CSUDH senior Derrick Nguyen is studying to be a medical lab technologist, a position that would enable him to work as a clinical laboratory scientist helping to diagnose and treat illness through data discovery. Essentially, when blood or other samples are sent from a doctor’s office to a lab for analysis, Nguyen will be the one doing the analysis. 

Nguyen has always had interest in pursuing a career in the medical field, but wasn’t sure which field to pursue. Interacting with patients in a one-on-one setting didn’t really appeal to him, but when he discovered the field of medical technology, it was a perfect fit. 

  “I was always fascinated by lab work,” he says. “How do they get these numbers? Where do they come from? I love working in the lab, and this is lab work with a sense of purpose. I feel like this is a field in which I can give back the most to the community. Labs are also fascinating workplaces with a very interesting dynamic. It’s a group I really like being a part of.”  

In addition to his studies, Nguyen is president of the CSUDH Clinical Science Club, a group of about 80 Toro students. Most of them are planning to enter clinical science careers or health care, but the club is open to students from all sciences.  
Two of the club’s major initiatives are mock interviews and its blood drive. Their mock interviews help future clinical science students prepare themselves for upcoming internship interviews, which are held each spring semester. The club’s blood drives are usually held once per semester. In partnership with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the club sets up and assists with the drive, while Cedars-Sinai professionals get the blood donations. 
“These blood drives help support health care workers, hospitals, and patients,” says Nguyen. “It also allows those of us who want to continue in health care to meet and get involved with the professionals that come out to help. It’s a great experience for everyone.” 

Nguyen and the Clinical Science Club continued with their blood drives right through the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the height of the pandemic, there was a real shortage of blood, and it’s still ongoing in some ways,” says Nguyen. “It was important for us to show our support to the health care workers who were so overwhelmed, and to give back in some small way to the community.” 

Kristi Sprowl is currently serving as the community impact director for the American Heart Association in Atlanta, Ga., while simultaneously working towards a doctorate of public health at the University of Georgia. In addition, Sprowl is serving as Regional Director for the Urban Leaders Fellowship, a part-time, eight-month assignment.

A native of Inglewood, Calif., Sprowl was always drawn to a career in health care. Several mentors suggested careers in public health, and she was instantly drawn to the discipline. Sprowl was accepted into CSUDH’s Health Science and Community Health program, as well as the university’s McNair Scholars Program, and excelled in her studies. 

After graduating from CSUDH, Sprowl earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of Arizona, then decided that she wanted to work in the heart of the U.S. public health industry—Atlanta. 

“What’s unique about Atlanta is that all the researchers and physicians here can quickly communicate with one another, gather the best data, and circulate it right back to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),” says Sprowl. “That way, the CDC can continuously give us the best recommendations, according to the very latest science.” 

She moved to Atlanta in 2019, getting a job as a clinical researcher at Emory University. Within a year, Sprowl moved on to become a senior public health educator with the Fulton County Board of Health. She also worked with a team of physicians and educators to create a new sex education curriculum for the Atlanta Public Health Schools. 

In her current role as community impact director for the American Heart Association, “I think I finally landed in a spot where I feel like I’m contributing a lot of the knowledge, the resources, and the tactical skills I’ve learned in public health,” she says. 

Caroline Janssen is an international student from Sweden who is pursuing her master’s degree in social work at CSUDH. A graduate of Uppsala University in her home country, Janssen came to CSUDH because she wanted to study her discipline in a community that was in need of those specific services.

While completing her studies, Janssen works with the Vista Del Mar organization, helping to provide mental health services to low-income families. “I help at-risk families that are struggling to meet basic needs with their mental health,” says Janssen. 
 
“I help them deal with potential traumas and anything that is interfering with their lives,” she adds. “That might be dealing with structural inequalities, financial difficulties, or getting jobs. I have a few clients I meet with once a week and do case management, therapy, or refer them to outside resources.” 
 
Janssen’s interest in social work started during the 2015 migration crisis in Europe. “The crisis really made me see that a lot of systems were just collapsing. People were being stripped of their humanity. It was really heartbreaking,” she says. 

“I’ve always had that humanitarian spirit. I really want everyone to just do well in life. Social work is such a practical way of helping people. You can really get out in the community, sit with people, and make change happen.” 

Janssen appreciates the fact that she’s able to practice her discipline in the field while still a student. “Practice is absolutely necessary to be able to graduate with more confidence in what I will be doing after graduation,” she says. “Also, actually being out in the field, seeing people as they’re living and seeing people being impacted by inequity and racism is really powerful. It has helped me grow in ways that I never thought possible.“ 

After graduating, Janssen would like to continue working in the U.S. for as long as she’s able. “I think there’s more to do here than in Sweden. Many people here face so many difficulties, and there is so much need. And it feels great to see people feel better and to improve in their well being!” 

