August 2023: Accomplishments of the CSULB community
Adrian Camacho named July Employee of the Month
Adrian Camacho, an executive assistant to the associate vice president, has been named Employee of the Month for July.
Camacho, who has worked at The Beach for two years, handles logistics, coordination, and communication management for major events on campus.
“Adrian always shows initiative and has exceptional planning and event skills. He has done an outstanding job handling all of the logistics for a number of important and high-profile events just in the last month,” said Kerry Johnson, associate vice president for Undergraduate Studies. “For the Resource Fair at A Day at the Beach, he coordinated almost 100 organizations and groups who participated in the event."
Student selected for Television Academy Foundation program
Fourth-year public relations student Rachelle Duran has been selected for the prominent Television Academy Foundation “Bob Bennett Future Leaders” program. She is one of 10 college students selected nationwide, among the foundation’s 2023 summer interns.
The Bob Bennett Future Leaders program supports students from the Television Academy Foundation’s summer internship program. The initiative gives financial support to interns for professional development and leadership training.
Alumna’s restaurant earns Michelin star
Lauren Pretty ‘17 is the co-owner of the Long Beach restaurant Heritage, which recently received a Michelin star, one of only six restaurants in the state to newly receive the coveted designation.
A Michelin star is awarded to outstanding restaurants worldwide that use top ingredients, flavors, techniques and exemplify masterful cooking on a consistent basis.
Heritage's six-course menu features meat and seafood sustainably sourced from California, as well as ingredients picked from local farmers markets and the Prettys’ nearby farm.
Alumna publishes debut book
Laura Picklesimer ‘16, is set to release her debut book “Kill For Love,” Sept. 12.
“Kill for Love” is a satirical thriller about a Los Angeles sorority sister who is struggling to keep her dangerous impulses and haunting nightmares under control. The book has been listed by Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Literary Hub as one of the most anticipated books of the year.
Picklesimer attended CSULB’s MFA program from 2014-2016 and was a contributor and fiction editor. She previously was a writer at the Orange County Register and is currently an English instructor at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga.
Alumnus named top 40 finalist in prestigious national art competition
Derick Edwards '23, is one of 40 finalists to compete for the sixth edition of the AXA Art Prize 2023 Exhibition.
Edwards' art piece “Rated M” will go on display at the New York Academy of Art in November to compete for the final prize. The first-place winner will receive $10,000 and the runner-up will receive $5,000.
His art piece made it to the final 40 out of 700 total submissions.
CalTrans awards grant to College of Engineering program
The Joint Training & Certification Program was awarded a $1.5 million grant from CalTrans to continue pushing the program forward.
Started in 2017, the Joint Training & Certification Program is a partnership between CSULB and Caltrans that provides training and certification for technicians in the transportation construction industry. JTCP has certified more than 4,500 technicians since 2017.
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