Cal State San Marcos has earned the prestigious Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment and more intentionally serve Latinx students.
The honor was announced Tuesday by Excelencia in Education, the nation’s premier authority on efforts to accelerate Latinx student success in higher education.
CSUSM is one of only 17 colleges and universities to earn the Seal of Excelencia in 2024. In 2018, Excelencia introduced the seal to certify colleges and universities for their efforts to become learning environments where Latinx, and all, students thrive. This year marks the organization’s 20th year of service to accelerate Latinx student success in higher education.
The Seal of Excelencia framework represents a rigorous assessment of certified institutions’ intentionality and impact in improving outcomes such as retention, financial support and degree completion for Latinx students by aligning efforts across data, practice and leadership. Seal certification remains valid for three years, after which institutions can recertify progress.
“I am incredibly proud that CSUSM earned the Seal of Excelencia, a testament to our commitment to Latinx success,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. “This recognition reflects the collective efforts of over 40 campus partners, and I’m deeply grateful to our students, faculty and staff for their dedication in making CSUSM a truly Hispanic-serving institution.
Neufeldt was set to join other higher education, business, philanthropy and government leaders in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to recognize CSUSM and the seven other institutions that earned the Seal of Excelencia for the first time, as well as nine institutions that earned recertification. The announcement was part of Excelencia in Education’s National Policy Forum, focused on innovating policies to accelerate Latinx degree attainment and strengthen America’s civic leadership and workforce.
“The colleges and universities that earn the Seal of Excelencia lead the charge in meeting our nation’s degree attainment goals,” said Deborah Santiago, co-founder and CEO of Excelencia of Education. “They demonstrate commitment to Latino student success through impact and ongoing self-assessment.”
CSUSM joins a collective of 46 colleges and universities that have earned the Seal of Excelencia. Together, they represent less than 1% of all institutions but enroll 17% and graduate 19% of all Latinx students nationwide.
Along with CSUSM, the seven other newly certified Seal of Excelencia institutions are Cal State East Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, Cerritos College, Hartnell College, Pima Community College (Tucson, Ariz.), San Francisco State and Sul Ross State (Alpine, Texas).
The nine recertified Seal of Excelencia institutions are Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, Miami Dade College, San Diego State, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, UC Merced, UC Riverside, University of Central Florida, Wilbur Wright College (Chicago).
Before CSUSM earned the Seal of Excelencia, Neufeldt made the decision to join Excelencia’s national network of Presidents for Latino Student Success (P4LSS). The network comprises over 200 higher education leaders committed to making their institutions learning environments where Latinx students thrive. Institutions in the P4LSS network are eligible to apply for the seal.
CSUSM has made significant strides since achieving federal Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) status in 2010 with 27% Latinx enrollment. Latinx students now comprise 52% of CSUSM's undergraduate population, with 54.5% of undergraduate students being the first in their families to pursue higher education and 46% being Pell Grant recipients.
Among CSUSM's programs and practices that promote Latinx student success are:
- College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which serves first-year students from migrant/seasonal farmworker backgrounds and enrolls nearly 50 Latinx students annually while recruiting hundreds more through outreach efforts.
- National Latino Research Center, which advances knowledge of Latinx populations through nationally recognized initiatives serving immigrant, migrant, farmworker and bilingual communities. It helps attract and retain Latinx faculty, administrators and staff while offering internship and research opportunities to students.
- Cougar Pantry, which provides free groceries weekly, including nonperishable goods, produce, dairy products and personal hygiene items. It supports thousands of Latinx students and their families each year.
- Latinx Center, which works to promote equity, a sense of belonging and cultural empowerment.
- Spanish-speaking family orientations, which welcome incoming Latinx students and their parents.
CSUSM will celebrate its achievement of the Seal of Excelencia when it holds its annual HSI Summit on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Open to the campus community, the hybrid event will include a presentation on the university’s journey to earning the seal and a fireside chat with campus leadership.
Learn more about CSUSM’s Seal of Excelencia application process and other campus efforts supporting Latinx students here.
