Newsroom
- Housing Project Named Black Oak Hall, Kwilla DiningCal State San Marcos’ new University Village Housing and Dining Project, which is expected to be ready in time for the fall 2026 semester, has been formally named Black Oak Hall and Kwilla Dining. The names were determined following thoughtful input from a campus naming committee and student representatives. Kwilla is the Luiseño word for “acorn” and was chosen to honor the local tribal heritage and the land on which CSUSM resides. The naming committee included: Travis Douglas, executive director of Housing & Residential Education; Deanne Ellison, executive director/associate vice president of business development for CSUSM Corporation; Mejaumi Franco-Rosales, tribal liaison; Elaine Pollard, ASI president; Kaira Schafer, student building assistant for CSUSM Corporation; Jason Schreiber, dean of students; and Rayanne Weber, director of Planning, Design and Construction. The committee also consulted with Noah Lozano on proper Luiseño pronunciation and spelling. The committee sought names that reflected CSUSM’s natural surroundings, honored its history and, if appropriate, incorporated Luiseño language. The committee consulted with Associated Students, Inc., the Residence Hall Council and the Resident Community to survey their top choices. After gathering input, the committee presented the top two naming choices to the President’s Administrative Team before Black Oak Hall and Kwilla Dining were selected. Construction on the 2.5-acre site began in January 2024. The 137,000-square-foot project is being built on what was formerly Parking Lot O. It features a three-wing configuration to create gathering spaces and student life areas. The seven-story residence hall – which includes a 10,000-square-foot dining facility – will have 555 beds, providing affordable housing for underserved, low-income students. The project is being funded in part by $91 million received from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature. Once completed, the project will expand access to affordable, on-campus housing while reflecting the university’s ongoing commitment to student success. Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
- $3M Gift From Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation Boosts Indigenous SuccessA ceremony celebrating academic achievement was the backdrop for a transformational moment in Native education. During a deeply moving celebration last week honoring American Indian and Alaska Native graduates at Cal State San Marcos, leaders from Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation stepped forward to make history. In an act that will reverberate through generations, they formally presented a $3 million endowment gift to the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC), the largest single gift in the university's history dedicated to Indigenous education and research. The moment transcended a simple transaction. In a reciprocal gesture steeped in tradition and meaning, the CICSC presented the tribe with a one-of-a-kind painting entitled "The Gift," created by Eric Tippeconnic (Comanche), American Indian studies professor and celebrated artist whose work bridges Native culture through contemporary expression. The exchange served as a heartfelt tribute to an enduring relationship rooted in mutual respect, shared values and a commitment to Native student success. “This gift represents more than financial support, it embodies the strength of our partnerships and our collective belief in the transformative power of Indigenous education,” said Joely Proudfit (Payómkawichum, Tongva), director of the CICSC and chair of American Indian studies. “When tribal nations invest in higher education, they are not just supporting individual students; they are affirming tribal sovereignty, cultural continuity and the inherent right of our people to define our own futures. This endowment will create pathways for Native students who might otherwise never see the possibility of higher education, ensuring that our voices, our knowledge systems and our ways of knowing continue to flourish in academic spaces." A Partnership Forged in Vision and Reciprocity “We are deeply honored by this generous investment from Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation,” CSUSM President Ellen Neufeldt said. “This historic gift affirms the work we’ve accomplished and progress we’ve made, while underscoring the power of tribal-university partnerships to build a more inclusive future — one that uplifts Native voices, values Indigenous knowledge systems and reflects our shared commitment to meaningful collaboration and student success.” The relationship between Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and CSUSM began more than a decade ago as a seed of possibility. When the tribe contributed nearly $1 million to help launch the university's CICSC, they weren't just funding a program — they were investing in a vision of what Indigenous education could become. Since then, the CICSC has evolved into a nationally recognized beacon for Native student success, groundbreaking research and transformative community engagement, serving as both a vital