MAKING THEIR MARKS
Alumni find success in Hollywood with skills they honed at Cal Lutheran
CELEBRATE the holidays
A little festive confetti is the perfect prop for students to celebrate the holidays at Cal Lutheran.
EMPOWER STUDENT SUCCESS
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–Develop skills that boost their careers
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Join us in shaping future leaders. Visit CalLutheran.edu/annualgiving to donate to the Student Employment Support Fund today.
Thank you for investing in student success.
To learn more about the Student Employment Support Fund, please contact Michelle Spurgeon at 805-493-3157 or spurgeon@CalLutheran.edu.
Serving You, Cal Lutheran’s Neighbor
As I reflect on my early months as interim president, I am struck by the deep sense of community that defines California Lutheran University. Conversations with alumni, students, faculty and staff have demonstrated that we are connected by a shared purpose of a commitment to serving one another. In many ways, being part of the Cal Lutheran family is about being a good neighbor — supporting each other, celebrating our successes and facing challenges together.
It’s a connection that transcends distance, time and even differences of opinion. We might not always agree with our neighbors, but that’s OK. What matters is that, despite our differences, we uphold the values that have guided Cal Lutheran for generations.
There may be many reasons for mixed feelings, especially in our political culture, however, there’s excitement in the air for me here at Cal Lutheran. As we embark on this journey, I want to share with you some of my priorities: Enhancing our buildings and resources, strengthening our internal community while simultaneously engaging our external community and advancing our academic and athletic programs are at the top of my list.
In this small world of ours, every connection matters. Every conversation, every handshake and every shared meal has the potential to strengthen the fabric of our community. I am honored to be the lead conductor on a journey that has been steered by generations of dedicated individuals who understand the importance and significance of Lutheran, liberal arts higher education. Together, we will continue to build on this legacy, ensuring that Cal Lutheran remains a place where students, faculty, staff and alumni can thrive.
Of course, none of this can happen without adequate resources. Cal Lutheran is a missiondriven, nonprofit organization, and we are proud to serve our students and the broader community. But we cannot do it for free. To provide more services, upgrades and facilities (does anyone think Cal Lutheran needs a track?), I plan to engage our closest friends to revitalize their support for this institution. We are worth the investment, and I’m committed to proving it.
In the coming months, I look forward to continuing to strengthen Cal Lutheran’s culture and programs, ensuring that we remain a leader in higher education. Together, we will achieve great things, and I am excited to see what the future holds.
Won’t you join me?
John A. Nunes Interim President
EDITOR
Linda Martinez
ART DIRECTOR
Sherri Matsumoto
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Gina Cusano
CONTRIBUTORS
Emily Adlfinger
Brittany App
Logan Bury
Michael DeTerra
Carley Doyle
Sarah Graue
Steven Guetzoian
Kyle Jorrey
Jee Jung ’16
Karen Lindell
Olivia Madera
Mike Martinez
Sarah Morton
Slava Narozhnyi
Daniela Ruiz
Tracie Ryemon
Jessi Soporito ’24
Rupert Thorpe
VOLUME 32, NUMBER 1
Copyright 2024
CLU Magazine is published twice a year for alumni, parents and friends. The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of Cal Lutheran nor the magazine staff.
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Note: Names and class years in bold denote Cal Lutheran alumni. ON THE COVER
Nikki Snook ’17 is a five-time Emmy Award winner.
Photo by Tracie Ryemon/TLKmultimedia
MAKING THEIR MARKS
Alumni find success in Hollywood with skills they honed at Cal Lutheran.
From sourcing music for films to coordinating A-list interviews, these three Cal Lutheran alumni are carving out impressive careers in Hollywood and using the values they honed as undergraduates to overcome the entertainment industry’s relentless pace and fierce competition.
KATIE ROMANOVICH ’20
Romanovich’s journey to becoming an associate music supervisor at Format Entertainment started with her fascination for music in film, an interest that flourished in the classrooms and film sets at Cal Lutheran. Now working under renowned music supervisor Julia Michels (known for Pitch Perfect, A Star is Born, and Trolls), Romanovich is responsible for music breakdowns and collaborates with labels and artists to secure songs for film scenes.
Lutheran’s film projects let me explore that.”
Her leadership roles in the CLU TV and Cinema Club were pivotal in shaping her career. As president, she led her peers in producing high-quality student films and learned to manage teams, juggle responsibilities and bring creative visions to life — skills she now applies in the highstakes world of film music supervision.
“(One of my film professors) was an incredible mentor,” she said. “He pushed us creatively and encouraged us to take risks, a lesson I carry with me every day.”
