and work align with SDSU’s long-term aspirational goals of becoming an R1 classification of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Under changes scheduled to be introduced in 2025, an R1 classification will denote “Doctoral University: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production.” SDSU currently has an R2 Carnegie Classification, for “high research activity,” a category which next year will be reframed as “Doctoral University: High Research Spending and Doctorate
SDSU alumnus transforms passion for sustainability into purposeful career
Nick Vallejo (‘22), a recycling specialist with the City of San Diego, thrives on educating the public about climate action solutions.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
Nick Vallejo (‘22) found his calling when he switched his major from communications to sustainability upon transferring to San Diego State University. Vallejo registered for two courses in geography that changed his career focus.
In Lecturer Jane Thorngren’s Earth’s Physical Environment and Conservation Science and Policy course, Vallejo remembers it as an overview of climate and the history of how humans created industrial processes that resulted in climate change.
“Every day I would go into that class and then leave feeling flatlined because I was unaware of how many mistakes humanity had made in progressing society through industrial means,
and how it's all compiled into the state of the planet’s current health,” he said. “But you can’t address hard problems without learning its hard truths. The education was necessary to find solutions or create them.”
That course provided Vallejo with a hopeful road map by highlighting the many laws in place that address climate change. Little did he know he would be involved in facilitating some of these climate action laws later in his career.
Career with purpose
After graduation in 2022 with a degree in sustainability, Vallejo was invited to join the 2022-23 cohort of fellows in the California Climate Action Corps (CCAC), a partnership between the California
governor's office and AmeriCorps that funds environmental activism. During his fellowship, 150 fellows across the state based in government, business, nonprofits, and schools focused on three areas: urban greening, wildfire resilience, and food recovery. The 2023-24 CCAC cohort has more than 300 fellows.
“When I started with the California Climate Action Corps, a big focus was climate communication,” Vallejo said. “How do you go about informing people about the stark reality of abundant CO2 in the atmosphere, an acidifying ocean, mass extinction, and more without folks feeling hopeless? It’s an interesting challenge with exciting opportunities to be innovative and creative.”
“Folks may not necessarily feel as connected to forest fires in Europe,” he added, “but they will be invested if an invasive species of weeds poses a fire hazard in their backyard; simplify the problem, make it personal, provide solutions.”
During his fellowship, Vallejo also helped roll out the more than 213,000 green organics recycling bins and 281,000 kitchen pails delivered across the City of San Diego.
When his fellowship ended in August 2023, Vallejo was invited to continue working with the city and in February he was promoted to recycling specialist.
The position helps implement SB 1383, the state law designed to reduce emissions by diverting organic waste from landfills.
Vallejo also has developed food donation programs that ensure surplus edible food is recovered
instead of decomposing in a landfill and emitting harmful greenhouse
gasses. He works with local grocery stores, food distributors, wholesale food vendors, and food service providers. His team works with over 700 restaurants, hotels, hospitals, event companies, and venues in the city.
What he likes about the job is the variety. He might work from the downtown central library one day, head to San Ysidro to help a business the next day
and meet with his team at the office in Kearny Mesa the day after.
Creative dreamer
“When I do take a step back and reflect, a big smile smothers my face when I see residents using their green bins, friends telling me they’re collecting their bottles, and organizations I’ve assisted on the news getting awards — it is good to see that my work isn't going unnoticed,” Vallejo said.
Vallejo knows his work is just getting started.
“I'm always dreaming, I'm always looking to tomorrow; I see a world thriving in an equitable, sustainable, energy-efficient way of life, and how I try to find the connection points to make it a reality today. That's what motivates me to keep going because the future is bound only by our imagination and collaboration,” he said. n
Vallejo inspects organics loads from City trucks.
Vallejo participates in public outreach events.
Washington, D.C.
From SDSU to the White House: Raul Leon's inspiring internship in D.C. leads to job offer back home
A chance to meet the President of the United States was a dream come true for Raul Leon, a 2023 geography graduate.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
Not many recent San Diego State University alumni have walked the halls of the White House, let alone met the President of the United States. For Raul Leon, a geography alumnus, this became a reality as part of the internship program of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
After graduating in May 2023, Leon applied for an internship with U.S. Rep Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) in Washington, D.C. Leon’s background in geography, focused on environmental and sustainability issues and policy, equipped him with a diverse skill set that proved useful in the representative's office.
