Introducing Four Outstanding New Assistant Professors
The College of Education is pleased to welcome four new tenure-track faculty members who have joined us in our efforts toward equity and excellence for students, faculty and staff. Our faculty have rich and diverse backgrounds and are part of various departments within the college. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Erin Biolchino, Dr. Caroline Lopez, Dr. Cathrine Maiorca, and Dr. Jacob Olsen.
Dr. Biolchino
Dr. Biolchino was a part-time lecturer for several years and joins the Educational Leadership Department as an Assistant Professor this spring. Her background is in law and education. She earned a J.D. from University of California, Los Angeles and practiced law before becoming a high school teacher, administrator, and instructional coach. Dr. Biolchino earned her Ed.D. at The Beach in May 2016. She is very familiar with the quality and scope of our education programs, explaining that she shares “the College of Education’s commitment to equity and social justice” and that she looks “forward to shaping the next generation of educational leaders as we together embark on a journey to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all students.”
Dr. Biolchino’s research interests are related to K-12 education, especially Linked Learning, Common Core, curriculum and instruction, and the intersection of law and education. Dr. Biolchino is currently serving on a dissertation committee related to special education inclusion, and is enthusiastic about helping students pursue their research interests and develop as writers.
Dr. Lopez
Dr. Lopez joined the School Counseling program in Fall 2016 as an Assistant Professor. She received her Doctorate in Counselor Education from Ohio University with a specialty in School Counseling and Counselor Education and supervision. Dr. Lopez is a CSULB School Counseling program alumna. When asked about her experience as a student at CSULB, she stated “I appreciated the quality training I received and the relationships I developed with faculty. I hope I can provide these same valuable experiences to current students in the school counseling program. I was drawn to return to The Beach as an Assistant Professor for the university’s commitment to community engagement and the diversity of its student body.”
Dr. Lopez has presented at state and national counseling conferences on evidence-based practices. Her research interests include school counselor leadership and training and group work. Her most recent work, entitled “School Counselors: Collaborating for LCAP Goals” was published in the Association of California School Administrators Leadership magazine. Dr. Lopez is currently working with graduate students from both the school counseling and teacher education program to examine the lesson planning practices of school counselors. Her areas of expertise include school counselor training and leadership, group counseling, and school counseling core curriculum.
Dr. Maiorca
This fall, Dr. Maiorca began working as an Assistant Professor and teaching methods courses in elementary mathematics in two of our clinical practice pathways embedded within our initial credential programs: the Urban Dual Credential Program (UDCP) and the Urban Teaching Academy (UTEACH). Additionally, she has designed a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) summer camp for underrepresented children in the Long Beach area. Dr. Maiorca earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Mathematics Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the spring of 2016. In her dissertation entitled A Case Study: Students’ Mathematics-Related Beliefs from Integrated STEM Model-Eliciting Activities, she examined the mathematics-related beliefs of fourth and fifth grade students who participated in an afterschool integrated STEM program.
Dr. Maiorca’s research interests are reflected in her passion for teaching future teachers. When asked about what it’s like to teach her students she shared that “my students are amazing; they are not afraid to think about teaching mathematics in different ways. They are not afraid to ask questions and engage in meaningful discussions about the developmental level of their students and how best to teach them.” Her future research plans include continuing to study students’ mathematics-related beliefs and examining preservice teachers’ beliefs about mathematics.
Dr. Olsen
Prior to earning his Ph.D. in Counseling and Supervision from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte this past July, Dr. Olsen taught comprehensive school counseling, practicum, and internship courses in school counseling as an Adjunct Instructor at Seattle Pacific University, where he also earned his M.Ed. in School Counseling. He explained that he “was drawn to the school counseling program at CSULB because of the College of Education’s mission to ‘prepare professional educators and practitioners who promote equity and excellence in diverse urban settings through effective pedagogy, evidence-based practices, collaboration, leadership, innovation, scholarship, and advocacy.’ These principles align with my beliefs as an educator and my research agenda. I was also drawn to CSULB’s diverse student population, the expertise of the faculty in the ASEC department, and the opportunity to connect with educators and the community in the Long Beach area.”
Dr. Olsen has extensive experience in teaching and counseling, as well as providing leadership and counseling using Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in a K-12 school setting. His research focuses on the alignment and integration of Comprehensive School Counseling Programs (CSCPs) and MTSS to better reach the academic and behavioral needs of all students. Utilizing his research, Dr. Olsen hopes to support school counselors in developing the knowledge and skills to implement CSCPs aligned with MTSS and in using data to show their effectiveness.
We are pleased to have our new Assistant Professors join the college. Their wealth of knowledge and experience in their fields will undoubtedly benefit our students as well as enrich our programs and research community for many years to come.
