STEPHANIE AWALT

Hi there!  I am a San Diego native who attended UCSD for my undergraduate studies--my BA is in Sociology with a minor in Critical Gender Studies.I am currently a second year SDSU graduate student in the MALAS program and couldn’t be happier! I also work full time as an adolescent substance abuse counselor, so the MALAS program allows me the freedom to choose courses that both fit my hectic schedule and eclectic academic interests.In my free time, I enjoy attending shows, being artsy-craftsy, and occasionally sleeping. My thesis topic is still in the works, but will most likely focus on media representations and socialization of adolescent marijuana use.


JENNIFER CARTER

I received my BA in English, with a minor in Women’s Studies, from SDSU and am back as a repeat offender for the MALAS graduate program. Thanks to my vast exposure to banned and controversial literature, I’m now a successful anarchist, focusing my academic interests on gender, sex, and race studies, social justice, social deconstruction, feminism, and intercultural relations. When I’m not jotting down future novel ideas and searching for a room of my own, I usually have my nose buried in a book, am fiddling with the knobs on my camera, traveling, or am outdoors doing something reckless (which always seems to include some sort of water sport). I’m bi-cultural, spending time in both the U.S. and Germany, and would like to incorporate the duality of American/European culture in my future research. Floating along the Nile, seeing La Marche de l’Empereur in person, and pursuing a PhD are still on my bucket list.

MARIO CHAVARRIA
Hello there. I received my BA in the fall of 2006, and studied abroad in Europe for a year, one of my best experiences ever. Some of the things that I enjoy doing are reading at the beach, surfing, exploring new places, road trips, and I like meeting people from all over the world. One of the craziest things that I do is to constantly train for 5K, 10K, and full marathons. I love to sing all kinds of music, especially rock and gospel music. One of my favorite books is The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) by Thomas Kuhn, and two topics that I’m very passionate about are globalization and nanotechnology.  I’m currently serving as the Vice President of University Affairs for the Graduate Student Association, and the main reason I was drawn to the MALAS program is because of its flexibility and the wide range opportunities it presents after graduation. And since I didn’t want to be limited to just one area of study, the MALAS program was a perfect fit for me. The topic for my thesis is still developing and taking shape, but it could possibly be “the impact and the relationship of nanotechnology with the environment.” One last note to prospective graduate students: once you join our program, you’ll soon find out that it has the coolest students and most awesome professors at SDSU.  Cheers!

NATALIA CLINGAN

Hey! I'm Natalia Joanna Clingan and I have a B.A. in Comparative Literature, where I focused on British Literature. I studied at Oxford University for a wee bit and could easily pick up and move there at any moment. I hope to journey into the book publishing world after I complete the MALAS program. I was drawn to MALAS because although I'm a nutty Anglophile, I do enjoy dabbling in a wide range of topics. So this is obviously a perfect fit!


VICTOR FABIAN DELGADILLO

Hello MALAS. My name is Victor Fabian Delgadillo and I too am a San Diego native. I studied briefly at Southwestern College where I received an AA in photography. I then went on to study film and cinematography at UNLV where I eventually received a BA. My interests revolve mostly around technology, although I do also enjoy fine dining, classical music, and nature, particularly Baja California. I dabble in graphic and web design as well as video production. I am intrigued by the technological evolution of photography and the influence the digital age has placed upon it. Having said all that I found the multidisciplinary diversity of MALAS to be an ideal match for my interests. 

YADIRA DIAZ

Mucho gusto… me llamo Yadira Diaz. I was born and raised in San Diego.  I am very fortunate to have grown and been partially raised en el otro lado, Tijuana.  I obtained my B.A. in Sociology with an emphasis on social problems and I minored in Chicana/o Studies.  I am a proud Xicana who is passionate about being part of a movement that creates social justice.  I am driven to end violence against women, racism, and social inequalities.  I have spent the last six years working and advocating for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. I have a special interest in working with the undocumented community because they are my community.  My thesis project focuses on the lives of women that are forced to live on the margins of our society because they are undocumented and living in a relationship where there is intimate partner violence.  They live in fear and stay silent. My goal is to allow their voices and concerns to be heard.