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- Resident Director, CTREE Director Receive Neufeldt AwardsPaola Romo and Denise Garcia were honored with the Anne Neufeldt Staff Hero Award and the Harvey Neufeldt Faculty Hero Award, respectively, during the annual Campus Heroes event on Thursday. The awards honor a staff and a faculty member for their contribution toward the achievement of the university's mission and demonstrated service to the campus community. Romo, the resident director of North Commons, previously worked at campus housing during her time as a student at CSUSM. She was a resident adviser in CSUSM Housing & Residential Education in 2016, and a senior RA for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years. During that time, Romo led conversations and programs that focused on personal development and cultural differences. In 2021, Romo returned to CSUSM as resident director of North Commons, the first-year-only on-campus housing. She works alongside the Residential Learning Communities and Residential Peer Mentors (RPM) and, through her personal approach, encourages them to become trusted mentors who help develop a stronger community. Romo recognized the need for intentional engagement and crafted initiatives that helped improve the RPM program and empower students to thrive academically and personally. Garcia, a biology professor and the director of CTREE, has brought in millions of dollars in external funding to CSUSM. In addition, she is an effective grant writer and offers formal and informal training for junior faculty on grant writing and acquisition of external funding. Garcia seeks out grants and other forms of support to ensure that students are supported through mentoring, access to resources and that they receive funding to support their research and education. Garcia supports undergraduate students by helping them with networking opportunities and by providing funding through her training grants, allowing students and their mentors to attend conferences to help advance students' professional development. Garcia’s work and the work of CTREE was recently recognized by the National Institutes of Health where CSUSM was recognized along with nine other universities as recipients for Institutional Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Volleyball Standout Excels After Overcoming ChallengesEver since Cal State San Marcos student-athlete Jada Blake was 6 years old, the volleyball court had been her sanctuary — a place where family issues and everyday struggles could fade into the background, leaving just her and the game. That was, until she reached her freshman year of high school. Quickly, the court she loved so much became a source of distress, and Blake found herself faced with her biggest opponent yet: depression. “I stopped caring about volleyball,” Blake said. “I even ended up not finishing club that year. I was just going through a lot mentally and couldn’t continue having that pressure on my shoulders.” Blake began skipping school to cope with her loss of motivation and overwhelming anxiety. She no longer had the desire to connect with her peers and spent most of her time isolated from loved ones. As Blake disappeared inside of herself, she found it increasingly difficult to face the outside world. “My house was walking distance from school, so my mom would drop me off and I would just walk back home once she was at work,” Blake said. “I didn’t want to be at school. I knew I would just go to the bathroom and cry.” Blake was raised in a single-parent household. Her father, who died in July 2023, was not in the picture due to addiction issues, so Blake grew up surrounded by her mom, older sister and younger brother. Having only each other to rely on, they became a team, always ready to support one another. As Blake’s streak of unexcused absences continued to grow, her mom learned of the situation from Blake’s high school counselor. Taken aback by her daughter acting so out of character, she knew it was time to intervene. “Jada’s freshman year was a struggle,” said Brianna Becker, Blake’s mom. “I would get that automated phone call every day at 4 p.m. saying your child missed class. There were even times I left work early and would find her at home. So, I started staying at home more and going into work late. Anything I could to make sure she went to school. “As a young single mom with no child support, it was just us most of the time. I feel like I grew up with them. I always want my kids to be open with me, and I feel like they can come to me about anything in the world. If there’s something I can’t do for them, we’ll figure it out together.” Blake’s first year of high school progressed, and with the help of her family, she started to throw herself back into school and social activities. As she regained a sense of motivation, she felt ready to resume her athletic pursuits as well. Her sophomore year, she kickstarted a long-standing reunion with the court and concluded the last three years of her high school sports career on a high, playing on varsity and being a candidate for league player of the year. Unfortunately, when it came time to explore colleges, her volleyball recruiting process was derailed by the pandemic. During such a time of uncertainty, it was practical for Blake to stay with family and attend community college in her hometown of Phoenix. There, she gained a strong foothold on her academics and started to feel confident in her schoolwork. “In high school, academics didn’t come naturally to me,” Blake said. “I always felt discouraged in that realm. I knew that I wanted to go to college, and while my sister had academic scholarships that were taking her there, I didn’t have that. I only had volleyball, and I had left it for a time. “You don’t realize when you’re super young that just one semester of making the wrong decisions and not prioritizing the right things can throw a