CFD Researcher Leads $3.3 Million Autism Intervention Study

Dr. Sarah Rieth, San Diego State assistant professor in child and family development, recently received a $3.3 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to test an intervention that coaches parents of toddlers with autism.

Read the full story at SDSU NewsCenter.

Department of Education Grant Strengthens SDSU-Kumeyaay Partnership

Department of Counseling and School Psychology faculty, grad students and partners.

Thanks to a $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs, San Diego State University school counselor and school psychology graduate students committed to indigenous issues will gain experience serving the mental health needs of Kumeyaay youth in eastern San Diego County. The grant was co-authored by professor Carol Robinson-Zañartu, assistant professor Katheryn Leigh-Osroosh and associate professor Katina Lambros in the Department of Counseling and School Psychology.

Read the full story at SDSU NewsCenter.

SDSU Pride—In a Stockton Classroom

SDSU alumna Aimee Islas and her fifth graders from Taylor Leadership academy.

Stockton teacher Aimee Islas (’18, ’19), a graduate of San Diego State University’s liberal studies and teacher credential programs, is using her alma mater to inspire her fifth graders to imagine themselves as future college students.

Read the full story at SDSU NewsCenter.

Yap, Villarreal Undertake New NSF-Funded Study on Women of Color in STEM

Drs. Melo-Jean Yap and Felisha Herrera Villarreal.

By Michael Klitzing

Dr. Melo-Jean Yap acutely remembers the feelings of isolation she felt as young a woman of color studying biology — a discipline that is often very white and very male. The presumptions of incompetence she faced from faculty and peers, and the imposter syndrome that fed, still feel fresh.

One incident sticks out. As a graduate student, Yap took a coding course so she could learn to think like a programmer while working on bio-mathematical models. In the class of 30, she was one of five women and two women of color. And she didn’t just feel like she stood out, she felt singled out.

"When I would get the code right, the professor would say, ‘How did you do that? You must have been cheating,'" Yap recalls. "That happened in front of the whole class. I didn't see him doing that to anyone else. I couldn't imagine (being) a student who was actually a computer science major with professors like that."

VIDEO: A Doctoral Student's Dream to Start a School

In our Student Spotlight series, Suparna Kudesia — a student in the Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership — discusses how her passion for justice in education was stoked on the streets of New Delhi.

Watch Suparna's video.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Tonika Green

You may know Dr. Tonika Green as a professor in the Department of Counseling and School Psychology (CSP). But did you know she’s also a Virginia-born vegetarian with a secret alter ego? Find out more about Tonika in this edition of 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Faculty and Staff!

Ask an Alum: Jonathan Villafuerte ’19

By Michael Klitzing

Since he was a teenager, Jonathan Villafuerte ’19 has been inspired to empower young people who others might write off. As a freshman at Point Loma Nazarene University, he got involved tutoring first-generation college students. He later joined the staff of Reality Changers — a City Heights-based non-profit organization that supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds on their path to college graduation (Villafuerte is also a Reality Changers alumnus). In May, Villafuerte achieved one of his own academic goals, earning his master’s in school counseling from San Diego State University.

EDL’s Marshall Sets Global Standards for Development of Instruction

By Michael Klitzing

One of the biggest trends in education over the past decade has been increasing movement away from face-to-face instruction and toward blended and online formats. This rapid rate of change, however, has outstripped the global standards that guide the development of instruction.

Dr. James Marshall, associate professor of educational leadership and director of SDSU’s Pre K-12 Doctoral Program, is on the front lines of helping these standards catch up with the times. Marshall is serving in his first full year as a director for the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (IBSTPI), which develops and validates standards for professionals in the learning, development and performance improvement fields.

Two Alumni Named San Diego County Teachers of the Year

SDSU alumni Hilda Martinez (second from left) and Don Dumas (second from right).

By Michael Klitzing

Two San Diego State University College of Education alumni have been honored as San Diego County Teachers of the Year. Don Dumas ’08, ’10, ’16 and Hilda Martinez ’98, ’01, ’16 were among the five recipients of the award on Sept. 7 at the 29th Salute to Teachers awards ceremony, presented by the San Diego County Office of Education and Cox Communications. The honor means they are now in the running for California Teacher of the Year later this year.

Martinez (Zamorano Fine Arts Academy) earned her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and Preliminary Administrative Services Credential from SDSU. Dumas (Bonita Vista High) came through COE's credential and Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs.

Read their stories at SDSU NewsCenter.

Welcome from Dean Chung

It is with a sense of excitement and optimism that I welcome you to the 2019-2020 academic year! With the fall semester set to begin, we’re ready for the return of nearly 2,000 students into our classrooms, training sites, and online spaces as we continue to prepare quality teachers, clinicians, and educational leaders for our region, our state, and beyond. We’re also delighted to welcome four new faculty members into the fold, while celebrating the promotion and reappointment of 15 others. 

COE Abroad: Finding Hope in the Youth of Cambodia

By Grace Megginson 
Child and family development major 

The Mundt Peace Fellowship allowed me and eight other San Diego State University students to spend eight weeks working as interns in various NGOs in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. After traveling and working in Cambodia for two months, I discovered so much about the beauty of Cambodia, the Khmer culture, and its history, riddled with both suffering and resilience.

New MFT Director Hopes Her Students Will Imagine New Possibilities for Themselves

By Michael Klitzing

Over the summer, associate professor Sesen Negash became the first person of color to serve as director of the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program at San Diego State University. That would be a significant milestone in any program, but particularly in MFT — not only one of SDSU’s most diverse graduate programs, but one that trains clinicians to work with families in diverse communities.

Sesen, an Eritrean American who joined the SDSU faculty in 2017, has conducted research on the impact of sexual behaviors on monogamous relationships, as well as familial relationships of adult males transitioning out of prison. Here, she discusses the work of MFT, the importance of strong faculty role models for students of color and communities she’d like to better serve.

Ask an Alum: Emelyn dela Peña ’98, ’09

By Michael Klitzing

Emelyn dela Peña ’98, ’09 returned to the Golden State this summer to start her new position as Stanford University’s associate vice provost for inclusion, community and integrative learning. It is the next challenge in an impressive student affairs career that has included stops at Harvard University and Washington University in St. Louis. Emelyn was prepared for this journey at San Diego State University, where she earned a master’s degree in postsecondary educational leadership and instruction and a doctorate through its joint Ed.D. program. Recently, Emelyn chatted with us about her new position in Palo Alto, her passion for diversity and inclusion and her favorite SDSU mentors.

COE Abroad: Soaking up the Language, Culture and Home Cooking of Oaxaca

By Ed'd Bhagwandeen
MA in Critical Literacy and Social Justice Specialization

My name is Ed'd Bhagwandeen and I’m in the Department of Dual Language and English Learner Education’s Critical Literacy and Social Justice master’s program. I went to Oaxaca with credential and MA students this past June. It was my first extended study abroad experience.

VIDEO: Graduate Student Discusses his Passion for Special Education

In our Student Spotlight series, Alex Moreno — a graduate student in special education with an autism emphasis — discusses his classroom motivation and the impact of his program.

Watch the video.