Farewell to the 2019 - 2020 Academic Year
Dear SI Campus Partners:
What a semester! It is almost hard to believe that we're already at the end of another year. It seems like yesterday we were welcoming students back to campus, excited for a new school year. Now, we are wrapping up an unprecedented academic year for our campus community, as the institution needed to swiftly respond to a global pandemic and shift to virtual instruction in an effort to preserve the health and safety of the campus community.
Never in a million years could we have imagined transforming the SI program from a face-to-face to completely online environment. We are so proud of the SI Leaders for rising to this challenge. They were patient, adaptable, and most importantly, committed to helping their peers overcome their courses and become more confident, engaged learners. SI’s success this semester was only possible due the SI Leaders' dedication and compassion.
This time of the year is also bittersweet for us, as we must also say goodbye to graduating SI Leaders and Mentors. While we will miss their amazing work and presence, we are so incredibly proud of their accomplishments. It takes a lot of hard work to earn a college degree, and we are so excited for what will come next for our graduates.
As always, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to continue serving CSULB’s students and making an impact on student success. We look forward to taking time this summer to reflect and continue improving SI to meet the needs of the virtual environment. Thank you all for your ongoing support. See you in the Fall!
Sincerely,
The SI Team
SI Adapts to an Online Environment
One of the biggest challenges the campus community experienced this semester was transitioning to online instruction due to COVID-19. SI sessions, at CSULB and many other campuses across the nation, are usually provided face-to-face, as it involves consistent student-to-student collaboration, working on whiteboards, and actively engaging in the learning process. However, like everyone else on campus, we were assigned the tall task of figuring out how to best help our students remotely.
We were extremely fortunate to have this team of SI Leaders during the transition to online SI sessions. The SI Coordinators invited all the SI Leaders to campus on the first day courses were suspended for an emergency meeting. The SI Team discussed updates to the campus’ reaction to COVID-19, revised administrative procedures, and most importantly, how to best support our students. The SI Leaders immediately began brainstorming how to leverage Zoom and its existing features, as well as how to integrate a variety of digital platforms to facilitate SI-esque activities and maintain some semblance of normal student-to-student interactions in this environment.
The SI Leaders’ resourcefulness and determination to overcome this challenge was extraordinary. The entire team provided synchronous SI sessions via Zoom at least once a week in order to preserve their classroom community and have active engagement with the course material. Since SI supports historically difficult courses, the SI Leaders also took the onus to provide asynchronous activities to give students extra help outside of class and SI. Although the online environment was not ideal for most students, we consistently heard that students were grateful that their SI Leader was able to provide some stability in such uncertain times. The SI Leaders’ demonstrated an unwavering commitment to their students and showed a passion for helping their peers in one of the most difficult periods this semester.
The SI Leaders even took lead on maintaining a community with their coworkers! Many of them organized game nights with peers to let off steam from the events of the week and regularly checked in with each other to provide support and a listening ear. They also continued to find ways to participate in our semester-long House Points competition and coordinated to attend virtual meetings, yoga and mindfulness sessions, and DJ performances as a group from the comfort of their homes. We are so impressed and proud of the SI Leaders’ attitudes during this semester, and they have given us hope that Fall 2020 will be even better than this past semester.
SI Coordinator Re-Appointed to ACTLA Advisory Board
SI is proud to share that Timurhan was re-appointed to the advisory board for the Association of Colleges for Tutoring & Learning Assistance (ACTLA), a national organization that seeks to promote excellence within the learning assistance field, as well as racial and socioeconomic equity in student achievement.
Timurhan will return as the Professional Development Coordinator, where he will plan, promote, and facilitate professional development activities sponsored by ACTLA and other learning assistance organizations. He will also work with other board members to provide resources on ACTLA's website and continue fostering a community of practice among Learning Assistance professionals across the country. Timurhan will also help develop ACTLA’s social media presence and assist in the organization’s planning for its annual conference.
For more information about ACTLA, please visit their website at http://actla.info.
SI Celebrates the End-of-Spring 2020
The SI Team hosted a virtual end-of-the-semester celebration on Friday, May 15, 2020. Although the team was unable to convene on campus for a full gathering, the team took a moment to celebrate graduating SI Leaders, show our appreciation the SI Leaders' work, and recognize the successes we were able to find – especially in the midst of the pandemic. The evening was one last-hurrah to share laughs and spend time as a work family.
One of the event's highlights was celebrating 6 SI Leaders who have went above and beyond their job duties. These students made a huge impact on their students, their peers, and the SI program as a whole. As a result, the SI Coordinators recognized the following SI Leaders:
Jeffrey was awarded the SI Leader of the Semester award. This award recognizes an SI Leader's overall exemplary performance in the position. Jeffrey facilitated amazing SI sessions, modeled positive SI Leader behavior, served as a resource to peers, and was an overall positive presence in the program!