After graduating from CSUDH with a BS in nursing in 2005, Ron Yolo went on to attain an MS in nursing administration from UCLA, an MBA from USC, and a doctorate of nursing practice from Yale University. He currently serves as the division chief nursing officer for Common Spirit Health, overseeing the nursing operations for 18 hospitals throughout California. Since 2021, Yolo has also worked as an adjunct faculty member at the Yale School of Nursing. 

In his position with Common Spirit Health, Yolo travels to hospitals and interacts with the on-site chief nursing officers, making sure that strategies and initiatives are being applied at the local level. “Basically, I work with facility leaders, division leaders, and national leaders in our company to make sure that we are current with whatever initiatives the company is trying to implement,” he explains. 

Yolo immigrated to the United States with his family in 1992, and considers himself “a product of public education.” As such, he says, “It was important for me to give back to the communities that helped me become who I am.” That has been the driving factor behind Yolo’s health care career—making sure that others are getting the help they need. 

He attended CSUDH just as the university’s online nursing program was getting started. “CSUDH was very innovative,” says Yolo. “Back then, it was pretty cutting edge to be learning online. It was clearly going to be part of the future of health care.” 

Yolo credits CSUDH with helping him develop the skills that have served him ever since. “I had a great experience there,” he says. “The laboratory courses and the ability to engage in clinical practice was so important to me. To be able to actually go to hospital sites and do our work was something special, and I had some really great professors.” 

CSUDH student Kassandra Salinas is pursuing an MS in Social Work, with a child, youth, and families emphasis. She graduated from UC Riverside with a degree in psychology before attending CSUDH, where she’s studying to become the second social worker in her family. 

“My mom is a social worker, but I never really knew much about her work,” says Salinas. “I graduated with my psychology degree and I knew I didn’t want to be a psychiatrist. I finally asked my mom, ‘What do you do in your job?’” 

“I knew I wanted to help people, and I knew she helped people. She was able to explain to me all the different ways social workers contribute to society,” recalls Salinas. “It sounded like something I would love to do. I want to help people who struggled in the same way I did growing up.” 

While completing her studies, Salinas also works at the Department of Child and Family Services office, a position she plans to continue in after graduation. She works with children and families to protect young people from abuse.  

“We get calls with reports of suspected neglect, either emotional, physical, or sexual,” she says. “Then we go out on the calls and see if these allegations are true. We interview the family and the children. in the event that abuse is taking place, the worker will open a case or perhaps provide the family with resources from within their communities that can better assist them.” 

Work of this type can be mentally hard on workers, and Salinas acknowledges that hearing children recount stories of abuse is especially difficult. “Practicing self-care is really big,” she says. “I have a really good support system of friends and family and my cohort at CSUDH, who are witnessing the same things I am.” 

Mostly, it’s Salinas’ drive to make a difference that helps her through her toughest days. “I really think that I was put here for this purpose: to help. I’m grateful that I found the place where I’m supposed to be.” 

CSUDH Occupational Therapy (OT) alumni Martinez and Yanez long dreamed of running their own practice – and in June 2021, their plans came to fruition with their Bravo Therapy & Independent Living Center in San Antonio, Tex. The married couple’s practice has been a success due to their patient-first focus on quality care. 

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple began to recognize patterns in health care that they wanted to change and do differently, explains Yanez. “We saw a real lack of diversity in health care administration and management. Many of them didn’t understand our culture, even though a lot of the patients and clients that we were seeing were Latinx or of Hispanic descent.” 

“We wanted to build something that was culturally sensitive and focused just on quality care,” she adds. “Something that was really ingrained in me as an OT student from Dominguez Hills is quality. Focus on giving your best, on bringing in the latest research for your clients. That’s something we really wanted to create together.” 

In their San Antonio practice, Yanez specializes in oncology (cancer care), which has been her OT focus throughout her education and career – thanks to the inspiration of the therapists who worked with her during her own cancer battle as a young woman. Martinez, meanwhile, works in pediatric care with a focus on autistic children. 

Their practice provides access to treatment for a wide range of community members. “There’s a very big need for OT services in this area,” says Yanez. “Opening our private practice is a case of the right time and the right place. We’re glad we’re able to help meet the needs of the community.” 

