Romel Edmond

CSUDH and Apple: Five Years of Changing Local Students’ Lives

The Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) at CSUDH is celebrating five years of its transformative partnership with the Apple Community Education Initiative. Through its Tech 4 Every 1 (T4E1) program, this dynamic collaboration has impacted thousands of students by integrating hands-on, challenge-based programs in coding, fabrication technology, and computer science into public education across Southern California.

2,933

K-12 students participated in a T4E1 event

2,933

Teachers trained in a T4E1 STEM program

1,313

Parents participated in T4E1 workshops

191

CSUDH students acted as tutors and interns

T4E1 bridges the digital divide and addresses educational inequities by providing access to high-quality STEM education. In many public K-12 schools, computer science education is often left out of the curriculum.

The program engages students via activities that use contemporary tools like 3D printers, vinyl cutters, Sphero robots, MacBooks, and iPads. Students learn technical skills and gain exposure to STEM fields and career opportunities, while also engaging creativity by making their own videos and 3D printed designs.

The partnership extends to teachers as well, with workshops training them to integrate technology and innovation into their classrooms. CSUDH students also work as interns, gaining valuable experience while contributing to T4E1’s mission. Now that’s something to brag about.

Illustration of students and teacher in geometry class.

Class Notes – Spring 2025

Class Notes

The latest news and successes of Toro alumni.

1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
In Memoriam

1980s

Viki Copeland (BS ’88) was honored by the Hermosa Beach City Council for her more than 50 years with the city. Copeland started in April 1973 as a clerk and eventually worked her way up to finance director. Copeland helped consolidate the city’s Human Resources and Finance departments to form the Administrative Services Department.

David Dumais (BS ’83) has been the Fire Chief of the City of Torrance since December 2022. With 36 years of experience in firefighting, Dumais is an adjunct fire technology instructor at El Camino College and was recently appointed to the California Fire Chiefs’ Association as the Certified Unified Program Agency Forum Board representative for Southern California.

Pamela Munson (MS ’89) has been appointed as in-house Laboratory Planner and Medical Equipment Planner for Corgan, a global architecture and design firm. Munson has over 25 years of experience as a microbiologist and is a certified interior designer.

Adam A. Porter (BS ’86) has been named co-executive director of the University of Maryland Institute for Health Computing, an academic health research institute. Porter is also a professor of computer science at the University of Maryland, College Park, and executive director of the Fraunhofer USA Center Mid-Atlantic, an applied research center.

Mary Roberts (BS ’84) has been named Chief Financial Officer at Valley First Credit Union. Roberts brings more than 40 years of accounting experience to her new role.

Renata E. Valree (BS ’89, MPA ’98) an associate professor in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution & Peacebuilding at CSUDH, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who, reflecting her notable contributions in the field. She is CEO of Peace in Education and owns and leads Ambassadors of Peace.

Karl Waller (BS ’84) opened The Brass Tap, a craft beer bar and entertainment venue franchise, which had its grand opening in June 2024. Waller, along with his wife and sister, are co-owners of the franchise, which is located in the Promenade at the Dunes in Marina, Calif.

1990s

Susan Engle (BS ’96, MS ’00) has been included in Marquis Who’s Who. With over 45 years of experience, Engle currently serves as an assistant professor at Unitek Learning, which oversees learning institutions in the areas of health care, nursing, and emergency medical services.

Terry Walker (BA ’93, CRDT ’01) was appointed Superintendent of the Adelanto Elementary School District. Walker has more than 30 years of experience in education, which includes classroom teacher, assistant principal, and principal at the elementary and secondary level.

Ural Yal (MBA ’99) has been appointed as CEO and member of the Board of Directors for Shimmick Corp., a leading water infrastructure company. Yal brings over 26 years of experience in water and critical infrastructure construction.

2000s

Edd Bond (MA ’05) has been named Superintendent for the Templeton Unified School District. Prior to his appointment, Bond served nine years as a teacher and 18 years in administration. Bond is an Army veteran and a longtime American Legion member.

Jennifer Branning (BS ’09) has been appointed to the Board of State and Community Corrections, an independent statutory agency that provides leadership to the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems. Branning has served as a probation officer for more than 10 years in Lassen County.

Tyais Dial (BS ’06) is the new principal for Spangdahlem High School in Germany within the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) – Europe West District. She has worked as a both a DoDEA teacher and administrator during her time with the organization.

Lawton Gray III (CRED ’02) was honored as an Excellent Educator at the 35th annual NAACP Ruby McKnight Williams Awards dinner. Gray is the principal at John Muir High School in Pasadena. He has worked in education for 26 years and was named the 2011 Administrator of the Year by the California Association of School Counselors.

Person in light blue button-up shirt and striped tie.

Krisse Kelly (MA ’07) is the new principal at Laguna Elementary School in Scottsdale, Ariz. She has worked at Laguna Elementary School in various capacities, including as an assistant principal and a fourth-grade teacher.

Jason Kusagaya (MS ’02) has been appointed as product catalogue manager in the aftermarket division of Hitachi Astemo Americas Inc. Kusagaya has more than 25 years of experience in automotive sales, marketing, and product planning.

Monica Lomeli (BS ’07) was named a Keynote Speaker for the 4th Annual Pomona Valley Pride Gayla. Lomeli is Manager of the Hate Documentation and Data Analytics Program with the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations and leads the production of the annual L.A. County Hate Crime Report.