lot of opportunities down the drain. My sophomore, junior and senior year were mainly just focused on fixing my freshman year. “But I’m actually very happy that I started with community college because it helped me with the transition from high school to university. Those two years in junior college taught me so much about how I could excel as a first-generation student athlete. In fact, that first semester after the pandemic was my first semester ever getting straight A’s.” When it came time for Blake to transfer to a four-year college, she was introduced to CSUSM’s head volleyball coach, Andrea Leonard. It felt like an instant connection between the two, and Blake knew she had found the school for her. As she made the plunge and moved to California last fall, she felt like she could finally breathe. She had earned her scholarship and could now play volleyball while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication. Blake’s freshman year of high school was no longer a regretful memory, but a marker of her resilience and ability to overcome any challenge thrown her way. “I knew Jada was going to be an impactful player in our program,” Leonard said. “She really embodies all the core values that we look for, someone who is resilient, accountable and driven. She has this energy that bounces off the team and brings joy to everyone around her.” Blake lives with her great aunt, a local volleyball legend in the San Diego area, and her great aunt’s daughter, a fellow volleyball player. Although she was initially anxious about moving away from her family and falling back into old habits, Blake found a second home, dubbed “the volleyball house,” where she is excitedly taking on this new journey and staying on top of her volleyball and academic commitments. After her freshman year, Blake learned the importance of seeking outside help when needed. She now stays on top of her mental health by meeting with a therapist and talking with her family every day. They are her biggest supporters and regularly make the six-hour drive to San Marcos to watch her games. Knowing she can always count on her family to be by her side, Blake feels like she can overcome any barrier that stands in her path, mental or physical. “I just love watching her play,” Becker said. “I’m so proud of her and so happy that she’s in the position that she is in now. Seeing how far she has come and how things have turned around for her — it makes me emotional. At the end of the day, there’s going to be things in life that knock you down, but you have to pick yourself back up and fight for something that you are truly passionate about. And she did. And she has so much more to look forward to.” Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- Student Vet Finds Purpose at CSUSM, in Veterans CenterClayton McCabe never thought that college would be in his future. Not when he graduated from high school and decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. Not when he exited several years later and found himself rudderless without the structure provided by the military. Not while he worked a series of odd jobs and dabbled in multiple blue-collar professions. McCabe figured that he was destined to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both of whom were lifelong construction workers. “I thought that I was going to do some kind of manual labor,” McCabe said. “I was like, ‘I can’t do college. I’m not smart enough.’ ” That mentality prevailed until the end of 2021 when, feeling like he was out of viable options, McCabe elected to use his GI Bill benefits and enroll at Palomar College. Three years and a transfer to Cal State San Marcos later, he has arrived at the definitive conclusion that college is indeed for him. A senior, McCabe is on track to graduate next spring with a degree in human development. His grade-point average at CSUSM is 3.9 – a vast improvement over the 1.7 he recorded in high school – and he has made the dean’s list every semester. McCabe, though, has found his most meaning and purpose outside of the classroom. Continuing the work he started at Palomar, he was hired as a student assistant in the Epstein Family Veterans Center through the federal work-study program before being promoted to a School Certifying Official (SCO). An SCO acts as the middleman between a university and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In that role, McCabe helps CSUSM student veterans or the dependents of veterans access the VA benefits that they’re entitled to, in the process working frequently with the offices of Financial Aid and Student Financial Services. He also serves as a de factor academic adviser, assisting military-affiliated students with course selection and scheduling. “This is the best job I've ever had, and I've had a lot of jobs,” he said. “I get to work with veterans all day. I get to work with veteran families. And I like working at a college.” Christopher Ramirez, the interim assistant director of Veterans Services, met McCabe when the latter was a Palomar student expressing a desire to transfer to CSUSM. Impressed by McCabe’s passion for supporting fellow veterans, Ramirez tapped him for the work-study role, then bumped him up to SCO when his experience with Palomar’s veterans center allowed him to outshine his peers. “To be successful as an SCO, you need to have a desire to help people, which Clay has,” Ramirez said. “He truly cares for people and goes above and beyond to help students, from talking to them about applying, to assisting them with signing up for classes, to discussing benefits with them.” McCabe, 28, is the youngest of three boys in a family from Kansas City, Mo. After high school, he tried a local community college for a few weeks but disliked it so much that he dropped out in favor of the Marines in 2015. He attended boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego and underwent combat and job training at