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!
1. Tonika was a star of track and field
Tonika ran track in middle school and high school. Her events were the mile, two mile, cross country, long jump and high jump. She was the regional champion and went to several state championships. Today, running is her least favorite exercise.
2. Tonika is from the east coast
Tonika was born and raised in Richmond, Va. California was the last place in the world that she wanted to live, but after 18 years of living in the Golden State, this is her home.
3. Tonika is an only child
Tonika is an only child and is very close to her family. She loved being an only child so much she decided to only have one child of her own. Unfortunately, her daughter — a popular YouTuber with more than 6,000 subscribers and 50,000 views — hates being an only child.
4. Tonika loves hot chocolate
Tonika loves hot chocolate and drinks it in the fall, winter and summer, but not the fancy kind or the kind you get at Starbucks. She loves Swiss Miss or Carnation, two packs per cup!
5. Tonika is a picky eater
Tonika hates cheese, but likes pizza with Mozzarella cheese and hates scrambled eggs, but likes omelettes. She became a vegetarian three years ago after seeing the documentary "What the Health!
6. Tonika is known as Betty Jean in her church community
Tonika plays an alter ego at church events named Betty Jean. Betty Jean is 70 years old, loves wearing church hats and playing bingo. Betty Jean skips church to go to the bingo hall. She gets asked to perform Betty Jean at special church events to make people laugh.
7. Tonika is one of two black women full professors at SDSU
Tonika was recently promoted to full professor. She is one of two black women full professors on SDSU’s Campus (the School of Teacher Education’s Estella Chizhik is the other). Tonika feels honored to hold this rank, but knows that there is work to do at SDSU to ensure that there are more black women who attain this rank.
How Tonika Green is Making a Difference in the College of Education
“I am making a difference in my college through mentorship and grant writing. In my mentorship efforts, I made it my goal to try to change the academic experiences of African American college students. As a result, AAMP (African American Mentoring Program) was born in 2001! AAMP’s mentoring numbers have gone from 15 students in 2001 to reaching more than 300 students across SDSU’s campus (and Long Beach State and Howard University). AAMP student alumni are now leaders in schools and communities across the country. My mentorship also reaches across the university in my new position as the Charles Bell Scholar with the Division of Diversity and Innovation. In this role, I oversee the Henrietta Goodwin Scholars Program, a program that mentors Black freshmen through academic coaching, connection to the SDSU Black community through the Black Resource Center and a weekly seminar. I am honored to continue my mentorship work with COE faculty and serve as a COE mentor to 5 tenure-track faculty. In grant writing, I have more than 3 million dollars in personnel preparation grants from the U.S. Department of Education to improve educational outcomes for youth in foster care and minoritized youth.”