Janessa was awarded Most Professional Growth in SI. This award recognizes a SI Leader's professional and leadership development throughout the semester. Janessa worked extremely hard to seek feedback from the SI Coordinators, build relationships with peers, and continuously experiment with her SI sessions. The SI Coordinators are proud of Janessa’s transformation into a powerful leader in the classroom!
Elizabeth was awarded for her Dedication to Student Success. Elizabeth specifically asked the SI Coordinators to switch subjects from Fall 2019 to Spring 2020 so she can continue supporting the same cohort Learning Community students. Further, Elizabeth was at the forefront of experimenting with different technologies and resources, such as regularly integrating Jamboard, into her SI sessions.
The SI Coordinators also awarded this semester’s House Belt to House Mushu! At the start of each semester, all SI Leaders are organized into cohorts (aka “Houses”) led by an SI Mentor. Each house then competes for points throughout the semester by hanging out with other SI Leaders, participate in campus-hosted events, and showcase their successes. We are so happy to see each House build rapport with their peers and develop an overall sense of community within the program!
As a special surprise, President Jane Conoley also shared some kind remarks to the SI Leaders. She commended the student staff for working so diligently under the most extraordinary of circumstances, to help their peers complete their courses, the courses that “everyone loves to hate,” and become more confident, engaged learners. She described the SI Leaders as the “first responders of Higher Ed,” as the SI Leaders rose to the challenge of shifting to virtual instruction, undaunted and determined to help others. The SI Team is incredibly thankful for President Conoley’s presence during the end-of-semester celebration. If you’d like to view President Conoley’s remarks, please check out the video below:
Michael Cervantes Earns the "Big Joe" Award
In May, Supplemental Instruction recognized Michael Cervantes for the “Big Joe Award.” This award recognizes outstanding SI Leaders for their hard work, dedication, and passion for supporting CSULB and beyond. Over the past 4 semesters, Michael had a huge, positive impact on the students, staff, faculty, and administration that had the fortune to work with him. Additionally, Michael has been supporting the L.A. County community as an EMT on the weekends, working with local organizations to provide meals to healthcare workers and those in underserved communities, and registering as a FEMA volunteer.
Michael is the second person to earn the “Big Joe Award,” the first being given to the award’s namesake Joseph Lopez, who set the standard of excellence we now expect from SI Leaders. Joe actually mentored and supported Michael during Michael's first 2 semesters as an SI Leader!
Please join us in recognizing Michael’s success and wishing him the best of luck in his path to medical school!
Congratulations to our Graduating SI Leaders!
Spring 2020 SI Leader Spotlights
Many of the SI Leaders put in extra time and effort outside of their academics to develop their professional careers and make positive impacts on their communities. Below are some highlights the SI Leaders shared from this past semester!
In January, Alex attended the SABER WEST 2020 conference event, held at UCI, with Dr. Benjamin Perlman. The conference brings faculty, students, post-doctorate students, and graduates together to support the creation, assessment, and dissemination of evidence-based teaching projects for better retention of scientific material amongst students.
In February, Ashley volunteered with the CA Nursing Students Association to provide hemoglobin screens and education on iron-rich foods at a free health for the Vietnamese-speaking community.
Ashley has also been appointed as the Breakthrough to Nursing & Pre-Nursing Director for CSULB’s chapter of CA Nursing Students Association, a statewide community that helps students become professional nurses through leadership development, education, mentorship, advocacy, activism, and stewardship.
Casey made huge strides towards becoming a registered nurse for an Intensive Care Unit. She recently renewed her certifications for Basic Life Support, Stroke Scale (National Institute of Health), and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support. All these certifications will allow Casey to be a more proactive member of her future healthcare team!
In January 2020, Ashley and Casey, under the mentorship of Professor Surin in CSULB's School of Nursing, traveled to Thailand to provide medical care for elderly adults and children living in rural villages. Some of the services they provided included: diabetes screenings, education about dental care, vision and hearing tests, general checkup and assessment, range of motion exercises, and blood pressure readings. Both future nurses shared how each day was filled with so much warmth, care, and connection. Although they had difficult communicating through different languages, they found a way to connect through laughter, smiles, and hugs. You can check out their experiences by visiting their daily blog at https://thailandcambodia490.blogspot.com/?m=1.