resource for California tribal communities and a blueprint for Indigenous-led initiatives in higher education nationwide. Building Legacy, Transforming Lives “Moments like this reflect the legacy we're building together — not just for today, but for the generations of Native leaders yet to come,” said Johnny Hernandez, vice chairman of the Yuhaaviatam Tribal Council of San Manuel. “We thank CSUSM for creating a space that truly amplifies Native voices and honors tribal perspectives with the respect they deserve. This investment will be transformational for generations to come — providing the resources needed to continue championing education, cultural preservation and the sovereignty of Native nations.” As students, faculty, tribal leaders and community members gathered to honor Native American graduates, the ceremony underscored the profound influence of the CICSC, the only center of its kind in the California State University system. The timing was no coincidence; this gift was presented during a celebration of achievement, surrounded by the living embodiment of what such investments make possible. When You Build It, They Will Come With one of the highest per capita populations of American Indian and Alaska Native students in California, CSUSM has established itself as more than an educational institution — it has become a thriving intellectual home where Indigenous excellence flourishes. The university's commitment goes beyond enrollment numbers; it encompasses a holistic approach to Native student success that honors both academic achievement and cultural identity, creating an environment where students can pursue rigorous scholarship while remaining deeply connected to Indigenous knowledge and community values. CICSC alumni serve as living testaments to this approach. They have gone on to hold leadership positions in tribal government, shape public policy at state and federal levels, and make meaningful contributions as educators who carry both Western knowledge and traditional teachings, artists who preserve and evolve cultural expression, health professionals who serve their communities with cultural competency, and cultural preservationists who ensure that Indigenous knowledge flows to future generations. An Enduring Investment in Tomorrow This $3 million endowment, amplified by a $1 million match contribution from the Epstein Family Foundation, represents more than monetary value. It is an investment in sovereignty, cultural continuity and the radical act of ensuring that Native students see themselves reflected in the halls of higher education. It will support scholarships, fund innovative research that centers Indigenous knowledge, expand community outreach programs and create new pathways for Native students to pursue their dreams while staying connected to their cultural roots. In a world where Indigenous peoples continue to fight for recognition, respect and resources, this partnership between Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and CSUSM stands as a powerful example of what becomes possible when mutual respect meets genuine commitment to change. It demonstrates that when tribal nations and institutions of higher education work together as true partners, they can create ripple effects that extend far beyond campus boundaries, touching communities across Indian Country and beyond. As the ceremony concluded and graduates prepared to take their next steps into the world, they carried with them not only their degrees but also the knowledge that their success is part of a larger story, one of resilience, partnership, and the firm belief that Indigenous voices and knowledge have always belonged in every space, especially those where the future is being shaped. Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
Student Announcements
- Campuswide Evacuation DrillA mandatory campuswide building evacuation drill will be held on Feb. 12 at 9 a.m. The drill complies with a California State University policy that requires each campus in the system to conduct a building evacuation drill at least once annually. On Feb. 12 at 9 a.m., a message will be sent via the emergency notification system to start the evacuation drill. Multiple modalities may be utilized, including desktop alerts, digital signage, library PA, Cougar Central PA and text messages. Your building’s fire alarm also may activate. The drill is expected to last 20-30 minutes. Please evacuate the building, report to the nearest evacuation zone and wait for the “all clear” before re-entering. You can review the building evacuation zone assignments at https://www.csusm.edu/em/documents/csusmevaczones24.pdf. Contact Emergency Management at em@csusm.edu with any questions.
- Checking the Status of Campus ElevatorsDid you know there are three ways to check the working status of CSUSM’s 40 elevators and five wheelchair lifts? 1. Facilities Development and Management tracks the working status of our elevators with this interactive map. https://workrequest.csusm.edu/elevator/status.php 2. You can also sign up for email notifications that automatically alert you when our elevators are taken out of service or returned to service here. https://m.csusm.edu/default/kurogo_message_center/channels?feed=messages_channel_eac8ab41-0a30-45fd-aa4b-e1bca1ec9644 3. You can also receive automatic notifications on your phone through the CSUSM App. To sign up do the following steps: • Sign in to the CSUSM App • Go to “Maps” • Click on “Elevator Status” • Click on the “Opt In” button