LETICIA GOMEZ FRANCO

Hello everyone! I was born and raised in Los Angeles (Pico Union).  I received a B.A. from UC Berkeley, where I double majored in Chicana/o Studies and English (class of '04),  I actually started working on my Masters in 2005 as part of the first cohort of the new Chicano Studies graduate program... after a year of being in the program, I decided to take a one year leave to birth other projects...its been 5 years. I have an awesome little boy who will soon be 5 and have also spent the last 5 years working in the border community of San Ysidro as the Director of Arts & Culture for Casa Familiar. I run THE FRONT art gallery (we got named best Community Cultural Space by the Citybeat Best of 2010! ;-0), our new art space, el salon, and am also the organizer and co-mother of the Annual Dia de la Mujer Celebration--now in its 4th year. I've always been fascinated by sexuality and its many manifestations, and so I plan to focus my research on sexuality, visual representations/art, and space. That's pretty much it--I'm a very open minded person, who has created her own identity by taking bits and pieces of what thrills her about everyone else's... I'm a little bit of a lot of things: a xicana xingona, sexual activist, Macondo-residing poeta (moonlighting as an arts director) and am very excited to be joining the MALAS team this year!



ALEXANDRA HUNT

Hi! I’m Alexandra. I’m happy to be living back home in San Diego after living in Orange County for my undergraduate work at UC Irvine. I majored in Global Cultures, an interdisciplinary program that is structured similarly to MALAS. I’m very happy with the freedom and creativity this type of program provides. For example, this semester I am taking a Geography class on human geography of urban areas and an Education class on curriculum development for urban schools. The content of both classes inform each other and are leading me in the right direction for my thesis. I would like my thesis to address issues of language, power, and bilingual education. I spend most of my time on research and reading, but I’ve always loved sailing and have recently been getting into running.

SOPHIA JACOUB

I grew up in San Diego and began my higher education at SDSU for a B.A. in English, followed by a teaching credential in 2007. I currently teach high school English in El Cajon and love every aspect of my job that doesn’t involve administrative politics, state testing, or budget cuts. I decided to return to State for a MALAS degree because it was the most appealing and eclectic program I could find. A part-time masters program and full time career is definitely challenging, but how else could I avoid a social life? I’m uncertain as to what I want to “focus” on in the program. Right now, I’m just sponging up all that the liberal arts have to offer. When I’m not neck deep in learning and teaching, I dabble in photography and write comedy sketches for my school’s Faculty Follies in which I make a complete fool of myself.

PATRICK JOHNSON

After receiving my BS at Ithaca College in Television-Radio with a minor in Scriptwriting, I moved to Los Angeles to work in the film industry. After having several jobs at talent agencies and on reality television shows, I worked as a researcher on documentaries for Discovery Channel and History. In 2008, I returned to school to get my masters, originally in Television and Film, but ultimately switched to MALAS @ SDSU, where my current research is mainly focused on how media influences culture.


CARI KENNY

Hey, I am from Chicago and received by Bachelor of Arts in Music at Lake Forest College, just outside of Chicago.  I have been involved in theater for 10 years, as a tech/writer/director and actor and currently teach improvisation and started my own group, Easily Amused.  I am also involved with a long-form improv group, Unraveled. I decided on the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences program at SDSU because I like its flexibility, its unique classes, and how the program encourages interdisciplinary thinking--all important if you wish to be an effective artist.

MARLA LAGUARDIA

Greetings! My name is Marla Laguardia and I graduated from San Diego State University in 2009, receiving a B.A. in Communication with an emphasis in Media Studies and minor in Sociology. I love and enjoy working for the community and hold a strong interest in social justice movements. I’m currently a part of AF3IRM, a transnational women’s movement. I’m also a member of the Organizing Committee of the Filipino-American Arts and Culture Festival, also known as FilAmFest, held in National City annually. The diversity of the MALAS program is giving me a chance to continue exploring the many interests that I have, including race and gender issues and how they are perceived in the mainstream media.

ASHLEY LAZARE

Hi! I was born and raised in San Diego, and in June 2010, I completed my undergraduate work at UCSD where I majored in History with an emphasis in the Middle East.  I like to travel to faraway places, experience other cultures, and eat good food!  I am interested in history, religious studies, gender/sexuality, and all things ancient and Near Eastern, so my planned thesis will attempt to undertake an investigation of some sort of mixture of that.  The MALAS program saved me from studying something restrictive, so to all you present and future graduate students reading this who are looking for a fun program full of variety, come join us!

