Informed & Inspired

Meet Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk a local teacher and doctoral candidate in the Joint Ph.D. Program in Education between San Diego State University and Claremont Graduate University. In the latest installment of the COE Stories video series, learn about what she loves about the program as well as her research into student support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meet Angel Gonzalez, a doctoral student in the Ed.D. in Community College Leadership program. Learn about his passion for advancing equity and his dreams of a life in higher education in the first installment of the COE Stories video series.

Ghana seemed to offer everything Chasejamison Akilah Manar-Spears needed to clear her mind and break away from the San Diego State University campus for a while. And it did. As she connected with her roots, she developed a commitment to environmental and social justice that helped lead to her selection as SDSU’s Zahn Spirit of Innovation award recipient for 2020. Its effect on her life, however, is just beginning.

San Diego State University’s community has shown its true resilience during this unprecedented and difficult time in human history. Graduates from the Class of 2020, in particular, have risen to the challenge.

From Jan. 4-18, Obed Morales Betanzo was one of 20 San Diego State University students who visited Kathmandu, Nepal as part of a College of Education study abroad program. Led by Dr. Jacki Booth and Dr. Alyson Shapiro from the Department of Child and Family Development (CFD), the program explored both the Nepalese school system as well as historic and cultural sites. Below, Obed provides six observations on his perspective-altering experience in the Himalayas.