Four Cal State San Bernardino students were selected as the California State University’s 2024-25 Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholars.

The program, which is awarded to juniors, seniors and graduate students, provides financial assistance for those interested in exploring and preparing for a doctoral program. Scholars receive one-on-one guidance provided by faculty members within the CSU and the opportunity to work with faculty from doctoral-granting institutions.

The 2024-25 CSUSB Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholars are Benjamin Roath, Evy Zermeno, Gary Williams and Erick Herrera.

Benjamin Roath: M.A., English and writing studies, dual concentrations in applied linguistics and composition and rhetoric
Faculty Mentor: Caroline Vickers, dean of Graduate Studies

Benjamin Roath is a second-year graduate student from Eastvale, who is pursuing a master’s degree in English and writing studies with concentrations in applied linguistics, as well as composition and rhetoric.

“The English department faculty at CSUSB, both during my undergraduate and graduate studies have been crucial to my progress as a student,” he said. “I am honored to be a Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral scholar, and I am looking forward to pursuing doctoral studies in linguistics and ultimately becoming a professor.”

His academic interests include the intersection of multilingualism, sociolinguistics, and language pedagogy. He is currently involved in a research project funded by the National Science Foundation that examines university students’ access to education, retention and attainment of degrees for English learners in STEM fields. While working under the guidance of Caroline Vickers (dean of Graduate Studies) and Mike Chao (professor of biology), Roath’s research includes qualitative and quantitative methodologies that explore different groups of English speakers – including non-native, English-as-a-second language, bilingual/multilinguals – and how non-linguistic factors can affect learning outcomes.

As a first-generation college student from a multilingual family, Roath intends to pursue doctoral studies in linguistics to explore how language is influenced by and interacts with social, cultural and political factors. One of his key research topics has been the academic progress and success of English language learners compared to monolingual English speakers. Traditional explanations for English learner’s low post-secondary education participation and other academic achievement issues have been attributed to their limited English proficiency. Roath intends to investigate language-related subjects, including to what extent does linguistic background predict levels of access and levels of attainment compared with nonlinguistic variables.

Evy Zermeno: M.A., history
Faculty mentor: Thomas Long, history

Evy Mylene Zermeno is a graduate student from Colton who is in the M.A. history program. Her academic interests include settler colonialism, California Indigenous history, public history, and museum studies. She is particularly interested in the history of marginalized communities within California and the lack of knowledge, representation and narratives of these communities within history and public institutions. Aligned with her academic interests are her curatorial interests, which seek to highlight underrepresented communities and narratives in public spaces, such as museums.

Her recent research into Afro-Mexicans and Afrodescendants in California came to fruition when she co-curated the Afróntalo exhibition for the CSUSB Anthropology Museum, which ran from September 2023 to June 2024. Zermeno’s current project at the Dorothy Ramon Learning Center focuses on the documentation, preservation and dissemination of Southern California’s First Peoples’ culture, language, literature and traditions.

She is planning to pursue a doctoral degree in public history or ethnic studies, which would allow her to further incorporate decolonial perspectives in her curatorial and academic work. Zermeno hopes to continue researching the intersectionality of race, history and public institutions, while working with underrepresented communities to challenge the traditionally accepted historical narratives. 

Gary Williams: MPA, leadership concentration
Faculty mentor: King-To Yeung, sociology

Gary Williams, from Riverside, is a student in the Master of Public Administration-Leadership Concentration program.

“I am deeply thankful for the unwavering support from CSUSB faculty and Graduate Studies,” he said. “This backing has empowered me to pursue my research passions and work towards a master's degree in public administration. I look forward to contributing to meaningful public administration and mental health policy changes.”

His academic focus is on the intersection of race, mental health and public administration. With a profound interest in understanding how public policies impact mental health outcomes in racially marginalized communities, Williams aims to contribute to more equitable and effective public health strategies.

Under the guidance of his dedicated CSUSB faculty mentor, King-To Yeung (associate professor of sociology), Williams is dedicated to exploring how systemic inequalities affect mental health and how leadership within public administration can address these disparities. In the master's program, he plans to engage in comprehensive research that combines theoretical frameworks with practical applications to advocate for policies that promote mental well-being and social justice.

Erick Herrera: B.A., sociology and ethnic studies
Faculty mentor: Megan Carroll, sociology

Erick Herrera, an undergraduate student from Rialto, is double majoring in sociology and ethnic studies with a minor in gender and sexuality studies.

“I am privileged to receive advice from an array of CSUSB faculty and peers who have given me insights on the nuanced dimensions of academia,” Herrera said. “All of their support has guided me to become a CSU Pre-Doctoral Scholar as a first-generation student. I am grateful for these opportunities because aside from all my efforts, I’m fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time to hear about these opportunities.”

Herrera’s academic interests include queer and transgender perspectives in mainstream entertainment media with a current emphasis on researching how queer and transgender characters are framed through heteronormative contextualization and heterosexist conceptualization. Through the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, they are currently carrying out a two-year research project that focuses on how the portrayal of gay men in BL (Boys’ Love) media is not often written by queer and/or trans people themselves.

Herrera is planning to pursue a rhetoric doctoral degree, which would allow them to incorporate decolonial perspectives into their research methodology. It would also allow them to work with the LGBTQIA2S+ communities to address the cultural production of reductive media portrayals of queer and trans people, especially BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) queer and/or trans people.

Conducting research using a decolonial perspective allows them to produce research that uplifts and utilizes Native epistemological frameworks and steps away from the Western perspective of rhetoric research. Herrera believes that this perspective is necessary in the field of rhetoric, not only to reconcile deeds of the past but to incorporate queer and trans worldviews as valid sources of knowledge.

In addition, seven CSUSB students received honorable mentions from the pre-doctoral review committee: 

  • Brystal Nevins, M.A. communication studies; faculty mentor, Julie Taylor, communication studies
  • Krisha Orgo, M.A. psychological science; faculty mentor, Nicolas Brunet, physics
  • Kristof Csaba, M.A. psychological science; faculty mentor, Miranda McIntyre, psychology
  • Livia Padron Briceno, M.A. psychological science; faculty mentor, Maria Santos, psychology
  • Mariangel Fernandez Silva, M.S. biology; faculty mentor, Ana Zalaya, biology
  • Michael Rubalcava, B.A. history; faculty mentor, Ryan Keating, history
  • Sara Lopez, M.A. psychological science; faculty mentor, John Clapper, psychology

 Visit the CSU’s Sally Casanova Scholars website to learn more.