The third Arts & Lectures event of the fall semester features Ariana Brown, a queer, Black, Mexican American poet.  The event is at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 on Zoom. The event is free for Cal State San Marcos students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members to reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.    Brown has 13 years of experience writing, performing and teaching poetry. She is the author of the poetry collections “We Are Owed” (2021) and “Sana Sana” (2020). Drawing on her lived experience and research, Brown will trace her attempts to recover Black girlhood not just for herself, but for other Black girls, too. Combining storytelling, poems and dialogue, this artist talk is an opportunity to hear from Brown about how her identities and politics shape her writing.  CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic, cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.     What: Arts & Lectures event “Taking Care of Black Girls When the World Won’t”  Who: Ariana Brown, a queer, Black, Mexican American poet  When: 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 6  Where: Zoom  Cost: Free for CSUSM students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members  Tickets: Register online   Information: Arts & Lectures website  Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The second Arts & Lectures event of the fall semester features Ran Tal, an acclaimed Israeli documentary filmmaker.   The event is at 6 p.m. on Oct. 3 in the USU Ballroom. The event is free for Cal State San Marcos students, faculty, staff and alumni. Community members can purchase tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.  Tal will screen his 2012 film “Garden of Eden” and discuss his work. The film examines the depths of Israeli society in the least expected place – a national holiday resort – presenting viewers with a fascinating account full of humor, pain and compassion. A recipient of numerous awards in Israel and abroad, Tal most recently won accolades at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival for his new film “1341 Frames of Love and War,” about photographer Micha Bar-Am.  CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic, cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.     What: Arts & Lectures event “Ran Tal, ‘Garden of Eden’ "  Who: Ran Tal, an acclaimed Israeli documentary filmmaker When: 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 3  Where: USU Ballroom  Cost: Free for CSUSM students, faculty, staff and alumni; $5 for community members   Tickets: Register online   Information: Arts & Lectures website  Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Johnathan Rodney remembers the moment he failed a test in his precalculus class during his first semester of college.  He thought the only way to tell if he was cut out to be in college was to put everything into his next test. If he failed again, he would take it as a sign to pursue a different path.  “I studied obsessively, and ended up getting a B on that next test,” said Rodney, a biochemistry major at Cal State San Marcos. “It wasn't an A or anything crazy. But I thought maybe I can manage this if I keep studying. I learned what habits and what time of day to study that worked for me. It was really self-doubt because I felt like I was faking it. But that went away slowly.” This wasn’t the first time Rodney felt like he didn’t belong in the classroom. He was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade, and was told to take medication every day with little explanation about his diagnosis. “It kept me from thinking that I could do well in school,” Rodney said. “That's why I graduated from a continuation high school. I would think to myself, ‘I have ADHD, so, why bother?’ ” Struggling academically wasn’t the only challenge Rodney faced while growing up. Early in Rodney’s childhood, his mother suffered from drug addiction, which led to the separation of his parents.  “My mom and I went through a phase where it was rocky between us because we never discussed it,” Rondey said. “I joined the Navy and we faded away and I sought counseling when I was at the University of Memphis. I talked to her about our relationship, and we got to have open conversations about it. And it's helped a lot. She's happily remarried and doing awesome now.”  Rodney persevered and he’s doing things he never thought he could as a child. Rodney was honored as the university’s  2022 Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement recipient on Sept. 13. He is planning to apply to medical school and become a family medicine doctor or psychiatrist so he can help those with addictions after he graduates next spring.   Serving in the United States Navy for five years drew Rodney to the medical field. It gave him the opportunity to provide for himself and his family. It was also a way for him to thank the programs that helped his mother.  Rodney worked as a Navy hospital corpsman and also treated post-surgical patients and postpartum mothers at the Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms. Rodney also collected forensic evidence as a volunteer sexual assault forensics assistant.  “Sexual assault is one of the most traumatic things somebody can go through,” Rodney said. “If I can be an advocate the rest of my life or somehow help people or figure out other ways to help, then that would be great.” Rodney started his journey to becoming a doctor at the University of Memphis because it was near where he was stationed. But Rodney knew he wanted to move to California, and he felt the pandemic was the perfect time to transfer.  “I looked up good schools for veterans,” Rodney said. “And San Marcos was one of the top ones. I made the right decision because we have a really good veterans program here.”  Rodney has certainly made an impact at CSUSM. He has taken active roles as president of the Student Veterans Organization and he coordinates volunteer activities at Ivey Ranch, a nonprofit that helps with the recovery of children with disabilities and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Not only did joining the Navy find his passion, it also led him to his fiancee, Kurumi. He is planning on getting married later this year.  “I'm in a really good place,” Rondey said. “That's what I say every day, no matter what happens. I think things turned out way, way, way, way better than I expected. Overall, I'm always happy. I'm so happy I met Kurumi as well. She's just been a huge blessing that showed up out of nowhere.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Viridiana Diaz began her tenure at Cal State San Marcos in mid-January, but it wasn’t until commencement four months later that she finally had time to pause and reflect. And, boy, did Diaz have a lot to reflect on. On her decision to leave Sacramento State University, where she had spent all of her adult life, to become CSUSM’s vice president of Student Affairs. On the serious foot fracture she suffered only a couple of days before she started at CSUSM, which forced her to navigate most of the spring semester in a walking boot, scooter and crutches. And, as she gazed out from the commencement stage upon the sea of joyous faces, on her own improbable personal journey from immigrant child from Mexico who dreamed of little more than becoming fluent in English to higher education administrator who holds four degrees, including a doctorate. “To be in a place where you have the privilege to be on stage and see thousands of graduates experience commencement, and see their families and know what it means to them, it was overwhelming,” Diaz said. “I just loved those two days. I didn’t really feel time. It was such an amazing experience for me to realize that I’m here and I have this incredible opportunity to have so much impact on the division of Student Affairs and in the lives of our students.” Four months after that momentous occasion for Diaz, she feels fully at home in San Marcos, her foot has fully healed, and she is fully embedded – as her first complete academic year has begun – in the cause of leading a division that encompasses 32 departments organized into six different units by mission and service type, including Student Academic Support Services, Student Life and athletics. It’s a demanding job, to be sure, but one that she has been training for and working toward for more than two decades.    “Dr. Diaz is so full of ideas and boundless energy,” said Carl Kemnitz, CSUSM’s provost. “She’s been a great partner for me on matters of student success and enrollment management, where the two divisions regularly work together. I’m excited to see the full impact of her contributions to CSUSM as she hits her stride.” Diaz came to CSUSM from Sac State, where her roots ran so deep that they might as well have been from a sequoia. She entered the university as a freshman student in 1994, only about six years after arriving in the United States from Mexicali with her mother and two brothers. Her mother, Guadalupe,  didn’t complete high school and did physical labor that included agriculture, canning and house-cleaning. She aspired for more for her three children in America and wanted them to have opportunities beyond what she could imagine for herself.    Diaz earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies in 2000, then earned a master’s in Spanish. Armed with two degrees, she began working at the university, first as an outreach counselor and a career coordinator and later as director of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). Year after year, Diaz kept advancing in Student Affairs at Sac State. She served as director of the Serna Center for Latinx/Chicanx students, co-director for the DEGREES Project, special assistant to the president, and assistant vice president for Strategic Diversity Initiatives. Simultaneously, year after year she attained more education – a second master’s, in history, in 2009 and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy in 2012. But because Diaz was the first person in her family to attend college, her mother and siblings had to go through that unfamiliar experience with her and discover what it takes to achieve the dream of higher education and transcend future generations. It wasn't always easy, for her or for them. “I know firsthand that, for many of our first-generation students, there can be tension when the values necessary to thrive in college conflict with the values learned at home," she said. “Being ambitious is not always perceived as a positive thing. Getting a bachelor's degree is a great accomplishment, and