Director's MessageI am pleased to share the fall 2021 edition of the Academic Community of Excellence newsletter!
In this edition, we continue to spotlight graduate and professional education through our accomplished students and an alum. We recognize prelaw student Leslie Sepulveda Ochoa, recipient of the Donald Strauss Scholarship and we highlight seniors Nicole Hernandez, Luis Lopez, and Selena McLurkin, who will complete their bachelor’s degrees this fall and are preparing for law school, graduate study in public policy, and the workforce. Finally, we celebrate alum Lauren Sutherlin for her acceptance to a master’s degree program in nutrition, health span and longevity. I trust that you will enjoy reading about their achievements and aspirations.
This was a gratifying semester for several reasons. Like many, we were excited to resume our activities and support to our scholars in-person. Also, we were able to pilot new initiatives to prospective and continuing students.
As we prepare to close the semester, we wish our scholars and you a restful and enjoyable Christmas holiday!
Steven Neal
Director, Academic Community of Excellence
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Seniors Prepare for Graduate School and Careers
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Nicole Hernandez is a political science major and environmental studies minor. She is the fellowship outreach coordinator for Boundless LMU, a student-run program that provides fellowships, programming, and career development services to undocumented and DACAmented students. Nicole has also worked for the President’s Office since her first year of college. She is passionate about immigration reform and environmental justice and is applying to Loyola Law School through their direct admissions program.
As a first-generation college student, she sought out programs like ACE and First To Go, where she obtained support to thrive at LMU. "I want to go to law school. Through ACE, I've learned how to tailor my resume and my personal statement for the career that I want and that ultimately helped me to get an internship at two different law firms … [which have] given me such good insight into the legal field."
When asked what she will miss about LMU she stated that the “students are exceptional in that we're very passionate about social justice and we want to make a difference, and we're here to support each other, and I don't know if that's going to be the culture everywhere … so I'm definitely going to miss that community of peers who share a social justice driven mindset."
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Luis Lopez is a political science major who also minors in international relations. He hopes to pursue a master's degree in public policy and become the chief of police for the LAPD to be a face of change. Though questioning his career path, Luis remembers what he has learned, being a student here at LMU and what Professor Neal has taught him about being a change agent and a force for good and is prepared to take that into this field that many believe cannot be changed.
When considering who has influenced his values, interests, or goals Luis first thought about Steven Neal. "Steven Neal helped a lot with just teaching me and the rest of my cohort about the professional world, how to network, how to prepare a resume and a LinkedIn profile, and just how to be a professional ..." Also, he mentioned Fernando Guerra from the Political Science Department. "Not only has he been a great professor and have I taken three courses with him, but I also work for him at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles, and so because of his classes at the research center, I gained a deep knowledge of politics, specifically local politics."
Luis' most significant lesson is that “Everything we should be doing should benefit other people." Also, "The number one thing that comes to mind is mindfulness, understanding that there are injustices in our world and that we need to do the best that we can to address those issues.”
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Selena McLurkin is a psychology major and African American studies minor. Outside of ACE, she conducts research with Cheryl Grills in the Psychology Applied Research Center (PARC) lab and works in the Black Student Space. Selena credits a 2016 Netflix documentary for influencing her goals. "I watched ‘13th,’ the documentary by Ava DuVernay, and I think that's what made me want to go into social justice work.” Also, one of Selena's more meaningful moments while at LMU is her time taking a “Black Community Engagement” class with Brad Stone. "I was paired with a community organization called Community Coalition and volunteered with them.”
One of her biggest challenges while reaching these goals was locating all the necessary resources. "For a while, I was doing stuff by myself and didn't know what I was doing until I got to ACE. I was doing college applications, just applying to wherever I felt like it, didn't have any guidance … ACE has been very helpful in giving me that guidance when it comes to applying to graduate school and different fellowships."
After LMU, Selena will pursue a master's degree in public policy and continue her work in social justice, with a goal to draft and create policies that give back to the community. Selena also plans to resume her work with the Community Coalition.
