Doctoral Graduate Wins National Award for Dissertation

Written by: Phylisha Chaidez, media, communications and journalism student.

Suzanne Rodriguez sat in the waiting area at her local salon when she read a text message: “OMG have you looked at your email?”

The text came from Dr. Jennifer Watson, Rodriguez’s Fresno State Ed.D. dissertation chair. Rodriguez quickly checked her email and was overcome with emotion. After over a year of researching, revising and refining, Rodriguez not only completed her dissertation — she received the 2019 Dissertation in Practice of the Year award from the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate.

The award, which was presented to Rodriguez on Oct. 22 at a forum at the University of South Carolina, is given to Ed.D. graduates whose dissertations show evidence of scholarly endeavors in impacting a complex problem.

When Rodriguez was a student in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership at Fresno State, she was going through the dissertation process just the same as her peers. Because Rodriguez had previous experience as a school principal in Dinuba Unified School District, she chose her topic, “The Urgency of Principal Professional Development and the Implications for Policy and Practice.”

Her dissertation examines the professional development that current California school principals are provided and the alignment of that professional development to the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. She found that although principal support is being provided, it is not being provided via an intentional, systemic process designed to meet varying needs of principals as they begin and progress in their leadership careers.

“We need good principals at all school sites. And when we have good principals that districts are investing in, then you’re going to see equity across the board in terms of what students are getting and profitable outcomes, like student achievement,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez not only researched and presented her findings, but she took it a step further and stood out from her peers by creating a solution. She developed a three-tiered professional development model that would allow school district leadership to implement varying levels of professional development to their principals throughout their tenure and customize it to meet their district, school and individualized principal needs. It’s a model she said could be implemented in all school districts.

Watson decided to nominate Rodriguez for the 2019 Dissertation in Practice of the Year award because of the importance of the topic and her work ethic. “I had Suzanne in class her first year in the program. I knew immediately she had something that not all students have,” Watson said. “She has a work ethic that is second to none.”

Fresno State’s Ed.D. program has been a member of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate since 2007. The organization works to continuously improve Ed.D. programs worldwide, with 117 universities and colleges holding membership.

“Suzanne is a lifelong worker, and for this to be the first time, not only in Fresno State history but in CSU history, that anybody’s dissertation has gotten to this point, I was just overcome with emotion,” Watson said.

While in the doctoral program, Rodriguez was a full-time principal as well as a full-time student. She had to balance overseeing three schools, managing assignments, writing an almost 200-page dissertation and maintaining a family life.

Rodriguez graduated in May and has no plans of slowing down. Rodriguez, on top of being a lecturer at Fresno State, began a new job as a school supervision and social work expert with Robson Forensic, Inc. She is engaged to be married in November and plans to present and make her model public next year.

“As a woman and a Latina, this recognition allows other women and women of color to see and believe in what is possible,” Rodriguez said. “It also puts a Latina’s face and work on a national stage, illuminating the professional capacity and scholarly work that we bring to the table. I truly hope it inspires young Latinas to dream big, work hard and be bold.”

Kremen School Alumni Oktoberfest Supports Student Scholarships

Written by: Phylisha Chaidez, media, communications and journalism student.
Photography by: John Charles, media, communications and journalism student.

In the summer of 2006, at just 11 years old, Shoghig Stanboulian was in constant fear for her life. The sounds of war have stuck with her 13 years later as she thinks back to the 2006 Lebanon War, in which 1,000 Lebanese people are believed to have been killed.

“There were several bombs that were being dropped near my village and, to this day, I still remember the horror and the terrible, loud noises,” Stanboulian said. She and her family were among the 1 million Lebanese people displaced due to the war.

Two years after the war, Stanboulian and her family moved to the United States for safety and better educational opportunities. Yet, she still had to overcome obstacles many immigrants face when coming to a new country.

“I honestly felt like a fish out of water. I did not speak English very well, and I just felt like an outsider,” Stanboulian said. “I was in complete culture shock. It took me at least five years to adjust to the American culture.”

After adjusting, Stanboulian became the first in her family to go to college. As a first-generation college student, she graduated from Fresno State, summa cum laude (a 3.9 GPA or higher), and received the 2017 Outstanding Student Award from the Department of Biology.

With a bachelor’s degree in biology and a teaching credential, Stanboulian is now a fifth-grade teacher with a class of 32 students at Centennial Elementary School, and she is pursuing a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction.

Kremen Alumni Oktoberfest

Because of Stanboulian’s continuous excellence in academics, last year she received a $2,000 scholarship made possible by funds raised at last year’s annual Kremen Alumni Oktoberfest. This event, hosted by the Kremen School of Education and Human Development’s alumni and friends chapter, raised $28,000 last year for the scholarship program, resulting in 14 scholarships awarded.

Kremen School alumni and friends are invited to support future educators and leaders like Stanboulian by attending this year’s Oktoberfest at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at Sequoia Brewing Company (1188 E. Champlain Dr.).

“I was very happy and grateful when I found out I received the Kremen School of Education Alumni Chapter Scholarship Award,” Stanboulian said. “This scholarship lifted a big financial burden off my shoulders.”

Today, Stanboulian works toward bridging the gap between minority students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds and their peers when it comes to learning mathematics. By implementing culturally responsive mathematics teaching, her goal is to celebrate the cultural element of learning that textbooks lack while giving disadvantaged students an opportunity to solve problems that culturally relate to them.

“Learning is my passion, I feel like there is so much for me to learn and continue growing,” Stanboulian said. “I feel like I am making a difference every day when I am going to work. I am not only teaching content for my kids, but I am teaching them social and life skills that they can utilize to be successful in their futures.”

The Kremen Alumni Oktoberfest event will include a live band and a German-inspired buffet. Attendees are encouraged to participate in a silent auction with items donated from local businesses and restaurants such as Dog House Grill, Vino Grille, Spirits, Erna’s Elderberry House and more.

For more information on how to support the Kremen School, visit www.fresnostate.edu/givenow or contact Laura Whitehouse at 559.278.0393 or lwhitehouse@mail.fresnostate.edu.

Teaching Credential Student Leads Pride Week Events

Written by: Esra Hashem, Fresno State Marketing Strategist

For teaching credential student Kiana Medina, school has always been a sanctuary.

“I was never really social. I never really socially fit in … I was bullied a lot. But I found my home in what was academia,” she said.

As a child, the Fresno native bonded with teachers over her love of learning — particularly her third grade teacher, Nancy Montanez, at Holland Elementary School.

Teachers like Montanez inspired Medina to pursue a career as an elementary schoolteacher.

“School has always been my sanctuary. I love learning, I love reading and I just want to invoke that in other students,” she said.

Medina is now a volunteer teacher’s aide in Montanez’s classroom at Holland Elementary. She is using the skills she learns in Fresno State’s teaching credential program to make a positive difference in children’s lives.

“Medina is just like a bright sunshine,” said Montanez, who is also an alumna of Fresno State. “The kids look up to her. The kids love her.”

Having grown up feeling alienated from others, Medina said she makes it her goal to create an inclusive school environment.

As a student at University High School, Medina helped mobilize the Gender and Sexuality Alliance to create a more welcoming campus culture. Under her leadership, the club grew from four students “in a room eating chips” to 100 students.

“That’s definitely when I came out of my shell,” Medina said. “I think that’s where my love for advocacy stems from. It’s just about helping others. A lot of people leave the Valley because they don’t feel like, as an LGBTQ+ person, there’s a place for them.”

Read more about Medina and her impact on the LGBTQ+ community.