people will be proud of you. But if you're pursuing more than that, sometimes your loyalty is questioned because you are advancing your education instead of providing for your family.” Diaz ultimately rose to the position of associate vice president of Strategic Student Support Programs, and during her time in Student Affairs, she helped Sac State achieve Hispanic-Serving Institution status and the Seal of Excelencia certification, secured multiple grants and launched the university’s Dreamer Resource Center while expanding the Serna Center. “I am extremely proud of Dr. Diaz and all she has accomplished,” said Ed Mills, Sac State’s vice president of Student Affairs. “I knew she would make an outstanding VP and worked to help her advance in her career. Of course, losing her was very difficult. Not only because of her amazing leadership, but because she is so well known and loved throughout our Hornet family.” Because it was her only professional home and because she was constantly ascending to new challenges, Diaz never saw any reason to move on from Sac State. But during the pandemic, the form that her inevitable self-reflection took was that she wanted to be a vice president. Fortunately for Diaz, her decision to aim for the next career rung coincided with the retirement last fall of Lorena Checa, CSUSM’s longtime VP of Student Affairs.  In only a matter of weeks, she accepted the CSUSM opening, wrapped up her tenure at Sac State, took her 12-year-old son out of school, and moved her family from the only city she really had ever known. “It all happened so fast,” she said. “I was mentally ready. But I wasn't physically or emotionally ready. So the transition was rough. I was pretty homesick because I had never moved. I thought only kids got homesick. No, adults do, too.” Diaz arrived in San Marcos during the second weekend of January. While moving into her new residence, she slipped down one of the stairs as she was carrying a box and broke her left foot. An X-ray revealed a Jones fracture, and Diaz underwent surgery in which a metal plate and screw were implanted. When she was greeted on campus by CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt and other administrators a couple of days later, she was getting around on a knee scooter. The bad injury luck, though, came with an unexpected benefit. Instead of rushing headlong into her new environment, Diaz eased in and took the time to learn the division inside and out. She met with the Student Affairs senior leadership team. She had lunch sessions with all the managers. She set up a briefing with all 32 departments and engaged across her division and campus.    “I wouldn't feel as optimistic or as confident that Student Affairs is very well positioned for a great academic year if I had not had an opportunity to be a learner last semester,” Diaz said. “And now, in this first semi-normal post-pandemic fall semester, we will need to create the environment that we want our students to join, be part of and thrive in. It starts with us, and Student Affairs is going to play a very critical role.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

The first Arts and Lectures event of the fall semester features Ilyasah Shabazz, the third daughter of the late Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz.  The event is at 6 p.m. on Sept. 20 in the USU Ballroom. The event is free for Cal State San Marcos students. Faculty, staff, alumni and community members can purchase tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website. How do we ensure that the student activism witnessed during the pandemic and after the death of George Floyd not only continues but also makes an impact around the world? Shabazz believes you can look back at the historical legacy of her mother and father to find inspirational solutions. In her keynote presentation, Shabazz – an award-winning author, educator and producer – will share powerful stories of what she learned from her iconic activist parents and how you, too, can make the diverse world more equitable and inclusive for all.  CSUSM’s Arts & Lectures series offers a diverse lineup of artistic, cultural and scholarly events every semester based on input and proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Attendees can reserve tickets online via the Arts & Lectures website.  What: Arts & Lectures event “Ilyasah Shabazz: Daughter of Malcolm X, Professor and Author” Who: Ilyasah Shabazz When: 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 20 Where: USU Ballroom Cost: Free for CSUSM students; $5 for faculty, staff and alumni; $10 for community members  Tickets: Register online  Information: Arts & Lectures website Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Cal State San Marcos’ Latinx Center is partnering with campus organizations to present an exciting lineup of events. The month runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 15 and is an opportunity to celebrate the rich culture and diverse backgrounds of Hispanic-identifying people. “Our Latinx community is multicultural with varying intersectionalities, and highlighting heritage from multiple celebration points is vital to the forward progress of our Latinx community,” said Renzo Lara, the director of the Latinx Center. “Our intent is to create a transformational and empowering experience for students that allows them to build on community values, which ultimately allows them to focus in on their educational objectives.” Everyone is invited to participate in Hispanic Heritage Month events. Heritage Month Kickoff Thursday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom Come celebrate the Latinx/Hispanic community by listening to live music, playing games and eating cultural food. Students will have the opportunity to enter a giveaway.    