Alumna Julianna Barnes Chosen to Lead South OC Community College District

By Michael Klitzing

Julianna Barnes (’91, ’10), an alumna of San Diego State University’s Community-Based Block and Ed.D. in Community College Leadership (CCLEAD) programs, has been selected as chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District.   

The president of Cuyamaca College in El Cajon since 2015, Barnes will begin her new role in August. The South Orange County Community College District, which encompasses Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College, serves nearly 50,000 students per year. 

 

COE's Statement on the Tragic School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas

A message to the SDSU College of Education community from Dean Y. Barry Chung:

As people who devote our lives to education, the horror we witnessed yesterday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas is hard to process. We mourn for the 19 children and two teachers killed in this act of senseless violence. Our hearts go out to the surviving students, school professionals, and families forever changed by this tragedy. 

Alumna Ashanti Hands Named President of San Diego Mesa College

By Michael Klitzing

A two-time graduate of San Diego State University will now lead San Diego’s largest community college. Ashanti Hands (’94, ’14), an alumna of the Community-Based Block (CBB) master’s program and Ed.D. in Community College Leadership (CCLEAD) has been appointed president of San Diego Mesa College. 

 

Part of the San Diego Community College District, Mesa has an enrollment of more than 30,000 students per year. Hands has been at the college since 2008, serving as vice president of student services since 2016. In announcing the hire, the school praised her adoption of data-informed decision making to ensure equitable outcomes. 

Ed Leadership Doctoral Alumni Honored With SDCOE’s Lighthouse Awards

From left, Amy Illingworth ('15) and Cynthia Larkin (’13)

By COE News Team 

 

San Diego State University alumni Amy Illingworth ('15) and Cynthia Larkin (’13) were honored as “beacons in the education community” at the San Diego County Office of Education's (SDCOE) annual Lighthouse Awards. 

 

Illingworth, assistant superintendent of educational services at Encinitas Union School District, earned the Equity Champion award. Larkin, principal at San Diego’s Morse High School, earned the Turnaround School Site Leader award. Both are graduates of SDSU’s Educational Leadership (PK-12) Ed.D. program. 

VIDEO: COE Grad Urges Fellow DACA Recipients to 'Dream Big'

Javier Diego Jacinto outside Petco Park.

The inspiring story of a member of the San Diego State University College of Education Class of 2021 was highlighted by San Diego local news. Javier Diego Jacinto, a graduate of the liberal studies program who will enter the Department of Dual Language and English Learner Education credential program in the fall, spoke with NBC 7 and Telemundo 20 about his passion to inspire other DACA recipients to dream big.

Commencement 2021: COE Swings for the Fences to Honor Grads at Petco Park

By Michael Klitzing

Leading off at Petco Park for San Diego State University’s Commencement 2021 ... the College of Education! 

On May 25, the ballpark where Padres fans cheer on Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Manny Machado will transform into a venue to celebrate future All Stars of the education field. COE’s in-person ceremony will be the first of seven SDSU ceremonies hosted over three days at Petco Park — a 42,000-seat outdoor venue that will allow for safe, physically-distanced gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Salute to Service: Anne Graves and Caren Sax Leave Lasting Legacy

Dr. Anne Graves and Dr. Caren Sax.

The San Diego State University College of Education salutes two longtime professors who will retire this summer. Dr. Anne Graves, professor and former chair of the Department of Special Education, and Dr. Caren Sax, professor and chair of the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation and Postsecondary Education (ARPE) both made significant impacts on their departments and our college.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Dr. Suneal Kolluri

Dr. Suneal Kolluri is wrapping up his first year at San Diego State University as an assistant professor in the School of Teacher Education. But did you know he’s a beach volleyball superstar who also used to throw down dunks on the basketball court? We’re not worthy! Find out more in this edition of 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Faculty and Staff. 

CFD’s Lind Nets Grant to Study Burnout Among Early Childhood Trauma Therapists

By Michael Klitzing

As a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Delaware, Dr. Teresa Lind completed her clinical training at community mental health agencies in nearby Wilmington and Baltimore. It was educational in more respects than one. Lind witnessed high-stress environments with therapists being driven to load up on patients and over-book themselves. 

