Student Affairs honor highlights month of staff and student recognition

Published March 5, 2026

By Wendy Thomas Russell Celebrated Reputation

Making Waves is a monthly column that celebrates accomplishments of the ɫ��ɫ community.

Student Affairs once again named 'promising' workplace

Students walk and sit in front of university building.

Cal State Long Beach has been selected as one of the 2026 Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs by ACPA-College Student Educators International and The EDU Ledger. The national recognition is based on a 2025 survey assessing staffing practices and workplace environment, with the university rising to the top in areas such as family friendliness and professional development opportunities, as well as salary and benefits. The honor marks a repeat distinction for ɫ��ɫ, which also was recognized in 2024 by “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education” for similar strengths. The university will be formally acknowledged at a reception during the ACPA annual convention this spring.

CNSM students earn biomedical presentation honors

A group of students stands behind large ABRCMS letters at a conference venue. — ɫ��ɫ's student presenters at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students. Winner Wyatt Pierce can be seen peering through the circle at the far left. Jocelyn Cantero is not pictured.

Wyatt Pierce and Jocelyn Cantero, students in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, recently earned presentation awards at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students (ABRCMS) in San Antonio, Texas. Pierce received the Immunology Presentation Award for his poster, “Innate Immune Protein C1q Induces Autophagy in Macrophage Foam Cells,” while Cantero was recognized with the Chemistry Presentation Award for her poster, “Synthesis of Active Site Fragment Hits Targeting the EV-D68 RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase.” The annual conference draws thousands of emerging scientists from across the country to share research and connect with leaders in biomedical fields.

Africana Studies senior wins national essay award

Portrait of a smiling person wearing professional attire. — Alyssa Rowland

Alyssa Rowland, a fourth-year Africana Studies major, has earned first place in the National Council of Black Studies Undergraduate Student Essay Contest, a national competition recognizing outstanding scholarship on the Africana experience. Rowland was honored for her essay, “Between Sacred and Spectacle: A Braided Framework for Black Women’s Erotic Labor,” selected through a blind review process as part of the Terry Kershaw Student Essay Contest. She will be recognized at the organization’s annual conference this spring — an achievement that continues a strong showing for the department, following Darrell A. White Jr. ‘25, who received second place in last year’s undergraduate competition.

February Employee of the Month: Executive Assistant Penelope Gaibor

Person stands on campus holding a certificate beneath a sign displaying the name Penelope Gaibor. — Penelope Gaibor

Penelope Gaibor ‘19, ‘24, executive assistant to the vice provost in Academic Planning, has been named . A first-generation college graduate who earned her bachelor’s degree in health science at ɫ��ɫ, Gaibor began her professional journey on campus supporting undergraduate research students before completing a master’s degree in healthcare administration and joining Academic Affairs. In her current role under Vice Provost Dhushy Sathianathan, she supports planning initiatives such as Beach XP and the Data Fellows Program, coordinating communications, events and strategic projects. Colleagues describe her as collaborative, detail-oriented and empowering, citing her leadership in managing complex logistics and onboarding new team members.

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