October 2023: Accomplishments of the CSULB community
Amy Paulsen named September Employee of the Month
Amy Paulsen, executive assistant to the Provost, has been named Employee of the Month for September.
Paulsen, who joined The Beach in 2014, says she felt a connection to the university’s mission of accessible higher education and service to students. Even before joining CSULB as a staff member, she attended many community events. On campus, she has proven to be an excellent employee due to her kindness, exceptional organizational skills, and a willingness to go the extra mile.
“Amy has truly been an incredible asset to the College of the Arts as we navigated all the ins and outs of the recruitment search for the college dean,” said Chanel Acker, the administrative service manager for the College of the Arts. “Amy coordinated and prepared detailed scheduling, communicated in a timely manner about upcoming events or changes, gave helpful advice and feedback about potential pitfalls, provided guidance and assistance to our support staff, and served as a supportive resource for the division level administrative process of a large-scale and rapid recruitment. Amy's kindness, thoughtfulness, responsiveness and professional demeanor made her a vital part of this process.”
Alumna wins Long Beach Marathon
Ryley Fick ’23 won first place in the women’s category during the Long Beach Marathon on Oct. 15. The former CSULB track star finished the 26.2-mile race with a time of 2:58:30.
Fick competed alongside 18,000 other people. Her longest race before the Long Beach Marathon was a 6K, or almost four miles, she told the Long Beach Post.
While a student at The Beach, she set five records for track and field and is on the university’s top 10 list for seven different events. She graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics, and hopes to pursue athletic physical therapy. She also aims to compete in future track races and marathons, and wants to try out for the next Olympic trials.
President Conoley receives Change Maker Award
President Jane Close Conoley received the Change Maker Award earlier this month from the nonprofit Pathways to Independence, at the Friends of Pathways’ 27th annual fundraiser, “80s Flashback at The Beach.” Conoley was recognized for encouraging women involved in Pathways to enroll at Cal State Long Beach and pursue their educational and career goals at The Beach.
Pathways to Independence is a 501(c)(3) charity organization that aims to transform the lives of single young women from disadvantaged backgrounds through education, therapy, mentoring, housing and healthcare, and to break the cycle of poverty and abuse.
Beach analyst to participate in Rose Parade
Somone Washington ‘22, an administrative analyst in the office of Faculty Affairs, will be honored as a rider on this year’s OneLegacy float in the 2024 Rose Parade on New Year’s Day.
Washington is a kidney transplant recipient. In 2010, more than five years after her diagnosis with end-stage renal failure, she received a kidney transplant from an 18-year-old victim of gun violence. Since then, she has started her own business, Kiasi Technology Solutions, which seeks to increase the quality of life for seniors through basic computer and software education. And last year, she received a master’s degree in educational technology and media leadership from The Beach.
Washington shared her story in a 2022 Beach Voices column.
CSULB team wins collegiate Trivia Bowl
A group of eight journalism and public relations students, plus one faculty and one staff member, won the collegiate competition and the treasured Grasshopper Cup at the Asian American Journalists Association, Los Angeles chapter’s 25th anniversary Trivia Bowl on Oct. 20. The event was held at ABC 7 Broadcast Center in Glendale. The victory was CSULB’s fifth in a row, and the second time the team officially took home the trophy.
The Beach squad defeated teams from UCLA, USC and Cal States Fullerton, Los Angeles and Northridge. Team members were: Maher Basharahil, Mary Catipay, Richard Chang, Kevin Fernandez, Maddie Fredrickson, Naoki Gima, Chris Karadjov, Andie Lopez and Madison Yang, and the team captain was fourth-year broadcast student Raya Torres.
Geography department participates in Indigenous mapping project
Suzanne Perlitsh Wechsler, professor and chair of the geography department, recently led a team of researchers that contributed to an important mapping project highlighting major Native American settlements in Southern California – including Puvunga – and the ancient roads that connected them. Those roads served as the foundations for contemporary highways and roads, the researchers found.
Three tribes – Chumash, Tataviam and Kizh-Gabrieleño – collaborated with scholars from Cal States Long Beach, Northridge and Los Angeles, as well as UCLA and USC, on the project.
Wechsler said she was the principal investigator for a team that did terrain analysis and “developed the underlying elevation model that was a representation of what the terrain might have looked like pre-colonization.”
The project was spotlighted this month in the Los Angeles Times. Researchers said the goal of the project is to help people better understand the history of the region, as well as serve as a resource for sustainability and restoration efforts.
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