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ACE Student Uses Donald Strauss
Scholarship to Launch Boundless LMU
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Last summer, ACE senior Leslie Sepulveda Ochoa received the Donald A. Strauss Scholarship from the Strauss Foundation, which makes annual awards of $15,000 to 10 to 15 California college sophomores or juniors from 22 pre-selected institutions, according to its website. The foundation finances innovative student-generated projects. Leslie received the award to create Boundless LMU, an initiative that helps undocumented and DACAmented students obtain fellowships and receive career development assistance. We spoke to Leslie about the Strauss scholarship and Boundless LMU.
What motivated you to apply for the Donald Strauss Scholarship?
I first heard about it my sophomore year through [ACE director] Mr. Neal. He told me about this grant because he wanted me to get more involved and begin to look for opportunities. At the time, I wasn't thinking of doing any projects, so I put it to the side; but then [the following] summer … I participated in an internship, which got me interested in creating Boundless. So, then I remembered the Strauss Scholarship, and I decided to apply because it was the perfect fit.
Please describe Boundless LMU?
Boundless is a program that matches undocumented students with fellowships. We provide the stipend and the payment because we realize a lot of undocumented students can't take unpaid work; so, we want them to get the experience they need for their careers and make sure they're getting paid for the work they're doing. Along with the fellowship, they also get professional training from us.
How did you come up with the idea for this initiative?
I created and planned the project before I applied for the scholarship. I saw there was a significant need because a lot of fellowships require work authorization like a Social Security number, which a lot of undocumented students don't have … so we had to create a program that would directly match them with the fellowship of their choice to help them get a job when they graduate.
What was your immediate feeling/response to learning that you received the award?
I was very happy! One of the board members called me, and I was just very happy because I realized that getting this grant would open so many doors for us. It was one of the first grants we received, and it was an official organization with a lot of history, with a lot of past projects, so they have a bunch of experience. It also gave us a lot of publicity. LMU wrote an article about the grant, and I had many faculty members, staff members, and other students reaching out about Boundless, so it definitely opened doors for us.
How has the award supported students so far?
We could fund five fellows this semester with the grant money, and they all applied last month [in November]. They went through interviews, filled out applications, and we accepted five of them; and they have all been applying for different grants because we also want to pay the team members working for Boundless. We believe that everyone should get paid for their work.
What would you say to students who are interested in pursuing an undergraduate fellowship?
Step out of your comfort zone. If you're afraid a fellowship isn't for you, or maybe you're not that interested in it, apply for it. Either you really love it or don't like it, but that's a good thing as well, because it will teach you what you don't want to have as a job in the future. So whatever opportunity it is, just apply for it, do your best, and learn from it.
Leslie recognizes members of Boundless LMU's team: Nicole Hernandez, Lizbeth Ramales, Brisa Gutierrez, Carolina Newton, and Leo Dominguez.
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Alum Pursues M.S. Degree in Nutrition, Healthspan, and Longevity
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Lauren Sutherlin ’17 graduated with a Bachelor of Science in health and human sciences. It was not until Lauren's second semester at LMU that she developed an affinity for the field of nutrition. Nutrition allowed her to combine her love for food and cooking into a field where she could also explore science and more. "I started to switch gears [to] health and human sciences and took as many nutrition classes I could, trying to expand my knowledge … to be a dietitian.” Today, she is pursuing an M.S. in nutrition, healthspan and longevity through USC's gerontology program.
Lauren also works in food services as a diet clerk at Cedar Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital. As a diet clerk, Lauren works closely with chefs and other persons in the kitchen to help process the trays and menus that the patients receive from the doctors. Her goal is to work in community education, food service, or a hospital clinic.
Reflecting on the tools and lessons that she received from ACE, she recalled that "ACE set me up 110 percent for this position. I didn't go to this [graduate] program right after LMU; however, I did maintain my connections with ACE, specifically with Mr. Neal and a lot of the different prep work I had to do."
Lauren’s advice to students is “… to at least try to be engaged and to save everything, all the knowledge you gain [at LMU], whether or not you apply [to graduate or professional school] your senior year or you're going to apply three years down the line, like me. You want to make sure that you establish all of those connections that you make in your undergrad and keep them throughout your post-grad life.”
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