News Release
- Southwestern College and CSUSM Announce Historic Partnership Bringing Bachelor’s Degrees to South CountySouthwestern College (SWC) and Cal State San Marcos will host a ceremonial signing to celebrate a groundbreaking partnership that brings new bachelor’s degree programs directly to South County San Diego. This marks the first time CSUSM will offer degree pathways in the region, through a collaboration based at the newly established CSUSM @ SWC University Center. WHEN: Thursday, May 29, noon WHERE: Southwestern College – Chula Vista Campus Instructional & Discovery Complex – In front of the University Center, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910 WHO: Dr. Mark Sanchez, Superintendent/President, Southwestern College (confirmed) Dr. Ellen Neufeldt, President, CSUSM (confirmed) Assemblymember David Alvarez, California State Assembly (confirmed) Southwestern College and CSUSM faculty, deans and students WHY: This partnership brings accessible, high-demand bachelor’s degree programs to the heart of South County, enabling local students to complete their four-year degrees close to home. CSUSM @ SWC will launch programs in Business Administration, Computer Information Systems and Cyber Security in Fall 2026, followed by Human Development with emphasis on Wellness Coaching and Bilingual Speech Language Pathology in Fall 2027. These fields were selected based on findings from the 2023 Workforce and Education Needs Assessment conducted by the San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center, Southwestern College and the City of Chula Vista. The report identified business, healthcare and technology – including cybersecurity and information systems – as among the highest-priority fields for new bachelor’s degree programs in South County. Additionally, the future-adjusted list of 147 priority occupations includes many roles that require bachelor’s degrees in healthcare and wellness-related fields, such as bilingual speech-language pathology and wellness coaching. The report notes that 73% of the region’s priority occupations are projected to require a bachelor’s degree at entry, yet the region remains underserved in terms of degree-granting institutions. With more than 600,000 residents, South County San Diego, anchored by Chula Vista, the largest city of its size in California without a public university offering bachelor’s degrees, faces a critical gap in higher education access. This absence limits the region’s ability to produce the skilled, degreed workforce required to meet projected demand across key sectors such as technology, healthcare and education. Expanding place-based access to four-year degree programs is essential not only for educational equity but also for strengthening regional economic competitiveness. The launch of CSUSM @ SWC is a strategic response that directly addresses this need, equipping South County residents to fill high-priority, high-wage occupations that drive long-term growth. QUOTES: “This partnership marks a turning point for South County,” said Dr. Mark Sanchez, Superintendent/President of Southwestern College. “Together, we are not only expanding access to high-quality, affordable bachelor’s degrees, we are preparing our students to step directly into high-demand careers that power our regional economy. We are proud to welcome CSU San Marcos to South County.” “At Cal State San Marcos, our mission has always been centered on access and student success – and this partnership with Southwestern College is a powerful extension of that commitment,” said Dr. Ellen Neufeldt, President of CSUSM. “By creating seamless pathways to higher education, we are not only expanding economic opportunity in South County, we are advancing social mobility for generations of students, families and communities.” VISUALS: Ceremonial signing, college leadership, local officials, students and the University Center backdrop. CONTACTS: Southwestern College: Armando Lamadrid, alamadrid@swccd.edu, 619-421-6700, ext. 5945 CSUSM: Jerry McCormick, jmccormick@csusm.edu, 619-549-9438 ABOUT SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE: Southwestern College, the only public institution of higher education in southern San Diego, serves a diverse community of students through a wide range of high-quality academic programs, comprehensive student services, and visionary partnerships, including between Arizona State University and Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS). With enrollment now exceeding pre-pandemic levels and Southwestern College’s championing of AB 91, thousands more local students are now reimagining what’s possible every day. Southwestern College also stimulates the development and growth of the region through partnerships, services and educational programs that meet the region’s economic and workforce demands. For more information, visit swccd.edu.