Romanovich also gained the qualities needed to handle the unpredictable nature of music supervision by overcoming unforeseen challenges on student film projects.
“That experience taught me to stay levelheaded and flexible.”
Photo by Cesar Guadarrama Cantu on Unsplash
Romanovich said she feels a deep connection to the university’s film program, excited to see future generations of filmmakers build on the legacy she helped establish.
“It’s amazing to see how far the program has come since I was a student,” she said. “I feel like I’m part of something that’s constantly evolving.”
CAMERON MENDEZ ’21
For Mendez, a career in public relations came into focus during a marketing class at Cal Lutheran. An introductory advertising course ignited her interest, leading her to an internship that confirmed her passion for entertainment PR.
Now a motion picture marketing assistant at Creative Artists Agency, Mendez spends her days coordinating press materials, managing talent schedules and crafting strategies to promote films.
“I learned how to approach real-world PR strategies at Cal Lutheran,” Mendez said. “Those lessons in strategy and communication prepared me for the work I do now.”
Beyond coursework, Mendez was a member of the university’s first women’s lacrosse team, an experience that taught her resilience and teamwork — essential skills in her career. The collaborative environment of Cal Lutheran fostered her growth, especially when professors brought industry professionals into the classroom for insightful discussions.
“Returning to Cal Lutheran as a guest speaker myself was a full-circle moment for me,” Mendez said. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to give back to the community that shaped me.”
Mendez said the supportive and collaborative culture on campus prepared her for the networking-intensive environment of entertainment PR.
“In PR, your reputation is everything,” she said. “At Cal Lutheran, we learned that integrity is nonnegotiable.”
Her commitment to transparency and professionalism echoes the ethics she learned at Cal Lutheran, shaping her approach to her current work.
For Mendez, the Cal Lutheran network is invaluable. She’s grateful for the connections and shared experiences that continue to support her career, and she regularly attends campus events and mentors students, knowing firsthand the impact of early guidance.
NIKKI SNOOK ’17
Snook’s path to becoming an awardwinning producer at Entertainment Tonight took root in her multimedia studies at Cal Lutheran, where she was inspired by the hands-on lessons of her TV production class. Today, she coordinates celebrity interviews, writes interview questions and prepares video shoots, occasionally stepping into the interviewer role herself.
“Seeing everything that goes into making a show — from camera setups to coordinating talent — gave me the knowledge I needed for a career in television,” said Snook, a five-time Emmy Award winner for her work on Entertainment Tonight.
She credits her professors with instilling in her the importance of professionalism and attention to detail. Her internships with NBC Universal, Young Hollywood and other notable media companies taught her the inner workings of television production, preparing her for the intensity of high-profile Hollywood environments.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m talking to an A-list celebrity or a camera operator, treating people well is something that has always been instilled in me,” Snook said, highlighting the value of kindness in an industry where reputations matter.
Snook said her approach to celebrity interviews is guided by the kindness she received from her professors. It’s something she strives to pay forward, treating everyone on set with respect.
“So many things I learned in my TV production class I see on set at my work,” said Snook, who said she’s grateful for the solid foundation that prepared her for Hollywood’s fast-paced world.
Snook and her former classmates keep in touch on social media, celebrating each other’s successes. Her time as a student taught her the value of perseverance and adaptability, skills that continue to guide her in every interview, production shoot and celebrity encounter.
LOOKING AHEAD
With their sights set on new challenges, Romanovich, Mendez and Snook are focused on further growth and meaningful contributions to the entertainment industry. Romanovich hopes to work on projects that push creative boundaries, Mendez aims to broaden her PR expertise across new platforms and Snook aspires to take on more roles that let her lead production teams.
As they make strides in the entertainment world, they exemplify the university’s commitment to nurturing not only skills but values. Their journeys show that success in Hollywood can be achieved without losing sight of kindness, integrity and a sense of community.
Cal Lutheran choir performs in Europe
The Cal Lutheran choir took its first trip to Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform in May in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, and Prague, Czech Republic. The 60-student, two-ensemble choir traveled around Europe for 10 days.
Professor Wyant Morton accompanied the group, and this is the first year he had legacy students from alumni he conducted in prior years. The choir has toured annually for decades and normally takes these international trips every three or four years. This was the sixth international tour Morton has done with the choir since teaching at Cal Lutheran.
The schedule allowed the choir to have free time to explore their European destinations.
“Our concerts were very well attended, and we had enthusiastic audiences.”
— Wyant Morton, professor
Faculty members retire with emeritus status
The Board of Regents awarded emeritus status to nine retiring Cal Lutheran faculty members with more than 193 years of service combined.
