COE students shine at SDSU Student Symposium
Four graduate students taking part in a virtual special session on Dual Language and Critical Multilingual Learner Education were among sixteen education-affiliated students honored at the 2025 SDSU Student Symposium (S³).
Held this year on Feb. 28, S³ is San Diego State University’s annual showcase of student discovery, innovation and creativity.
Initiated by graduate program coordinator and lecturer Tamara Collins-Parks to allow access for online students and focus on multilingual learners, the special session was a collaborative effort between the Department of Dual Language and English Learner Education and SDSU’s online Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Elementary and Secondary Education program.
All four presenters received awards, including mathematics and science education joint doctoral student Esperanza Ochoa, who was named the College of Education’s recipient of the President’s Award for her exploration of parental involvement in math education in minoritized communities. Ochoa will go on to represent SDSU at the California State University (CSU) Student Research Competition.
For Ochoa — a former high school teacher who conducts research as part of SDSU’s Center for Research into Mathematics and Science Education (CRMSE) and hopes to become a math education faculty member — the honor came as something of a surprise. She had entered S3 hoping to gain experience presenting in an academic setting but came away excited for the opportunity to collaborate with students from other programs who were focused on similar issues.
"You could tell everyone was talking about a topic that was close to their hearts," Ochoa said. "It definitely felt like we were addressing real world problems with the research that we were doing.
"It was really nice to see other people’s perspectives. Hopefully, there’s a chance for collaboration in the future."
Here is a full list of College of Education-affiliated S³ award winners, as well as other student winners mentored by COE faculty:
Education Award Winners
President’s Award
Esperanza Ochoa, MSED Joint Doctoral Program
Title: "Reality of Parental Involvement in Secondary Education in Mathematics Education In Two Local Schools Serving Minoritized Communities: Charter and Public"
Mentor: William Zahner, director, CRMSE
Provost’s Award
Leslie Castillo Lopez, M.A. in Dual Language and English Learner Education
Title: "Best Second Language Acquisition Practices: An Intersection Between Visual Art and Second Language Development"
Mentor: Sera Hernandez, associate professor and chair, DLE
Provost’s Award
Shaye Phung, Liberal Studies
Title: "Cultural Competency Preparedness-Student Readiness for Self-Actualization as an Undergraduate"
Mentor: Liz Buffington, program coordinator and lecturer, STE
Dean’s Award
Tasnim Alsidnawi, Online MAT: Elementary and Secondary Education
Title: "The Brightness of Education and UDL (Universal Design for Learning) to Better the Academic Experience of Newcomers"
Mentor: Tamara Collins-Parks, graduate program coordinator and lecturer, DLE
Dean’s Award
Wendy Verbyla, M.A. in Special Education with Behavior Analysis and Autism Concentration
Title: "The impact of ethnicity and preferred language on parent engagement in parent coaching interventions for toddlers with or at risk of Autism."
Mentor: Jessica Suhrheinrich, professor, SPED
Co-Mentor: Sarah Rieth, associate professor, CFD
Dean’s Award (Imperial Valley)
Neyda Hernandez, Liberal Studies; Adrian Guzman, Liberal Studies; Perla Soto-Urzua, English; and Alexia Reyes, English.
Title: "A Photovoice Collaborative Autoethnography: Exploring Transfronterizx College Students’ Intersections of Gender and Sense of Belonging at the Imperial Valley-Mexicali Borderlands"
Mentor: Vannessa Falcón Orta, assistant professor, SDSU Imperial Valley/STE
Library Award
Claudia Pruitt, Ed.D. in Educational Leadership (PK-12)
Title: "Transformative Teaching: Mentoring Preservice Secondary Math Teachers in Trauma-Informed Pedagogy"
Mentor: Kathleen Schenkel, assistant professor, STE
Library Award
Arwa Alkhawaja and Velia Huerta, Joint Ph.D. Program in Education
Title: "Examining the Impact of Racial Trauma on Mental Health in Minority Youth: A Quantitative Study on Racial Stress and Psychological Well-Being"
Mentor: Aaron Iffland, lecturer (JDP)
Undergrad Excellence
Stephania Uribe Garcia, Child Development
Title: "Rasquachismo: Leveraging the Resourcefulness of First Generation Latino Parents and their Contributions to their Children's Wellbeing"
Mentor: Wendy Ochoa, assistant professor, CFD
Other Winners Mentored by COE Faculty
Provost’s Award (Fowler College of Business)
Jahaziel Sanchez, Accounting Information Systems
Title: "The Role of Mentoring in a Community College Undergraduate Research Program"
Mentor: Marissa Vasquez, associate professor, ARPE
Research Award for Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice
Amy Zarate, English
Title: "Am I Being Served? A Critical Autoethnography by a Latina Transfer Student at a Hispanic Serving Institution"
Mentor: Marissa Vasquez, associate professor, ARPE
Arts Exhibit Award
Mary Gowen, Fine Arts
Title: "Decentering Social Norms: Neurodivergent Resistance in Art"
Mentor: Gillian Sneed, assistant professor, art history
Co-Mentor: Ana Dueñas, associate professor, SPED
You can support future Difference Makers by making a gift to the Student Research Support Fund.
