Catching Up with Shawn Austria and the Beach Pluralism Project
In Fall 2024, CSULB launched the Beach Pluralism Project in an effort to promote constructive engagement between people, regardless of identity and viewpoint. A 2-semester initiative, 18 students were chosen as Conoley Fellows and given a stipend to support their journey.
Jumping right into the first semester, students began taking courses through the Religious Studies Department, learning to create space for difficult conversations, conflict resolution, and negotiating respectful disagreement.
Now that the first semester is finished, we spoke with Shawn Austria '25, CNSM Pre-health Molecular Cell Biology and Physiology major, about the project, what he hopes to gain, and why pluralism matters.
Why is the Beach Pluralism Project valuable, both for the University and the larger community?
(Shawn Austria) The Beach Pluralism Project is valuable on both our University level and the larger community because during this time especially it is relevant within our increasingly polarized society. In a society that is getting more divided every day, problems and conflicts are becoming more prevalent. It is important to have mediators willing and able to bridge those divides, so we can come together to solve long-term and urgent problems that affect our shared future.
The Beach Pluralism Project is important for creating leaders that are highly capable in conflict resolution, communication and negotiating skills so they can create positive impacts in the University community and in our society. That is why I am proud to be a part of it!
What drew you to the Beach Pluralism Project?
As a Molecular Cell Biology major, my goal is to become a physician who is culturally competent and serves underprivileged communities. What drew me to the Beach Pluralism Project is that I realized that I needed to grow as an individual to be a person that has the skills to promote equity within healthcare. After learning about the Beach Pluralism Project, I resonated with the principles of pluralism and believed this program could provide me with the necessary skills in order to achieve my goals.
The first part of this 2-semester project just wrapped up - what has been the most transformative experience you've had so far?
The most transformative experience I've had so far was our field trip to a mosque. It was the first time I had ever been to a house of worship of another religion, and I had such a positive experience! They fed us, ensured that we were comfortable and even gave us gifts.
During the visit, I saw so many similarities between my church and the mosque, like the strong sense of community. This experience made me realize that everyone has more in common than they like to believe. For instance, we all need oxygen, food, and water to survive. However, people get so hung up on the differences that we end up divided even though there is so much common ground. I am grateful for being a part of this program because it is not only helping me grow as a better professional and leader, but as a person as well.
Explain how pluralism specifically is something you want to incorporate in your future career?
Pluralism is something I want to incorporate in my future career as a physician because my motivation to become a doctor is to serve underprivileged communities. If there was a pluralistic approach to health care focused on inclusivity, cultural understanding and personalized care it would be so transformative to the system, positively impacting the most vulnerable communities.
Currently, I believe that the healthcare system is impersonal which undermines the quality of care and compassion that all patients deserve no matter their circumstances. Patients are often dealt with as a list of symptoms rather than individuals with distinct backgrounds, languages and needs. A healthcare structure that acknowledges and values patients' unique identities is one I want to be a part of, so as I go into my career, I will apply pluralistic principles into my practice and advocate for equity in healthcare.
Anything you want to say about your experience as a Conoley Fellow?
Both my experience as a Conoley Fellow and student of biology has taught me that the best way to tackle the biggest problems is to stay curious. As a student of pluralism, a lesson that we keep learning is to never assume someone else’s situation, and staying curious is the best way to really understand a person. I feel like many societal issues happen because of assumptions that are made about a group of people; however, if we just made the effort to understand the other side so many things could be solved.
As a student of biology, the same lesson of staying curious still holds true. The best way to learn or discover something new is if you have a genuine interest in it. Staying curious and asking the right questions has led to so many medical innovations like vaccinations, immunotherapy, and cancer treatment. At first glance something like religious pluralism and biology don’t seem to have any overlap. However, just like how people think others may be too different to interact, my experiences show that there can be common ground in even the seemingly most different things.
Anything else you want to add!
I am so grateful for the chance to be able to share my experiences as a Conoley Fellow because it’s also important to me that college students have sufficient opportunities and resources to be able to find success and grow into their career. Speaking to my fellow students, the Beach Pluralism Program is an amazing opportunity for you to grow as a professional in whatever field you go into, and it also allows you to pay for tuition with a generous $5,000 stipend. If anyone resonates with the values of pluralism, I highly encourage you to apply for the next cohort!
Another opportunity that I would like to highlight is the CSULB M.D. Alumni Research Program which is another program I am proud to be a part of! For my fellow pre-medical students who want an opportunity to earn research experience and in addition to being fully funded for summer research this is another amazing opportunity. This program helped me better prepare for medical school and develop my research skills in the scientific method.
At CSULB there are a lot of opportunities that are available, but there is not enough awareness about them to reach the people that can benefit from them. I hope I have encouraged my fellow students to find opportunities for yourself to be able to grow as an individual whether that be in your career or as a person. It is important to go for things that you are passionate about because they might be a really rewarding experience
Directed by Dr. Kathryn Chew and Dr. Sophia Pandya, the Beach Pluralism Project is still being developed.