She also witnessed the aftermath. The burnout. The early exits from the profession. 

Later, during her clinical internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, she discovered another way. 

Pre-College Institute Recounts Pandemic Response in New Publication

The PCI Pathways program's lead tutors in 2020, before the pandemic.

By Michael Klitzing

Amid early news reports about a deadly new virus in China in early 2020, Dr. Cynthia Park gathered her Pre-College Institute (PCI) team and delivered a simple message. 

This will soon be here, it’s going to impact us and we need to be ready. 

“We're in such a large system, that I knew it was going to be difficult to make decisions in real time,” said Park, professor in the School of Teacher Education and founder and executive director of PCI. “So what I tried to do was to preempt — to say this is going to happen and that we need to look at the whole year, not piece by piece. 

“I said to the team, we have two weeks to talk to these students before we have to shift. Let's get them prepared for what it means to go online with us.” 

Alumni Spotlight: Martha Garcia's Story of Courage and Conviction

Martha Garcia (left) with fellow CCLEAD alumna Hossna Sadat Ahadi.

By Padma Nagappan

When one hears Dr. Martha Garcia’s story, there are similarities with other Latinas who have made it despite challenging odds — farm worker parents who didn’t complete high school and spoke only Spanish, the first in her family to go to college, and a single mother.

But when you learn she was pregnant when she transferred from Imperial Valley College to San Diego State University Imperial Valley, delivered her son at the end of her first semester but continued her studies without missing a beat, eventually completed SDSU's Ed.D. in Community College Leadership (CCLEAD) program, and became the community college’s first Latina superintendent and president, it adds layers of complexity to her journey to success. 

#SDSUGrad: Meet Leah Lawrence, CFD Class of 2021

By Michael Klitzing

Over the past year, the San Diego State University community has shown its true resilience. Graduates from the Class of 2021 are no exception. In the #SDSUGrad series, we highlight graduates as they prepare to embark on the next chapter of their lives, including those who have secured jobs and internships or are moving into advanced studies. 

Name: Leah Lawrence 

Major: Child Development 

Hometown: Whittier, Calif. 

Francisco Escobedo to Lead SDSU’s Efforts to Transform Urban Schools

Photo courtesy Chula Vista Elementary School District.

By Michael Klitzing

Three decades have passed, but Francisco Escobedo remembers that afternoon like it was yesterday. He remembers slapping steel handcuffs on the wrists of a boy, no more than 16 years old. Most of all, he remembers the look in his eyes. 

It was at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, and the kid was clearly high — but there was something else. Something more haunting. 

“It was almost hollow,” Escobedo recalls. “Devoid of hope.” 

CFD’s Cassandra Libang Named a Quest for the Best Winner

By SDSU News Team

Child and family development senior Cassandra Libang has been named one of 10 recipients of San Diego State University’s Quest for the Best Vice Presidential Student Service Award. The Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity honor recognizes outstanding student leaders at SDSU in four key areas: academic excellence, student service and activities, community service and leadership development. 

Student winners were asked to nominate a faculty or staff member who made a significant and positive impact on their personal growth and development during their time at SDSU. Libang selected Hsing-chen Tung, lecturer in the Department of Child and Family Development. 

As Districts Return In-Person, it’s Back to School for Many Credential Students

From left: Credential students Jake Palacio, Valerie Salgado and Tasha Irianto.

By Michael Klitzing

Tasha Irianto says it’s the little moments she’s missed the most. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Diego State University teaching credential student went months without seeing her second graders outside of a Zoom window. 

“I feel like everything online is so structured,” said Irianto, who is completing her student teaching at San Diego’s Oak Park Elementary. “We don't get any of that natural classroom interaction where the kids are telling me about their weekend while putting their backpacks on.” 

For Irianto and hundreds of SDSU’s future educators, those small yet meaningful connections are coming back.