Graduate Excellence @ The Beach - September 2018
Graduate Excellence @ The Beach
Spotlight on the 2018-19 Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholars
The Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholar Program assists students in preparing to enter doctoral programs. This outstanding opportunity has helped open the door to doctoral study for many former CSULB students, some of whom are now professors at CSULB or other universities.
CSULB receives $3,000 from the Chancellor’s Office for each student who is selected as a Pre-Doctoral Scholar. These funds enable the Scholar to travel to Ph.D.-granting institutions and attend professional meetings. Other eligible expenses include membership costs in professional organizations, application fees, and other costs in applying to a doctoral program. In addition, each Pre-Doctoral Scholar has an opportunity to apply for a summer grant to work on an approved research program, typically at a University of California campus. Each student applying to the Pre-Doctoral Scholar Program must select a CSU faculty sponsor who will be available to work with the student during an academic year in implementing a plan to prepare the student for enrollment in a doctoral program.
This year, five students represent our campus as the new Sally Casanova Recipients. Below we’ve highlighted each of the recipients. We also recognize the commitment of each faculty mentor for their valuable time and effort in supporting the recipients.
Juan Campos
Juan Campos is an MA student of Political Science at CSULB. As an aspiring professor, he is already active in teaching, research, and service. In his department he serves as a Graduate Assistant and has recently completed two research assistantships at CSULB and a teaching practicum at Long Beach City College. He was also awarded the 2018-19 CSULB Graduate Research Fellowship. His current research asks questions pertaining to political and drug violence in Mexico. Juan plans to pursue a Ph.D. in political science, with an emphasis in comparative politics and international relations. His faculty sponsor is Dr. Kevin Wallsten, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science.
Wilma Figueroa
Wilma Figueroa is majoring in health science, with an option in community health education at CSULB. She has participated as a research scholar on NIH-funded projects, volunteered for the Long Beach Zika Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) program, and completed a summer research fellowship at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Wilma’s interest in pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Health with a focus in Epidemiology stems from her rewarding experiences in the Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) program. After completing her doctorate, she hopes to return to the California State University system as a professor. Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Niloofar Bavarian, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Science.
Syphong Ha
Syphong Ha is a double major in biomedical engineering and electrical engineering at CSULB. As an undergraduate, Syphong was inspired to work in these two fields while working on a class project on the electrocardiogram (EKG). His interest has expanded to other medical imaging devices—like X-rays or MRIs—and how to improve their functionality using digital filters. Syphong would like to enter a Ph.D. program in biomedical engineering, with an emphasis in digital signal processing. His faculty sponsor is Dr. Maryam Moussavi, Lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Joe Hernandez is currently earning an MS in Counseling, with an option in student development in higher education. As an aspiring professor, he currently works at two community colleges to gain insight into how to effectively impact policies and funding to better support underrepresented students. Joe plans on pursuing a doctoral degree in education, with an interest in expanding the current conversation surrounding historically marginalized populations in higher education. His faculty sponsor is Dr. Shametrice Davis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership.
Olivia Silke
Olivia Silke is a CSULB graduate student in the MA in Psychology, Option in Psychological Research program. She currently works in the PRO-Health Laboratory, were she studies health and well-being of low-income mothers and their infants in community settings. She was inspired to pursue a Ph.D. through her experience as a lab manager at USC, where she examined the impact of mindfulness-based intervention on orthopedic surgical pain. Olivia plans to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology, with an emphasis in health psychology. Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Guido Urizar, Professor in the Department of Psychology.
