The first class of students in Cal State Fullerton’s new master’s in education program will earn their graduate degrees in August. Pictured above are nine of 11 CSUF staff members in the program. Front row, from left are: Delia Tijerina (University Outreach), Brenda Estrada (University Outreach), Dina Bartoloni (Academic Advisement Center), Jessie Chou (Educational Leadership Department); back row from left are: Lyndsey McKinley (Dean of Students), Diane Mazzey (MBA program), Sun Lim (Nursing Department), Jasmine Mageno (Dean of Students) and Rosean Moreno (GEARUP program). Photo by Patrick O’Donnell

Becoming Educational Leaders

First Class Completes Master's in Higher Education Program This Summer

June 8, 2010

By Debra Cano Ramos

Seventeen students are set to become the first to earn a master of science in education with a concentration in higher education this August.

In this first class are 11 Cal State Fullerton staff members who work in various college departments and divisions, including Student and Academic Affairs.

One of the program’s students, Joseph Alonzo of Irvine, was selected to give the College of Education’s commencement address during last month's celebration.

Alonzo advised education graduates to look inside themselves and what they have learned in their graduate programs to create change and influence policies to positively affect their students.

“Our schools should be inclusive and accessible to all. If we wish to see change in the education system in which we serve, we must first start with ourselves,” said Alonzo, the first in his family to earn a college degree.

John L. Hoffman, assistant professor of educational leadership, called Alonzo an “impressive individual” who has been a strong leader in the program.

The purpose of the graduate program, launched in 2009, is to prepare entry-level professionals and career-changers to become educational leaders who support college students’ learning and holistic development, said Dawn Person, professor of educational leadership and the program's coordinator.

“There is a tremendous need for people to work with college students who have an understanding of how to support and serve them,” Person said.

The five-semester program, which includes one summer session, is being offered in collaboration with the university’s Student Affairs Division. Students represent a range of careers from education-related fields to those seeking a new career and pursing a graduate degree for the first time, Person said.

The M.S.-higher education candidates and their cities of residence are:

• Ericka Adakai, Fullerton
• Joseph Alonzo, Irvine
• Jessica Barco, Downey
• Dina Bartoloni, Orange
• Kerry Belvill, Whittier
• Jessie Chou, Ontario
• Brenda Estrada, Inglewood
• Jolene Hill, Fullerton
• Sun Lim, Bellflower
• Jasmine Mageno, Fullerton
• Diane Mazzey, Anaheim Hills
• Lyndsey McKinley, Fullerton
• Rosean Moreno, Fullerton
• Deb Perkins, Orange
• Ethan Shimer, Trabuco Canyon
• Diane Steele, Mission Viejo
• Delia Tijerina, Placentia

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