WRITING SAMPLES
DISCOVERING NEW STORIES EVERYWHERE I GO
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
Growing up, writing was always a hobby of mine. From the days of creating whimsical short stories in literature class, I always knew writing was something I loved to do, but would have never considered it something I could do as a full-fledged career.
Fast forward years later, when I found myself writing full profiles on doctoral professors and graduate students at my university, I knew my love for storytelling would always stay with me. And it's my experiences in my previous roles that have inspired me to let writing guide me through the rest of my professional career.
I hope to continue exploring new avenues, meeting new people, and discovering exciting new stories.
Inside CSULB
With an audience of approximately 37,000 students, Inside CSULB is a university publication that provides Long Beach State the most comprehensive up-to-date campus information available.
Character Media
America's most widely-circulated pop culture magazine for the Asian community, CM also hosts its annual Unforgettable Gala in celebration of Asian-American representation in entertainment.
CSULB College of Education Newsletter
Every edition of this newsletter was drafted, designed, edited, and published by a team of one. It was the greatest pleasure interviewing students and faculty every semester for this publication.
DARREN CRISS FIRST FILIPINO-AMERICAN TO
SCORE EMMY
SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 | CHARACTER MEDIA
Congratulations are in order for Filipino-American actor Darren Criss, who took home the award for best actor in a limited series or television movie at the 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.
​
Best known for his role on the hit musical television series Glee as the rambunctious Blaine Anderson, Criss’s cover of “Teenage Dream” became the show’s fastest-selling single and reached #1 on the Billboard Digital Songs Chart back in 2010. Today, the Fil-Am actor’s transition into the much darker and more serious role of Andrew Cunanan in FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story proved to be a successful departure from his usual light-hearted character portrayals, as fans and critics lauded Criss for his versatility and commitment to such a difficult role.
​
Fighting back waves of emotions, Criss took the stage to thank his brother, Chuck, his father, Charles, and his mother, Cerina, who hails from Cebu, Philippines.
“Actors are really only as good as the moments they are given and the moments they are granted,” said Criss after thanking producer Ryan Murphy.
NINTH ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM: INVESTING IN OUR EDUCATIONAL FUTURE
MARCH 13, 2019 | CSULB COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
The department is continuing to expand its international presence as faculty member Dr. Charles Slater, accompanied by Dr. Anna Ortiz and Dr. Alejandra Priede, led an excursion of Cohort XI students to Baja, Mexico earlier this year on January 18.
The group of 7 students visited the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) to engage in a 3-day cultural exchange with graduate students of the university as part of their course in Organizational Culture and Community Engagement in Education.
“Part of the mission of the university and the college is to be global,” says Dr. Slater about the visit. “We can put things into our classes that take into account global issues, but the best way is to actually go to another country… and have that one on one exchange.”
The trip serves as only part of a series of exchanges between Long Beach State and UABC, as LBSU’s College of Education signed a letter of intent to collaborate with the Mexican university in 2008. In the last 10 years, the two universities have dedicated their commitments to creating a network of cultural exchange between the schools’ number of graduate students.
NEW EMERGENCY OPERATION MANAGER SHAPED
BY LIFE EXPERIENCES
AUGUST 2019, 2016 | INSIDE CSULB MAGAZINE
Almost anything can happen in terms of an emergency. With a campus-wide population of more than 37,000 students, the possibility for an emergency situation remains constant.
​
Fortunately, Cal State Long Beach is bound by a carefully structured plan of emergency services and operations, now headed by newly-appointed Emergency Operations Manager Lauren Greenwald. Together with Assistant Emergency Coordinator Allyson Joy, Greenwald runs the day-to-day operations of the Emergency Operations Center based in the campus’ Horn Center.
Responsible for various emergency training and general oversight of the campus emergency operations plan, Greenwald works to make sure the thousands of students, faculty and staff are properly educated and well-prepared in the event of an emergency.
​
“We can’t completely plan for exactly what is going to happen because every emergency is unique, but we’re going to try to cover as much as we can so we have something to rely on if something does happen,” says Greenwald. “But overall, CSULB already has a great program in place.”
PARKING LOT 7 RENOVATIONS BRING MUCH NEEDED FACE-LIFT TO UNIVERSITY
SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 | INSIDE CSULB MAGAZINE
Parking lot 7 at CSULB just received a major facelift as one of the campus’ primary parking lots reopened in August with more than 150 new stalls.