In February, Casey and Ashley also presented to audiences consisting of CSULB's study abroad director, Sharon Olsen, various nursing professors and administrators, and prospective nursing students interested in study abroad courses. During the presentation, they detailed their day-to-day responsibilities at the clinics they served in Thailand and Cambodia, consistent health concerns of the elderly Thai population, and all the hard and soft skills the nursing team developed by studying abroad. Ashley and Casey note that the best part was being able to reflect on her journey and provide medical services to underserved populations in Thailand. These future nurses hoped they inspired courage and interest in current nursing students who are considering studying abroad with the nursing program in Winter 2021.
Danielle made huge steps in her professional development this semester. She spent this semester networking and interviewing with multiple accounting firms. She was offered an internship offer from Holthhouse|Carlin|Van Trigt LLP for this summer. She also received offers to intern at Moss Adams and KPMG, one of the four biggest accounting firms in the world, for Summer 2021. We are so impressed by Danielle's constant pursuit of excellence and success!
This semester, Gen served as one of the Co-Coordinators for CSULB's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), an IRS program that provides free income tax preparation for students and members of the community who are low-income, non-resident, and/or have a physical disability. CSULB VITA was available for qualifying taxpayers who earn an income level of $54,000 or less. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing for federal and state tax returns. Although VITA needed to end its services due to the pandemic, Gen went HARD with helping the community file their tax returns. By the time VITA ended, she had the most e-Files transmitted and accounted for 95 out of 664 total returns.
Gen also finished a busy tax season as a first-time Tax Processing Intern at Murphy, Murphy, & Murphy this past academic year. Further, she has also accepted an Accounting Intern position at CBIZ for Summer 2020!
Gina completed her thesis for her honors program! Gina's project explored a food program policy in West Virginia, which has one of the highest obesity rates in the nation, and its impact on childhood obesity. By using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Software (SPSS) & the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, Gina was able to manipulate the data & variables to create a sample population, and ultimately show that there was no statistically significant changes to obesity related variables for the sample after the program was implemented. This work is another step forward in Gina's dream of becoming a Director of Nursing!
This semester, Janessa worked as a Behavior Interventionist for children diagnosed with autism and other mental and physical disabilities. She went to their homes and engaged children in programs such as self-care, vocal imitation, and applied behavior analysis to help them become more independent. She ensured the children have a set routine and worked to minimize the child's tantrums, aggression, development, and inappropriate behavior. This experience is a steppingstone towards Janessa's dream of becoming a child psychologist!
This semester, Jeancarlo was able to translate his passion for fashion and design into his work at a local clinic. He designed new uniforms for the staff that they all now wear proudly. #jeancarloaesthetics
Jeancarlo also epitomized SI's call for students to take care of themselves during the semester, especially during a pandemic. Despite the stresses of this semester, Jeancarlo committed to his physical wellness and completed the Student Wellness and Recreation Center's 150 Dare, a cardio challenge that includes any form of cardio. Jeancarlo biked an impressive total of over 150 miles this semester!
Julian earned another internship at Chevron Corporation for Summer 2020 as a part of the Finance Development Program, a prestigious business program that helps to build emerging leaders for the company. Fun fact: More than half of the executives in the company were in the Finance Development Program once in their career.
Kathleen began her nursing journey this semester by participating in CSULB's School of Nursing's White Coat Ceremony in January. This ceremony symbolizes a rite of passage into the university's nursing program, and new nursing students take their oath to be compassionate and dedicated healthcare providers.
This semester, Michael joined 3.50Cares, an organization whose goal is to provide healthy meals to healthcare workers and underserved communities.
Michael also serves as an EMT on the weekends for LA County. He also registered for FEMA’s volunteer list in the event more first-responders are needed to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Michael, who aspires to be a doctor, wasted no time in saving lives while on campus. Before the pandemic struck, Michael encountered a student who had collapsed in front of The Nugget. Michael saw that they had an abrasion on her upper lip and color was flushed from their face. Without second thought, Michael immediately began conducting a patient assessment to make sure the student was okay, and fortunately had basic equipment to address the bleeding. Michael also directed the student's friend to contact campus police, and he remained with the student until campus police was able to escort them to the Student Health Center. Although Michael calls this a small act of kindness, moments like these spotlight that anyone can have a huge impact on those they choose to help. #faithinhumanityrestored
Tyler got accepted into CSULB's prestigious BUILD Program for Fall 2020. BUILD provides students opportunities to conduct intensive, hands-on research and training opportunities designed to prepare them for future doctoral programs, as well as health-related research careers. It is one of 10 programs in the United States funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) BUILD Initiative. Next semester, Tyler will be mentored by Dr. Zavala, the PSY 241 faculty she has supported the past two semesters!