Camp Pendleton, where he learned how to be the crewman of an amphibious assault vehicle, 26-ton tanks that can carry 23 Marines and float in the water. He went on two deployments – neither to combat zones, to his great relief – and traveled to 10 different countries during his time in active duty. “I got to see a lot of the world,” McCabe said. “I’ve been to the Arctic Circle. I’ve been past the equator. I’ve seen the Northern Lights. I got to go through the Suez Canal. I’ve done a lot.” McCabe not only saw the world through the Marines, he also met his future wife in the military, at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. McCabe married his wife, Sydnee, in 2017, he retired from the Marines two years later, and Sydnee remained in until last February. The couple moved to Temecula in 2019, only a few months after McCabe’s exit, and his transition out the military was daunting. There was a stint in HVAC school. There was a period working as a pipefitting apprentice on a huge construction site in Riverside. There was a dalliance with becoming a police officer or sheriff’s deputy. There were jobs with UPS, Home Depot and a fitness center. What there wasn’t, however, was a clear sense of direction or mission. That came about when McCabe discovered higher education, and specifically CSUSM. And in two more developments that younger Clay couldn’t have imagined, he’s hoping to stay in the Veterans Center as a full-time SCO after graduation, then begin a two-year Master of Sociological Practice program next fall. Make that three developments: He and Sydnee had their first child, a daughter named Mia, in May. “I get a huge dopamine rush whenever I am able to help people,” he said. “Whenever I talk to somebody in my job and they have no idea what they are entitled to, I'm like, ‘Yeah, you can use this. Your kids’ stuff can be completely paid for.’ And you just see in their face that this changes everything.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- Lightning Strikes: Alumni Transform Passion for Helping Others Into Growing VR EnterpriseMurchison Falls National Park is a safari park in Uganda that boasts some of the best wildlife in the world, home to 76 different species of mammals and 451 species of birds. It’s located more than 9,000 miles from California, and a multiday safari there costs many thousands of dollars. On a Thursday afternoon in mid-February, a group of residents at the Bayshire Carlsbad assisted living facility made the exotic trip for free when white virtual reality headsets were placed over their faces. “You better hold on to your seat!” a resident named Jim Conley exclaimed as he craned his neck back and forth and spotted elephants, gorillas and monkeys in his field of vision, with a spectacular mountain range as the backdrop. “Boy, that is one pretty picture.” While Conley, seated in the first row of chairs, grew increasingly enmeshed in the virtual paradise around him, Jeremy Ford walked among the couple dozen other residents on hand for the VR session, carefully fitting them with their own headsets. Nearby, Tracy Ford, Jeremy’s wife, chatted with a couple of the residents as if they were old friends. After the safari experience, the residents hopped on a (virtual) plane and traveled to Cuba, then to Argentina and South Africa. A little less than an hour later, they were back at Bayshire, their eyes transfixed, their spirits lifted. “Every month when they come, I’m one of the first people out there,” said Conley, 72, a former boxer who has trouble walking now. “We saw a lot of cool stuff today. How often do you get to be that close to an elephant? After a while, you have to remind yourself that it’s not real.” That type of transporting experience is just what Jeremy Ford himself went through three years ago when, on an ordinary shopping trip to Best Buy with his wife, he strapped on a VR headset and found himself soaring over the Golden Gate Bridge like an eagle. Jeremy is a technophile who always has been an early adopter when it comes to electronic gadgets – he has waited in line for multiple iterations of the iPhone – and this would be no exception. Tracy bought him an Oculus Quest 2 for his birthday, only a year after it had been released. Neither Jeremy nor Tracy studied business as students at Cal State San Marcos – Tracy graduated with a degree in criminology and justice studies in 2007, Jeremy with a degree in sociology in 2015 – but both possess an entrepreneurial bent that sees them frequently bounce ideas off each other. Here was a golden business idea staring them in the face: the opportunity to combine Jeremy’s technological savvy with Tracy’s interpersonal skills and their mutual desire to help people. Following a year dedicated to research and development, the Fords purchased 20 of the Quest 2 VR devices and in October 2022 launched Lightning Tours (the name was inspired by their son, Colton, now 5, and his love of the character Lightning McQueen from the Pixar film “Cars”). They considered multiple demographics as their target audience before deciding that senior living facilities made the most sense. “It started out with just putting on a headset, experiencing it for ourselves and wanting to share that with others,” Jeremy Ford said. “We’ve always had a passion for helping others and putting a smile on people’s faces. And that’s what we do, day in and day out.” Almost two years after the company was formed, Lightning Tours still hasn’t spent a penny on marketing. In the early days, the Fords pitched their concept to multiple facilities in North San Diego County by giving free virtual tours, and they gradually attracted paying customers by positive word of mouth. Now, they have grown to almost 40 VR experiences per month, and in total have given more than 500 throughout Southern California. As the tech guru, Jeremy handles the VR side of the business – buying and maintaining the headsets, selecting