Adam Heppner didn’t speak his first words until he was 3 1/2 years old. He was diagnosed with autism at 18 months, and doctors were unsure of what his functioning level would be as an adult.  But on May 16, Heppner will walk the commencement stage at Cal State San Marcos, the proud recipient of a bachelor’s degree in business administration.  “I owe my family my life for the work they put in to help me become who I am today,” Heppner said.  Heppner, who also was diagnosed with ADHD, said middle school and high school were a time of discovery – learning how he functions best and how to navigate the world around him. Certain sounds that most people naturally tune out can be overwhelming, and he's particularly sensitive to specific foods and textures. Condiments like ketchup and ranch dressing cause him to gag and make himself vomit.  Through the Individualized Education Program in middle school and high school, Heppner had classes with peers who also were on the spectrum. Though attending speech therapy wasn’t always easy, he said it helped change his perspective.  “It really made me stop caring about what people think,” he said. “I’m going in there and still socializing with people when I come out, and I’m still just like everybody else.”  Learning social cues was one of the biggest challenges for Heppner.  “I’d be in public and there’d be a larger set lady and out loud I’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, that lady’s butt is huge,’ ” Heppner said.   While he can laugh about incidents like that now, he didn’t understand at the time how his words might be construed.  Heppner’s mom quit her full-time office job to educate herself on Applied Behavior Analysis therapy, and other family members also pitched in to support Heppner. His mom helped him to recognize and understand behavior through using picture association and studying patterns. Eye contact, listening and comprehension are skills that Heppner had to learn.   “Eventually I just kind of overcame the hurdle,” he said. “Now I’m running the race.”  As Heppner got older, he found himself becoming more independent and confident. He attended Mt. San Jacinto College before transferring to CSUSM, drawn to its location and strong business program.   Heppner has known since he was 12 years old that he wanted to pursue business. He still remembers telling his dad about Nintendo and Electronic Arts’ new game drops, encouraging his dad to invest.   “He made money off it,” Heppner said. “I’ve always loved the aspect of business.”  Heppner felt at home at CSUSM through Campus Recreation activities and the College of Business Administration. He also credits professors like Olaf Hansen, Jeffrey Kohles, Mark Monahan, Shane Thompson and Michael Winter for helping to make his time at CSUSM memorable.   “They’re here to teach, to actually help people,” he said. “That’s the best kind of professor you could have.”  Heppner has been working at Costco while attending school, and he’s looking toward getting his MBA at CSUSM Temecula.  While having autism and ADHD have caused challenges, Heppner hopes that he can use his experiences to be a voice for others with similar struggles.   “They have to have hope,” Heppner said. “That’s my goal – telling my story and inspiring people in general.”  Media Contact Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

After giving a presentation at a local conference about equity in education in 2023, Eric Tippeconnic was approached by a middle school teacher from Bonsall. Tippeconnic, an artist and American Indian studies professor at Cal State San Marcos, had spoken to the audience about one of his specialties: the use of murals to portray land acknowledgements visually. And having been inspired by the talk, the teacher, Domingo Anguiano, wanted Tippeconnic to bring a visual land acknowledgement to his school, Sullivan Middle in Bonsall. Two years later, the vision that was born that day has become a reality. On April 23, Tippeconnic was among a crowd of about 250 people who watched the unveiling of his mural – which doubles as a land acknowledgment – in the courtyard between Sullivan Middle and Bonsall High School. Among the others in attendance were two CSUSM administrators, Provost Carl Kemnitz and Chief Community Engagement Officer Patricia Prado-Olmos; Joely Proudfit, chair of the American Indian studies department and director of the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center; Brandon Johnson, vice chair of the Pala Band of Mission Indians; Heather Golly, superintendent of Bonsall Unified School District; Joseph Clevenger, assistant superintendent of the San Diego County Office of Education; and guests from various Native communities in Southern California. “This mural represents a school district making a significant step by centering the first peoples of this land,” Tippeconnic said. “A visual land acknowledgment is a more tangible and permanent step to include the original peoples of this land in the historical narrative.” After Anguiano met Tippeconnic at the conference, he invited him to Bonsall to talk to school officials and teachers about the project. Once it had been approved, Anguiano introduced Tippeconnic to Native students from the district who had expressed a desire to be involved in the mural. Last May, 10 students (five boys and five girls) participated in a photo shoot during which they sang Native bird songs and danced. Tippeconnic took those photos and rendered a composite drawing, which he then used as a guide for the mural. During the unveiling event, those same students depicted in the mural danced in front of their own images on the wall. “That was the absolute highlight for me,” Tippeconnic said. “It truly captured the spirit of the day. The positive feelings and vibrations were palpable.” Since the partnership with Bonsall began, Tippeconnic said, more than 30 Native students from the district who are considering college have visited CSUSM to tour campus and the CICSC. An enrolled member of the Comanche Nation, Tippeconnic is no stranger to visual land acknowledgements. Three years ago, he created an exhibit titled “Our Existence Is Our Resistance” in the CSUSM library that was entirely dedicated to the subject. “Native peoples, including those indigenous to California, have been systematically erased from U.S. history and are conspicuously absent from mainstream educational curriculum,” said Tippeconnic, who has been a tenure-track professor at CSUSM since 2020. “The Bonsall mural is a significant gesture to convey that inclusion and representation matter.” Media Contact Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306