Chemistry (CHEM) - S/I Leaders Spring 2017

Amir Lechner

SI Leader for Mahammadi, M [ M, W, F 11 - 12 pm and M, W, F 1 - 2pm ]
Chen, A [ Tu, Th 2 - 3:15 and Tu, Th 3:30 - 4:45pm ]
Amir's course is M, W, F 12 - 1 pm [ Section 16, #4638 ]

Hi! My name is Amiruddin Lechner, however, I go by Amir. I was born in Malaysia, and have lived in 5 different countries. I am currently entering my Junior year as a Biochemistry major at CSULB, and plan on going to medical school after this to pursue an M.D., where I hope to specialize in either Trauma Surgery or become and E.R. doctor.

This will be my 3rd semester as an SI leader. I am truly grateful for being able to help students succeed not only in CHEM 111A, but their college career and beyond. I believe in passing on information I’ve learned in order to help students achieve their academic goals.
I’m looking forward to working with you!

Marina Kalds

SI Leader for Mahammadi, M [ M, W, F 11 - 12 pm and M, W, F 1 - 2pm ]
Chen, A [ Tu, Th 2 - 3:15 and Tu, Th 3:30 - 4:45pm ]
Marina's course is Tu, Th 3:30 - 4:45 pm [ Section 17, #4639 ]

My name is Marina Kalds. I was born in Egypt, and I came to California during high school. This is my third year as an undergraduate and a pre-med in CSULB. I am planning to graduate in Spring 2018. One of my friends encouraged me to become an SI leader for Chemistry after taking an Organic Chemistry class together. I was extremely thrilled when I heard back from them inviting me to come for an interview, and I am honored to start my first semester as an SI leader for General Chemistry. As a pre-med student, I have learned early on to prioritize and dedicate most of my time to school-related work. I have recovered from many setbacks, and I want to help other students to pursue their future dreams as well. I had a chance to help many friends in the past few years, and I am currently a teacher for children at church. I am exhilarated that I will be able to help even more students to be more successful.

Hadiah Fattal

SI Leader for Mahammadi, M [ M, W, F 11 - 12 pm and M, W, F 1 - 2pm ]
Chen, A [ Tu, Th 2 - 3:15 and Tu, Th 3:30 - 4:45pm ]
Hadiah's course is Tu, Th 5 - 6:15 pm [ Section 18, #4640 ]

My name is Hadiah Fattal and I was born in Bellflower, California and I currently live in Cerritos. I am a senior at Cal State Long Beach, double majoring in psychology and chemistry. I decided to be an SI leader because helping and encouraging others to learn is something I am very passionate about. I want to help students with difficult science concepts and I also want to become a better teacher. I believe that SI can help students succeed in difficult classes. When I took my very first science class at a junior college there was an SI, and it helped me tremendously. I succeeded in that class and I decided to go into science after that. Something I am looking forward to this semester is seeing the transformation that students have when the difficult concepts finally click for them. For me, that is the most rewarding part of learning.

Roxanne Jacobs

SI Leader for Bahrami, M [ M, W, F 8 - 9 am ]
Sorin, E [ M, W, F 11 - 12 ]
Roxanne's course is M, W, F 9 - 10 am [ Section 19, #4641 ]

My name is Roxanne Jacobs and I have lived a mile away from CSULB the majority of my life. I am in my third year here, double majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. Initially undeclared my first semester of college, I decided to enroll in CHEM 111A to open up possible career opportunities in the sciences. I ended up loving the class with Dr. Shahab Derakhshan and since that semester, I joined his inorganic solid-state synthesis lab and have been conducting research under him for the past two years. During the summer of 2016, I conducted research at Clemson University under Dr. David Ladner in the environmental engineering department.

The mentorship of these two professors, along with other instructors I have had during my academic career, have inspired me to become a chemistry professor one day. The study of chemistry contributes to solving many of society’s pressing issues and I hope to convey my passion for the subject to my students as an SI leader. During my first semester as an SI leader, I will commit to helping my students gain the confidence and problem-solving skills to succeed in CHEM 111B and beyond. I am excited to watch my students grow, and I know I will learn a lot from them as well as I lead this course for the first time.

Raya Tamimi

SI Leader for Bahrami, M [ M, W, F 8 - 9 am ]
Sorin, E [ M, W, F 11 - 12 ]
Raya's course is M, W, F 10 - 11 am [ Section 20, #4642 ]

Hi! My name is Raya Tamimi. I was born in North Carolina, but raised in California. Currently, I’m in my fifth year studying Biochemistry. Just I recently became self-aware of my passion to help others learn and succeed. This ultimately led me to want to pursue a science credential as well as a Masters in Education. Eventually, I want to become a high school science teacher and be involved in the education system. I also want to give back to my community and volunteer in underserved communities.

I chose to join the Supplemental Instruction program at CSULB because not only will I be guiding students to become independent learners, but it is also a stepping stone towards reaching my future career goals. Being an SI leader will help prepare me for my future role as a science teacher. I am also a Peer Mentor in the Jenson SAS Center, where I assist students with their challenging science coursework. A few things about me are that I love pasta and bananas. I also enjoy crocheting and making beaded jewelry during my spare time.

Nicholas Humphrey

SI Leader for Bahrami, M [ M, W, F 8 - 9 am ]
Sorin, E [ M, W, F 11 - 12 ]
Raya's course is M, W, F 12 - 1 pm [ Section 21, #4643 ]

My name is Nicholas Humphrey, and I have lived in Long Beach, California all my life. I plan to graduate in Fall 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Applied Mathematics from CSULB. Math and science courses have always come naturally to me.

I was approached by a fellow colleague of mine that I took Organic Chemistry with, and he told me about a possible position for a Supplemental Instructor in a math/science department. He urged me to apply since I did really well in the Organic Chemistry courses. I decided to apply for the position because I have plans of going to a graduate school, most likely a Ph. D. program. I have always tutored fellow colleagues that were taking the same course as me. I felt that it helped reinforce the material that was being taught. I would like to put forth this skill that I have learned and develop a more professional instructing experience to hopefully help me get into a graduate program. I really enjoy helping others succeed in their course.
I am also currently doing computational research with Dr. Eric Sorin and Dr. Ted Yu; who are professors at CSULB.

Farrah Llanes

SI Leader for Pierce, P [ M, W, F 9 - 10 am ]
Farrah's course is M, W, F 8 - 9 am; and 10 - 11 am [ Sections 13, #4637; and 14, 4752 ]

My name is Farrah Llanes. I was born in the Philippines and raised in Modesto, California. I am a second year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Nursing.

In my second semester of college, I joined two SI classes: Chemistry 140 SI and Biology 207 SI. These SI courses more than augmented my understanding of the material. Through them, I found confidence in myself and in like-minded people who sought to achieve more than just an A in the class. I became an SI leader in hopes that I will instill the same confidence and reassurance to other students. Numerous Pre-Nursing students are easily discouraged by the course load; I hope to help them feel empowered by the way they can surpass these challenges. I look forward to working with other people in my major and to inspire them to keep going.