Philosophy professor Xiang Chen is a native of China and received the Hewlett Grant for Faculty Research and Development at Cal Lutheran from 1992-2002. He served as department chair of Philosophy from 2003-2006 and director of the Harold Stoner Clark Lectures from 1993-2003.
Michael Cosenza, MEd ’05, EdD ’10, a Graduate School of Education professor, helped begin the Professional Development Schools program and was the department chair of Learning and Teaching and director of the PDS Residency Program and the TEAMS Program.
Virginia Gean, senior lecturer for the School of Management, published a book titled A Village of Knowledge during her time at Cal Lutheran that included the success stories of retired business leaders at University Village in Thousand Oaks, California. Before joining Cal Lutheran, she founded and managed her own apparel business for 14 years.
in memoriam
Lucille ‘Lucy’ Ballard
1925-2024
Lucille “Lucy” Ballard, Glencoe, Ohio native, Thousand Oaks resident of 62 years, and longtime nurse died March 4, 2024, at age 98.
After growing up in Maryland and graduating high school, Lucy completed nurse’s training at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. Her nursing career began in Tacoma, Washington, and she later went to work in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she met and married her husband of 60 years, Roy “Jake” Ballard.
Lucy served California Lutheran University for 35 years as a nurse at Health Services. During this time, she joined Jake in Saudi Arabia for two years and worked in the Health Department at the American Embassy. In 1996, she became an Honorary Alumna of Cal Lutheran. Lucy gave back to her community in numerous ways. She was a Conejo Valley Hospital volunteer, PTA member, Community Concert president, Conejo Valley Historical Society member, Women of the Evangelical Church in America member and she started the Healing Ministry at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, siblings, son, son-in-law, grandson and four great-grandchildren. She is survived by her five children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandson.
Cynthia Jew, professor for the Graduate School of Education, was chair of the Counselor Education department and currently is an Episcopal priest and pastor of St. Paul’s Episcopal and Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Santa Paula, California.
School of Management professor Edward Julius was director of the undergraduate accounting program in 2018-19. He was one of the first to vote to convert California Lutheran College to a university.
Victoria Kelly, lecturer for the Graduate School of Education, was the program director for the university’s Santa Maria Center in the Graduate School of Education’s Educational Leadership Program and has over 20 years of experience working in school districts.
Professor Julie Kuehnel ’69 served as the Psychology Department chair for over 20 years. She was the second California Lutheran College graduate to return to Cal Lutheran to teach.
Professor Maureen Lorimer was chair of the Graduate School of Education Master’s Committee from 2011-2019.
Michael McCambridge, a Graduate School of Education adjunct faculty member, helped establish the doctorate of education program and has 44 years of teaching and administration experience.
Allen Otto Leland
1925-2024
Allen Otto Leland, Marine, teacher and California Lutheran University faculty member died on April 21, 2024, at age 99.
Born in Kidder County, North Dakota, Allen pursued higher education after serving in the U.S. Marines. He earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud Teachers College in 1950.
Allen taught in North Dakota for two years and later Minneapolis, Minnesota. In Minnesota, he was set up on a blind date with Anne Adele Henrikson, who later became his wife of 62 years.
He received his master’s degree at the University of Minnesota in 1956 and earned his doctorate from UCLA in curriculum and administration in 1962.
When California Lutheran College was being established, the founders asked Allen to organize the Education Department in 1962.
Allen and his family bought land and built a home on campus.
In 1963, he was the acting dean and president. From 1962 to 1997 he was a professor and became the university’s first dean of education. Allen developed multiple programs for teachers and proposed the establishment of a school administration program.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife and siblings. He is survived by his children, sister, grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren with two more soon to be born.
ALUMNI AWARDS
Each year, the Cal Lutheran Alumni Board of Directors recognizes achievements that have brought honor and distinction to the university.
The Outstanding Alumni Award is given to a Cal Lutheran graduate with a distinguished record of career achievements or humanitarian endeavors dedicated to social reform.
Sue Dwyer-Voss ’86 | Outstanding Alumni
For 35 years, one guiding principle has shaped Sue Dwyer-Voss’ career as a school social worker: helping young people recognize their inherent worth and dignity. By creating a safe space of support for students struggling with a host of challenges — from anxiety and depression to living without parents to navigating their LGBTQ+ identities — Dwyer-Voss inspires hope in those who need it most. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology at Cal Lutheran, where professors challenged her to think critically about race, discrimination and justice, and to discover what kind of impact she could have on the world. After earning her master’s degree in clinical social work at the University of Chicago and becoming a Licensed Social Worker (LCSW), she found her calling in school-based social work. In 2020, Dwyer-Voss co-founded the CLU Peace and Social Justice scholarship, which has provided more than $25,000 to support nine Cal Lutheran students of color who are pursuing careers in social justice.
