Alumni in the News

Lessons from Martin

Martin Cisneros Jr., a 2020 Communication Design graduate, shares his journey of earning his degree at Cal State Monterey Bay while navigating a decade-long battle with cancer, highlighting resilience, community support and hope.

Read "Lessons from Martin."

Alumna named Market Program Manager for Everyone’s Harvest

Karen Gomez graduated from Cal State Monterey Bay in 2019 with a degree in Collaborative Health and Human Services and an interdisciplinary concentration in Public Administration/Nonprofit Management and Community Health. She credits her experience at Cal State Monterey Bay with helping her build the foundation for her career.

“I feel that my major, CHHS, was designed exactly for my needs,” Karen says, “and it helped me develop the skills I needed to pursue my career. Never before did I have so many professors that really care about their students and actually get to know them personally, rather than just have them be another name on their roster sheet.”

One of her most meaningful experiences as a student came while developing her capstone project. During a conversation with her professor, Ignacio Navarro, Karen shared that she was unsure how to begin.

“I told him I had no idea what to do it on or how to even begin. I explained to him what it was I was passionate about, and he was able to help me develop my entire capstone idea and the process of it within five minutes. I think what I liked most about that conversation was realizing that he really cared about me as a person and saw my potential. Nevertheless, I finished the project and to this day I could not be more proud of it.”

Today, Karen is pursuing a master’s degree in Public Administration at San Jose State University. She recently began a new role as Market Program Manager for Everyone’s Harvest, a nonprofit organization that increases access to healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables through certified farmers markets and community food programs.

Read more about Karen.

Alum Writes and Directs His First Film in Australia

Alex Ibarra, a native of Turlock, California, graduated from Cal State Monterey Bay in 2018 with a B.A. in Cinematic Arts and Technology. He credits his time at CSUMB with shaping both his artistic voice and his personal growth.

“I had great professors there that were always willing to listen, critique, give feedback, talk and overall, just give support to myself and to all their students. It's just a very supportive environment and one I'm extremely appreciative of,” Ibarra declares.

During his time as a student, Ibarra built lasting memories through collaboration and community. One experience that stands out was traveling more than eight hours to an authentic Western town in the Southern California desert to support a senior capstone production.

Ibarra remembers, “that night after shooting, everyone was hanging out in the desert, just talking about the day and looking at the starry night. There were a crazy amount of stars out there and I just remember appreciating that, filmmaking and CSUMB brought me out there. It was a cool moment and one of many that I got to enjoy because of CSUMB.”

Another cherished memory was joining a running club started by his friend Yuki. The group trained together along the Monterey coastline and gathered afterward at the Dining Commons. By the end of the year, they completed the Big Sur Marathon relay as a team — a reflection of the camaraderie and balance that defined his college experience.

After graduating, Ibarra spent two years in Australia writing and directing his film, "Daniel, the Goodboy." Inspired by a poster in his grandfather’s study, the film explores a Native American legend in which a Cherokee elder shares with his grandson the story of two wolves that live inside each of us — one representing anger, sorrow and regret, and the other symbolizing joy, peace and love.

Through storytelling rooted in culture and reflection, Ibarra continues to carry forward the creative confidence and collaborative spirit he developed at Cal State Monterey Bay.

Read more about Alex in the "Turlock Journal."

Alum builds career as first assistant camera and aspiring cinematographer

Daniel Orona, a Temecula native, graduated from Cal State Monterey Bay in 2016 with a degree in Cinematic Arts and Technology. He credits his faculty mentors — Luis Camara, Steven Levinson, Irwin Swirnoff, Dan Janos and Karen Davis — with helping shape his creative voice and professional path.

“Their passion, honesty, and at times quirkiness really makes you feel comfortable to express your ideas and yourself openly. At times, they challenged me but it was always to keep me honest and felt they gave me the encouragement I needed to bring out the best in me,” he says.

Orona valued the department’s small class sizes, where collaboration and connection were central to the learning experience. “You really get to know your professors and they get to know you. It's a great atmosphere when you're learning and finding your own expression creatively.”

One of his most memorable moments at Cal State Monterey Bay came during the final night of his capstone film shoot. His team was filming near a highway and had just set up their lighting when highway patrol arrived. After confirming they had the proper permits and were wrapping up production, the team continued filming.

“Needless to say we got the shot and what a rush it was!”

After graduating, Orona worked for four years as a photographer and videographer with a rapidly growing company in Orange County. Determined to pursue opportunities in film and television, he made the leap into the industry full time.

Today, Orona works as a first assistant camera and continues to build his portfolio as an aspiring cinematographer. Known for carrying multiple cameras on set and constantly capturing images, he brings strong work ethic, professionalism and creative focus to every project — always striving to refine his craft.

Read more about Daniel Orona in VoyageLA.