- Housing Project Named Black Oak Hall, Kwilla DiningCal State San Marcos’ new University Village Housing and Dining Project, which is expected to be ready in time for the fall 2026 semester, has been formally named Black Oak Hall and Kwilla Dining. The names were determined following thoughtful input from a campus naming committee and student representatives. Kwilla is the Luiseño word for “acorn” and was chosen to honor the local tribal heritage and the land on which CSUSM resides. The naming committee included: Travis Douglas, executive director of Housing & Residential Education; Deanne Ellison, executive director/associate vice president of business development for CSUSM Corporation; Mejaumi Franco-Rosales, tribal liaison; Elaine Pollard, ASI president; Kaira Schafer, student building assistant for CSUSM Corporation; Jason Schreiber, dean of students; and Rayanne Weber, director of Planning, Design and Construction. The committee also consulted with Noah Lozano on proper Luiseño pronunciation and spelling. The committee sought names that reflected CSUSM’s natural surroundings, honored its history and, if appropriate, incorporated Luiseño language. The committee consulted with Associated Students, Inc., the Residence Hall Council and the Resident Community to survey their top choices. After gathering input, the committee presented the top two naming choices to the President’s Administrative Team before Black Oak Hall and Kwilla Dining were selected. Construction on the 2.5-acre site began in January 2024. The 137,000-square-foot project is being built on what was formerly Parking Lot O. It features a three-wing configuration to create gathering spaces and student life areas. The seven-story residence hall – which includes a 10,000-square-foot dining facility – will have 555 beds, providing affordable housing for underserved, low-income students. The project is being funded in part by $91 million received from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature. Once completed, the project will expand access to affordable, on-campus housing while reflecting the university’s ongoing commitment to student success. Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314
Steps Magazine
- Alumna on Front Lines of Fight to Advance Clean EnergyManal Yamout McDermid often feels like she’s standing on the cutting edge of California’s multibillion-dollar green economy. One day, McDermid will be meeting with a company that is developing what are effectively electric helicopters designed to cover distances of less than 100 miles – basically, an Uber for the skies. The next day, she’ll sit down with a business that’s building a device that captures a semi truck’s carbon emissions directly from the tailpipe, pumps it into a tank, then either buries it underground or sells the CO2 for use in products like soda. Still other days might include huddles with firms that make rooftop solar panels, heat pump water heaters, even self-driving cars. “Each of the clients that I work with, I get a chance to embed in their team,” McDermid said. “I get to jump around. And not only is the subject matter different, but the people are different and the vibe is different. I like that diversity.” Those clients, in turn, value McDermid’s expertise, so much so that they’re willing to pay handsomely for it, in many cases while they’re still trying to get off the ground as a startup. The Cal State San Marcos alumna is the founding partner of Caliber Strategies, a Sacramento-based lobbying firm that helps energy and climate companies – whether sexy startups or stodgy utilities – navigate the regulatory maze that is the California policy arena. In doing so, McDermid draws on almost two decades of experience in state politics and policymaking, going back to when she was a clean energy adviser to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in her early 20s, only a few years after graduating from CSUSM with a degree in biology. “I founded this company because it’s really challenging to bring new technologies to market, especially in a place like California where the market rules are quite complex and there are all these different agencies doing different things,” McDermid said. “We focus exclusively on climate and energy, and primarily on what I refer to as disruptive technologies.” Founded in 2013, Caliber now totals eight employees, and one of McDermid’s fellow partners is Michael Picker, former president of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the nonpartisan body charged with regulating the state’s utilities. The company has almost 50 clients, including investment management giant Blackstone, accounting firm KPMG and Sunrun, one of the nation’s biggest solar installers. Sometimes Caliber’s clients take the form of a legacy company that’s opening a new product line. A.O. Smith Corporation, for example, has been around for 150 years and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of water heaters and boilers, with annual sales of almost $4 billion. But as California increasingly moves toward the full electrification of all buildings, A.O. Smith is gravitating toward heat pumps, which heat water using electricity instead of gas. Enter Caliber. The company worked with a team of nonprofit, industry and environmental organizations to help pass legislation to allocate about $44 million in incentives for heat pumps. Caliber then led an effort with this coalition and the CPUC to design an incentive program that would offer state residents payments of up to $7,300 for installing heat pumps. Another category of clients is fledgling businesses with an innovative solution to a climate-related problem. Charm Industrial is a Bay Area startup with a mission to, as its website touts, “put oil back underground,” an elegantly simple description of the complex science involved in carbon capture and sequestration. Charm approached Caliber in its infancy, seeking to get introduced to the right people, increase its name recognition