Carolyn Thomas, Provost and V.P. for Academic Affairs - January 21, 2021

01/29/21 • 54 min

A product of public schools — from kindergarten to Ph.D. — and a first-generation college graduate who calls CSUF her alma mater and second home, Dr. Thomas’s passion for equitable access to quality public education is matched only by her lifelong commitment to reinvest its transformative power in others. This is evident throughout her nearly 20-year career at UC Davis in myriad academic and administrative roles — from undergraduate faculty advisor, professor, and department chair in the Department of American Studies to Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education (UE). In her new role at Cal State Fullerton, Provost Thomas provides leadership for division student success initiatives and the planning and management of academic, instructional, and financial resources supporting teaching and scholarly activities.

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Cameron Cook, Veterans Resource Center - July 23, 2020

Cameron Cook enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on September 11th, 2001, where he served as an Aviation Logistics Technician in Okinawa, Japan; Camp Pendleton, California; and Al Asad, Iraq. After his Honorable Discharge in 2005, Cameron utilized several VA education programs including the Montgomery and Post 9/11 GI Bills, Work Study, and On the Job Training. This firsthand experience gave him an in-depth understanding of multiple benefits, which is the foundation for his veteran service career. Since separating from active duty, Cameron has spent the last fourteen years pursuing his passion of serving veterans and their families, and he currently serves as the Director of the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) at California State University Fullerton. With expertise in program oversight, student services, benefit advising, donor cultivation, community engagement, data management, and many veteran-specific areas such as employment, mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness, Cameron is an active and well-qualified leader of the VRC. Born in Kansas and a journeyman resident of nine states over his lifetime, Cameron’s path to CSUF is chock full of soul-enriching life experience and adventures. Take a listen as Fram and Matt dive into a terrific conversation with this husband, father, veteran, creative writer, and proud Titan leader of our VRC – Cameron Cook!

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Asha Bhattacharya, President's Scholar and Business Marketing Student - February 25, 2021

Asha Bhattacharya is a President’s Scholar as well as a University Honors and Business Honors student at Cal State Fullerton. Poised to graduate Summa Cum Laude this spring with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Marketing and a Minor in Psychology, Asha is currently conducting her Honors Senior Thesis on the relationship between mindset and leadership emergence in class settings, and has been selected to present her findings at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Throughout her time at CSUF, Asha has taken on myriad leadership roles, including serving as a Senior Resident Advisor, the Executive Director of Media Marketing for the Business Honors Program, the Programs Director for the Resident Student Association, and the VP of Public Relations for the Business Honors Program. Asha’s most meaningful area of impact with the university is also the avenue by which she met President Virjee: her dedication to provide CSUF students with better mental health care. In 2019, President Virjee appointed her to represent the university at the American Council on Education’s Mental Health Summit in New Orleans where she advocated for more accessible mental health resources for all CSU students. Upon graduation, Asha will begin a full-time position working for Amazon, but her leadership and legacy will continue to shine at her alma mater.