and loading the proprietary travel software, rigging the equipment so that it’s as comfortable and user-friendly as possible for an older clientele. He also has used his background in sales to drum up more customers, and he has personally directed all but one of the VR sessions (the single exception was when he had to travel for a funeral). Tracy, meanwhile, shoots photos and videos for the company’s social media channels while also taking the lead on communication with the residents of the facilities. “I try to build relationships with the seniors,” Tracy said. “I’m more of an emotional person, so I like to come in and see how they’re doing, how their day is going while he’s getting everything set up. I’d say he’s the brains of the operation, and I’m maybe more heart. “Although,” she added with a smile, “he does have heart.” Most of Lightning Tours’ clients value its service so much that they have booked standing monthly experiences. Each time, the tour is to a different country or region of the world – with rare exceptions, the destinations are places that the seniors are incapable of traveling to at this point in their lives. The effect can be powerful. Jeremy recalls a woman at a facility in Irvine who was initially reluctant to participate before he convinced her to give it a try. She agreed and sat quietly for the whole hour, turning her head in every direction. After the tour of Paris ended and Jeremy removed her headset, he saw that she was crying. When he asked her what was wrong, she related that her husband had died a few months earlier and that the sights during the tour brought back exhilarating memories of their frequent trips to the City of Light as a couple. “It was a moment that will stick out forever in terms of being able to provide that to her,” Jeremy said. “We want to bring joy to people, connect them to something that they might not otherwise be able to connect with, whether it’s the technology or whether it's the location.” Residents have been known to clap when the Fords enter the facility each month and to cheer after the experience. Some sites have introduced passport books, with seniors receiving stamps when they visit a new country. Olah Tupuola, the resident program director at Bayshire Carlsbad, said Lightning Tours has been a “transformative program” since the Fords first came to the center last September. “Their professionalism and kindness have made a significant impact on our community,” Tupuola said. “With Lightning Tours, the concept of a vacation is redefined, as residents can explore the world virtually, often while reliving cherished memories.” Jeremy and Tracy Ford are accidental entrepreneurs in more ways than one. A San Marcos native who’s the son of a Marine, Jeremy transferred to CSUSM from Palomar College and played on the first men’s basketball team in university history, coached by Jim Saia. He aspired to go to law school after graduation but ended up working in sales, first for a law firm and then for two large national life insurance companies. Tracy grew up in Oceanside and hoped to parlay her criminology degree into a career in law enforcement. But she graduated into a poor labor market caused by the 2007 recession and instead took a job in finance for 24 Hour Fitness. Unfulfilled by it, she transitioned into a role as a personal trainer for the same business. In fact, Tracy and Jeremy met at a 24 Hour Fitness gym, and they got married seven years ago. Both feeling boxed in by their corporate environments, they tried to turn a couple of their other late-night brainstorms into businesses, but nothing took off. Then came the fateful visit to Best Buy. Not that the birth of Lightning Tours came without hurdles. For the first 10 months of the company’s existence, Jeremy kept his full-time position at Ethos Life Insurance. “But there came a point where my wife was driving me to tours and I was working in the passenger seat, trying to do both jobs,” Jeremy said. “It was like, ‘OK, this isn’t sustainable. We’ve got to figure something out.’ ” That something was his decision to leave Ethos and dedicate himself fully to the startup in August 2023, which was accompanied by a different challenge in terms of the loss of his monthly paycheck. Jeremy called it a big leap of faith that makes him anxiety-ridden just by thinking about it. “They say it’s not easy to start a business, and they weren’t lying,” Tracy said. “But now we know exactly what to tell future entrepreneurs: If you think you’re ready to quit your job, wait at least six months, then do it.” Almost all of Lightning Tours’ clients are assisted living facilities, but the Fords have dipped their toes into other waters as well. They have brought their VR experiences to a few different daycare and after-school programs in the region, allowing children the same opportunity to see distant lands as the seniors get. This summer, they introduced a travel tour called “Around the World in Five Weeks” to the Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast Area in San Clemente, with passports and stamps for the kids to document their adventures. They also are in the process of getting approved by the San Marcos Unified School District to offer tours in local schools. Some of the sessions don’t even involve virtual travel. Lightning Tours has conducted some guided meditation experiences for the sales departments of businesses or for employees of high-stress jobs, such as firefighters and police officers. “Brick by brick, we’re building those partnerships,” Jeremy said. Yet the senior population remains the Fords’ primary focus, which makes sense given that there are more than 50,000 facilities for assisted living and memory care in California and they have been to only about 50 of them. The company’s growth continues apace. Lightning Tours has two other partial owners (unpaid for now) specializing in partnerships and strategic innovation, and it’s