Congratulations to the staff and faculty earning degrees this year.

Name: Audrey Munoz
Department: Career Development Center
Current job title: Administrative Support Coordinator II, Clothing Closet Coordinator
New degree earned this year: Forensic Behavioral Sciences

Initially, I thought I was going to pursue a degree in family, marriage and child therapy in the hope of one day becoming a therapist, but then when I discovered I had a new interest in criminology. I couldn't help myself but to see where this path could eventually take me. I learned more about forensic behavioral sciences, and I automatically knew it was something I needed to pursue because I was so engaged and interested in learning more about this program. I have enjoyed it ever since, and I look forward to being able to pursue this degree in the future. Next, I am planning to apply to the MBA program for next fall.

Name: Esmeralda Cruz
Department: Human Resources
Current job title: Administrative Support Assistant II
New degree earned this year: Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Human Resources Management

My educational journey has taken me on quite an adventure. As someone who has attended multiple educational institutions, it was here where I was able to solidify my passion. I will forever be grateful to Fresno State for allowing me to achieve my goals of higher education in the field of human resources management. I will utilize my gained knowledge as I further pursue my professional career with the Human Resources department. This degree is dedicated to my best friend and number one supporter, my father, who watches from up above. We did it, Dad.

Name: Laura Mercado
Department: Admissions and Recruitment
Current job title: Admissions Specialist
New degree earned this year: Master of Science in Counseling, option Student Affairs and College Counseling

Laura started her program in fall 2021. She has worked hard and made sure she meets all of her responsibilities at work and school. She is a great example of an individual who is determined, responsible and dedicated to supporting students.

Name: Kathy Moua
Department: Cross Cultural and Gender Center
Current job title: Interim coordinator, Asian Pacific Islander and American Indian Programs and Services
New degree earned this year: Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration and Leadership

After working in a variety of educational programs abroad, Kathy returned home to Fresno to complete her master’s degree in the higher education administration and leadership program while working across multiple interdisciplinary committees to develop new programs on campus, such as the Higher Education and Student Affairs in the Central Valley conference. She has also implemented Asian Pacific Islander and American Indian programming as the interim coordinator at the Cross Cultural and Gender Center and with that also conducted, published and presented higher education research at regional and national conferences with a research team in the Kremen School of Education and Human Development.

Name: Pilar Garcia
Department: University Registrar
Current job title: Staff
New degree earned this year: Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration and Leadership

Working as a student leader and student assistant as an undergraduate student here exposed me to the work that’s done in higher education. This is really when the spark to further my education in this field began. This led to my decision to apply to the Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration and Leadership program to learn more about policies, theories, practices and current issues in higher education to better understand how to help students throughout their college careers. Being a part of this program has helped me work on my personal and professional development. I’ve learned that no matter what position we hold, we will continuously learn new information to grow individually, within departments, and as an institution.

Name: Shimel Her Saychou
Department: Cross Cultural and Gender Center
Current job title: Director
New degree earned this year: Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

As a Hmong woman, first-generation college student and a child of refugees, Shimel would have never imagined going to college or obtaining a doctorate. She has over 18 years of experience in K-12 and higher education combined, where she’s contributed her work to retention, DEI, academic counseling, bilingual education, early outreach, admissions and evaluations. Through mentorship and to move forward with her career goals, Shimel made the decision to enroll in Fresno State's doctoral program so she can continue to work with students and conduct research to support students and the campus.

Campus News is celebrating our employee graduates over the next several weeks. There's still time to submit. Follow the format below and send to campusnews@csufresno.edu with a high-resolution photo.

Name:
Department:
Current job title:
New degree earned this year:
Include a few sentences about his/her journey to this degree.

(Unfortunately, this does not include student employees.)