Emeriti Fellowships awarded
at the Fall 2013 Emeriti Luncheon
The Emeriti Association awarded nine fellowships to graduate students for the 2013-2014 year. There were four awards for Emeriti Fellowships, an award of an Emeriti Fellowship in Memory of Carol J. Smallenburg, and the first award of an Emeriti Fellowship in Honor of James M. Rosser. Awards were also made for the Jane Matson Memorial Fellowship in Counseling, the William E. Lloyd Memorial Fellowship in History, and the David Cameron Fisher Memorial Fellowship in Biology.
Recipients of the Emeriti Fellowships were Frances Chee (Communication), Kathleen Kuepper (Geology/Hydrogeology), Kristin Mellian (TV/Film/Theatre), and Estela Sandoval (Anthropology/Archaeology). The Smallenburg Family Emeriti Fellowship was awarded to Jessica Rodrigues-Vitela (Special Education), and the James M. Rosser Emeriti Fellowship was awarded to Angela Khalil (Anthropology/Forensic). The recipient of the Jane Matson Memorial Fellowship was Ashley Du (Counseling Leadership). David Casillas (History) was the recipient of the William E. Lloyd Memorial Fellowship, and Monica Chinea Diliz (Biology) was the recipient of the fellowship established in the memory of David Cameron Fisher, son of Janet Fisher-Hoult.
Standing (l to r) Kathleen Kuepper, David Casillas, Kristin Mellian, Angela Khalil, Ashley Du. Seated (l to r) Estela Sandoval, Jessica Rodrigues-Vitela, Frances Chee, Monica Chinea Diliz.
Frances Chee, the recipient of an Emeriti Fellowship, graduated Cum Laude from CSULA with a BA degree in Communication. She is currently a graduate student in Communication Studies working on her MA degree. As the event photographer for the Department of Communication Studies, she has photographed the Public Speaking Showcases and the Forensics Speech Tournament. From her experience as a Graduate Teaching Associate, Frances has discovered that she loves teaching. This teaching experience has also made her a better student and scholar. Her professional goal is to become an instructor and a consultant in the field of communications.
An Emeriti Fellowship was awarded to Kathleen Kuepper who earned her BA degree in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz. Her master's thesis at CSULA is on the quality of the water in the streams of the Santa Monica Mountains. She has also had environmental positions in both Germany and Australia and participated in a study abroad program in Chile. Kathleen is currently the program manager with Global Water, an international non-profit humanitarian organization, which creates safe water supplies and hygiene facilities for the poorest rural villages in developing countries. Her career goal is to become a hydrogeologist and to resolve the water resource challenges of the world.
Kristin Mellian, who was awarded an Emeriti Fellowship, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA degree in Musical Theatre from Central Michigan University, which she completed in just three years. She is an accomplished actor and singer and has performed in New York and Tennessee as well as on cruise lines. At CSULA, she is pursuing a MFA degree in Television, Film, and Theatre, option Performance/Acting, and was awarded a Graduate Equity Fellowship Grant. She had the lead role in the opera "The Old Maid and the Thief", singing 45 minutes of the show, and was an actor for John Lion's play readings. Kristin's career goal is to become a university professor of acting and performance pedagogy.
Estela Sandoval, the recipient of an Emeriti Fellowship, graduated Magna Cum Laude at CSULA with a BA degree in Anthropology is currently working on her MA degree in Anthropology. Last summer, she worked in Belize on the remains of the ancient Maya Civilization and has presented her research at several student conferences. Because of her outstanding academic performance, Estela has received many awards, including the Cotsen Fellowship for Archaeological Research and the Golden Eagle Award of Excellence. She is also an active member of Lambda Alpha, the National Anthropology Honor Society. Her professional goal is to become a professor at a community college in order to have an impact on the next generation of students.
The recipient of the Emeriti Fellowship in Memory of Carol J. Smallenburg, Jessica Rodrigues-Vitela , earned a BA degree in Art, option Art Education, at CSULA. As an undergraduate student she made the Dean's List multiple times. She is currently completing her Credential and MA degree in Special Education and has just completed her student teaching as a Resource Specialist at Roosevelt High School, Academy of Environmental and Social Policy. As a graduate student Jessica qualified for The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. It was an adopted family member, who has autism, that influenced her decision to pursue a career in special education in order to help students with special needs achieve their academic and social goals.
Angela Khalil was awarded the Emeriti Fellowship in Honor of James M. Rosser. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Texas A & M University and is currently pursuing a MA degree in Anthropology with a focus in forensics at CSULA. Angela was awarded the David Miller Anthropology Scholarship for her outstanding performance in academics and research at CSULA. She also serves as a volunteer Teaching Assistant on campus and works as a volunteer at the L.A. County Coroner SEM Laboratory. Her professional goal is to earn her PhD degree in Anthropology and to work with the government on the identification of war casualties in order to help families with loved ones who are missing in action.
The Jane Matson Memorial Fellowship in Counseling was awarded to Ashley Du whose goal is to become a school counselor. After having faced difficulties as a teenager and being given guidance by a counselor who set her on the right path, she transferred to another high school, graduated and continued her studies at Mt. San Antonio College and UC San Diego where she declared a minor in public service with an emphasis in education and became a career coach for the Hire-A-Youth Summer Internship Program. Now working on her MS in Counseling Leadership, Ashley is serving as a Graduate Assistant and as a Counseling Intern at La Habra High School where she counsels and monitors nearly 200 students.
David Casillas, who was awarded the William E. Lloyd Memorial Fellowship in History, has distinguished himself as a scholar and historian with his master's thesis, which is now housed in the John F. Kennedy library. It is a critical historiographical look at the community of Bell Gardens where he grew up. He used oral history and archival sources to show how American identity was shaped through the civic and commercial design of a local municipal community. He recently completed an internship with the LA Community College District where he co-taught a class in Chicana/o studies as part of Project MATCH. After completing the requirements for his M.A. degree in History, David plans to become a community college instructor.
The recipient of the David Cameron Fisher Scholarship/Fellowship, Monica Chinea Diliz, an immigrant from Cuba, is fulfilling her dreams of becoming a scientist. After earning a BS degree in Environmental Biology, she focused on research in cell and developmental and cancer biology, in particular, the study of cell, molecular and integrative physiology. Monica has presented her research at multiple conferences, both locally and nationally, and is a member of the TriBeta National Biological Honor Society. Supported by a NSF LSAMP-Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship, Monica's goal is to obtain her PhD in Biology, become a successful researcher, a faculty member, and a mentor for her students.
The 2013-14 Fellowship recipients were recognized at the Fall Luncheon on October 18, 2013.