Chevron emphasizes the importance of role models in inspiring young women to pursue STEM education and careers. This past weekend, Dr. Carol Fry Bohlin, chair of curriculum and instruction and director of the Mathematics and Science Teacher Initiative, was honored by the Fresno Grizzlies as Chevron’s STEM Role Model of the Month.

Also recognized was Fry Bohlin's mentee, Isabela Hamasaki, as the STEM Female Student of the Month. Hamasaki is a junior at Mendota High School and has participated in engineering design competitions.

“I think seeing a female as an enthusiastic leader in STEM education encourages more girls to have the confidence to pursue a STEM career … I envision a world where girls and boys alike can be leaders with confidence, competence, and conviction, and be powerful agents for positive change in the world,” Fry Bohlin said.

Fry Bohlin has devoted her career to STEM. This is not the first time she has been recognized for her work in STEM education. In February, the Girl Scouts of Central California South awarded Fry Bohlin with the Fresno 2019 Women Inspiring Girls Award.

Congratulations to Continuing and Global Education’s Dr. Daniel Bernard, whose competitive paper, “Reducing Psychological Reactance in Health Promotion Messages: Comparing Preemptive and Postscript Mitigation Strategies” is being recognized as a “Top Paper in Health Communication” by the National Communication Association.

Congratulations to Media, Communications and Journalism assistant professor of digital cinema Aaron Schuelke, MFA for winning gold in the University Film and Video Association Conference (UFVA) in the Fiction Short category for his film titled "For the Birds".

The UFVA Award Ceremony was held July 30 to Aug. 2 at the Foss Lobeck Center at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. According to UFVA, the conference included panels, screenings, workshops and evening events where attendees explored innovative filmmaking practices, read freshly minted scripts, wandered the terrain of new media visions and watched stories unfold on the screens of Augsburg’s campus.

Special recognition goes out to the following faculty in the Department of English for many accomplishments.

Venita Blackburn — Published the story “Grief Log” as illustrated by Bianca Alejos for Electric Literature. Interviewed by Suyi Okungbowa on “Internal Machinations of the Human Spirit” for the Sonora Review. Also served as a mentor in the Emerging Voices Fellowship, run by the PEN America-Los Angeles office.

Joseph Cassara — Interviewed by Joseph Rey on “Balancing Queer Tragedy and Happiness” for Lambda Literary.

Brynn Saito — Published the poems “September, Seoul,” “First Date,” and “For Marilyn June Oh” in Sijo: An International Journal of Poetry and Song.

Mai Der Vang — Published the poem “Look to the New Moon” in Poetry Magazine. Also, the poem was featured and analyzed on the Poetry Magazine podcast.

Visit the Fresno State MFA blog to read more about the accomplishments of students, alumni and faculty in the Creative Writing Program and the Department of English.