"Geography is very broad," Leon said. "It's not just data-based; it encompasses different perspectives, including human quantitative data. The skills I learned in my SDSU geography courses — from policies and politics to GIS and various mapping techniques — really propelled my career."
During his internship, Leon’s contributions included translating scripts for speeches delivered in Spanish by the representative. Leon said this experience was particularly touching, as it underscored the importance of representation and demonstrated the representative's commitment to serving the diverse needs of the Latinx community.
SDSU alumnus Raul Leon stands outside of the United States Capitol in
Reflecting on his time in Washington, D.C., Leon acknowledged the historical significance of the events he witnessed, from potential impeachment proceedings to government shutdowns. The experience provided him with an insider's perspective on the workings of the U.S. government during a pivotal period.
A standout moment for Leon was the chance to meet President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other members of the administration. During one ceremony, Leon danced with Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association and a historical figure he had long admired; it was a moment he called “a blessing.” These encounters made his internship experience memorable.
Raul Leon attended the Green Latinos nonprofit reception where he met Dolores Huerta for the first time on Sept. 27, 2023.
"I always aim high," Leon said, highlighting the importance of resilience and determination in the face of challenges. Leon sees his career achievements as a testament to the sacrifices made by his immigrant parents who he said had an unwavering commitment to help him create a stable future through education.
“I'm a first-generation student — the first one in my family to graduate,” he said.
Leon savors the opportunities now open to him after humble beginnings growing up and walking to school near refineries and freeways in Los Angeles.
Leon's journey from a transfer student, with a vision to start a geography club at SDSU to becoming its first president of the club and later a representative for A.S. GreenLove, a sustainability initiative, showcases his dedication to leadership and community engagement.
“I always take a picture of the Capitol each time I walk to work. It's one of those ‘I-cannotbelieve-I'm-here’ moments — every day.”
With the chance to meet his heroes in Washington, D.C. (and now accepting employment in Garcia’s district office), Leon has come full circle in pursuing a career aligned with his passion. n
The skills I learned in my SDSU geography courses — from policies and politics to GIS and various mapping techniques — really propelled my career. “ ”
Leon stands outside of the president's office in Washington, D.C.
Sarah B. Marsh Rebelo and Seth Mallios Alumni Awards of Distinction 2024
Alumni Award of Distinction
Sarah B. Marsh-Rebelo
Poet Sarah B. Marsh-Rebelo (‘12, English and comparative literature) is a long-time supporter of the regional art community, served as board chair for the San Diego Museum of Art, and has been Honorary Life Director of the San Diego Opera for more than 30 years.
As a passionate supporter of the College of Arts and Letters, she hosts an annual Rebelo Scholar Tea to celebrate scholarship recipients in SDSU’s MFA in Creative Writing Poetry program.
Distinguished University Service Award
Seth W. Mallios
Seth Mallios is a professor of anthropology, director of SDSU's South Coastal Information Center and the University history curator. Since 2012, he has published multiple books highlighting the history of San Diego State University and recently served as co-chair of the campus 125th anniversary celebrations.
A distinguished archaeologist and anthropologist, he has collected over $1.5 million in grants and has won numerous Society for History Archaeology Advisory Council awards.
Photo by Sandy Huffaker.
Jon Davidi sponsors inaugural Mock Trial Advocate of the Year Award
Political science alumnus makes a meaningful impact through his career and pays it forward to SDSU Mock Trial Team students.
By Leslie L.J. Reilly
Jon Davidi (‘15), had plans to become a doctor – like his father. At San Diego State University, he pursued a major in political science and took science courses to prepare for a pre-med degree. He hoped this academic path would help him become a well-rounded medical school candidate who understood politics and the world.
“But it was Organic Chemistry in my junior year that did me over,” Davidi said. “That was it. That was the tipping point.”
One day his good friend asked him precisely why he was planning to go to med school. She suggested he try becoming a lawyer, instead. She thought he would be good at it.
