Graduate Students

Angel Alaniz
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California Irvine (2021)
  • Philosophical Interests: Phenomenology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language, Moral Psychology (esp. Well-being)
  • E-mail: angel.alaniz01@student.csulb.edu

Giancarlo Almerco
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, California State University Fullerton (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Existentialism, Ancient Philosophy, Political Philosophy
  • E-mail: giancarlo.almerco01@student.csulb.edu

Eliseo Banda
  • Degrees: BS in Computer Engineering Technology, DeVry University (2008)
  • Philosophical Interests: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Political Philosophy, Ethics
  • E-mail: eliseo.banda01@student.csulb.edu

Brandon Beller
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, Sonoma State University (2019)
  • Philosophical Interests: Political Philosophy (esp. Marxism), Social Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Phenomenology, Ethics
  • E-mail: brandon.beller01@student.csulb.edu

Gabriel Bess
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California Long Beach (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Late Modern Philosophy, Pragmatism
  • E-mail: gabriel.bess@student.csulb.edu

Emilie Browning
  • Degrees: BA in Peace Studies & BA in Music, Whitworth University (2026)
  • Philosophical Interests: Epistemology (esp. Testimony), Philosophy of Language, Social Philosophy (esp. Critical Social Theory), Ethics
  • E-mail: emilie.browning01@student.csulb.edu

Augustine Cali

Nikolas Canellos
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, California State University Fullerton (2026)
  • Philosophical Interests: Late Modern Philosophy (esp. Schopenhauer), Metaphysics, Phenomenology (esp. Heidegger), Ancient Philosophy
  • E-mail: nikolas.canellos01@student.csulb.edu

Jamie Carmichael
  • Degrees: BA in Literature, Harvard University (2001); MBA and Honors MA in International Relations, University of Chicago (2010)
  • Philosophical Interests: Metaethics, Ethics, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Logic, Philosophy of Cognitive Science (esp. Embodied Cognition)
  • E-mail: jamie.carmichael01@student.csulb.edu

Henry Chen
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California Los Angeles (2021)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Language, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Ethics
  • E-mail: henryjinghe.chen01@student.csulb.edu

Dylan Christoffers

Christina Crain
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, California State University San Bernardino (2023)
  • Philosophical Interests: Existentialism, Ancient Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Ethics, Philosophy of Law
  • E-mail: christina.crain01@student.csulb.edu

Oliver Di Martino
  • Degrees: BS in Biology, Concordia University (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Medicine, Bioethics, Philosophy of Science, Applied Metaphysics (esp. Personhood), Epistemology, Philosophy of Religion
  • E-mail: oliver.dimartino01@student.csulb.edu

Madison Dornellas
  • Degrees: BA in Journalism, California State University Long Beach (2016)
  • Philosophical Interests: Political Philosophy, History of Political Philosophy (esp. Marx), Social Philosophy (esp. Edward Carpenter), Ethics
  • E-mail: madison.dornellas01@student.csulb.edu

Daniel Mangandi Escobar
  • Degrees: Honors BA in Philosophy & BA in Psychology, University of Northern Colorado (2024)
  • Philosophical Interests: Applied Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology, Ethics, Moral Psychology, Social Philosophy (esp. Feminist & Queer Theory)
  • E-mail: daniel.mangandi-escobar01@student.csulb.edu

Jackie Fennessy
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, Chapman University (2026)
  • Philosophical Interests: Social Epistemology, Moral Psychology, Normative Ethics (esp. Virtue Ethics), Political Philosophy (esp. Democratic Theory)
  • E-mail: jackie.fennessy01@student.csulb.edu

Mimi Fleishman
  • Degrees: BA in Sociology, Columbia University (1975)
  • Philosophical Interests: Phenomenology, Existentialism, Early Modern Philosophy (esp. Locke), Philosophy of Mind
  • E-mail: mimi.fleischman01@student.csulb.edu

