SEPAL Alumni – Grad Student ’14-23
Elleanor Pangilinan, 2021-23Current Position, Title, & Institution Program Lead for Early College Programs & Adjunct Instructor, Contra Costa College What are you up to now professionally? I teach and coordinate programs that support high school and community college students in accessing and navigating higher education and am in the process of putting together my first manuscript for publication on the experiences of faculty of color in biology (fingers crossed!). What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? There are many tools and strategies that I have been able to learn and practice as a part of SEPAL that have shaped how I can help create safe, accessible, and equitable spaces; Structure Matters is one that I’m using most lately! |
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Francisco Sanchez-Vasquez, 2021-23Current Position, Title, & Institution Adjunct Professor, Biology (Microbiology), Chaffey College & Adjunct Professor, Biology (Anatomy & Physiology) San Bernardino Valley College What are you up to now professionally? I am glad to state that I reached my goal right after graduating from the SEPAL lab at SFSU and am now a biology educator at community colleges. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I continue using the 21 teaching strategies, given that they are simple to implement in my classes, and I continuously try to implement many active learning strategies. (: |
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Katherine White, 2021-23Current Position, Title, & Institution Staff Ecologist, M.S., Live Oak Associates, Inc. What are you up to now professionally? I work for an ecological consulting firm, where I write biological reports, conduct site assessments, and survey for special status plants and animals. I really enjoy getting outside to conduct surveys and collaborating with my multi-talented colleagues. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I use several skills I honed while at SEPAL, so it is hard to pick just one! A few of the skills I use frequently from my time at SEPAL are breaking big projects into manageable pieces, and asking open-ended rather than yes-no questions which has allowed me to learn more from others, both professionally and personally. |
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Lucia Hau, 2020-23Current Position, Title, & Institution Undergraduate Academic Advisor, UC Davis What are you up to now professionally? I am an academic advisor at UCD, aiding students in navigating higher education. Additionally, I contribute to the assessment team within our department, where I analyze the effectiveness of programs and services related to advising. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? During my time at SEPAL, I’ve acquired numerous tools, but the most significant lesson pertains to my approach to data analysis. I’ve developed the ability to think critically about the questions I aim to explore, reflect on the results, and determine the most effective way to present those findings to a broader audience. |
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Dianna Cazarez, 2019-21Current Position, Title, & Institution Science and Engineering Division, Evaluation Research Assistant II at WestEd, a non-profit education agency What are you up to now professionally? My work at WestEd consists of contributing to third-party evaluations of Science & Engineering projects providing formative and summative feedback specific to the clients context. Currently, I support efforts in evaluating two NASA projects and several NSF funded projects that aim to enhance math, science, and computer science in K-8th grade. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I ensure that any space that I’m in is one that is inclusive and feels safe for people to show up as their authentic self and know that I am there to support them in any way I can. |
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Jarred Dela Cruz, 2019-21Current Position, Title, & Institution Assistant Professor at Sierra College What are you up to now professionally? Teaching Human Physiology at Sierra College and undergoing the tenure process. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? From my time at SEPAL, I continue to implement active learning strategies and formative assessments in my courses. |
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Maria José Pastor, 2019-21Current Position, Title, & Institution Biology Course Development Specialist, MS, Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley What are you up to now professionally? As a curriculum developer for the Discovery Program, I plan and facilitate workshops to engage faculty to be part of our program. After the workshops, I support and collaborate with them to transform their classrooms to be more student-led based. This includes but isn’t limited to creating student learning assessments, student facing rubrics, etc. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? There are a few things that I still continue to use, first being the 21 teaching strategies. I particularly use these as I plan and facilitate the workshops, or I pass it onto faculty. Secondly, creating, coding, and quantifying qualitative and quantitative assessments, and finally but certainly not least passing on the importance of language and how much it matters, regardless of whether you are giving a presentation, or just having a quick talk with a colleague. |
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Katharine (Kate) Gelinas, 2018-20Current Position, Title, & Institution Full-Time Biology Instructor, Spokane Community College What are you up to now professionally? Working with students across the Spokane area in introductory biology courses, preparing them for Allied Health programs and careers or transfer to 4-year biology programs. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I use so many things from my time at SEPAL: my professional connections (SEPAL People are awesome!), how to write an effective email, 21 strategies to promote equity and the 5E method, and the skills and confidence to advocate for equitable and evidence-based teaching practices. |
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Parinaz (Pari) Lajevardi, 2018-19Current Position, Title, & Institution Training Specialist – VA Palo Alto Health Care System What are you up to now professionally? Updating and maintaining the orientation training programs for new employees. Also, updating other trainings to include more active learning components. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I still use the 5E model and try to implement as many active learning strategies that I learned at SEPAL. |
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Berenice (Alex) Cabrera, 2018-20Current Position, Title, & Institution Adjunct Biology Faculty at Cañada College What are you up to now professionally? I will be attending the University of Michigan to pursue a Ph.D. in Higher Education. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I still use the 5E model and many of the 21 teaching strategies. |
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Benjamin Nelson, 2018-20Current Position, Title, & Institution Full Time Professor and Program Director of the Natural History and Sustainability Program at Merritt College What are you up to now professionally? I’m working on strengthening our program’s ability to train our students to become good job candidates while making my courses more applicable and accessible for all students. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I use organizational, interpersonal, logistical, pedagogical, and more skills that I was trained on and honed during my time at SEPAL. I don’t think I would be successful in my position without the innumerable skills gained there. |
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Joseph See, 2016-17Current Position, Title, & Institution Freelance What are you up to now professionally? Working on scientific/conservation storytelling mostly by film, collaborating with several organizations/production companies to film nature documentaries. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I continue to embrace the ethos of evaluating audience understanding of concepts when I do educational presentations. |
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Analisa Brown, 2015-17Current Position, Title, & Institution PhD student in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis What are you up to now professionally? I work as a graduate student researcher (GSR) with the Graduate Studies department at UCD and a TA position with Career Discovery Groups, a career and college success program for first year students through the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at UCD. My research centers the voices, needs, experiences, and stories of triumph of Black college students in science and science related fields. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I continue to use the worksheets (eg. 21 Teaching strategies) and resources I received from the SEPAL summer institute. |
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Derik Gonzalez, 2015-17Current Position, Title, & Institution Assistant, Office Services at Bain & Company What are you up to now professionally? I am working in facilities management and office administration at a management consulting firm. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I am constantly using the 5-E model in my team meetings, especially now that everything has gone virtual because of the pandemic. |
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Melissa Richard, 2015-16Current Position, Title, & Institution Artist What are you up to now professionally? I create art inspired by my studies of ecology and mysticism and share resources on recovering creative power. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? Thinking and teaching like a scientist supports my creative endeavors by reminding me to engage with good questions, evaluate data and reflect on my results, and approach life with an appreciation for the value in exploring and experimenting. |
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John Rodriguez, 2014-16Current Position, Title, & Institution Full-Time Biology Instructor, Merritt College What are you up to now professionally? Working currently as the Guided Pathways Pillar 4 (Ensuring Learning) Lead at Merritt College and an active member of the Professional Development Committee. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? The thing I use the most from SEPAL is wait time after posing a question to students! |
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Tiffy Nguyen, 2014-16Current Position, Title, & Institution Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Biology, Mesa College, San Diego, CA What are you up to now professionally? I am a Human Anatomy and Physiology lead at Mesa College. What do you continue to use most from your time at SEPAL? I use Instructor Talk to encourage a sense of belonging and community in my courses and Think-Pair-Shares to give students the opportunity to talk about science. |