LAURA ALCANTRA
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Graduated: 2010 with a B.A. in Sociology – Social Welfare
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Further Education: Graduated in 2012 with a MSW from USC
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Currently Employed At: Full Service Partnership Therapist
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Areas of Interest: Mental health, family and children, child residential placement
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Most Useful Skills: Therapy and advocacy
Advice
Sociology/Social Work provides us with so many opportunities and journeys. Explore everything
that Sociology/Social Work offers; you will find your niche for sure.
JENIFER CASTANEDA
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Graduated: 2013 with a B.A. in Sociology
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Further Education: Enrolled at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs for an MSW
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Area of Interest: Social welfare, serving marginalized populations within L.A. County
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Current Projects: Assisting a fellow professor with their qualitative research in juvenile
and adult reentry
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Recent Conferences Attended: 11th Annual Statewide Conference for Integrating
Substance Use, Mental Health, and Primary Care Services in our Communities
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Internship: Office of the Medical Director as a Macro Social Work intern at the Los
Angeles County of Mental Health, a clinical intern at El Nido Family Services providing
individual therapy to children and families and served as a Domestic Abuse Response
Team Advocate in the San Fernando Valley
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Awards: Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health stipend for 2014-2015
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Most Useful Skills: My sociology degree has been particularly useful as a foundation
for my macro social work education. It has given me an understanding of how policies
inform direct practice at the micro level.
Advice
No matter what your ultimate educational or career goal, always make sure you are happy doing it.
Don’t compare yourself to others because each individual brings in unique perspectives that can be
appreciated.
NICK CHADWICK
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Graduated: 2014 with a M.A. in Sociology
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Areas of Interest: Social welfare, inequality, statistics, demographics
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Currently Employed At: Passenger Inc., a market research firm, as a Community
Manager. The job involves managing online communities and extracting
qualitative and quantitative data for analysis.
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Current Projects: I did an evaluation on the effectiveness of the Summer Youth
Employment Program for the City of Los Angeles.
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Recent Conferences Attended: The Pacific Sociological Association 2014
Conference
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Recent Publications: Evaluations as a Research Associate at CSUN
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Most Useful Skills: I use skills from all of my research methods courses. I have
had to use my interview skills as well as participant observation and moderation
of focus groups. I do data collection and SPSS statistical analysis daily.
Advice
Research your program before you enroll to make sure it highlights your interests. Also, there are some
great professors and staff who work in this program! Get to know them.
CELENE FULLER
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Graduated: Spring 2014 with a M.A. in Sociology
Further Education: Applying to PhD. programs in Fall 2016
Currently Employed At: Lecturer professor at CSUN, College of the Canyons and Pierce
College
Areas of Interest: Gender and sexuality, social psychology, sociology of education
Current Projects: Research into bisexuality and the perceptions of bisexuality from the
gay and straight communities as well as the experience of bisexual individuals
navigating through a society that views sexuality a gay/straight binary.
Recent Conferences Attended: California Sociological Association 2014 Conference,
Pacific Sociological Association 2015 Conference, and the American Sociological
Association 2014 Conference
Recent Presentations: “LGBT and the Silent ‘B’” at Idaho State University’s Gender,
Sexuality 2014 Conference, “LGBT and the Silent ‘B”: Attitudes and Perceptions of
Bisexuality as a Sexual Identity” at CSULA’s Gender, Sexuality and Power 2014
Conference and California Sociological Association 2014 Conference and Sexuality
2014 Conference and “LGBT and the Silent ‘B’: Navigating Bisexuality in a
Dichotomous World” at the Pacific Sociological Association 2015 Conference
Advice
Don’t be afraid to use secondary sources as reference material for understanding but use
primary sources for assignments and exams. Have study groups. Ask questions. Participate and
utilize office hours.
NELLY GARAYAN
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Graduated: 2013 Cum Laude with a B.A. in Sociology and minor in Psychology
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Further Education: Enrolled at Mount Saint Mary’s University
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Currently Employed At: Mount Saint Mary’s as a teaching assistant
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Areas of Interest: Family, culture and deviance
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Current Projects: Developing a research topic on cross-cultural aspects between
primary and college students
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Awards: Cum Laude at CSUN, Mount Saint Mary’s Dean’s List and Merit
Scholarship
Advice
Enjoy your classes, volunteer and enroll in diverse classes to explain your minds because sociology is
awesome and you learn something amazing every day. Sociology is a field for those who want to help
others and understand how society works and ways we can improve it.
ERIC MENDEZ
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Graduated: 2011 with a B.A. in Sociology
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Further Education: Law at Southwestern Law School
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Currently Employed At: The U.S. Army
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Areas of Interest: Political sociology
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Awards: Administrative appreciation award at work
Advice
Learn concrete skills that employers can use.
SHANAE RUSSELL
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Graduated: 2014 with a M.A. in Sociology
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Currently Employed At: A market research company
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Areas of Interest: Education, gender, race
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Most Useful Skills: SPSS, research and analytical skills
Advice
Take the pre-requisite theory classes if recommended for your Master’s degree and be
proactive.
ERICA SHANLEY (CHAVEZ)
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Graduated: 2010 with a B.A in Sociology
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Further Education: M.A. in Psychology with a focus on Marriage and Family
Therapy in 2012 from Brandman University of the Chapman University system
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Recent Conferences Attended: Santa Clarity Valley Mental Health Symposium
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Most Useful Skills: Statistics, data collection, analytic and critical thinking skills.
Also data and analysis reporting as well.
LORI KAMBOURIAN
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Graduated: 2012 with a B.A. in Sociology – Option 1
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Further Education: William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, MN
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Areas of Interest: Family, domestic violence, SES
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Internships: Participated in JusticCorps in Summer of 2013 and assisted a wide
range of pro se litigants with court forms
Advice
The best advice I can give someone in regards to sociology is to realize that what you are
learning in class is also happening outside of class. If you just sit at a table you will see
your classroom lectures come alive. Nothing is difficult about sociology; you just have to
be open to the idea.