Latinx Resource Fair  Tuesday, Sept. 20, noon, Latinx Center (USU 3300) Culturally related departments and student organizations will be invited to participate in a resource fair at the Latinx Center. Students will be able to learn about the areas on campus that can support them on their academic and social journey.    Our/My Culture Isn't a Trend Thursday, Sept. 22, 3:30 p.m., Latinx Center (USU 3300) Come learn about problematic stigmas that society creates and the inappropriate portrayal of members in the Latinx community.    The Pride Center Presents: 3 Latinx Transgender Activists Tuesday, Sept. 27, TBD Students can listen to three Latinx transgender activists tell their story and talk about trans history, their life, their struggles and their accomplishments.   Cuentos de Ninos Thursday, Sept. 29, 3:30 p.m., Latinx Center (USU 3300) Come learn about the importance of cultural storytelling and history in Hispanic/Latinx families as bedtime stories and childhood myths are shared. Some stories include el cucuy, la llorona and el chupacabra. Students will have an opportunity to reminisce and learn about these cultural traditions.   Chingona Fest  Tuesday, Oct. 4, noon, USU 3200/3300 Join us in celebrating and uplifting Latinx women. The Women and Gender Equity Center will be hosting week-long events that highlight the trailblazing women in our lives and history. Students will learn about female empowerment in the cultural community.   Latinx Film Professionals Panel Wednesday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m., Latinx Center (USU 3300) In collaboration with arts, media and design professor Jonathan Berman, students will meet Latinx film and media professionals and learn about their experiences in the industry.    Heritage Month Closing  Friday, Oct. 14, 6 p.m., USU Ballroom Come learn about different music and dance stylings of Latin America to celebrate the end of Heritage Month. Students will have the opportunity to meet the center staff and learn about the cultural significance of why it is important to celebrate this month each year. Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

It may be slight hyperbole to say the United States changed forever in the summer of 2020. It’s not an exaggeration, however, to say sometimes it takes a monumental event to create a revolution. When the decision-makers within the California State University system watched events unfold that summer, they knew they had to create actionable events to respond to the great call of action coming specifically from young people. Hence was born Assembly Bill 1460, which, in conjunction with the state legislature, was signed in August 2020 and mandated that CSU students take ethnic studies as a graduation requirement. That same summer, Cal State San Marcos’ library upped the ante by committing to develop library materials to be more representative and specifically anti-racist. And now the CSUSM library team is going even farther. So far this year the library has acquired approximately 20 new digital information resources, many directly in support of the ethnic studies and American Indian studies curriculum. The material will go far to diversify the information, experiences and voices represented in the library’s collection. “The library is moving beyond statements of support to action, and this includes coordinated work across the CSU system with the support of provosts,” said Jennifer Fabbi, dean of the CSUSM library. Earlier this year, the university introduced its new strategic plan, “The Power of CSUSM.” The third goal of the plan is to achieve its vision through diversity, equity and inclusive excellence. The library’s work is an example of the university’s commitment. “I am incredibly excited about the library's tangible commitment to developing our collections in ways that wholly represent the experiences and voices of communities and groups that have been historically underrepresented and marginalized in academia,” social sciences librarian Lalitha Nataraj said. “To me, this is a clear sign that we are moving toward a more anti-racist praxis.” The collections include both historical documents and current content as the CSU system continues its work in becoming a progressive agent for positive change. The biggest benefactor is the CSUSM student body. Much of the content will be made available locally for the first time, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on students. “Most of the new resources we have added include primary source documents, films and other resources created by and for marginalized communities, and much of the new content is not available anywhere but in these digital collections,” said Lauren Magnuson, the library’s head of collections, delivery and access. “For example, the Black Drama collection contains more than 1,700 plays written by more than 200 Black playwrights