First-generation college graduate Ramos graduated from CSUDH with a BA in human services in 2014, then attained his master’s degree in science and physician assistant studies at CSU Monterey Bay. He currently serves as a physician assistant at a health center in South Central Los Angeles. 

Ramos actually has a trio of specialties. At his clinic, Ramos does pediatric medicine two days a week, while also serving as the OB-GYN on two other days, primarily working with pregnant mothers. On Fridays, he puts on his adult medicine hat, treating community members for diabetes, hypertension, and a range of maladies. 

He also contributes to the future of health care by mentoring pre-physician assistant (PA) students through workshops held in collaboration with the Primary Care Physician Assistant program at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. “I’m always looking for ways to break down barriers for people of color,” says Ramos.  

“Whether by providing opportunities for shadowing current professionals, finding volunteer work, or helping students find work experience, I’m trying to make it easier for people who look like me to apply to school.” Ramos doesn’t just mentor local students, either—he talks to students from San Diego to San Francisco about careers in health care. 

“When I was a student at CSUDH, I was in a class full of people that looked like me, sounded like me, and came from similar upbringings,” says Ramos. “My goal was always to go to school and then give back to my community.” 

“I used to live right up the street from Dominguez Hills, and I’m grateful to be able to give back to the community. It really feels like I’ve come full circle, and am exactly where I need to be at the moment.” 

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Born and raised in South Korea, Mi-Sook Kim began working in higher education in 1990 as a research assistant at Chung-Ang University in her native country. Her career has led her all the way to CSUDH, where she took over as Dean of the College of Health, Human Services and Nursing in June 2021. 

She went on to earn a BS in physical education and an MS in kinesiology from Chung-Ang, then moved to the U.S. to complete her PhD in kinesiology at Purdue University, specializing in sport and exercise psychology.

Before joining CSUDH, Kim worked as a professor of kinesiology at San Francisco State University (SFSU) for over 20 years. During her tenure at SFSU, Kim also served as chair of the Department of Kinesiology and led the Division of Graduate Studies as interim dean for two years. Her scholarship examines sports and exercise psychology from positive motivational climates and cross-cultural perspectives. Kim has served on the board of directors of the American Kinesiology Association and in January 2017 was awarded the organization’s Distinguished Leadership Award. 

What is the mission of CHHSN under your leadership?  

Under my leadership, the mission of CHHSN continues to be preparing knowledgeable, competent, and effective professionals who are committed to improving our community’s life-long health, development, and overall adaptability. We emphasize excellence in our teaching and in our scholarship. 

In a way, all health-related colleges have a similar mission. But our college at CSUDH particularly emphasizes working in a diverse and evolving society. That’s the beauty of what we do. This approach was developed when the college started, and we have kept that as part of our mission ever since. 

Was that diversity aspect of CSUDH’s mission something that attracted you to the position?  

When I decided to pursue leadership positions, two key words attracted me to this campus and its mission. CSUDH is devoted to access and transformation through education. Those words mean a lot to me, because that’s what I went through in my own journey. Education helped me open my eyes to my potential and aspirations, and really transformed me from a little girl in a male-dominated society, helping me start to think beyond what I thought I could do and turning me into who I am. 

I really believe in higher education transforming people. Access is key and CSUDH is ahead of other schools in that area. I love it. We are ranked second in the nation for economic mobility, which proves our success in these areas, and I am proof of that myself. 

How would you characterize your first year as dean?  

Curious, excited, affirmed, determined, and now motivated and supported. 

I arrived during a transitional year after the COVID-19 pandemic. So I felt like I was walking into an empty house in the beginning. However, it did not take that long to feel and learn many viable and achievable aspirations, dreams, hopes, and goals that were underway among faculty, staff, and students. The potential of the college was unlimited and yet to be discovered and recognized. While being excited about the positive energy and vibes in the college, I also quickly learned the college needed solid infrastructure in terms of the data, budgets, curricula, and public images to move this aspirational college forward. 

After my listening tours, I pulled all the to-dos, opportunities, and ongoing initiatives into the college’s strategic architecture. I drew out our strategic maps using inductive methods so we can collectively know where we are going and understand why we do what we do in our daily operations. The college’s theme in the strategic plan is Habits of a Thriving CHHSN. We will strengthen our good habits, unlearn bad ones, and learn new, better habits that allow us to accomplish our goals. 

Which of your majors has the largest enrollment? 

The Department of Child Development. They have a great curriculum, dedicated faculty, and there is also a growing workforce demand in early childhood and preschool settings. Also, the state has established a new P3 teaching credential, which is for educators working with grades K through 3. 

