Celebrating Empowered Grads
Tips from a Titan Employee Graduate
Among the recent cohort of college graduates, many of our Titan faculty and staff earned their college degree while serving CSUF. Four recent Titan graduates share how earning a degree has empowered them and what tips they have for both students pursuing their degree and colleagues considering going back to school. Drop a congratulations in the comments section of our social media posts on Instagram/Twitter @csufhr!
Maricela Alvarado
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, College of the Arts
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Azusa Pacific University
How has earning your degree empowered you?
Earning a degree has empowered me to seek a leadership role to advance my career. It has also given me the confidence to publish my research and co-author a book chapter. Read more about Maricela.
Megan Drangstveit
Principal Investigator, College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics
Doctor of Philosophy in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, Michigan State University
How has earning your degree empowered you?
Now that I have my PhD I can serve as Principal Investigator for a new $5 million, 5 year U.S. Department of Education grant focused on serving Latinx and low-income transfer students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). I get to build on the excellent work of Project RAISE and enhance opportunities for community college and CSUF students. Read more about Megan.
Robert Flores
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, College of Communications
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Azusa Pacific University
What are you most proud of during your most recent school year?
I am most proud that never gave up. There were definitely struggles, but I never allowed myself to think about quitting. I had an amazing cohort during my program, and we always kept each other accountable, and supported one another especially during the pandemic when everything felt overwhelming. Read more about Robert.
Julie Nuñez
Academic HR Analyst, Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion
Master of Public Administration, California State University, Fullerton
What tips do you have for Titan employees considering going back to school?
Even if the area of study is not directly related to your line of work on campus, the skills you gain from doing the course work, such as writing, critical thinking, and presenting, will be valuable when progressing though your career on campus. Read more about Julie.
Interested in learning more about tuition reduction and reimbursement programs for employees/their dependents?
The CSU Fee Waiver and Reduction Program is a tuition reduction program available to eligible CSU employees and their dependents that allows eligible individuals to attend classes at any CSU campus at reduced rates in pursuit of a degree. Visit the Fee Waiver and Reduction Program webpage for more information and eligibility details.