from around the world. Many of these works were previously unpublished, rare or no longer in print. Our access to this online collection allows CSUSM students and faculty to read and study these works and contribute to original scholarship that centers Black experiences and honors Black contributions to the history of drama.” Thanks to money from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), the library was able to purchase access to these digital collections that go directly to support virtual teaching, learning and research. Additional funding came from the chancellor’s office – with support of the CSU provosts – following a vote of the CSU council of library deans after feedback was requested from campus faculty. “These collections help situate students in historical and cultural moments where they have never been afforded an opportunity to see themselves,” Nataraj said. “These resources will facilitate self-reflection as well as beginning or extending vital scholarly conversations that will positively impact current and future generations by helping them feel validated within the academy.” The library worked with the ethnic studies and American Indian studies departments when deciding which collections to pursue. A survey also was sent to all faculty early this spring to garner feedback and narrow down focus on what would have the greatest impact on students. The new American Indian Histories and Cultures collection includes art and written work from the culture’s earliest contact with European settlers. There is also a collection called Race Relations in America, which was an institute that investigated racial conflict and documented the fight for civil rights. It includes speeches, reports, surveys and analyses produced by the department and institute participants, including Charles S. Johnson and Thurgood Marshall. “Actively working to center the experiences of those who have been excluded, marginalized and harmed through our shared history is essential to building CSUSM’s library collections and furthering CSUSM’s social justice mission,” Magnuson said. “CSUSM’s library collections need to represent the research interests and experiences of our students and faculty, all of whom have a right to see themselves and their communities represented when they do research with CSUSM library resources. It is critical for libraries to intentionally collect and preserve histories and narratives of people who have been excluded and marginalized from dominant culture, so that researchers can use them to surface and amplify voices that otherwise may not be heard.” A dedicated group determined to provide impactful resources, the library also is planning community and campus oral history projects focused on campus community voices. A deep dive of the library’s print book collection also will occur to establish gaps to be filled. A university library has long been a place for learning, a place to revisit the past to create a better future. Like bees pollinating to positively impact our environment, the new collections are expected to inspire learners to take their newfound knowledge from the CSUSM library and spread it into the world. The pay-it-forward arena always has available seats. “The library does not exist in a vacuum, inured to the structural inequities and systemic oppression that impacts Black, Indigenous and People of Color,” Nataraj said. “Our collections are organic, and library staff and faculty constantly update them to reflect the changing sensibilities of the world around us, including developing our materials to be more representative and anti-racist, addressing instances of racist language in our collections and catalog records, and analyzing our print collections to fill gaps.  “Being anti-racist is a collective responsibility on the CSUSM campus. Since the collections directly support the teaching mission of the university, the library also commits to creating co-curricular programming for the campus community on anti-racism, systemic oppression and similar topics.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Ed Price pursued physics as a discipline because he views science and technology as a beautiful way to better understand the world around us. Price also believes that kind of knowledge should be available to everyone, not just people – like him – who were fortunate enough to attend elite academic institutions. And he has dedicated a significant portion of his career to increasing access to scientific education. Now, the Cal State San Marcos physics professor has received not one, but two grants that will further this longstanding effort. The first is a five-year, $1.49 million grant from the National Science Foundation that will extend and expand CSUSM’s Mobile Making program, through which undergraduates in STEM majors are dispatched to local middle schools to deliver science lessons to mostly underrepresented students. The second is a three-year, $480,000 grant from NASA to create an “aerospace academy” for local high school students, many of them from low-income backgrounds. Both programs will operate through the Center for Research and Engagement in STEM Education (CRESE), for which Price is the faculty director and co-founder. “Working in our community and working with students to whom these opportunities historically have