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For Alumni and Friends of CSU Dominguez Hills
June 2021
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Commencement Delivers an Intimate Feel with Heartfelt Moments
While the number of graduates, and the family and friends cheering them on in person, was substantially less this year due to COVID-19, the scaled-down ceremonies for the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 Commencements helped mark a return to normalcy for the Toro Nation, and were some of most intimate and heartfelt in recent memory...
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Class of 2021: Sallyanne Payton Bestowed CSU Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
As a force for change on the national stage, and for her wide-ranging contributions to education and Black culture and history, Sallyanne Payton was bestowed a California State University Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by CSUDH during its 2020-21 Commencement on May 26...
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Become a Mentor on Toro Connect
In collaboration with the Career Center, Alumni Relations is happy announce our new online mentoring platform, Toro Connect. Become a mentor today and change the life of a CSUDH student for tomorrow - from anywhere in the world!
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Comic Jesus Trejo Speaks To Fellow Toros at Dolores Huerta Grad Celebration
When CSUDH alum Jesus Trejo first saw his invitation to speak at this year’s Dolores Huerta Graduation Celebration, he thought he was in trouble. “To be completely honest, I was freaking out,” he laughs. “I thought they were reaching out because of some parking ticket I forgot to pay when I was going to Dominguez Hills, or maybe an overdue book that I never returned back in 2010.”...
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CSU Class of 4 Million Congratulations graduates! With the graduation of the Class of 2021, the California State University achieved a milestone—four million living alumni...
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CSUDH Alumni Participate in CSU New York Virtual Reception
CSUDH Alumni living in the New York Tri-County area joined CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro and President Thomas A. Parham for a virtual reception on June 9.
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CSUDH Alumnae Offers Job Market Insight In collabortation with the Career Center, the Alumni Series: Life After Graduation workshop on June 10 featured alumnae Jessica Ku Kim (MA '17), who is the VP of Economic and Workforce Development at the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation. Alumni Assocation members have access to other helpful career resources on the Career Center's website and Handshake.
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CSUDH Alumni Participate in CSU Washington D.C. Virtual Reception
CSUDH Alumni living in the Washington D.C. area joined CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro and President Thomas A. Parham for a virtual reception on June 17.
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CSUDH Names Dena Freeman-Patton Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics California State University, Dominguez Hills Vice President for Student Affairs William Franklin announced that Dena Freeman-Patton has been named Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics. She assumed her new role April 12...
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STAY INVOLVED
Tune in for special guest lectures, theatre productions, concerts, and more!
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Campus Update
August 23
First Day of Classes
Per official CSUDH-issued statements relating to COVID-19, the campus will begin to slowly repopulate during the Fall 2021 semester. For updates, click the button below.
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Volunteers Needed: New Student Convocation
August 27
1:00pm - 5:00pm PST
Alumni volunteers will be needed for the upcoming New Student Convocation. Join us for a fun-filled day and help us welcome our incoming students to the campus. More information coming soon.
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CLASS NOTES
Recent accomplishments of fellow Toros.
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Sandra Brown (MA ’16) is an incarcerated alumna who earned her master’s degree while in a correctional facility. While she worked on her education, Brown also published essays and poems about her experiences behind prison walls. She is part of a task force of experts, researchers, and incarcerated women convened by the Women’s Justice Institute, who recently delivered a report offering recommendations on how to better accommodate incarcerated women and decrease the female prison population in Illinois.
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Winifred Carter (BA ’97) celebrated her 102nd birthday in April 2021. Still going strong, she is the oldest living alumna with a CSUDH degree. Carter also worked as a reserve police officer with the Long Beach Police Department until 2005. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carter volunteered every day at her local senior center.
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Jacklyn Kim (BA ’16) is an independent journalist and audio producer. Kim has assisted with production teams for Southern California Public Radio at KPCC, and was part of the production team that earned a Golden Mike for AirTalk’s live coverage of the Great North American Solar Eclipse. In 2018, her production team also earned the Edward R. Murrow Award for KPCC’s Southern California Wildfire Coverage in the category of Large Market Radio, Excellence in Innovation.