on the verge of hiring an employee to run some of the tours and free Jeremy up to source more business. Last spring, the Fords bought 20 more Quest 2 headsets (the company is now owned by Meta, Facebook’s parent), doubling their inventory, and deployed them in the Inland Empire through a licensing agreement with a couple who lives there. “I think this will go as far as we can take it,” Jeremy said. “We’ve done things strategically because if we grow too fast, the base can be flimsy and it can all fall apart. But thinking big picture, Lightning Tours could be national, it could be in every state, every big city. “Where we are now is trying to put the pieces together, get this technology out there and in the hands of as many seniors as possible. We want to provide high-quality experiences and the joy of travel, get them outside of those four walls that they’re in daily.” Jeremy and Tracy Ford Major at CSUSM: Jeremy, sociology; Tracy, criminology and justice studies Graduation year: Tracy, 2007; Jeremy, 2015 Company: Lightning Tours Website: lightningtours.co Founded: 2022 Number of employees: Four Talking Business With Jeremy Ford What's the best advice you received about starting a business? Have goals. Having goals gives you strategic direction, and if you don't have them, you'll be spinning your wheels. When you have those goals, it enables you to focus on the main categories that will be the catalyst for your business moving forward. What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs? Be prepared for long hours, a lot of late nights. On those late nights, it can seem like you're on an island by yourself. What we learned the hard way is that having a team is very important – bringing others in to help support certain aspects of the business. Your reach expands when you let other people in to help. What's the greatest challenge in starting your own business? If you already have a full-time job, it can be difficult to decipher when it's time to quit and give your business the full attention. Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? I would have waited longer to quit my full-time job. And I would have focused more heavily on the revenue-producing aspects of the business. Even though we do have quite a robust product now, there were times when we were building it up where the churn was at a higher rate than the income that was coming in. What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur? I can sum that up in one word: perseverance. If you do not have perseverance, you will not be an entrepreneur; you will go back into the workforce within months. If you have the ability to persevere, the ability to plan things out and execute that plan, you have a much better chance of being an entrepreneur for longer than just a few months. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- Scoop Dreams: Alumna Turns Childhood Memories Into BusinessFor Juliana Ortiz, ice cream is more than just a dessert. Ortiz still gets nostalgic recalling childhood trips to Rite Aid to grab Thrifty’s ice cream with her parents. Her go-to flavor was chocolate, and it brought her comfort every time she ate it. Ortiz cherished the little things. Going for chocolate ice cream with her mom and dad may have seemed ordinary to others. But for her, growing up in a low-income family, it was always a special moment. “Ice cream was always a reward,” Ortiz said. “I had to do something good to get it. Every time I had ice cream, it was always that sense of accomplishing something, even if it was something small.” Now, as a business owner, Ortiz looks for special moments like these through customers at her own ice cream shop. Entrepreneurship was never something on her radar, but that changed at Cal State San Marcos. It was a combination of fond memories of eating ice cream with her family and realizing that ice cream shops have the happiest clientele. “No one goes to an ice cream shop angry, right?” Ortiz said. “Customers are either really happy because they're with family or friends or they've had a really bad day and they want a pick-me-up.” Since graduating from CSUSM in 2018 with a degree in marketing, Ortiz has launched a successful ice cream business, Cali Cream, with her husband, Ken Schulenburg. Ortiz has helped craft 55 different flavors, including her childhood favorite, chocolate. Quality is paramount. Cali Cream ice cream is made with 16% butterfat, compared with an average of 12% for most ice cream companies. “We get it shipped from the farm to us within seven days,” Ortiz said. “It's only seven days from cow to cone.” Since opening steps from Moonlight Beach in Encinitas in 2016, Cali Cream has expanded to include a bakery and a second ice cream location in San Diego’s downtown Gaslamp Quarter. Cali Cream also has been featured at special events like Comic-Con International and concerts at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. “I don't know if there was ever a moment where the lightbulb went off,” Ortiz said, “but I think there are times where you're in a place in your life where you just say, ‘Hey, I want to do something different.’ ” Ortiz came to CSUSM looking for a change, intending to create a better life for her daughter, Leslie. When she was 16, Ortiz learned that she was pregnant. Telling her parents was difficult, and she didn’t want them to be disappointed in her or think it would keep her from having a successful future. “It was extremely hard,” she said. “You never want to disappoint your parents. And you never want to do anything that they think might hold you back. Sometimes kids make mistakes. I've learned from it, but I think I've turned it around. I also believe that there are certain things that just kind of happen for a reason, and I feel like she's my biggest motivator. We’ve grown up together.” Leslie was born prematurely, weighing just 4 pounds. Ortiz was facing adult responsibilities at a young age, but Leslie was a constant source of inspiration and motivation. “At that time, it was so difficult to try to navigate everything,” Ortiz said. “But I ended up just striving forward again. I'm not going to be a statistic. I'm not going to let something like that hold me back. I needed to give my family – and I needed to give my daughter – a good example.” When Ortiz was introduced to Rebeca Perren, a CSUSM marketing professor and former faculty mentor in the College of Business Administration’s mentorship program, she was clear that going back to school at age 30 was all for Leslie. And Perren was excited by the possibility of helping Latina students because when she was a student, she rarely saw people like her in the classroom. “I wanted to help students who were like me,” Perren said. “And just by chance, Juliana was the student who was assigned to me. I got to know Juliana and her story, not just as a first-generation college student, but as a mother. She had a teenage daughter and she wanted to get her degree before her daughter went off to college. I had children myself, and we connected on so many different levels.” Perren and Ortiz would meet to discuss class assignments and the struggles of being Latina in higher education. Ortiz saw that Perren regularly met with other business students, and she suggested that they all come together and start gathering as a group. Perren invited Josefina Espino and Chris Santos to join, and they all bonded instantly. They met twice a month, usually at the campus Starbucks, and talked about how they pictured their lives after college. The mentor group evolved into CoBA’s Latino Business Student Association, with Perren serving as the faculty adviser for seven years. Espino remembers when Ortiz revealed to the group that she was interested in entrepreneurship and wanted to start an ice cream business. Ortiz and Espino even used her business idea for a research project in a marketing class taught by professor Kristin Stewart. Starting a path to entrepreneurship was exciting, but also nerve-racking for Ortiz. She didn’t know how she would balance being a student and mother while quitting her job as a marketing coordinator at Pacific Records, Inc. in San Diego. “I remember one of the most important conversations I had to have with Juliana was about being generous to herself,” Perren said. “She, of course, had so much to offer, and one of the most difficult decisions she had to make was investing in herself. She is such a generous and loyal person. It felt difficult to let go of some of her commitments and give back to herself.” Now, as an entrepreneur, Ortiz shows her generosity in the creative ways she connects with her customers and employees. When a customer comes into Cali Cream and talks about an ice cream flavor that holds significance for them, Ortiz goes out of her way to make it. “Ice cream is such an emotional product,” Ortiz said. “We've made special request ice cream orders, because maybe it's a birthday present or it’s their parents' favorite. It’s so cool because I get to be the decision-maker. I can say yes or no, but if someone were to ask any other ice cream company, the answer is always going to be no. But my goal is to always make people happy.” One of the most rewarding parts of Ortiz’s job is supporting her employees through college. It’s her way of giving back. A photo wall in the Encinitas location displays the logos of the colleges that her employees are attending. Ortiz even established a rule that if an employee performs well during the summer, they are guaranteed a job when they come home from college. “I remember going to Cali Cream and seeing that the tip jar said ‘college fund’ on it,” Perren said. “It’s really awesome to see how college is built into the company culture. It's great when you see our alumni not only make a difference in their own life, but also how she can inspire and create social mobility in her family and in our community.” Juliana Ortiz Major at CSUSM: Business marketing Graduation year: 2018 Company: Cali Cream Website: calicreamicecream.com Founded: 2016 Number of employees: 35-80 (depending on the season) Talking Business With Juliana Ortiz What’s the best advice you received about starting a business? Do what feels right for you and don’t be afraid to take risks. Not every risk is going to be successful, but there's certain risks that are very rewarding. I think if you do your work and research time, then it minimizes the damage. What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs? I would say go for it. I think you never want to regret not making a decision because of the fear of failure. What’s the greatest challenge in starting your own business? The greatest challenge for me was trying to understand the process for getting health permits. Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? For us, it's a weather-based ice business. I have to look at weather for the next week and for the next couple of days to see how it impacts our business. That’s something that most people don't think about. I would also make sure to work with a team and ensure that if there's a new product, we have to educate them. If your team's not good and if they're not educated, it falls back on you. They also don't want to be put in a position where they don't know how to communicate to their guests. What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur? With changes in just about anything, whether it’s regulation or COVID, you have to be able to adapt and you have to be able to transition. Media Contact Bri Phillips, Communications Specialist bphillips@csusm.edu