ALLICIA MARTINEZ

Greetings! My name is Allicia Martinez and I am a San Diego, CA native. I attended the lovely Grant Elementary, Blessed Sacrament Parish School, and then my parents decided to keep me away from boys and sent me to Our Lady of Peace, an all girls school, claiming it was for the education. I then took advantage of my freedom after graduating and moved away to San Francisco to attend SFSU. After two years of "experimenting" with my education, traveling Europe, and sipping caipirinhas on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, I decided to come back to San Diego and finish school at SDSU. I received my B.A. in Arts and Sciences emphasizing in applied design, and then my teaching credential in Art Education. I am now apart of the wonderful MALAS crew at SDSU and am enjoying the flexibility of being able to explore many disciplines that will eventually serve as a useful tool for me in the classroom. As an educator I feel it is important to incorporate as much knowledge as possible to help kids learn to think critically about themselves and their environment. My "free" time is spent with my husband, and two beautiful little girls.

FRANCISCO MIRAMONTES
¿Que onda my fellow MALAS Heads? Hope your journey here has been as amazing as mine. A little about me: first off mi nombre es (my name is) Francisco Antonio Miramontes, El Segundo, or "Cisco" for short. Right out of high school I joined the U.S. Navy as an IT (Information Systems Technician); next came four years service in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Through the military I have been able to see the world, one of my many passions in life. I recently graduated from SDSU with a degree in Television, Film, and New Media. I joined MALAS to diversify my intellect, and in hopes of using my degree to become a professor of either/both Film and Chicano Studies, as both subjects fascinate me very much. Other miscellaneous items of note include my love of/indulgence in fine dining and my work as a professional beatboxer/musician; lastly, I have been known to occasionally plank on a random surface if my back permits it. I have many passions in life as does any other living, breathing homo sapien sapien, and am greatly looking forward to MALAS being an amazing opportunity for me, and my fellow colleagues.

NATASHA NACE

Hello! First off, let me introduce myself. I am a lover of music, film, and art! I was born and raised here in San Diego and received my BA at SDSU in Television, Film, and New Media. A year or so later after graduating, I had the desire to go back to school. I felt like there was still so much more to accomplish. There were still so many areas that I wanted discover and grow in.

In the 2-3 years I’ve been with MALAS, I have uncovered and explored topics on economics, philosophy, ethics, globalization, religion--courses on religion and violence, future technology, poetry, art, and even, the history of rock and roll! It’s an excellent and outstanding interdisciplinary program. I am sad that I will be graduating soon because the classes get more and more interesting each semester. During this journey I am thankful to have had some of the most incredible and influential teachers in all my education; Professor Choi and Professor Jeroen Pinckaers. After reading “Mountains beyond Mountains” and after taking an “Ethics and Globalization” course, I felt compelled to write my thesis on the subject of Poverty. Specifically: ‘Neo-Liberalism and its impact of Poverty.’ It is currently a work in progress and has been quite challenging and much harder than I had anticipated! I have been so lucky as to have worked at several incredible places. Last year I had the opportunity to work at Legend 3D, a company specializing in the newest cutting edge of 3D filmmaking. Before that I was the Site Manager at High Tech High International. I have been fortunate enough to meet some of the most amazing and extraordinary friends.

Currently I’ve decided to focus on my thesis and my passion for non-profit work. I support and volunteer for several local non-profits including: USD Joan Kroc institute for Peace & Justice, the International Refugee Committee, and more recently I started an annual toy drive for a children’s orphanage in Tecate, Mexico. Lastly the other love of my life is my 10-year-old son Isaac! Simply put, he is amazing!


SHARON PAYNE

Hi, I'm Sharon Payne, and I've been in the MALAS program for 4 years...the slow and steady option of one class per semester. My area of interest is globalization and issues of poverty, so I'm piecing together a program from all over the university. My interests stem from my global travel experience and my two boys, both adopted as babies from Kazakhstan.  By trade, I am a certified financial planner, specializing in socially responsible investing. This my second masters degree; the first was after my first mid-life crisis (I say with a wink) in 1995 in Cultural and Spirituality from Holy Names University in Oakland.  Mid-life crisis' (plan on a few) are a perfect opportunity to go back to school.  See you on campus!


