Dr. Mary Requa (SPED) has been has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant as a co- PI with colleagues Yiyi Wang and Zhuwei Qin entitled, Supporting Neurodiverse Students in Engineering Teamwork through an AI-Driven Platform. This is a three year grant worth $399,979. We are excited to learn with you, Mary, and are proud of your accomplishment!
Dr. Gloria Soto (SLHS and SPED) has published an article with Jennifer Vega, rising second-year graduate student in SLHS, in one of the most prestigious ASHA journals, The American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, entitled "Designing cultural adaptations of caregiver-implemented interventions for Latin/x caregivers of children who use AAC: Key considerations." The article provides key considerations and practical guidelines for developing effective caregiver-implemented augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions that respect and integrate cultural values and practices for Latin/x caregivers of children who use AAC. Congratulations, Gloria and Jennifer!
Dr. Betty Yu (SLHS) has been awarded the prestigious Certificate of Recognition for Special Contributions in Multicultural Affairs, by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Her award was announced on July 16, 2024 and she will be attending an awards ceremony in December at the ASHA Convention. Congratulations, Betty – we are so proud to see your research and dedication recognized by this important professional organization.
Dr. Fuentes entered SFSU’s Research Competition in Spring 2024, and was one of the 11 campus winners who went on to compete in the CSU Statewide Research Competition. Competing against hundreds of graduate and undergraduate students across the CSU, she won Second Place in the Education category. Her presentations title was “The Relentless Pursuit of College – Elevating the Voices of Former Foster Youth and Social Work Professionals.” We are proud of you, Dr. Fuentes!
A dozen outstanding graduates will be honored during San Francisco State University’s 123rd Commencement ceremony, to be held at Oracle Park Friday, May 24. They will represent their more than 7,300 graduating peers in the Class of 2024.
As part of a longstanding tradition, each of the University’s six academic colleges selects an undergraduate and a graduate student to represent their classmates and wear their college’s academic hood during the ceremony. Additionally, two of the hood recipients, one undergraduate and one graduate student, will each deliver a Commencement address.
More details about the ceremony are available on the Commencement website.
Devora Jimenez Domingo
B.S., Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
Graduate College of Education
Devora Jimenez Domingo, originally from Guatemala, moved to the United States at a young age. Witnessing her Latinx community’s struggles due to language barriers, Jimenez Domingo has dedicated her work to assisting those with limited English proficiency, especially after recognizing the privilege she had being trilingual in English, Spanish and Mayan.
To support her community, Jimenez Domingo enrolled at SF State to pursue a degree in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences with minors in Education and Special Education. During her time at SF State, she has actively contributed to the Gray Matter Lab, facilitating language therapy for Spanish speakers and promoting inclusivity in educational settings.
Jimenez Domingo also held leadership roles in various student clubs, advocating for cultural and linguistic diversity within the field of speech pathology.
Now preparing for graduate school to become a licensed speech pathologist, she aims to serve marginalized communities, particularly Black, Indigenous and People of Color, by ensuring their identities and linguistic backgrounds are acknowledged and respected in standardized testing and therapeutic practices.
Joanna (Liyi) Huang
M.A., Education (Secondary Education)
Graduate College of Education
Joanna Huang has had a full circle moment: She’s now teaching at the same school district she graduated from.
At age 13, Huang moved from China to San Francisco, graduating from Francisco Middle School and Washington High School, part of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). That’s where she participated in English Learner programs, finding solidarity and community among immigrants from around the world.
After earning a degree in Managerial Economics with a minor in Education from UC Davis, Huang received her single-subject credential in Math from SF State in 2022.
Huang is now back at SFUSD for a different reason: She’s in her second year of teaching seventh grade at James Denman Middle School. This school has served as the site for her field research study, which looked at math participation among seventh graders. The study was partly inspired by her experience getting her credential at SF State, which allowed her to see that students who do not yet feel confident in mathematics can experience greater engagement, confidence, fun and learning through groupwork.
The Golden Gate Xpress recently penned an article highlighting less familiar study spots at the SF State campus. Among these hidden treasures is our own Cahill Learning Resources and Media Lab.
The GCOE held its second College Meeting of the semester on Monday April 8. About 45 faculty and staff joined us in the Library for an hour of informative sharing. Starting the University’s 125th anniversary, we remembered our roots as a Normal School for training teachers started in 1899 and that evolved into a large university over that time. Our long-standing college is thus the heart of SF State, and will continue for many years. We heard updates on key program development, budget and schedule planning for 2024-25, and the Draft Resolution on Faculty Work Equity presented to the Academic Senate Executive Committee on February 21. If you’d like to see the slides, please send me an email and I’ll share the link.
Happily, the meeting ended outside in front of the Library with eclipse-viewing and lots of amazement and good fellowship.
And here’s our group photo! This might be the most people we’ve had in a photo in many years!
This week in Academic Senate, the former Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum got a new name: the Graduate Certificate in Autism Studies. This new name reflects the current terminology in autism communities, and better describes this program which requires 12 units and can be completed by students currently enrolled in a master’s degree program in SPED or in a related field at SFSU. Congratulations and gratitude to the Special Education Department for your commitment to this field, and for moving forward with this change.
Our Elementary Ed colleague Stephanie joined a panel of seven faculty who shared their books, all published in 2023. It was great to have teachers and teacher stories represented in that group, and to hear Stephanie share her experiences in putting this project together. Congratulations, Stephanie! Maria Zavala’s book was also featured on the table of faculty publications.
On Thursday, a group of AVID/STC Washington High School students visited SFSU with their Step to College instructor, Nicole Carrillo, and the AVID teacher at WHS, Mr. Steven Bonaccorso. They had a walking tour and then met in BH 170 for a presentation from EOP, led by Mr. Rudy Herrera, EOP coordinator and current ESJE MA student. Special shout out to Anarose Schelstrate for all her leadership!