Leveraging Interdisciplinary Nutritional Knowledge (LINK)
The LINK Program is a collaboration between five Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in Southern California: two 4-year universities, California State University (CSU) Long Beach and CSU Fullerton, and three 2-year community colleges (CC) including Fullerton, Long Beach City, and Santa Ana Colleges. The LINK Program will promote the success of 26 underrepresented (UR) students in the food and human sciences professional and scientific workforce emphasizing Latino nutrition through outreach, mentoring, education, support services, research, and professional internships with community partners.
Funder
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Award #2021-77040-34904
LINK Scholar Activities Chart
Program Goals
- Increase number of UR undergraduate and graduate students graduating
- Increase knowledge of nutrition, food and human sciences
- Increase capacity to apply nutritional science and promotion
- Develop leadership abilities
- Increase awareness of nutrition and health sciences/public health majors and careers
- Align HSI efforts to support transfer student academic development and success
Program Activities
Workshops
Three workshops per semester will be scheduled at each community college with information on academic majors at the CSUs, transfer requirements, and LINK Program information open to all students interested in majoring in nutrition, health science/public health or kinesiology.
- Long Beach City College
- November 10, 2021, 12:30 pm and 6:30 pm
- November 15, 2021, 6:00 pm
- Zoom: https://csulb.zoom.us/j/84315100363
View/Download Workshop Flyer (PDF)
- Fullerton College
- November 9, 2021, 7:00 pm
- November 30, 2021 at 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm
- Zoom: https://fullcoll-edu.zoom.us/j/95868685467
- View/Download Workshop Flyer (PDF)
- Santa Ana College
- November 4, 2021, 6:00 pm
- November 18, 2021, 12:00 pm
- December 3, 2021 at 9:00 am
- Zoom: https://csulb.zoom.us/j/83256648582
- View/Download Workshop Flyer (PDF)
Community College Liaisons
Liaisons at each community college will provide advising, mentorship, and assistance with the transfer process to students majoring in nutrition, health science/public health or kinesiology.
- Long Beach City College
- Jennifer Musick, MPH
Professor, Kinesiology/Health Education Department
JMusick@lbcc.edu
- Jennifer Musick, MPH
- Fullerton College
- Rita Higgins, MPH, RDN
Professor, Department of Nutrition and Foods
RHiggins@fullcoll.edu
- Rita Higgins, MPH, RDN
- Santa Ana College
- Sarah Mathot, MS, RDN
Chair, Food & Nutrition Department
Mathot_Sarah@sac.edu - Jazmin Hurtado
Adjunct Counselor/Professor
Cranium Cafe Online Office
- Sarah Mathot, MS, RDN
Santa Ana College – CSULB
- Dietetics_and_Food_Administration - Dietetics (PDF)
- Dietetics_and_Food_Administration - Food Science (PDF)
- Dietetics_and_Food_Administration - Nutritional Science (PDF)
- Health Science - Community Health Education (PDF)
- Kinesiology - Exercise Science (PDF)
- Kinesiology - Fitness (PDF)
Fullerton College – CSULB
- Dietetics and Food Administration - Dietetics (PDF)
- Dietetics and Food Administration - Food Science (PDF)
- Dietetics and Food Administration - Nutritional Science (PDF)
- Health Science - Community Health Education (PDF)
- Kinesiology - Exercise Science (PDF)
- Kinesiology - Fitness (PDF)
Long Beach Community College – CSULB
1. Do we need to take the GWAR this semester coming into CSULB?
Continuing students are required to attempt the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) when they have earned between 30 and 50 units.
2. What’s the difference between the GPE and GWAR?
GPE is the actual exam you must take, GWAR is the name of the requirement which it fulfills.
3. Can you talk about needing to be issued permission by specific departments to take a class?
For courses that require department permission, please contact the appropriate department chair via email. They will issue you a permit, you will then be allowed to enroll in the course.
4. How do I know which classes to enroll in this semester?
You will be receiving an email from CSULB with a list of recommended courses, you must then enroll through your student center. Whenever in doubt, make an appointment with an advisor.