Alumna Earns Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University

Melissa Callaghan graduated from Cal State Monterey Bay in 2013 with a degree in Psychology. She credits her experience at CSUMB with shaping her academic and professional journey.

Before her junior year, Callaghan had not seriously considered graduate school. That changed when academic advisor Chrissy Lofgren encouraged her to explore the McNair Scholars Program. Through that introduction, she connected with CSUMB’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC) — a turning point in her academic path.

Callaghan recalls, “I met amazing faculty and staff, and was connected with students who were inquisitive, energized, and driven to do more than our coursework required. I soon began conducting research with my wonderful mentor, Dr. Jennifer Dyer-Seymour, and from then I was hooked on research.”

In addition to research, Callaghan found meaningful purpose through service learning. She volunteered with Youth Alive, working with children and creating opportunities for them to laugh, learn and grow. Even after completing the course requirement, she continued returning each week to maintain the relationships she had built.

One of her most memorable experiences was helping coordinate a Youth Alive field trip to campus. The visit introduced children to college life and encouraged them to envision higher education as part of their future.

Callaghan remembers, “The smiles on the children’s faces were truly priceless. Seeing their eyes light up over the educational possibilities that lay ahead of them was a significant reason I went into the field of Education for my graduate studies.”

Today, Callaghan is a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. She works on the Reach Every Reader (RER) initiative, a collaboration between Harvard, MIT and Florida State University focused on developing digital tools to assess and teach literacy skills for PreK through third-grade students.

Callaghan explains, “A large portion of my work involves collaborating with groups, such as local media studios and MIT’s Education Arcade lab, to design apps that promote literacy learning through parent-child play and scaffold parents/caregivers in dialogic reading with their children. I get to write and record video resources of and for parents to learn about literacy development and how to guide their children’s learning. After all of the exciting design and development work takes place, I then get to assist with the research examining how effective our tools are.”

Her work reflects the power of research, mentorship and community engagement — values that continue to define the Otter experience.

Read more about Melissa in "Diverse Education."

Biology Alumna Serving as an Emergency Medicine Resident Physician

Dr. Katie Vuchkov once explored her passion for science as a Biology major at Cal State Monterey Bay, where she spent weekends hiking in Big Sur, running the trails of Fort Ord National Monument and searching for the infamous piano tree.

Since earning her bachelor’s degree in 2013, she has gone on to complete her Doctor of Medicine and now serves as an emergency medicine resident physician — applying the curiosity, resilience and commitment to service she developed as an Otter.

Ready for the World

CSUMB alumna Merlyn Calderon Schultz represented the United States as a Cultural Affairs Officer in Yaoundé, Cameroon. She has also served abroad in Mexico and Costa Rica.

By Sophia Huang McKenzie

Published on Dec. 20, 2019

As a girl living in the farming communities of Salinas and Castroville, Merlyn Calderon Schultz (B.A., Global Studies, 2001) never imagined she would become a national labor union leader or a foreign diplomat for the United States. Cal State Monterey Bay changed the trajectory of Schultz’s life and started her on a journey to experiences and places far from her California home.

"CSUMB prepares you for the world. Literally, I’m proof of that,” Schultz said. “Traveling around the world, I’m working alongside colleagues who are your Yale graduates, your Harvard graduates, and you know what? I’m performing well, I’m able to compete and move forward foreign policy. And I got my education at CSUMB, and I’m very proud of that.”

Schultz is the youngest of six children born to Mexican-immigrant, farmworker parents. Her father was a tractor driver in lettuce fields, and her mother labored for 23 years in an artichoke cannery.

CSUMB prepares you for the world. Literally, I’m proof of that."
— Merlyn Calderon Schultz

“I don’t think we really realized we were poor. We always had amazing food, my mother and father always provided for the family. But the truth is, we were poor,” Schultz said.

The family lived in the “tougher neighborhoods” surrounded by gang violence, she said. Friends were shot and killed when she was in middle school. Her older siblings all had children of their own by the time they were 16, and none went to college.

Schultz began exploring a different path, thanks to a teacher and a CSUMB advisor. An English teacher at North Monterey County High encouraged the talkative and argumentative teen to use her traits in a positive way. Schultz became active in student government and developed an interest in international politics. An advisor with Educational Talent Search at CSUMB, a federally-funded program of the U.S. Department of Education, began encouraging Schultz to pursue higher education.

“She would come to North County, pull me out of class, and talk to me about the steps it takes to go to college. I found out about all the rich opportunities I could have if I kept going into higher education, … and I found out about CSUMB,” Schultz said.

“It was a huge advantage that (CSUMB) was in my backyard, which allowed me to go to school and keep a connection to my community.” Schultz became the first person in her family to go to college and earn an undergraduate degree. She continued on to graduate school, obtaining a master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California. At CSUMB, she was named Outstanding Senior for her community service work with Natividad Medical Center in Salinas, the Monterey County AIDS Project and Mothers of Chualar.