and create a market from scratch. “It’s about streamlining the process, and even more so trying to educate regulators,” McDermid said. “We educate regulators and policymakers about what the needs of new technologies are. After the policymaker has already said, for example, we want electric cars and you have the market ready, there remain all these barriers that no one has figured out. So it’s a collaborative process to figure out how we get from where we are now to where we want to be.” It was at CSUSM where McDermid discovered her twin passions for environmental science and public policy. Having initially enrolled at the university on a cross country and track and field scholarship (she competed for two years before injuries forced her to stop), she decided she wanted to pursue conservation biology and save the earth one planted tree at a time. At some point in her college journey, however, it dawned on her that planting trees – even 10 to 20 acres worth – couldn’t compare with, say, protecting millions of acres through legislation. As a junior, McDermid spent the fall semester in Washington, D.C., as part of the Panetta Congressional Internship Program, and when she returned, she ran for and was elected president of Associated Students, Inc., for her senior year in 2004-05. She even started a progressive activist organization with some friends. “CSUSM was this perfect testing ground to try out all these different things,” she said. Using her student experience as a springboard, McDermid was accepted after graduation into the Capital Fellows Program, an initiative through Sacramento State that offers paid, full-time fellowships in each branch of California’s government. She was assigned to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office for a year, followed by a year working in the office of First Lady Maria Shriver. In 2008, McDermid got her big break when Susan Kennedy, still early in her tenure as Schwarzenegger’s chief of staff, acted on a recommendation to tap McDermid as her top deputy. Kennedy was seeking not an executive assistant but someone who could step into her high-pressure position when necessary and not miss a beat. In McDermid, she found a kindred spirit, essentially a younger version of herself. “She was perfect,” Kennedy said. “She looked out at the landscape from the perspective of, if she were the chief of staff to the governor, how would you prepare for this? How would you brief him on this? What information do you need from the agencies or the departments or the senior staff? “It’s a very tough role to step into, and she earned everyone’s respect because she was so good at what she did. She made me twice as good at what I was doing because she was as good as me.” Near the end of his eight years as governor, Schwarzenegger began to feel a particular urgency to buttress his accomplishments in the climate space. He tasked Kennedy with figuring out how to secure permitting for a host of renewable energy projects being incentivized by the Obama administration, and Kennedy in turn tasked not only Picker – the former CPUC president and current Caliber partner – but also McDermid. “It was a failure-is-not-an-option initiative by the governor,” Kennedy said. “I gave Michael all the power, and I gave him the most powerful weapon I could think of, which was Manal. The two of them were responsible for basically unlocking gigawatts of renewable energy in California, which completely changed the landscape of the state’s climate initiatives.” McDermid’s efforts were so successful that, when Schwarzenegger left office in 2011 and Jerry Brown entered, she was among just a handful of staffers retained out of the nearly 100 in the governor’s office. She departed later that year to take a job in Washington as a lobbyist for NextEra Energy, an electric utility holding giant, before Kennedy lured her back to California in 2013. With her longtime mentor, McDermid launched not only Caliber but also Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS), a company that was born out of the shuttering of the San Onofre nuclear power station in June 2013. That closure created an immediate 20% power shortage in large portions of Los Angeles, a gap that AMS filled by building what McDermid called the “world’s largest virtual power plant” – battery storage systems at commercial sites like Kaiser Permanente, Irvine Company and Walmart. Over time, AMS shifted its focus from developing those large-scale energy storage projects to providing software that allowed others to optimize their own energy storage assets. When AMS was sold in 2020, McDermid rededicated herself to Caliber, which had been on the back burner for a few years. During the pandemic, she got married and moved from San Diego (where she grew up after her family escaped war-torn Lebanon when she was 3) to Santa Barbara, her husband’s hometown. Manal and Hitch, her husband, have a 3-year-old son, Malek. McDermid makes frequent trips to Sacramento and to San Francisco, where Caliber has a small office. Not coincidentally, the Bay Area also is the headquarters of the CPUC, one of the regulatory bodies that Caliber works closely with, along with the California Energy Commission, the Air Resources Board and the Natural Resources Agency. Many for-profit companies have an adversarial relationship with the regulators that establish the rules governing them, but that’s not the case with Caliber or most of its clients. They’re all in the same boat and rowing in the same direction when it comes to the state’s ambitious climate goals, which is one of myriad reasons why McDermid loves the work she does. “We’re very focused in California precisely because we actually want to get things done,” McDermid said. “I don’t want to spend my time convincing someone that climate change is a problem or that we should put more electric vehicles on the roads. The nice thing about California is, at the highest level, the leadership is completely bought in on what the problem