Audrey Balan

Audrey began her journey at CSUSB as a San Bernardino Valley College transfer student in 2005. One of her professors noticed her creativity and passion for graphic design and encouraged her to apply as his student assistant in the Graphic Design Department. Over eight years, that professor became her mentor, guiding her through technological advancements and encouraging her to keep learning. 

Audrey Balan received one of the 2024 President’s Staff Awards for Outstanding Employee. She feels honored to receive this award and to have her work recognized. Audrey has been working at CSUSB for 16 years as a graphic designer in the Office of Marketing and Communications, previously the “Office of Strategic Communication.”  

Audrey values the connections she makes in her department, especially with the student assistants who have worked alongside her. Though she is not a supervisor, she loves providing guidance to her student workers and watching them grow in confidence when working on assignments for CSUSB. Audrey also feels privileged to contribute to several projects, including developing acceptance letter packages for incoming CSUSB students. Her design for the most recent acceptance package won her team a gold award in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), which recognizes excellence in graphic design in higher education. Receiving these awards has inspired Audrey to continue developing her skills and to never stop learning. Recently, she set a personal goal to improve her animation skills and hopes to collaborate more with CSUSB’s social media team to bring fresh content to their pages.  

When asked what advice she would give to other staff members, Audrey said, “Be open. Don’t close yourself off to learning, and keep an open mind to developing the skills you need in your position. Always strive to be more, be open to constructive criticism, and reach out to your team!” 

Published February 2025
Written by Emily Alvarez and Rowena Casis-Woidyla