Beau Garcia
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, California State University Long Beach (2024)
  • Philosophical Interests: Existentialism, Axiology, Ethics, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind
  • E-mail: beau.garcia01@student.csulb.edu

Joseph Gordon
  • Degrees: BA in Political Science, University of California Berkeley (2018)
  • Philosophical Interests: Aesthetics, Ancient Philosophy, Metaphysics, Political Philosophy, History of Late Modern Philosophy (esp. Nietzsche)
  • E-mail: joe.gordon01@student.csulb.edu

Tracie Hoops
  • Degrees: BA and MA in Linguistics, California State University Fullerton (2017, 2022)
  • Philosophical Interests: Pragmatism (esp. Peirce), Philosophy of Language (esp. Wittgenstein), Early Analytic Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Phenomenology, Epistemology, Existentialism, Social Philosophy
  • E-mail: tracie.hoops@gmail.com

Sung-tae Lee
  • Degrees: BS in Mathematics & BS in Industrial Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech (2011); MS in Computer Science, California State University Long Beach (2022)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Logic, Metaphysics, History of Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Existentialism, Ethics
  • E-mail: Sung-tae.Lee01@student.csulb.edu

Lancy Lopez
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, Columbia University (2023)
  • Philosophical Interests: Epistemology, Metaethics, Philosophy of Language, Logic, Social Philosophy
  • E-mail: lancy.lopez01@student.csulb.edu

  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of New Mexico (2026)
  • Philosophical Interests: Political Philosophy, Social Philosophy, Environmental Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Chinese Philosophy
  • E-mail: stella.krueger-trapp01@student.csulb.edu

Aidan Mcguire
  • Degrees: BA in English, Central Washington University (2019); MEd in Education, Kolej Universiti Fairview (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Continental Philosophy (esp. Hermeneutics, Critical Theory), Philosophy of Religion, Political Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
  • E-mail: aidan.mcguire01@student.csulb.edu

Hayley Mervini
  • Degrees: BA in French & BA in Cinema and Television Arts, California State University Fullerton (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Film, Social Philosophy (esp. Feminist & Queer Theory), Philosophy of Language (esp. Semiotics), Phenomenology, Metaphysics
  • E-mail: hayley.mervini01@student.csulb.edu

Vincent Miller
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California Los Angeles (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Ethics, Political Philosophy, Existentialism, Early Modern Philosophy
  • E-mail: vincent.miller01@student.csulb.edu

Nathaniel Mines
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, California State University Long Beach (2024)
  • Philosophical Interests: Phenomenology (esp. Husserl), Epistemology (esp. Wittgenstein), Ethics, Social Philosophy, Political Philosophy
  • E-mail: nathaniel.mines01@student.csulb.edu

Isaiah Navarro
  • Degrees: Honors BA in Philosophy, California State University Long Beach (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Epistemology, Phenomenology, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Language
  • E-mail: isaiah.navarro01@student.csulb.edu

Ricardo Nieves
  • Degrees: Honors BA in Philosophy, University of California Los Angeles (2023)
  • Philosophical Interests: Ancient Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Language (esp. Wittgenstein), Philosophy of Science
  • E-mail: ricardo.nieves01@student.csulb.edu

Abby Nolan
  • Degrees: BA in Psychology, Loyola Marymount University (2026)
  • Philosophical Interests: Biomedical Ethics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Psychology, Applied Metaphysics
  • E-mail: abigail.nolan01@student.csulb.edu

Sarah Nolte
  • Degrees: BA in English Literature, San Jose State University (2022)
  • Philosophical Interests: Social Philosophy, Political Philosophy (esp. Marxism), Existentialism (esp. Nietzsche), Philosophy of Language
  • E-mail: sarah.nolte01@student.csulb.edu

Miguel Contreras Ocaranza
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, San Jose State University (2024)
  • Philosophical Interests: Social Philosophy (esp. Gender, Sexuality, Feminist Theory) Philosophy of Literature, Philosophy of Language
  • E-mail: miguel.contreras-ocaranza01@student.csulb.edu

