Events and Opportunities

Events & Opportunities

The California Pre-Doctoral Program - Sally Casanova Scholars

The California Pre-Doctoral Program is designed to increase diversity within the pool of university faculty by supporting the doctoral aspirations of students in the CSU. In 2017-18, the California Pre-Doctoral Program will award funds to approximately 73 juniors, seniors and graduate students in the CSU. These funds are designed to enable current students to explore and prepare for doctoral programs in their chosen field of study. Recipients of this award will receive funding for participation in a summer research experience program at a doctoral-granting institution, visits to doctoral-granting institutions to explore opportunities for doctoral study, travel to a national symposium or professional meeting, and graduate school application and test fees.

Awards are based on competitive review of student applications and given to current upper-division undergraduate or graduate students who demonstrate academic excellence, while having experienced economic or educational disadvantage, and are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level. All students enrolled on a CSU campus are eligible to participate.

The application cycle opens in December of each year.  Interested candidates must work directly with the SSU campus coordinator, Dr. Daniel Malpica: daniel.malpica@sonoma.edu or (707) 664-2264.

Current & Past SSU Sally Casanova Scholars

2023-24 Academic Year 

Ismael Alejandro Lopez, Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kyla Walters Doughty

Ruzanna Gasparyan, History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stephen Bittner

 2022-23 Academic Year

Stephanie Stiavetti, Psychology
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Cecile Bhang and Dr. Daniel Melero Malpica

2021-22 Academic Year

Wyatt Huber, Anthropology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Richard J. Senghas

2019-20 Academic Year

Justin Brown, Geography, Environment, and Planning
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura A. Watt

2018-19 Academic Year

B. Gabriela Arango, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Daniel Crocker

Jonathan Coil, Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Suzelle Bozada-Deas

The California Forum for Diversity in Education 

The California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education is an all-day event designed to acquaint students from underrepresented groups with the academic and career opportunities associated with advanced study in a wide range of disciplines. The Forum offers students a range of workshop topics: 

• How to Pay for Grad School: Before, During, and After
• How to Prepare for the GRE
• The Relation of the Master’s to the Ph.D.
• How to Select, Apply to, & Prepare for Graduate School
• The Importance of Undergraduate Research
• How to Write a Winning Statement of Purpose
• Keys to Success and Survival in Grad School
• Successful Strategies for Acquiring Strong Letters of Recommendation

The Forum also offers subject-specific panel presentations for the following disciplines:

• Physical Sciences & Math
• Engineering & Computer Science
• Arts & Humanities
• Education
• Life Sciences
• Behavioral Sciences
• Social Sciences
• Health & Human Services

For more information about the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education, please contact Stacey Pelton: pelton@sonoma.edu