Connections

For Alumni and Friends

Cal State LA to celebrate the Class of 2022 at Commencement

Cal State LA will celebrate thousands of graduating students in the Class of 2022 at Commencement from May 23-27. The 10 college-based ceremonies will be held on campus in Commencement Pavilion, a formal event space that will be constructed on the north side of campus in Lot 5. Commencement will highlight the aspects of the ceremony that our students treasure most. Their names will be called during the ceremony, they will get to cross the stage while their loved ones watch in person and on the livestream, and graduate students will be hooded.

In the coming days, workers will begin to transform Lot 5 into a vast, formal event space known as Commencement Village. In one section of the lot, light fixtures have been removed to create Commencement Pavilion. Inside this structure there will be a large Commencement stage, lighting, graduate seating, flooring, a Jumbotron, small screens, hooding stages, a cooling system, bleachers, and other amenities. Outside Commencement Pavilion, in another section of the event space, there will be a reception area with cocktail tables and chairs where graduates can meet with friends, family, and faculty after the ceremony. There will also be photo areas with backdrops, first aid areas, restrooms, and vendors. Learn more on the Commencement website.

Cal State LA celebrates naming of Janice Cordova Garden of Well-Being

Cal State LA celebrated the dedication of the new Janice Cordova Garden of Well-Being in April, named in honor of the late wife of alumnus Richard Cordova. “This is a place at Cal State LA that we know will make a big difference in our day-to-day experience and the experiences of our students and everyone who visits the campus,” President William A. Covino said to guests gathered for the naming and dedication of the garden. The garden is guided by the mission of the WellBeingU initiative, Cal State LA’s nationally recognized model for improving the inner and physical well-being of students. President Covino and First Lady Debbie Covino created WellBeingU in 2014 to promote a welcoming and inclusive environment for learning, interaction, and engagement at Cal State LA. Read more about the garden.

Pat Brown Institute and California Community Foundation survey reveals Los Angeles AAPI residents fear racial attacks

The Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Los Angeles County holds deep fears of racial attacks, according to a new survey released by the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State LA and the California Community Foundation. Nearly a quarter of the 1,500 AAPI residents who were surveyed reported being a victim of a physical or verbal attack because of their race or ethnicity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two-thirds said they are worried about being a victim of a hate crime, and 80% said they believe anti-Asian racism has been a serious problem during the pandemic. Half of the survey respondents said they have experienced racial discrimination in public spaces. Read more about the survey.

Cal State LA students recognized for outstanding research

Four Cal State LA students were recognized for their research at the 36th Annual CSU Student Research Competition hosted virtually by San Francisco State on April 29-30.

Alisa Quon and Anna Nguyen received second place in the physical and mathematical sciences category under the guidance of faculty mentor Yangyang Liu. Nikita Mishra received first place in the engineering and computer science category under the guidance of faculty mentor Negin Forouzesh. Stephanie Varghese received second place in the biological and agricultural sciences category under the guidance of faculty mentor Alexandra Wright. The student honorees were among Cal State LA’s campus delegates to the CSU-wide conference after being recognized at the University’s 30th Student Symposium on Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities.

Students recognized at Cal State LA’s 30th Student Symposium on Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities also included:

• Forensic psychology graduate student Monique Swaby (First Place for Overall Oral Presentation; Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Biological sciences graduate student Nouneh Boodaghian (Second Place for Overall Oral Presentation; Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Chemistry and biochemistry undergraduate students Genesis Barzallo, Hung Gieng, and Estella Luu (Third Place for Overall Oral Presentation)
• Psychology undergraduate student Audrey Zhang (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Biological sciences undergraduate student Stephanie Varghese (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Physics graduate student Andrew Barajas (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Biochemistry undergraduate student Nikita O. Mishra (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Latin American studies graduate student Michelle Carballo (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• History undergraduate student Hazel Carias-Urbina (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Mechanical engineering graduate student Daniel Lopez (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Biochemistry undergraduate students Alisa Quon and Anna Nguyen (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Mathematics graduate student Vincente Lossada (Outstanding Oral Presentation)
• Public health graduate student Lily Tran (Outstanding Poster Presentation)
• Healthcare management graduate student Villy Basuki (Outstanding Poster Presentation)
• Communication studies graduate student Emeline Beltran (Outstanding Poster Presentation)
• Kinesiology graduate students Patricia Sandoval, Octavio Zaragoza-Rodriguez, Salvador Guerra, James Arazia, Shantal Flores, Nelson Henriquez, Ojaswini Suryavanshi, Y. Curtis Wang and Michael Selvan Joseph (Outstanding Poster Presentation)
• Electrical engineering undergraduate student David Gonzalez (Outstanding Poster Presentation)
• Chemistry graduate student Jin Hyeok Yoon and undergraduate student Raymond Lo (Outstanding Poster Presentation)
• Applied mathematics undergraduate student Howard Dong (Outstanding Poster Presentation)

Cal State LA honors distinguished alumni at 2022 awards gala

Cal State LA honored 13 distinguished alumni at its 2022 Alumni Awards Gala, including Grifols Biologicals LLC President Willie Zuniga, who was named Alumnus of the Year. Generations of Diablos and Golden Eagles returned to campus in Greenlee Plaza for the April 8 gala, which also celebrated the University’s 75th anniversary. “You continue to write the story of Cal State LA, and it is a wonderful story,” President William A. Covino said to the audience. “You are our greatest ambassadors. You are the irrefutable evidence of the transformative power of a Cal State LA education. Since the University opened its doors in 1947, you have been the heart of our story, our rich history, our vision, our legacy.” Read more about the gala.

Music in the Luckman

May 6-7, 2022

7:30 p.m.

Luckman Fine Arts Complex

Learn more about Music in the Luckman

Commencement 2022

May 23-27

Commencement Pavilion (located in Lot 5)

Learn more about Commencement