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Christina Kraus (BA ’99/MA ’05) was named the principal of Los Alamitos High School in May. Kraus has worked for 15 years in the Whittier Union High School District as an assistant principal, and had been serving as the principal of Paramount High School prior to landing the position in Los Alamitos. Kraus will begin her new tenure on July 1, 2021.
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Maria Manning (BA ’21) made CSU history as the oldest graduate in the system’s history by earning bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and Spanish. She had attended CSUDH on and off since the 1990s, and also participated in music and choir classes during her educational journey. Well into her 80s, Manning is proof that age is no factor when pursuing a degree!
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Valencia Mota (BS ’17) was named management assistant at the City of Torrance manager’s office. Mota joined the city in 2018, and has served as a community services leader and management aide in the city manager’s office and the Torrance Fire Department. She has also worked with Torrance Community Services, assisting with grant reporting and compliance, contracts, and developing a transition plan and program model for integrating the Park Ranger Unit, Animal Control Division, and the Coyote Management Program.
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Max Rahn (BA ’19) is a hip hop/R&B singer, songwriter, and producer whose new album, ‘Your Mind Is A Weapon,’ was released in April 2021. His music can be heard on all streaming platforms, including SoundCloud, Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music. Rahn is also the owner of the clothing brand and independent music label ANYDAYNOW.
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Dr. Darnise Williams (MA ’98) will take the helm as superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District on July 1, 2021. Williams brings extensive educational leadership experience to the role, having worked in a wide range of roles including literacy coordinator, assistant principal, principal, principal supervisor, administrator of instruction, and senior-level administrator. Williams also led the Race and Equity Leadership Academy, a partnership between Los Angeles Unified School District and the University of Southern California, focused on providing school principals and principal supervisors the tools to effectively take the lead on racial equity measures.
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Chanelle Brimmer (MA ’13) passed away on April 11, 2021. Brimmer found it meaningful to serve her community and set an example for younger children. She served as the Director of Career Services at InterCoast Training Institute in Carson, where she was responsible for helping graduates secure employment, achieving an employment placement rate of 93%. Brimmer was a powerful motivational speaker and trainer, and published books and workbooks on employment, as well as a pair of poetry books. Her books “The Employment Code = You” and “The Interview Door for Convicted Felons” were utilized as textbooks by students attending trade schools and in prisons across California.
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Dr. Evelyn Tutt Brackeen passed away at the age of 95. Brackeen (known as Evelyn Childress during her time at CSUDH) was a member of the department of biology from 1966-1986, receiving the Lyle E. Gibson Distinguished Teacher Award in 1981. Brackeen was trained as an immunologist and was deeply involved in mentoring students in the Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) program on campus. She received her Ph.D. in immunology from Stanford University and was among the first African American faculty members at CSUDH. Her niece, U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee wrote, “Our family will miss her so much, but her memories bring us love and pride. May she rest in eternal peace.”
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Kent Wong passed away on June 16, 2021. Kent was a staff member in CSUDH's Information Technology (User Services) for over 5 years. He served the campus community with outstanding desktop support, along with overwhelming knowledge of systems and networks. He had amassed over 15 network certifications throughout his career and was an expert in various operating systems, applications, and devices. His smile was instantaneous, and his zeal for his job was unparalleled, as he also forged strong relationships with the greater campus community. He was an exemplary representation of professionalism and customer service, often going above and beyond. During COVID, Kent volunteered to come to campus and help with technology distribution. His colleagues remember him as an outspoken, kind person who always made time to help others.
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FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS
Our faculty members participate in conferences around the world, conduct groundbreaking research, and publish books and journal papers that contribute to their field and highlight their expertise. View the latest >
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 | Liberty Mutual offers exclusive savings on auto and home insurance to CSUDH alumni.
| |  | Toros Helping Toros! Post your internships and job opportunities with the CSUDH Career Center.
| |  | Make a Gift to the Toro Fund
to support scholarships and other campus initiatives.
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