The latter is a community group that grew from a CSUMB class which tackled environmental policy. The students organized and educated mothers in the nearby farming community of Chualar about the health dangers in their drinking water caused by agricultural runoff, pesticides and septic systems. The group succeeded in convincing Monterey County officials to dig a new well to provide a source of clean water.

“My education (at CSUMB) was super hands on. When I was there, I remember 30 students would be a big class, and we had the very best professors that were traveling from the Ivy Leagues to come teach us. And we were paying a CSUMB price for them, which was awesome! We were going out into communities and using in the field what we were learning in the class.”

After graduation from CSUMB, the California Department of Consumer Affairs awarded Schultz a fellowship in Sacramento. She later went to work in the State Legislature for then Assembly Appropriations Chair Judy Chu, as a senior legislative assistant focusing on public health policy issues.

Drawn to help farming families like her own, Schultz became California political director in 2007 for the United Farm Workers (UFW) of America, the country’s largest farm workers union. She quickly rose in prominence and was elected UFW’s national vice president in 2008.

I’m very proud of the work we did in Cameroon, in helping women and children. They were the greatest victims of that terrorism and violence."
— Merlyn Calderon Schultz

Her father had died years before, but her mother was present for the momentous occasion. “She was over the moon!” Schultz said. “My mom really saw the benefit of the union and having union representation. She was super, super proud.”

Her foremost accomplishment with UFW was establishing stronger regulations requiring shade, water and extra breaks to protect farm workers from heat stroke, Schultz said. She then turned to the world stage, beginning her foreign service career with the U.S. State Department in 2011. She has since served in Mexico, Cameroon and Costa Rica. Her responsibilities have included providing aid to refugees in Cameroon escaping Boko Haram terrorists.

“I’m very proud of the work we did in Cameroon, in helping women and children,” Schultz said. “They were the greatest victims of that terrorism and violence.” Last spring Schultz returned to the United States to accept a role with the State Department’s Operations Center in Washington, D.C.

“We handle crises around the world, keep State Department leaders abreast of current news, and facilitate communication for the secretary of state with foreign leaders,” Schultz said. No matter where her life and career take her, Schultz said she will always feel a special closeness and connection to Cal State Monterey Bay.

“Those are my roots, that’s where I started. Nothing was possible until I started there,” Schultz said. “I feel so tremendously thankful for my CSUMB education and proud to be an Otter!”

1996-2000

• Rafael Zamora, MIE ’96 — Founder of Totali Action Sports
• Doug Harris, INTD ’98 — Socially conscious filmmaker and CSU Outstanding Alumni
• Anthony Prado, TMAC ’00 — Career Firefighter of the Year, Monterey County Fire Chiefs Association

2001-2005

• Vincent Suich, MIE ’01 — Co-founder of Sox Box, supporting veterans and social causes
• Merlyn Calderon Schultz, Global Studies ’01 — U.S. foreign diplomat
• Casey Richards, TAT ’02 — Sports Emmy Award recipient
• Jason Mansour, ESSP ’03 — NOAA Corps officer
• Magnolia Zarraga, CHHS ’03 — Immigration law attorney
• Lisa Fortier, HCOM ’04 — NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year
• Mac Clemmens, TMAC ’05 — Founder of Digital Deployment
• Zach Krone, TAT ’05 — Professional auctioneer and philanthropic leader

2006-2010

• Chelsea Bell, ISSM ’07 — Owner and chief designer, Stone Fox Swim
• Christina Ferrante, TMAC ’07 and INTD ’09 — Brand strategist and creative director
• Michael Leslie, TAT ’08 — Production assistant, Golden State Warriors
• Gregory Gonzalez, SBS ’09 — Leader in precision viticulture, Scheid Vineyards
• Juan Perez, ’09 — Owner, J&P Organics
• Jane Kim, Science Illustration ’10 — Featured by Discovery Channel and National Geographic

2011-2015

• Bethany Mayer, EMBA ’11 — President and CEO, Ixia
• Jonathan Vevoda, SBS ’12 — Leader in precision viticulture
• Ryan T. Scott, Kinesiology ’13 — Researcher at NASA
• Anthony Velasquez, HCOM ’13 — Expanding access to soccer and education
• Katie Vuchkov, Biology ’13 — Emergency medicine physician
• Melissa Callaghan, Psychology ’13 — Postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University
• Margo Flitcraft ’13 & Lorraine Cardoza ’14 — Daytime Emmy Award recipients
• Robin Seeyle, MBA ’15 — Executive Vice President, 1st Capital Bank

2016-2020

• Alex Ibarra, Cinematic Arts and Technology ’18 — Writer and director