This new credential is one thing that’s making this program grow quickly. Also, Gov. Newsom’s plan to expand early childhood education through universal pre-K is creating a need for educators with expertise in these fields. 

After child development, the next biggest majors are kinesiology and health science, because of their broader applications in health-related workforces. 

Although their enrollments are much smaller, we have several sizable professional graduate programs that are well-known locally, nationally, and internationally because of their unique curricular designs and professionally-focused training approaches. Those include occupational therapy, orthotics and prosthetics, and our fully online nursing degree. Also, our MS in radiologic imaging sciences is an executive-style program that provides professional advancement and management-related training.  

In addition, our marriage and family therapy program is undergoing its first accreditation. Our social work program is also very strong, because we have a unique focus on critical race theory. We thread those ideas through the curriculum, which is really a one-of-a-kind approach. 

Over the past few years, CHHSN has added several advanced and professional degrees to its offerings. Why is this so important to the university? 

I would say it’s not that they are so important to us, but important for the students in those fields, so they are better prepared to address the challenges of today’s complex and ever-changing health care and education settings. 

For example, disciplines like occupational therapy are advancing quickly, with a lot more skills and knowledge required to get started. At the same time, universities need to produce leaders who can do research reflecting both societal needs and an advanced understanding of their patients’ conditions. The advanced and professional degrees will prepare our students for clinical work with patients, while at the same time training them to answer clinical questions through their research activity. 

We will be offering the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD), which will be the first and only publicly-funded clinical occupational therapy doctorate in Southern California, and the first doctoral program offered at CSUDH. Also, we are developing a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to be offered in a few years. These advanced degrees will not only produce well-equipped practitioners and leaders to local communities, but will increase diversity in the health care workforce, as those programs will allow for affordable advanced education at the doctoral and master level. 

More importantly, significant health disparities exist within subsets of the U.S. population, including those who are low-income, immigrants, and individuals of color. While many factors influence and impact such disparities, it is well-documented that the lack of diversity within health professions impacts broader community health, particularly within communities of color. Our graduate programs will lead to greater diversity and inclusion in the health care field, as the majority of our students are from historically underrepresented populations. 

As a university, being able to support continued advances in the medical field is important. CSUDH is poised and able to do this now. It’s a deep, exciting time for Dominguez Hills, not just for CHHSN. 

How does CHHSN prepare students for careers in health care? 

Now and in the past, our undergraduate and graduate programs are actually all professional tracks. All of our undergrad programs have internship components in the curriculum. Sometimes this has not been implemented well, honestly, because of a lack of resources. An internship requires a lot of work, so faculty cannot always supervise them. We want to strengthen that and really develop a degree-to-career model in each undergraduate program. The new HCAI grant that we received will allow us to do that. Honestly, we’re already doing much better than many other undergraduate programs at other institutions. There have been some obstacles and challenges, but we are working to improve the process, coordinating ourselves and putting more resources into it, so that we can make stronger degree-to-career programs. 

What do you think the future holds for CHHSN?  

I would like to see CSUDH become the regional destination for students studying health, human development, and rehabilitative sciences. When it comes to allied health or human development, which includes a lot of our undergraduate programs, we want to be the first choice. That is our aspiration and where we want to go in the future, and I’m happy to say that we are developing that at the moment. 

What would you like students to know about CHHSN? 

I would tell students that this is the place you can come to plant your dreams and goals. We have dedicated faculty and leadership in place that will help these dreams grow. 

In the future, we will be in an even better place. I feel good at the moment, based on my sense of our faculty and their energy, our staff, and the new pathway initiative. Things are happening on campus that combine with what we are trying to do at CHHSN. Dominguez Hills is becoming the place to come to achieve your goals. We’re excited to have the opportunity to support our students! 

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CSUDH Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) President Obioha “Obi” Ogbonna isn’t your typical Toro student. Born and raised in Nigeria, Ogbonna graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree in petroleum engineering before deciding to come to the U.S. to further his education. He is currently a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in cybersecurity. 

In addition to serving as ASI president, Ogbonna attends classes and works as an intern for a cybersecurity team at a local medical company. In what is surely a first for an ASI president, Ogbonna has also won awards for his musical compositions in his native Nigeria. The multi-talented Toro sat down to discuss his time at CSUDH, the university’s challenges and accomplishments, and how he serves his fellow students. 

How did a college graduate from Nigeria end up at CSUDH? 