5. When do we pay tuition?
For students paying out of pocket, tuition is due on August 10th. Payments are accepted via Student Center. Students who are expecting financial aid to cover their tuition will see this payment go through automatically. For more information visit: https://www.csulb.edu/student-records/tuition-and-fees
6. Is there a fee if we enroll in courses and then drop the course before school starts?
No, you can drop 2 weeks into the semester with no penalty.
7. What vaccinations are required for students living on campus?
For a list of required immunizations visit: https://www.csulb.edu/student-affairs/immunizations
8. What are some other research programs on campus?
Visit: https://www.csulb.edu/office-of-research-and-economic-development/student-research-opportunities
9. Are all students required to receive the Covid-19 vaccine?
Stay updated with CSULB’s Covid-19 responses at: https://www.csulb.edu/onebeach/reuniting-the-beach
10. What are some resources for undocumented students on campus?
Visit the Dream Success Center
CSULB Transfer Orientation
Date: Friday, July 29, 2022
Time: 9:30am - 12: 30pm
Register at: https://bit.ly/CSULBOrientation
An annual one-day summer transfer orientation will be hosted at CSULB to inform prospective transfer students of academic resources and student services, and explore the various degree options related to nutrition, health science/public health, and kinesiology.
CSUF Transfer Orientation
Date: Friday, July 22nd 2022
Time: 9:00am - 12: 00pm
Register at: https://bit.ly/CSUFOrientation
An annual one-day summer transfer orientation will be hosted at CSUF to inform prospective transfer students of academic resources and student services, and explore the various degree options related to nutrition, health science/public health, and kinesiology.
LINK Scholar Eligibility Criteria
- Enrolled in a nutrition, health science/public health, or kinesiology program;
- Minimum 3.00 GPA;
- Incoming CC transfer or Master’s student;
- U.S. citizen or national; and
- Available for a one-year commitment with enrollment in at least 15 credit hours per semester.
LINK Scholar Activities
- Orientation and Training – One-week summer orientation and training, Dates: August 3 - 5, 8 & 9, 2022
- Learning Community – Three-hour bimonthly meetings throughout the academic year to receive additional training, professional development, advising, and mentoring.
- Leadership Development – Participation and completion of the CSULB Leadership Academy. The Academy requires 6 workshops across one academic year focused on leadership, congruence and commitment, teamwork and communication, understanding conflict and restorative justice, ethical decision making and society, advocacy, and building communities. Scholars will be required to complete a theory-to-practice reflection paper after completing the workshops.
- Research – Ten hours per week of applied research with a faculty mentor during the second semester of participation.
- Summer Experiential Learning Placement (Externship) – Eight-week, 20-hour per week summer externship with identified government, non-profit, or private organizations to apply human nutrition knowledge in professional settings.
LINK Scholar Benefits
- Conduct research with a faculty mentor on campus
- Receive training on Latino nutrition and disease prevention, health interventions, and research methods
- Engage in professional development
- Receive leadership training
- Enhance academic preparation
- Engage in a summer applied field experience
- Receive tuition and fees support for one year and scholarship stipend
Application:
- Complete LINK Fellowship Application on Qualtrics (click on the blue arrow icon at the bottom of this page to continue).
- Unofficial Transcripts from all schools attended.
- One (1) letter of recommendation from a current or former instructor, advisor, or supervisor (submitted by the recommender via this Qualtrics link).
- A Personal Statement (500 words)
- Describe why you are interested in receiving training in Latino nutrition and disease prevention.
- Describe your interest in engaging in public health research. What do you expect to learn?
- Describe how participating in the LINK Program will help your future education and/or career goals.
- Resume or CV (1 page), including college(s) attended, community service/volunteer and work experiences, and extracurricular activities.
*All documents should be legible and clean copies in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF. No pictures of transcripts.
The 2022 application deadline has passed. Please check back in Spring 2023 for the next cycle.
Melawhy Garcia, PhD, MPH
CSULB Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Science, CSULB
Melawhy.Garcia@csulb.edu
Lilia Espinoza, MPH, PhD
CSUF Principal Investigator
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health, CSUF
Natalia Gatdula, MPH
Program Manager
Center for Latino Community Health,
Evaluation, & Leadership Training
Natalia.Gatdula@csulb.edu
Selena Nguyen-Rodriguez, PhD, MPH
Evaluator
Associate Professor
Department of Health Science
Selena.Nguyen-Rodriguez@csulb.edu