At that point, he held leadership roles in student organizations such as A.S. Student Government and the Jewish Student Union. He was part of the Iota Eta Pi Improv Team and he was a Resident Advisor (RA) in the dorms.
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“I think it was always what I wanted, but it was a little nudge that I needed,” he said. The night his friend nudged him, he jumped online to take 10 LSAT practice questions — and when he got eight answers right, he never looked back.
He dropped pre-med plans and picked up a business minor to prepare himself for law school.
After his 2015 graduation from SDSU with a degree in political science, he attended University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings). Davidi said everything clicked for him there and he found the work to be fun. At the end of his first year he noticed an announcement about Trial Team tryouts. He tried out and made the team that would eventually go on to become the 2018 American Association for Justice (AAJ) National Competition Champions.
He competed in five or six competitions and found it to be the best training he ever received. He fondly remembers his coach,
Donors like Jon Davidi, truly make a fundamental difference in the lives of our students. “ ”
Geoffrey Hansen, a federal public defender, who was like a second dad to him. “He taught me so much about the importance of trial work,” Davidi said.
Now, Davidi is a lawyer with Los Angeles firm Panish | Shea | Ravipudi where he focuses on catastrophic personal injury cases. He’s been a lawyer for more than five years, and has brought nine cases to verdict — something in which he is immensely proud. The firm’s most recent successful case ended with an $11.045 million verdict for their client — a career high for Davidi.
He continues his involvement with students at his alma maters: at UC Law SF, he is the
co-chair of the Los Angeles alumni chapter; at SDSU, he is preparing to work with the SDSU alumni chapter in Los Angeles. He’s also part of the SDSU Pre-Law Society advisory board.
Supporting the SDSU Mock Trial team now is important for Davidi since he remembers how his law school trial team impacted his career. “It was an integral part of my training as an attorney, and I remember being in law school where there were people on our team and other teams who had done mock trial competitions as undergraduates — they had such an advantage. And I remember looking back and wishing that I had done that too,” he said.
Davidi knows that the costs of going to law school can be a burden, so he has chosen to give back in a meaningful way to SDSU. By creating the inaugural Mock Trial Advocate of the Year award, he is supporting two students, annually, with a $1,000 award. The award seeks to highlight two outstanding students from SDSU Mock Trial while inspiring the next generation of legal professionals. “Alumni from San Diego State University go on to law school and go on to have successful legal careers,” he said. “And I want to encourage trial work.”
He understands the amount of work that it takes to prepare for a mock trial competition — the late nights, the numerous cups of coffee, and the travel. Davidi is inspired that undergraduate students want to put in the hard work to prepare for their future in law school and their careers in law.
“They're investing in it early, and that makes me want to invest in them,” he said. “In addition to giving this award, I'm happy to be a resource to anyone on the Mock Trial team who has questions or needs a mentor or just wants to have a cup of coffee.”
“Donors like Jon Davidi, truly make a fundamental difference in the lives of our students,” said Kimberley Fletcher, associate professor of political science and SDSU Mock Trial faculty advisor. “A donation like this makes a world of difference in the life of the recipient, so Jon’s generosity means everything to our Mock Trial community. n
Inaugural Mock Trial Advocates of the Year | 2024
Joshua Radzinski and Alexander Ortiz
By Ian Mariano Von Dyl, Mock Trial President,
The Mock Trial Advocate of the Year award aims to annually acknowledge and highlight two students for their work throughout the mock trial season and encourage the next generation to pursue a legal career. In a historic competition season where we received two Top 10 rankings at competitions and took home eight individual awards, I am so proud of the work each of our members did. This year, we had two outstanding individuals who excelled in competitions and upheld the pillars of SDSU Mock Trial, Joshua Radzinski and Alexander Ortiz.
Joshua Radzinski is a graduating fourth-year student and in his third year with the program, one of our longest serving members, and has consistently been our best attorney. From presenting outstanding closing statements to successfully crossing a witness, his knowledge of mock trial and trial advocacy skills have seen him achieve great individual success and become a leader within our team.