Tai Ho Lee (BS ’06) was named a partner at KPMG. KPMG provides tax services globally in the form of auditing and ad services and is considered one of the Big Four accounting firms in the United States.Greta Vines-Douglas (MS ’06) was appointed Director of Physician Assistant Studies at Marshall B. Ketchum University. Vines-Douglas’ priorities include supporting faculty development, increasing the program’s visibility, and ensuring students have robust service-learning experiences.

Person posing with guitar, wearing a black hat.

Candy Higgins Di-Meo (BA ’08) received the Distinguished Women Award from El Camino College. She is an artist, singer, and musician who performs as Candy Paula. In addition to performing, Di-Meo is a librarian who contributes to the community through volunteer work in art museums and working with high school students.

2010s

Matthew Hayes (MS ’19) was hired as Program and Events Director at the Fresh Produce & Floral Council (FPFC). Hayes joins FPFC after spending five years in the same role at California Workforce Association. In that position, Hayes helped secure more than $4 million in funding to bolster California’s workforce and economic development system.

Alejandro Reynaga (BA ’19) was ordained as one of 11 new priests for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on June 1, 2024.

Alexis Zamarripa, MSN, RN (MS ’14) has been named Chief Nursing Officer at PIH Health Downey Hospital. In this capacity, she is responsible for executive oversight of the hospital’s nursing practice and operations. Zamarripa has been with PIH Health for 27 years.

2020s

Cynthia Nava (MA ’23) has been appointed city clerk for the Cerritos City Council. Nava brings 22 years of administrative experience in city government. She first joined the City of Cerritos in 2002 in the Building and Safety Division and joined the City Clerk’s Office in 2018.

In Memoriam

Alumni

Jean Anderson (BA ’09) 1942-2024

Christine Banks-Anders (BA ’90) 1941-2024

Oscar Barreda (BA ’88) 1923-2024

Kenneth Carroll (MA ’93) 1946-2024

Ashley Severson Cox (BS ’17) 1994-2024

Eileen Delaney (MS ’09) 1954-2024

Janet Fletcher (MS ’77) 1936-2024

Bertha Ichinaga (MA ’75) 1929-2024

Carol Lee Janich (BA ’72) 1948-2024

Oliver J. Johnson (BS ’80) 1945-2024

Marcella M. Keyes (MA ’92) 1942-2024

Louis La Regina Jr. (MA ’02) 1962-2024

Maria De Fatima Manning (BA ’21) 1932-2024

Stephen Martinez (BA ’73) 1950-2024

Marian J. Miller (MA ’82) 1932-2024

Edwin P. Ott (BA ’82) 1959-2024

Gemma Denise Cofield Oyewole (BA ’88)  (MA ’98) 1965-2024

Iris Pygatt (MA ’88) 1934-2024

Saundra Ann Shodiya (MS ’94) 1949-2024

Michael Corey Smith (BS ’82) 1955-2024

Christi Wood-Flentie (BA ’03) 1964-2024

Faculty

Delores “Dee” Stevens  (CAH, Music Department)

Daniel Cutrone  (CNBS)

Share your own Class Note! Share your career, family, or personal news with us at alumnirelations@csudh.edu.

Going with the Flow

Students visit rivers in the Sierra Nevada mountains to collect water data like depth and flow rates in Professor John Keyantash’s geography class. The information they gather is vital for scientists and water resource managers dealing with the impacts of drought and climate change.

From Tragedy to Triumph

How CSUDH and Unstoppable Dogs Gave Zoe a Second Chance

Nobody can say for certain how or why Zoe sustained her injuries. Only that someone hacked off her paws and ears in a wanton act of unspeakable cruelty. Then, they left her to die on the streets of Cairo, Egypt, along with her litter of newborn puppies.

There she might have remained, if not for Debbie Pearl and her connections with the Orthotics and Prosthetics department at CSUDH.

“Seeing that kind of cruelty just struck a chord in me, and I knew I had to do something,” says Pearl, founder of the nonprofit Unstoppable Dogs.

Pearl initiated Zoe’s relocation from Cairo to her Unstoppable Ranch in Huntington Beach and reached out to Mark Muller, program coordinator and chair of CSUDH’s Master of Science program in orthotics and prosthetics, for help in getting her new prosthetic legs.

“She was just so lovable and kind, and she really trusted us,” says Muller, who, with assistance from CSUDH alum Chad Marquis, manufactured and fitted four new prostheses for Zoe over several weeks at the university’s O&P center in Los Alamitos.

Pearl sees Zoe and her other Unstoppable Dogs as ambassadors of hope. “They have all come through unthinkable circumstances, and yet they’re still here.”

For more information about Zoe and Debbie Pearl’s other ambassadors of hope, visit theunstoppableranch.org.

Jillian Elwart, Toro Paralympian

Alumna Jillian Elwart brought her Toro Pride to the 2024 Paralympic Games, competing among the world’s top performers in the Va’a—an outrigger-style canoe fitted with a float on one side.

Elwart got into the sport in 2014, after a whitewater expedition in Mexico introduced her to para canoe sprinting. She made her international competitive debut in 2018 and began training with Kaitlyn McElroy, a member of the U.S. National Team for sprint kayaking, a few years later. Though she didn’t medal in Paris, Elwart has her eyes set on returning when the Olympic and Paralympic Games come to Los Angeles in 2028.

Born with proximal femoral focal deficiency, Elwart underwent many surgeries as a child and used prostheses before going into the field of orthotics and prosthetics herself. She earned postgraduate certificates at CSUDH in both specialties, and now works with pediatric patients at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Shreveport, La.

Elwart says her CSUDH training gave her the best possible preparation. “I couldn’t recommend it more highly for anyone interested in doing this kind of work.”