Photos and captions by
Brad Polzin and Erik Fallis
Throughout the month of July, CSU Monterey Bay hosts hundreds of young and aspiring artists, university faculty and accomplished art professionals from throughout the state. The campus becomes a setting for exploration of students’ talents, artistic risk-taking, sharing of experiences, peer collaboration and professional constructive criticism. All of this excitement occurs under the banner of CSU Summer Arts, the university system’s intensive and immersive arts program.
CSU Summer Arts is truly a little otter than before. The program fully embraces their new home campus and its rather adorable mascot. Several otter appearances punctuate the summer, including a costume for Zac — the son of CSU Summer Arts Office Manager Kelley Lansing-Moreno.
By Sharon A. Castellanos
Perinatal Nurse Practitioner
San José State Alumna
Incoming Doctor of Nursing Practice Student
Sharon's son Brandon
The conversation about my son’s car accident, in 2006 when he was only 18, often leads to this question: Did my work as a nurse help me cope with the loss? As a parent, when you hear the words “I’m sorry” nothing in your background matters. That loss is devastating and you are no longer a nurse — you are entirely a grieving mother. What helped in coming to terms with Brandon’s death was not a career in healthcare or even a life dedicated to patients and families. I found my solace in the conversation my son and I had about organ and tissue donation. It was his last wish that I was able to honor, and his generosity gave the gift of life and quality of life for others. More …
Featuring CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed with Greg Washington, CSU Fullerton Alumnus and
2011-2012 California State Student Association President
On April 10, 2012, CSU Chancellor Reed and CSSA President Washington went to Sacramento to advocate for students. Watch how their joint advocacy efforts are encouraging reinvestment in the CSU.
CSU Long Beach alumnus Nathan Stark has performed on operatic, concert and recital stages throughout the U.S., Europe and China. Praised by the Washington Post as having a voice of "unearthly power," the bass vocalist recently joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
One of the most entertaining aspects of my career is watching the different types of reactions I get from people when I tell them that I’m an opera singer. It’s a unique profession, one with great risks, uncertainties, and dauntless hours of studying music scores and foreign languages—but it’s also one with great fulfillment, constant learning, adventure and high art.
People seem even more fascinated when I explain to them that I make my living singing opera.
It’s more than just a hobby for me or something I do on the side—it’s how I make a living, how I pay my bills and how I support myself. Is it challenging? Absolutely. But I’m drawn to the stage. I draw to music like a doctor is drawn to curing patients or a lawyer drawn to pleading a case in court. It’s what I do best.
Steinberg with his Emmy, following the September 2011 awards ceremony
Brent Steinberg received an Emmy for “Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special” in 2011. Credited as CGI (computer-generated image) Artist, Steinberg received the award as a member of a nine-person team that completed special effects for the History Channel’s “Gettysburg.”
None of it would have been possible without CSU Fullerton – particularly professors Grieb, Kennan, Hill and Lamb.
Here is the story. After coming from a community college, I transferred to Cal State, still lost and searching for “what I wanted to do when I grew up.” One semester into failed attempt at an economics major, and after one accounting class, the reality set in that it was not the field for me. Only when I started looking to jump to an art program — originally illustration — did I find out that CSUF offered animation. Fate has an interesting way I suppose, since not many universities had that program, and animation had been a lifelong passion I never expected to take with me into adulthood. Following my passion, I made the jump and never looked back. More …
By Danielle Solano
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
CSU Bakersfield
A poster from the Boys & Girls Club captures the excitement of Chemical Circus.
The Chemistry Department at CSU Bakersfield developed a series of engaging, entertaining, and educational chemistry activities, called the Chemical Circus, designed to promote interest in science amongst local youth. Engaged Department Institute grant funds were used to incorporate Chemical Circus activities into four undergraduate chemistry courses. Undergraduate students taking these courses traveled to local schools and afterschool programs to bring chemistry to hundreds of community children.
An outstanding fifth grade teacher taught me that learning about science can, and should, be fun. So as a chemistry faculty member, I am passionate about discovering new ways to communicate my enthusiasm for science to my students and members of the local community through educational experiences. More …
After quickly lacing up my sneakers, splashing my face with water from one of UC Davis’ flow-restrictor sinks and filling up my water bottle at the “hydration station” in the dorms, I sprinted to the designated meeting spot where I met up with fellow CSU, CCC and UC colleagues for a 6 a.m. run, which kick started our days of learning about sustainable practices.
During the 2012 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference (CHESC), students, faculty and staff from the 23 California State Universities, 112 California Community Colleges and 10 Universities of California gathered together to discuss green best practices and how to efficiently weave sustainability into the campus and community. More …
By Christine N. Gordon
Educational Counselor, Writer, Youth Advocate
Alumna of CSU San Bernardino
On April 7, 2009, instead of attending the first class of CSU San Bernardino’s counseling and guidance program, I was in ICU recovering from cancer surgery. The doctors had removed the salivary gland cancer, the surrounding tissues, part of my tongue, my right tonsil, the gums along my lower right molars, thirty lymph nodes, and my submandibular salivary gland. Along with the usual IV, I had a nose tube, and a drain next to the-bride-of-Frankenstein-looking staples that surrounded more than half my neck. And I was lucky. The cancer had not spread. I could talk, smile, swallow, and breathe. And I could go to school. More …
It was the darkest chapter of Cambodia’s history. The country of my birth was tearing itself apart and my family was caught in the middle. I lost both parents to the Khmer Rouge genocide of professionals with education and government connections – my mother, who served with the American Red Cross, and father, a member of the military.
As I came to live with my grandmother and aunt, my family continued to be up heaved by war, famine and separation.
Dark times test character and values. It is difficult to describe a world in which a person is targeted and killed because they hold a degree. Yet, my family stayed true to its commitment to education – a value I inherited and passed on to my daughter.
My husband, a U.S. Vietnam veteran, and daughter attended my Sonoma State graduation this May. My daughter and I have spent many evenings sitting together doing homework. She is my inspiration, just as I hope to inspire her. More …
By Karen Jensen
Chair, Department of Nursing
CSU Channel Islands
Students practice critical thinking skills in real time simulations
Communities often have unmet needs, despite the abundance of those with the resources and talents to meet those needs. Sometimes the right connections require the catalyst of a university.
Having started two nursing programs through CSU Channel Islands, I have seen the community unlock its own potential. Students with the right stuff – a mix of compassion, intelligence and drive – are provided with advanced learning tools and opportunities through partnership with hospitals desperate for their talent. More …
No Comments