been denied, that’s something that’s really important to me,” Price said. “And one of the things I love about being here at Cal State San Marcos is that we’re in a great position to do something about that.” The NSF grant builds on a similar one that CSUSM received five years ago that established CRESE and the Mobile Making program. The new grant continues the practice of sending so-called STEM ambassadors into local schools to lead science experiments and other projects during after-school periods. But the additional funding will allow CSUSM to more than double (to about 30) the number of middle schools and upper elementary grades that it reaches, including in more remote school districts like Oceanside, Fallbrook and Bonsall. As part of the grant to CSUSM, the NSF also awarded money to start up Mobile Making programs at three other California State University campuses – Fresno, Long Beach and San Luis Obispo – and Price and his team will assist with the launching of those initiatives this fall and spring. And the CSU Chancellor’s Office will help disseminate the results as a means of encouraging other campuses to adopt the program as well. “We've learned a lot about how to make this work, and I think we have a good model,” Price said. “It's proven to the point that it does make sense for other places to try it. The things that make it work here, like the power of our campus as a regional institution, that's true of a lot of CSUs, and I think that there's no reason that this wouldn't work in other places.” A co-principal investigator for the grant is Sinem Siyahhan, a professor in the School of Education. For many years, Siyahhan has run a program in which undergraduate students planning to pursue a teaching credential fan out to after-school sessions to organize activities with kids. During the pandemic, Siyahhan and Price merged their programs, and now the STEM ambassadors are accompanied on their outings by future teachers. In all, hundreds of CSUSM students will participate in the Mobile Making program during each of the next five years. The NASA grant was secured by Price in collaboration with Gerardo Dominguez, a fellow physics professor. CSUSM was one of only eight institutions nationwide that received a total of $3.8 million in Minority University Research and Education (MUREP) awards for the MUREP Aerospace Academy (MAA). CSUSM’s version of this academy involves a partnership with four area high schools: San Marcos and Mission Hills in San Marcos and San Pasqual and Orange Glen in Escondido. For each of the next three years, a group of STEM majors from CSUSM will work with about 25 students from each of the sites (about 100 total) on a year-long set of activities around a common theme. The experience will culminate in a summer capstone project in which NASA will present students with a challenge problem that they will have to develop a solution for. The theme for this school year is lunar exploration. “There will be a whole bunch of things we'll do to think about how you design a vehicle that can travel on a lunar surface,” Price said. “What goes into that? What's some of the science that we know about the moon and about the kind of terrain and conditions you'd find there, and how do you take that into account? “The idea of an academy is a multifaceted and a long-term experience for these kids. A lot of times kids will have opportunities to do one-off things, and that can be great. But I think something that's sustained like this over time is going to be a meaningful experience for these students.” Price and Dominguez have several partners on the MAA program, including CSUSM’s National Latino Research Center to work with families of the high school students on college readiness, Carlsbad-based Nordson, Palomar College and a NASA-funded research collaboration called ICE Five-O (of which Dominguez is a member). “The approach we take at CRESE is really about leveraging the strengths of our students, our relationships with the community, building off of that,” Price said. “That's the theme in both of these programs. They're both about giving our youth in the community a chance to engage in science and have early and successful experiences with that.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

Everyone knows about the life-or-death danger that military members are exposed to when they enlist. Perhaps less appreciated is the everyday wear and tear that their bodies absorb because of the physical rigors of the job.  Bob Smetanka is all too familiar with that. He joined the Marines during his last year of high school, just before Sept. 11, and served for five years, mostly at Camp Pendleton. He sprained his ankle multiple times. He hurt his shoulder. Nearly two decades later, he deals with persistent pain in his knees and lower back.  Back then, Smetanka was on the receiving end of military injuries. These days, he’s doing his part to help the next generation of service members and veterans avoid the same fate.   Smetanka is putting his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in kinesiology from Cal State San Marcos to good use, working for a nonprofit organization that operates out of Naval Medical Center San Diego and conducts research to advance military medicine.   “My knees and ankles and shoulder are all jacked up from my time in the Marines,” Smetanka said. “That was almost 20 years ago, so I hope we would have better information now. But being a part of getting that information and providing it to the guys who come in 20 years later, it’s nice to know that someone is doing it.”  Smetanka, a New Jersey native who earned his bachelor’s in 2017 and master’s in 2019, is in his second year as the research program coordinator for the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, a Maryland-based organization that sponsors research in support of military health around the globe. After first being hired by the foundation to work in the infectious diseases department (in a quirk of timing, that happened right before the pandemic hit, and he spent a year doing early research on COVID-19), Smetanka moved in February 2021 to the Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence (EACE).   In his current role, he works with a team of eight on studies of active military and veterans who have sustained injuries or had limbs amputated. Aided by his research experience from CSUSM, Smetanka does a lot of data collection and analysis, but as the only veteran in his office, he’s also leaned on to recruit military members for studies.   “Having that connection with patients who are coming in makes it so much easier to talk to them,” he said. “I know where they’re coming from. I know what they’ve done.”  Smetanka is currently juggling several research projects, including one on lower back pain and how successfully physical therapy addresses it, one in which a special treadmill featuring the type of grips found on a rock climbing wall is utilized to help prevent ankle sprains, and one that involves giving stem cell injections to amputees to try to make the skin on the bottom of their stumps more resilient and less prone to abrasions and subsequent infections. The last of those is a partnership with Johns Hopkins University.    The findings of this and other research might not benefit Smetanka himself. But he likes to think about the potential impact on his two younger brothers. One is a full-time member of the National Guard, and the other is stationed in Hawaii with the Air Force.   “My brother in the Air Force is 16 years younger than me,” Smetanka said. “If he were to become injured – whether it’s a busted knee, busted ankle, an amputation – I feel like the information I’m gathering, the studies that I’m working on could help him and future generations of the military. I want them to get the treatment that I wasn’t able to.”   Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

The way that Logan Davidson kept his demons at bay was by never stopping to consider them. He was the kind of person who lived his work and took pride in the constant thrum of action.   Then the pandemic happened, and the world slowed to a crawl. Living in his parents’ house in Denver, Davidson suddenly found himself alone with his thoughts and his inner struggles, trying to navigate life as a gay man in his mid-20s. He disentangled himself from a toxic relationship but was still wracked by so much anxiety that he couldn’t eat or sleep and was forced to abandon a rewarding job as an activist.   Davidson experimented with traditional therapy but felt like he was just spinning his wheels. One day in March 2021, he was browsing online in search of any solution to his mental state when he stumbled upon a Facebook post advertising a virtual event named the Queer Liberation Challenge. It had already started, but he joined anyway to see what it was all about.   It turned out to be a five-day webinar, with each day devoted to a different theme, from body image to masculinity to sexuality. Participants were asked to set goals, to meditate, to make entries in a journal. There was nothing revolutionary, but it was exactly what Davidson was looking for, and by the end of the week, he wanted more.   “I really liked that it was practical and dove right into the root of our relationship to ourselves and what we need to heal,” Davidson said. “Everything was incorporated into one, which was really nice compared to things like therapy, where I felt like I was talking about the same thing on repeat, but not really getting anywhere.”  The Queer Liberation Challenge was the brainchild of Nathan Serrato, and if Davidson derived great value from it, that’s partly because Serrato once was in Davidson’s shoes – bearing psychological scars from years of suppressing his sexual identity and then laboring to find genuine community beyond gay bars.   Four years ago, Serrato was a newly minted graduate of Cal State San Marcos, armed with a degree in communication and environmental studies, and working for the Escondido Creek Conservancy as its marketing manager. He enjoyed the job, but something was tugging at him. Maybe it was a calling to help people, going back to when he was a kid, listening to self-help radio shows with his mother. Maybe it was a desire to be his own boss, set his own schedule. Maybe it was frustration at the dearth of resources available to gay men like him grappling with emotional turmoil.   Or maybe it was the return of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” on Netflix.   “I remember crying and eating ice cream while watching it,” Serrato said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is so powerful. They’re so inspiring, we need more of this. Why can’t I do this?’ ”  He could, as it turns out. Serrato, 30, started a company called Queer Conscious that began humbly as a meet-up group for the LGBTQ community (the first gathering was, of all things, gay goat yoga and attracted 11 people) and has evolved into a wellness and life coaching venture with dozens of clients from around the world. Along the way, Serrato attained three certifications from the International Coaching Federation and also became certified in Time Line Therapy, a concept laid out in a 1988 book that involves unconscious mining of the root causes of trauma.   “There’s a need in the gay community for sober spaces, spaces for LGBTQ people that are outside of the gay bars, outside of the dating apps,” he said. “Not only do we create the environment for people to create authentic connections, but also for them to really look inside of themselves and heal any of the societal or cultural shame that is still present within them.”  For the first couple of years, Queer Conscious was a business in the loosest sense of the word. In addition to the goat yoga (Serrato also is a certified yoga instructor), Serrato and his newfound friends would gather for regular hikes, arts-and-crafts sessions and other activities.  The pandemic, though, provided the impetus he needed to reimagine and expand the enterprise. Taking advantage of the COVID reality of people being cooped up in their homes, he launched the five-day virtual events like the one that first drew in Davidson, holding them every three months. For only $37, participants get the morning seminars on a set topic as well as three one-on-one calls with Serrato where they can apply the lessons to their own specific challenges.   If they like what they hear, they can continue with private coaching that ranges from $500 to $3,000 depending on the service. One of them is what Serrato has labeled a “breakthrough,” a 12-hour, intensive experience focused on the release of trauma. Davidson is in the midst of his second breakthrough, this one dealing with relationships and intimacy.   “It’s hard to explain, and I even struggle sometimes to explain to my friends what has happened,” Davidson said. “But I can remember multiple moments during these sessions when I could literally feel tightness or restriction or some sort of weight physically leaving my body, and anxiety leaving me that I didn’t even know I’d been holding on to for years. I’ve let go of a lot of unnecessary baggage and have gained much more of an ability to navigate relationships, hold boundaries, stand up for myself and trust myself.  “People in my life come up to me and tell me that I look happier and healthier than ever before. I’m like, ‘All right, thank you.’ ”  Much of the damage that Serrato had to overcome was religious in nature. He grew up in Escondido as the son of Mexican immigrants who were staunch Catholics. He attended a Catholic school until second grade, then through eighth grade went to a school affiliated with the Lutheran denomination, which Serrato calls “Catholic light – still heavy on the guilting and shaming, just not as much of the rosary and ceremonial stuff.”  He describes being indoctrinated in the belief that it was a sin to be who he was and that he would be punished for it for eternity.   “I would go to my therapist and be like, ‘I think I’m going to hell. Can you help me?’ ” Serrato said. “And they wouldn’t know what to say to me. They were just like, ‘Well, that sucks.’ ”  Bedeviled by thoughts of damnation, he sought escape through alcohol and drugs in his late teens and early 20s. Then he entered his first serious relationship, determined to show his parents that being gay was normal. But the trauma wouldn’t relent.  “I would wake up from night terrors in the middle of the night and turn over to my boyfriend and be like, ‘I can’t do this. I have to be straight. I might need to marry a woman,’ ” he said. “I couldn’t control those nightmares. It took me forever to get over them.”  Serrato finally chased them away through his coaching training, which in turn gave him confidence that he could help other people beset by similar issues. He used to feel anger toward his parents for exposing him to Catholicism and making him feel guilty about his sexuality, but now he says they’re more accepting and supportive than ever. And he’s open to exploring forms of religion that he believes are based on love and kindness instead of indoctrination.  Serrato has grand ambitions for Queer Conscious and his work on behalf of the LGBTQ community. He aspires to write a book, to host weekend retreats where his clients can congregate in person and feel like they’re essential, not just a gay accessory. And he wants to expand into countries where being gay isn’t a source of shame but a potential death sentence.   “I’d like to see Queer Conscious really become the place where people look to when they don’t know how to be gay,” Serrato said. “How do I confront spirituality? How do I confront relationships? How do I overcome my family dynamics? How do I deal with homophobia in the workplace? I’d love for it to be everything that a queer person needs, all the tools and resources for them to retain their authenticity in our society.”  Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306