Symposium 2026

This team's project explored how socioeconomic status impacts academic outcomes for business students at CSULB. Their research examined whether students’ socioeconomic backgrounds influence grades in the business capstone course, how classroom socioeconomic composition affects student performance, and which demographic groups may be at greater risk for lower academic outcomes.

Project Poster: College of Business

Team Members: Mostafa Amini, Jeff Bentley, Geo Castillo Lopez, Brian Gonzalez, and Monica Kabutey. 

This team's project examined the academic pathways of Liberal Studies students and the credential programs they pursue after graduation. Their research explored differences between first-time, first-year and transfer students, persistence and graduation patterns, and why a sizable portion of Liberal Studies graduates complete their bachelor’s degree without continuing into a teaching credential program.

Project Poster: College of Education

Team Members: LLuliana Alonso, Bre Evans-Santiago, Jessica Olague, Diana Porras, and Gabriel Rodriguez. 

This team's project explored how Long Beach Unified School District high school pathways influence student outcomes at CSULB. Their research examined how pathway experiences relate to CHHS major selection, four-year graduation rates, and progression into competitive majors such as nursing and social work.

Project Poster: College of Health and Human Services

Team Members: Jade Autrand, Melissa Dyo, Lisa Fish, and Jason A. Plummer. 

In collaboration with the Career Development Center, this team's project explored best practices for connecting liberal arts majors to career opportunities and labor market outcomes. Their research examined career and earnings data across multiple sources, identified common occupations and competencies associated with CLA majors, and investigated how career outcomes information can better support student advising and career readiness.

Project Poster: College of Liberal Arts & Career Development Center

Team Members: Dr. Liza Ivezaj, Michelle Linton, Sabella Moreno, and Tanisha Peoples. 

This team's project explored how first-year gateway course performance predicts student success in the Interior Design B.F.A. program. Their research examined which design courses and grade thresholds most strongly predict B.F.A. declaration, whether demographic characteristics influence outcomes, and how earlier advising and pathway alignment can support student persistence and timely graduation.

Project Poster: College of the Arts

Team Members: Anthony Byrnes, Christy Doorbetakis, Adriane Howze, Melissa Ledesma, Kate Lynch, and Nancy Lopez. 

The Data Analyst Network's (DAN) project highlighted the development of a cross-campus community of analysts focused on student success data at CSULB. Their work explored how collaboration, knowledge sharing, and project showcases can strengthen campus-wide data capacity, reduce silos, and improve data-informed decision making across colleges and divisions.

Project Poster: Data Analyst Network

Team Members: Ryan Adams, Jade Autrand, Gary Coyne, Jason Deutschman, Christy Door, Jason Eisenmann, Jordan Eres, Penelope Gaibor, Dennis Garcia, Christina Goldpaint, Brian Gonzalez, Tiffanie Graves, Aurora Luksetich, Carole Nicholson, Vince Norga, Ben Olson, Michelle Ramirez, Rachel Rivas, Ryan Roman, Dave Scozzaro, Tim Shaffer, and Laura Vlad. 

In collaboration with the College of Professional and Continuing Education, this team's project explored the economic return of a CSULB master’s degree through an equity-focused analysis of alumni earnings. Their research examined earnings differences between bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients, how outcomes vary across demographic groups and disciplines, and which student populations benefit most from graduate education.

Project Poster: Graduate Studies & College of Professional and Continuing Education

Team Members: Ryan Fischer, Tiffanie Graves, Caitlin Murdock, Sara Nourazari, Dina Perrone, and Ashleigh Willis. 

This team's project explored how disaggregating racial and ethnic categories can provide a more accurate understanding of bi/multiracial student representation and success at CSULB. Their research examined how aggregated IPEDS categories may obscure student identities and equity gaps, particularly in four-year graduation outcomes across bi/multiracial student groups.

Project Poster: Office of Inclusive Excellence

Team Members: michael angelo Aranda Brambila Arce, Dr. Catherine Baeza Ward, Demetri Kelley, Michelle Ramirez, and Keila Tupua. 

This team's project explored the reach and distribution of library instruction across courses and student populations at CSULB. Their research examined which students and colleges are most likely to receive library instruction, how instruction is distributed across lower- and upper-division courses, and what institutional data can reveal about expanding equitable access to information literacy support.

Project Poster: University Library

Team Members: Kari Darby, Ethan Newcomb, Noah Kelly, and DoKyoung Shin.