is. And it’s more about figuring out: How do we solve it?” Manal Yamout McDermid Major at CSUSM: Biology Graduation year: 2005 Company: Caliber Strategies Website: caliberstrat.com Founded: 2013 Number of employees: 8 Talking Business With Manal Yamout McDermid What's the best advice you received about starting a business? Work with people you like. It's super simple, but if you pick people you like and admire and want to spend an inordinate amount of time with, you really can't go wrong. In some ways, getting the people right is more important than the idea and the path to market. What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs? Same advice as the first one: Choose your partners carefully, and choose them based on their character, their integrity and your level of trust in them. Don’t just think about breaking into a market. What's the greatest challenge in starting your own business? I think it's the uncertainty and the self-doubt that come with it, like: Should I grow? The greatest challenge is believing that as you scale up, things will work out, and getting the confidence to take that next step. Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? No. I'm a firm believer that whatever happens was supposed to happen, and it doesn't mean that it was good. But I wouldn't have done it differently. What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur? I would say confidence, belief in yourself. The ability to really pay attention to what's happening around you, whether that's the market or the people you surround yourself with. Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306
- Incredible Mulk: Class Project Becomes Thriving BusinessMelissa Finestone remembers the assignment in her business marketing class that started it all. Each student was required to develop a business plan based on a product they conceived. Finestone decided to curate a product that combined her passion for cooking with a childhood love of chocolate milk. But Finestone wanted to develop a healthy alternative to other chocolate milks on the market. She noticed that there was a growing demand for more plant-based options, and she wanted to create a product that would avoid a laundry list of unfamiliar ingredients. When Finestone couldn’t find a product on the market that met her requirements, she chose to make her own. Using her Vitamix blender to grind almonds in her kitchen at home, Finestone crafted samples of chocolate- and strawberry-flavored, plant-based almond milk. She served it to each student in the class while presenting her product. “I remember a classmate saying, ‘I do not drink flavored milk, no matter what kind of milk it is, but I would buy this one,’ ” said Finestone, then known by her maiden name of Mandim. The overwhelming support from her peers inspired Finestone to launch The Mulk Co. in June 2018, only one year after she graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a bachelor’s degree in global business management. “What she is doing in starting up a food business is extremely difficult,” said Dick Lansing, who worked with Finestone as part of the College of Business Administration’s Career Mentor Program. “There are all sorts of hurdles and problems and costs that you need to go through and take into consideration. “I generally don't recommend anybody go into the food business, as an individual person, unless they have a lot of money they want to lose. But she had a plan, which was really good and really smart.” Today, Finestone’s signature almond milk is available at nine farmers markets throughout San Diego County and three in Los Angeles. She has gone from grinding almonds in her kitchen to using a commercial space in Vista, where she produces 10 different flavors and three seasonal offerings. The chocolate and strawberry flavors that she shared in class are among the most popular – and the recipe hasn’t changed much since then. “I can’t pick a favorite, but I associate each flavor with a memory,” Finestone said. “When I think of strawberry, I think of the student who complimented me in class because I couldn’t believe that she liked it so much.” Finestone takes pride in using only real ingredients in her almond milk; it contains no additives, fillers or preservatives. She sources her almonds from a farm in California’s Central Valley, where 80% of all almonds in the United States are harvested. Mulk has become so successful that Finestone has employees to cover the numerous farmers markets, though she still can be found each Sunday at the Leucadia Farmers Market. “My husband tries to get me to stay home and rest on Sundays, but I just love it,” she said. “There’s just something about the community and relationships you build with other vendors. I love the friendships you make, not just with your customers but with fellow business owners.” Finestone never intended to be an entrepreneur. It took a one-way ticket around the world for her to discover this path. Finestone grew up in South Africa, where she earned a bachelor’s in fine arts from Witwatersrand College and then graduated from Inscape Design College. She had a well-established career in interior design, even winning an interior designer of the year award for Virgin Airlines’ launch in South Africa. When Finestone’s parents moved to Australia, where her sister had landed a job, Finestone decided to move with them. But she quickly learned that Australia wasn’t where she wanted to live long term. Instead, she packed her belongings to find someplace that felt like home. It began a journey that took her from Melbourne to Sydney and then on to Chile, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, India and Thailand. With visits to more than 30 countries over her lifetime, Finestone credits the globe-trotting experiences for shaping her as a businessperson. In fact, it was a trip to India that inspired one of Mulk’s most popular flavors. The company’s golden almond milk is blended with turmeric, cinnamon and ginger, a