Dee Edwin Reed  
 
¡Hola, MALAS! Es genial estar aquí! ¡Tengo la identificación! I am totally “ecstatic” to be in the MALAS graduate program. After shuffling around SDSU for years, a professor friend introduced me to the MALAS Program. MALAS is exactly what I have been looking for as a graduate: So much electricity, so much energy, so much excitement!
 
In 1979, I graduated from SDSU with a BA degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences.  I have 23 years of city government experience working in city planning. Now officially retired, I still work with CEQA as a student intern in Facilities Planning SDSU Administration. I will graduate this year with a second Bachelor’s degree as an Art Education major and Art History minor. My artistic interests are painting, ceramics and furniture.  I even made my own paper out of lint from my clothes dryer!

My new interest is Latin America: history, politics, culture, art, language, customs, family and food. Did I mention food? I want it all. By merging my art experience with a working knowledge of Latin America, my goal is to advise potential art students, from across the border, not only in the different disciplines of art, but in the incredible amount of art content they bring with their heritage. My hobbies are travel, travel and more travel, Europe (three times), Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii. Favorite places: Edinburgh’s Military Tattoo, the Blue Grotto Isle of Capri, bicycling the Danube, Beach Pub in Sidney, and Kalalua trail on Kauai.  As a grad student, I believe that we will only get out of MALAS what we put into it, so let’s go for it!  ¡Buene suerte MALAS estudentiantes de postrado!

JONATHAN VALDEZ

I’m a San Diego native and after a year from graduating from San Diego State University with a BA in Asian Studies in 2010, I am back in the mix of school once again. I’ve been involved in community organizing for the last five years and that has deeply influenced my drive for learning about issues that affect all communities. My interests lies in Asian and Asian American Studies, Comics Studies, and Ethnic Studies, but I know I’m a dabbler and with the great diversity in these fields and in the MALAS program I’m excited to see what’s around the river bend  and to challenge myself with new things to learn and how to view the world. I joined the MALAS Program because it provided me the space to focus on comic books as academic literature.With Cultural Studies and Media Studies a core focuses of MALAS, I knew that this was a program where I could get the support and guidance as a graduate student with non-traditional interests. I am currently planning to write a thesis revolving around the Asian American as a superhero and exploring both the rhetorical nature artwork and story and how the writer and artist construct superheroes of color as well as how comic book readers receive them. Besides having my nose stuck in a book or comic, I am a community organizer primarily working with the Filipino American community where I currently serve as a mentor in the Kuya Ate Mentorship Program and as a member of the FilAmFest Organizing Committee educating the youth and putting on awesome events for the community.  

SIOBHAN WHITE

I am excited to pursue a second master's from SDSU in the MALAS program. I recieved a BA from USF Tampa in 2004, and moved out west to complete a MA in Literature from SDSU's English Dept.  After taking a hiatus from graduate study and immersing myself in the time-consuming labor of being an adjunct English professor in SD's local community college districts, I have returned to my own studies.  Between balancing teaching writing and doing my own writing, I enjoy taking road trips, chasing the Kerouacian charm of our national highway system, tasting and collecting excellent examples of America's booming craft beer industry, and wandering the CA coast to contemplate the abyss.  Academically, I'm putting together a study of apocalyptic theory by contemplating late 20th century literature, contemporary philosophy, and psychoanalytic reasoning for repression of memories.  The MALAS program is flexible enough to allow me to pursue this widely interdisciplinary study and eventually receive a degree for it.  The best of both worlds!


RICHARD WHITEHEAD

Born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I began my college career at the University of Georgia, and then finished my undergrad at Washington and Jefferson College with a BA in History and Russian Language--it was during that time that I studied abroad in Eastern Europe. In 1999, I received my Social Studies teaching certification from Penn State University and taught U.S. History, Government, and World Cultures until June 2010.  I love the game of baseball and was able to go to Europe to coach.  I’ve been known to watch a good movie and even a bad movie on occasion. A member of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, my interests are broad--and when choosing a Masters program, the MALAS program @ SDSU was the perfect fit.  The current focus of my thesis is to look how technology is influencing religion, culture and society.