- Professor Reflects on Biden's Historic Apology to Native AmericansAfter spending a few days at the White House meeting with the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, I flew directly from Washington, D.C., to Arizona. As I sat among distinguished tribal leaders and advocates at the Gila River Indian Community on Friday, Oct. 25, I witnessed a moment that generations of Native Americans have long awaited. President Joe Biden delivered a formal apology on behalf of the United States for the devastating legacy of Indian boarding schools – a system that sought to erase our people, our culture and our languages for over 150 years. "I formally apologize as president of the United States of America for what we did," Biden said in strident remarks. "It's long overdue." “The federal Indian boarding school policy, the pain it has caused, will always be a significant mark of shame, a blot on American history,” Biden said. As both an academic leader and Payómkawichum and Tongva woman, my presence for this historic moment carried profound personal and professional significance. The presidential apology, following the U.S. Department of the Interior's comprehensive investigation and "The Road to Healing” tour, represented more than just words – it marked a crucial step toward acknowledging the intergenerational trauma that continues to impact Native communities. "For too long, this nation sought to silence the voices of generations of Native children, but now your voices are being heard," Biden declared during the ceremony. I’m the director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center, and these words resonated deeply with our ongoing mission to preserve and advance Native American culture, history and sovereignty. One of the most meaningful aspects of the day was sitting alongside members of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, especially with a particular board member: Pauma-Yuima band of Luiseño Indians matriarch Juana Majel-Dixon, a longtime mentor and powerful force for Native American rights. Our connection spans years of advocacy work, including a memorable moment when, as she reminded me during the event, we participated in a crucial Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) call with then-Sen. Biden. Juana's tireless work led to President Barack Obama giving her one of the pens used to sign the VAWA reauthorization – a pen that now holds a place of honor in our California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center, serving as a daily reminder to our students about the power of activism and engagement. While we appreciate President Biden's apology, there is so much more that must be done. We hope Biden will follow up by effectuating meaningful and appropriate action throughout his administration. Even as Native people receive this first-time official apology from the commander in chief, the U.S. Army continues to refuse to fulfill repatriation requests, pursuant to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, to return the remains of the children who died at one of the first and most notorious federal Indian boarding schools, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. The federal government must take concrete steps beyond apologies. A critical priority must be implementing fully funded, as I coined, "Language of the Land" initiatives requiring all schools to teach the Indigenous languages of their regions. This would include restoring original place names across the landscape – from mountains and rivers to cities and streets – returning them to their Indigenous names in Native languages. Such restoration of language and place names is not merely symbolic but represents a fundamental act of cultural justice and healing, returning what was systematically erased through colonization. Additionally, the government must fully fund tribal health care and education systems, protect tribal sovereignty and self-determination, strengthen tribal jurisdiction, honor all treaty obligations, protect sacred sites and cultural resources, ensure meaningful tribal consultation on federal projects affecting tribal lands and resources, address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, and provide comprehensive resources for cultural revitalization programs. We hope President Biden's apology provides leadership for federal officials and personnel to foster cooperation between the U.S. and tribal nations so that Native communities may continue to heal. It was heartening to see and share this day with so many friends and colleagues, and it was particularly moving to reconnect with individuals like Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, whose documentary “Sugarcane” powerfully captures the boarding school experience. I plan to bring this film to campus for a special screening and discussion. Their work ensures that these stories will continue to educate future generations. As an educator and advocate for Native American rights, I recognize that while this apology is historic, it's just the beginning. When Gila River Governor Stephen Lewis and the people of Gila River opened their homelands for this historic event, they created a space not just for an apology, but for a new chapter in Native American history. At the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center and within our American Indian studies program, we remain committed to supporting the healing process, preserving Indigenous knowledge and empowering the next generation of Native leaders. Indeed, it was a good day to be Indigenous. But more importantly, it marked the beginning of the real work – transforming this historic apology into meaningful action and lasting change for our communities. As I return to campus, I carry with me a renewed commitment to our mission and the knowledge that through our continued efforts, we will ensure that this moment becomes a catalyst for the healing and empowerment of Native peoples. While we have much work ahead, we are moving in the right direction. Proudfit is the chair of CSUSM’s American Indian studies department and director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center on campus. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