nod to the Indian drink masala haldi doodh, which translates to “golden milk.” “I remember drinking it at Indian street markets, and it was delicious,” Finestone said. “I knew I wanted to create a version of it for Mulk.” After nine months of traveling, Finestone returned to Australia to see her family. She didn’t stay long, taking an offer to visit a friend in Los Angeles. This trip was different from the others, though. It was her first time in the United States, and she fell in love with Southern California. Finestone found herself with new opportunities, and she leaned into her passion for cooking, which had been a constant in her life since she was 6 years old and honing her skills with her mother and grandmother. Her talents led to a job as a chef for Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. But Finestone yearned for something else. She started studying business leadership and management at Santa Monica College and landed internships in public relations and marketing. She always thought her time in the U.S. would be temporary, that she would eventually return to Australia to be closer to her family. Then she met her future husband, Adam. One of Finestone’s internships was located next to the packing and shipping company owned by Adam’s parents. She frequented the store to mail packages, becoming such a regular that Adam’s parents invited her to a Christmas party where she met their son, who was visiting from San Diego. Finestone eventually moved south to be closer to Adam and continued to pursue her business degree, first at Palomar College and then at CSUSM. “I liked the idea of having a degree that would support any industry,” Finestone said. Finestone also had support from Adam, whom she credits for inspiring the name of her almond milk business. “My husband makes fun of me when I say ‘milk.’ It sounds like I’m saying ‘mulk’ because of my South African accent,” Finestone said. “The name just stuck, and I felt like it was fitting for my business.” Starting any business comes with challenges, and the food industry is notoriously difficult for budding entrepreneurs. It wasn’t just Lansing, a College of Business Administration advisory council member, who warned Finestone about how grueling it could be. As Finestone grappled with whether to start a business or find a corporate job, she reached out a week after graduation to Jim Hamerly, then the college’s dean. “I certainly shared some of my concerns and skepticism with Melissa about starting a food business,” Hamerly said. “She told me, ‘Well, I'm manufacturing it in my kitchen at home and I'm crushing my own almonds.’ And I'm thinking, ‘Oh my.’ ” Hamerly knew that could be problematic for adhering to U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines and that a commercial kitchen would be needed. At the time, Hamerly was helping his brother with a soup stock business, which required Hamerly to learn about packaging and manufacturing fluids. He shared what he learned with Finestone, even connecting her with his brother. Both Hamerly and Lansing were impressed with Finestone’s drive to launch her business. She decided after meeting with them that she would start small and serve her milk at a few local farmers markets. It was familiar territory to Finestone, who worked as a food service vendor for Bitchin’ Sauce, an almond dip company, while attending CSUSM. “I knew the lay of the land,” Finestone said. “I was able to create connections with other farmers market vendors and get ideas for my business.” When Finestone was just starting out, Hamerly was a regular visitor to her booth at Poway’s farmers market on Saturday mornings to support her and purchase Mulk products. “She's really good with people,” Hamerly said. “I used to sit on the sidelines and watch her sell to people as they came through the farmers market. A lot of CSUSM students start businesses, but she's really got a great head for business. She gets it.” Six years after launching Mulk, Finestone is familiar with the landmines that come with owning a business. But the happiness that radiates from her customers keeps her going. She is continuing to grow the business, with hopes of one day having Mulk available in Whole Foods. Finestone still thinks often about the day that her classmates tried her almond milk for the first time. She smiles when she recalls their reaction, and the memory never ceases to fuel her motivation for the future. “I have had lots of challenges,” Finestone said. “But I believe in my product and I see people’s faces when they find something they like. And when customers keep coming back, it just tells me that I'm actually fulfilling some sort of need. That's really what keeps me going.” Melissa Finestone Major at CSUSM: Global business management Graduation year: 2017 Company: The Mulk Co. Website: themulkco.com Founded: 2018 Number of employees: 3 What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs? “Rank on a scale of 1 to 10 how passionate you are about this idea because it needs to be 11. Don't be scared of starting a business. It might fail, but it also might set you up for your next success. I've come across entrepreneurs who have started one product, realized there were a lot of roadblocks with the product and then they switch and start doing something else. And then they actually move forward with that one.” What’s the greatest challenge in starting your own business? “Employees and when your equipment breaks. I use industrial equipment and I'm not an engineer. So if something goes wrong, it's really stuck.” Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? “It would have been so cool if I was studying business while I was starting a business. Because I think I would learn a lot of principles and it would have helped getting feedback from professors.” What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur? “Resourcefulness, passion and a high learning curve.” Media Contact Bri Phillips, Communications Specialist bphillips@csusm.edu