Gregory Ohmer
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California Los Angeles (2017); MA in Spanish and Latin American Studies, New York University Madrid (2018)
  • Philosophical Interests: Existentialism, Phenomenology, Epistemology (esp. Empiricism), Aesthetics, Philosophy of Fiction, Philosophy of Literature
  • E-mail: gregory.ohmer01@student.csulb.edu

Abel Peña
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy & BA in English Literature, University of California Irvine (2003)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Physics (esp. Quantum Mechanics), Philosophy of Technology, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Applied Ethics, Logic, Philosophy of Language
  • E-mail: abel.pena01@student.csulb.edu

Ian Pollak
  • Degrees: BA in Psychology, California State University Long Beach (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Political Philosophy, Ethics, Existentialism, Social Philosophy, Metaphysics
  • E-mail: ian.pollok01@student.csulb.edu

Marcellus Richie
  • Degrees: BA, University of California Los Angeles; MA in English & MA in History, City University of New York
  • Philosophical Interests: Humanities
  • E-mail: marcellus.richie01@student.csulb.edu

Emily Richmond
  • Degrees: BA in Psychology, University of California Riverside (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Aesthetics, Phenomenology, Cognitive Science, Metaphysics
  • E-mail: emily.richmond01@student.csulb.edu

Declan McBride Roach

Manuel Rojas
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California Los Angeles (2021)
  • Philosophical Interests: Aristotle, Medieval Philosophy (esp. Aquinas, Bonaventure), Early Modern Philosophy (esp. Descartes, Leibniz)
  • E-mail: manuel.rojas02@student.csulb.edu

Esther Sims
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California San Diego (2022)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophical Anthropology, Metaphysics (esp. Philosophy of Nature), Philosophy of Science
  • E-mail: esther.sims01@student.csulb.edu

Trevor Speranske
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of Illinois Chicago (2022)
  • Philosophical Interests: Ancient Philosophy (esp. Plato), Epistemology, Ethics, Political Philosophy
  • E-mail: trevor.speranske01@student.csulb.edu

Christian Spradlin
  • Degrees: BA in Christian Studies, California Baptist University (2021)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysics, Ethics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind
  • E-mail: christian.spradlin01@student.csulb.edu

Elijah Stone
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy & BA Political Science, Columbia University (2020)
  • Philosophical Interests: Existentialism, Late Modern Philosophy (esp. Schopenhauer, Marx, Du Bois), Buddhism
  • E-mail: elijah.stone01@student.csulb.edu

Zoe Towne
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California Santa Cruz (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Social Epistemology, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Psychology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Disability/Neurodivergence
  • E-mail: zoe.towne01@student.csulb.edu

Delmy Ventura
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, California State University Long Beach (2021)
  • Philosophical Interests: History of Early Modern Philosophy (esp. Descartes), Metaethics, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law
  • E-mail: delmy.ventura@student.csulb.edu

Nathan Wagester
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo (2022)
  • Philosophical Interests: Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Phenomenology
  • E-mail: nathan.wagester01@student.csulb.edu

Evan Wallis
  • Degrees: BA in Political Science, University of California Davis (2026)
  • Philosophical Interests: Political Philosophy, Early Modern Philosophy, Metaphysics, Medieval Philosophy (esp. Aquinas), Philosophy of Religion
  • E-mail: evan.wallis01@student.csulb.edu

Gabrielle Weissman
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy, University of California Los Angeles (2025)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Mind (esp. Consciousness), Metaphysics, Existentialism, Social Philosophy
  • E-mail: gabrielle.weissman01@student.csulb.edu

Margaret Welch
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy & BA International Studies, Baylor University (2024)
  • Philosophical Interests: Ethics, Political Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind
  • E-mail: margaret.welch01@student.csulb.edu

Allen Yang
  • Degrees: BA in Philosophy & BA in Economics, University of California Irvine (2020)
  • Philosophical Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Applied Metaphysics (esp. Philosophy of Action)
  • E-mail: allen.yang01@student.csulb.edu