These needed renovations come following a lack of stability and a number of safety hazards piling up around Lot 7, the large parking lot at the south end of the campus near the Theater Arts building. Mark Zakhour, Manager of Design and Construction Services at CSULB, said that these renovations were desperately needed, as Lot 7 was reaching the end of its usable lifespan.
​
“There were many problems with the lot. The asphalt was cracking, parts of the lot were falling apart and it started to form sinkholes,” said Zakhour. The project began in development last year when Zakhour and his team began looking at different studies, parking structures and various other lots to design a plan that could best accommodate the campus.
​
The project began in development last year when Zakhour and his team began looking at different studies, parking structures and various other lots to design a plan that could best accommodate the campus. The idea was to increase safety and accessibility to parking in the most cost-effective way.
CSULB LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM: EXPLORING
IDENTITY LEADERSHIP
JULY 6, 2018 | CSULB COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
On January 27th, the Educational Leadership Department held its 8th Annual Educational Leadership Symposium at the University Student Union with students, alumni, and educational leaders in the community in attendance. Heading with the theme, “Leadership Identity: At the Intersection of Who You are and What You Do”, the symposium tackled themes relating to structural and social obstacles faced by students in higher education.
In her welcome address, Department Chair Dr. Anna Ortiz described the event as one that “showcases the research and ideas of our doctoral students, master’s students and faculty in a setting that fosters engagement and motivation to find the sweet spot between who we are and what we do.”
With the aid of Alumni Fellows, Cohort 7 alumni Dr. Kirstie DeBiase and Dr. Elanie Bernal and Cohort 4 alum Dr. Robert Whitman, the event helped bring together members of the educational community in helping empower the role of students as agents of change.
SPOTLIGHT: INTERVIEW WITH DR. ALMA SALAZAR, VP OF LA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
JULY 11, 2017 | CSULB COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Using her years of educational experience, Dr. Alma Salazar continues to seek change in the South Bay community as part of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.  A three-time graduate of CSU Long Beach, Dr. Salazar obtained her B.A. in Communication Studies and Master’s in Public Administration before attending the Ed.D program as a member of Cohort I. 
​
Within the program, she says that her time allowed her to develop a very deep appreciation for diversity within education and public policy. 
​
“I feel like I benefited the most from engaging with the diverse cohort of peers coming from different aspects of higher education. Whether that be instructors from within the classroom, administrators in the university, or special programs like disability services, there was a whole spectrum of folks throughout the program,” Dr. Salazar says about the amount of diversity she experienced within the program.
Given the different perspectives, her time in the program has allowed her be much more aware of those viewpoints in helping create a meaningful dialogue about various issues within education. 
NEW UNIVERSITY OMBUDS APPOINTED TO LONG BEACH STATE UNIVERSITY
JULY 27, 2016 | INSIDE CSULB MAGAZINE
Following an extensive search process, CSULB has appointed Keith Freesemann as its new permanent University Ombuds, an important resource on campus that deals with a wide range of university-related issues.
The appointment follows his duties as Interim Ombuds since January 2014 and opens up new opportunities to expand upon the position.
​
“I’m very comfortable with our university policies. I know what’s out there; when someone asks a question about a policy, I know I have the experience to help,” said Freesemann about his working knowledge of CSULB. “I’m very excited that this position was offered to me. I enjoy what I get to do here.”
Located in the Foundation Building, the Office of the University Ombuds serves as an informal, neutral, independent and confidential resource for students, faculty, alumni and even community members to express themselves on issues they may have to deal with regarding the campus. “I like that we can talk about different options that are available to people,” Freeseman said.
SPOTLIGHT: INTERVIEW WITH GRADUATE STUDENT MELISSA MAHONEY, OUTSTANDING THESIS WINNER
JULY 11, 2017 | CSULB COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Graduate student Melissa Mahoney of the SDHE program has been recognized for her outstanding thesis in the College of Education.
​
Much of the research she conducted surrounding her thesis is rooted in the work she does with the Center of Evaluation and Effectiveness (CEEE) involving Hispanic-serving institutions (HSU). More specifically, she studied how grants from the U.S. Department of Education are used to aid Hispanic and other low-income populations.
Her research led to her discovering how under-represented African-American populations are in receiving similar types of grants STEM-related fields and their absence in similar types of programs. Sparking her interest in understanding why this was the case, Melissa focused her thesis around what experiences face African-Americans in STEM fields, as well as highlighting some of the resources that allowed them to complete their degrees successfully.
​
In her research, Melissa interviewed 12 African-American alumni, 6 men and 6 women, who graduated in STEM-related fields from 2008 or later.