After graduating from the University of Lagos, I wanted to try something different. Because I’ve always been a techie, I wanted to transition to something more computer-related. During the pandemic, I knew that I needed a change. I needed a big reset, basically. So I did my research. Interestingly enough, DH was recommended as one of the best value-for-money schools to earn a cybersecurity degree. So that’s what made me apply to CSUDH. 

What are you planning to do after graduating? 

The main reason I came to the U.S. was to gain the experience I needed, because in Nigeria cybersecurity is something we are really lacking. My aim is to learn as much as I can at the university and on the job, to try and get enough experience so that when the time comes to go back to my country, I’ll have something to offer. I’d like to modify how we do cybersecurity there, to teach people back home the skills I’ve learned here. 

What do you think are the greatest challenges facing the ASI right now?  

I think one of the major challenges we have is getting students more interested in what we do and engaging the students. The COVID-19 pandemic sapped a lot from us. Students are coming in from high school who basically finished their schooling online. Now they are coming into the university and have no idea how to relate to so many new people. They have no idea how to relate with one another. A lot of them are locked in a shell. 

Our challenge is to bring back that sense of community. We are hoping to have a lot of creative events that will get students involved. We resumed our Halloween Haunt event this year, and had over 800 students attend, which is more than double the number we had last year. 

We’re certainly trying to bridge that gap, but we have 16,000 students. We’re really trying to make sure that students are properly engaged, not just with the university but with one another.  

What are your goals as ASI president? 

Basically, my goal is to build the campus community. I want at the end of this year for people to look back and say, “I had fun. I was able to interact with my professors. I was able to find new friends. I was able to have a good time on campus.” 

I feel like that’s an important piece of the university experience, and that’s what I’m hoping to contribute to this school. It’s definitely part of the experience that’s been lost over the last couple of years, to the students’ detriment. 

What is your typical day like as ASI president? 

Well, my typical day is very interesting and usually starts with work. I currently have an internship in a medical company’s cybersecurity team. I usually work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. After work, I get ready and come to school. Then I’ll have some ASI business in the afternoon. In the evening, I try my best to get my studying done. I have to make sure I keep my grades up! 

What has been your biggest success so far as ASI president?  

I think my biggest success so far is being able to engage students. I feel like my methods are working, in terms of getting students engaged and excited. Like I said, the last event that we had doubled the attendance of last year’s equivalent event. We’ve also been able to attract more people to be interested in being on the ASI board of directors.  

But a huge part of my success is based on the people who work here in ASI. I have a very passionate and driven board of directors, and the professional staff have been very intentional in recruiting the right staff to serve the students. We have really good people who are doing awesome stuff. Sometimes people give me credit for some of this, but I always give credit to the staff and other board members, who are doing a beautiful job. They really love students and are really sensitive to their needs. I think that’s one of the key reasons why we are now attracting more students into ASI. 

What has been your favorite moment so far as president?  

My favorite moment was speaking at the Juneteenth Symposium. There were people at that event that I never would have dreamed of meeting. I got to be on stage with Cornel West! This was someone that I only saw in books over in Nigeria. That was kind of intimidating, but it was a really good moment and made me reflect a lot, especially about how I wanted to engage the community. I think that event was when I decided how I wanted to build a community here. It was during that event that I figured it out. 

What are the biggest concerns you hear from students?  

I think the biggest concern is food insecurity, although housing insecurity is getting worse and worse. The university is actually very responsive to students who are in need. But one of the major problems is that students don’t have the information they need to be able to access sensitive resources. There are lots of times I’ve listened to students and then had to redirect them and tell them exactly who to contact. 

That’s one of the things I’ve advocated for. We talk about food and housing, but I think information is a basic need, as well. People need to know about something to be able to use it. You can have so many resources, but if nobody knows about them, they don’t get used.  

I would say the lack of space on campus is another big issue. We have lots of resources but don’t have enough space to house them all.   

Where do you see CSUDH in 10 years? 

I see the university switching from a commuter campus to a residential campus. I see a lot of changes coming, especially with the new strategic plan being put in place. I definitely cannot wait for the Health, Wellness, and Recreation Center to come online. There are also talks about a new phase of housing and dining. I see the school moving into being more of a traditional university, where a lot of students are living, working, and going to school on campus. 

What is special about attending CSUDH? 

The fact that an international student from Nigeria could become the ASI president speaks a lot about CSUDH, and the fact that it’s an all-welcoming, all-embracing institution. A lot of resources are provided. The university is really invested in student success and I appreciate that. One of the reasons I’m happy to be the president is that people can see that I’m from a different country, but I’m still being given the opportunity to represent the students. It speaks a lot to the culture we have here on campus. It’s the perfect place for me and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

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