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Spotlight/Staff

Meet Our Staff

Melissa Bakeman
Melissa 'Mel' Bakeman, Faculty Director

Years teaching: I have taught at CSUSB for over two decades.
Future career plans: Never grow up, but be responsible in the process.
Fun fact: I have over two dozen animals—including twenty chickens and an indoor pig named Churchill.
Favorite book/movie: Raymond Chandler's Farewell My Lovely/My Butterfly or the Shawshank Redemption

Alejandra Marquez
Alejandra Marquez

M.A. English Composition, Literature concentration c/o 2020
Future career plans: Teach at the university level (get a Ph.D., currently working on it)  :)
Fun fact: I have nearly 300 books and have read about 2/3 of them!
A favorite bookThis Bridge Called My Back Ed. Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa 

Medium length curly brown hair, glasses, black shirt
Alyse Kiara Deatherage

Major: English, MA, with concentrations in Literature and Pedagogy

Future career plans:  I plan to teach English and Literature at the community college level, while continuing to explore different areas of study that I’m interested in. 

Fun fact: I have been a dance teacher for the past 7 years, specifically in ballet, tap, and jazz. 

Favorite TV show/book: My favorite TV show always changes, but recently I was obsessed with Beef on Netflix. And I don’t know if I have a current favorite book but I am currently reading Abroad in Japan: Ten Years in the Land of the Rising Sun by YouTuber and Podcast host Chris Broad.

brown eyes and black short hair, blue polo shirt, smiling
Reggie Abu

Major: Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management

Future career plans: To work in the tech industry as a project/program manager in the HR space. I’m also considering starting an MBA program soon.

Fun Fact: I’m a huge PC tech nerd, I could talk to you about each computer component and the best configurations all day.

Favorite TV show/movie: My favorite show as of now has got to be Succession. I love how natural the actors are able to perform in their roles, and it truly feels like watching a real, messy family as they fight over who succeeds their father’s company. My favorite movie is Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse because of how revolutionary it was.

Long dark brown curly hair, blue blouse, brown eyes
Sakshi Verma

Major: M.S. Information Systems and Technology

Future career plans: To be a cool techie

Fun fact: I have two dogs and they don't like each other.

Favorite TV show/movie: YJHD (movie); Money Heist, and You (TV Show)

Tutor Alumni

Congratulations to our past tutors who have graduated! 

Long dark brown hair, black blouse
Serina Item, c/o 2023

M.A. English and Writing Studies, Literature and Applied Linguistics Concentration

 

Jacinta Mercado-Knowles
Jacinta Mercado-Knowles, c/o 2022
George Romero, c/o 2022
Jaye Johnson, c/o 2021
Randy Lucio
Randy Lucio, c/o 2020

M.A. English Composition, concentration in Applied Linguistics

Courtney Watts c/o 2020

B.A. Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting

Marisol Rivera
Marisol Rivera, c/o 2019

M.A. English Composition

Erin Metz
Erin Metz, c/o 2019

B.A. English, concentration in Creative Writing

Lauren Cook
Lauren Cook, c/o 2019

 B.A. Communications

Alberto Velasco, Jr
Alberto Velasco, Jr. c/o 2019

B.A. Administration, Entrepreneurship Concentration

Chloe Watts
Chloe Watts, c/o 2018

B.A. Liberal Studies

Breanna Hinckley
Breanna Hinckley, c/o 2017

B.A. Business Administration
Concentrations: Management and Marketing

Bryan White
Bryan White, c/o 2017

B.A. Business Administration

Concentration: Marketing