Alexander Ortiz is a third-year student and in his first year with the program. While new, SDSU Mock Trial leadership and I have been impressed by his immense dedication to the program, willingness to learn, and great teamwork. Alexander has won two individual awards this year for his portrayals as a witness and, as such, holds the record for the most awards won by an individual in our program’s history. Everyone at SDSU Mock Trial is excited to continue to see Alexander continue to grow and excel during his time with the program.
“To receive an award, such as the Mock Trial Advocate of the Year will ensure these awardees know how much they are appreciated,” Fletcher said. “This award not only recognizes their dedication, performance, leadership abilities, outstanding legal argumentation, and persuasive communication skills, but it also enhances the student’s confidence, highlights their commitment to continuously learn, and supports their desire to go to law school.” n
Staff Milestones
45 YEARS
Elaine Rother | Dean’s Office
40 YEARS
Gregory Martin | IT
30 YEARS
Adriana Putko | History
15 YEARS
Marisela LaPlante | International Business
10 YEARS
Cassandra Neel | Linguistics and Asian/Middle Eastern Languages
10 YEARS
Heather Saunders-Harbaugh | Student Success Center
Faculty 25-year Milestones
Margaret Field | American Indian Studies
Joseph Smith | Classics and Humanities
Ruey-Jiuan Regina Wu | Linguistics and Asian/Middle Eastern Languages
Kristen Hill Maher | Political Science
Linn Bekins | Rhetoric and Writing Studies
Glen McClish | Rhetoric and Writing Studies
Norma Ojeda | Sociology
Juan Godoy | Spanish and Portuguese
Jose Mario Martin-Flores | Spanish and Portuguese
Laurie Champion | English and Comparative Literature
Staff (L to R): Cassandra Neel, Adriana Putko, Elaine Rother, Marisela LaPlante, Heather Saunders-Harbaugh. Not pictured: Gregory Martin.
Spring Recap
Center for Comics Studies | Public lecture with Chag Lowry
Fred J. Hansen Peace Chair | Public lectures with Alex de Waal and Romain Wacziarg
ISCOR | Public lecture with Stephen Kinzer
Sociology/Library/Surf/Skate Collaborative | Surf Photography Panel Event
Sustainability | SDSU Sustainability Summit
Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies | BRASA Conference hosted at SDSU
MALAS/PSFA | Chicano Art Panel — facilitated by William Nericcio — featured brothers Einar and Jamex De La Torre
Africana Studies | Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Center for Comics Studies/Library | Grand Opening for “Rising Up: Depictions of Social Protest in Comics” Exhibit
Highlights of faculty and students featured in a variety of media outlets.
Anthropology // Professor Seth Mallios reported for: “Ken Kramer’s About San Diego: Rosie the Riveter, Flying Car, SDSU Freedom Tree.” [His story appears at 13:00] Fifty years ago, San Diego State honored alumnus Lt. Col. Charles Scharf (’54, political science) and all MIAs and POWs with a plaque and a tree, a sycamore known as “The Freedom Tree.” KPBS
Behner Stiefel Center for Brazilian Studies // Director Erika Robb Larkins was elected president of the Brazilian Studies Association. CAL News
Africana Studies // Chair Adisa Alkebulan, Assistant Professor Anthony Merritt, alumna Shellie Stamps, and student Alisha Alexander provided insight for: “45th Annual Black Baccalaureate Graduation Ceremony takes place May 9.” SDSU NewsCenter
Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies // Director Joseph Sabia’s NBER study was cited in an op-ed: “California’s Crazy ‘Fast Food’ Minimum Wage Takes Effect.” Wall Street Journal
Linguistics and Asian/Middle Eastern Languages // Zheng-sheng Zhang, professor of Chinese, provided translation assistance to producers of a 60 Minutes news segment: "Chinese migrants are the fastest growing group crossing into U.S. from Mexico."60 Minutes
Zhang also wrote an op-ed in the The San Diego Union-Tribune
Political Science // Professor Mikhail Alexseev wrote an op-ed article showing that bolstering our border security will make it harder for Putin to defeat Ukraine, while helping Ukraine to defeat Putin will bolster our border security. The San Diego Union-Tribune
Sociology // Assistant Professor Neftalie Williams was featured in an NBC broadcast, “Meet the professor who is using a skateboard to unite the world.” NBC7 California Live