The Honorary Alumni Award is given to those who have rendered a special and outstanding service to Cal Lutheran, or who by their personal achievement have brought honor and distinction to the university. They demonstrate achievement in service to Cal Lutheran and have received recognition from outside individuals or organizations.
Vanessa Frank, H ’24 | Honorary Alumni
Vanessa Frank has dedicated her career to serving immigrants with compassion and dignity. Growing up in Los Angeles, she saw first-hand her parents’ commitment to social justice; they taught her the importance of using her voice to affect change. Frank also was shaped by the stories of her immigrant grandparents and great-grandparents, instilling in her a deep appreciation of her Mexican heritage on her mother’s side and her Eastern European Jewish heritage on her father’s side. These influences guided Frank toward activism as a teen, which sparked a passion for social justice and ultimately inspired her path toward immigration law, which she has practiced for two decades, spearheading advocacy work, offering pro-bono legal services to immigrants and advising migrant-serving organizations in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. In 2009, she founded an immigration-focused law practice in Oxnard, representing clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Immigration Court. As an adjunct professor at Cal Lutheran, Frank’s thought-provoking courses on ethics and religion — studied through the lens of immigration — have inspired students to think deeply about some of society’s most pressing questions.
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award honors alumni of the past 10 years who have brought honor and distinction to the university through career achievement and/or a commitment to human welfare and social reform.
Esmeralda Martinez-Rosales, MS ’23 | Outstanding Young Alumni
Guided by a passion for helping people from traditionally underrepresented groups, Esmeralda Martinez-Rosales is dedicated to supporting students as they navigate the college experience. The child of Mexican immigrants and the youngest of six daughters, Martinez-Rosales assumed she would leave high school early and start working to support her family. Instead, she became the first member of her family to attend college. With the support of a high school guidance counselor and the dedication of her parents, she earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from CSU Northridge. Driven to give back and help others realize their educational dreams, she earned her master’s degree in counseling and college student personnel from Cal Lutheran, while working full time. As a career and transfer specialist at Oxnard College, she draws on theories gleaned from her master’s program to take a holistic approach to her work. Many of the students she mentors are firstgeneration, juggling the demands of their studies with the need to provide financial support to their families. As a first-generation student who worked to support herself and her family while earning her degrees, Martinez-Rosales is an inspiration to her students, a daily reminder of what they, too, can achieve.
Scan the QR code to learn more about our awardees
SHOWING THEIR VALUES S T RONG' DIG DEE P
BY KAREN LINDELL
The 17 strong needed to narrow 16 values down to a final four.
Basketball isn’t the only college sport with a sweet-16 bracket.
Before the NCAA Division III playoffs in April, the Cal Lutheran men’s volleyball team, whose 17 members called themselves the “17 strong” — because every single player is important — met in a Best Western Plus Hotel conference room in Iowa with their coaches at a whiteboard to narrow down their collective 16 core values.
After heartfelt discussion, they voted on the four they valued most: adaptability, sacrifice, passion and hard work.
The exercise worked, because on April 28 at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, the team won its first NCAA Division III national championship, sweeping Vassar College in three sets, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23.
Two days earlier, in the semifinals, the Kingsmen had come back from two games behind to beat the 2023 Division III champions, Stevens Institute of Technology, in five sets.
The 17 strong are Parker Brown, Jordan Cooper, Connor Crawford, Borys Horiuk, Grant Hughes, Ryker Linn, Logan Marks, Taylor Marks, Landen Meonske, Trent Rigney, Noah Rigo, Vince Semon, Michael Stahl, Braden Swenningsen, Jake Tucker, Ben Weber and Matthew Wilcox. They are led by head coach Kevin Judd and assistant coaches Chuck English and Ron Higa.
TO WIN CAL LUTHERAN’S FIRST NCAA DIVISION III MEN’S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Kingsmen Volleyball is a relatively new program at Cal Lutheran. Judd, an assistant coach for the university’s women’s volleyball team since 2006, formed Cal Lutheran’s first NCAA men’s volleyball team in 2015.
Back then, Judd said, “We were on no one’s radar, and no high school senior was thinking about us.” He first recruited members of other sports teams at Cal Lutheran, then traveled to junior colleges seeking talented players who wanted to transfer. In the team’s first season, despite the skills of individual players, “we lacked that ability to close out a match,” Judd said. “We had to build up our teamwork and chemistry.”
The Kingsmen then “started to beat powerhouses back East, and that put us on the map,” Judd said. In 2019, the Kingsmen were ranked No. 12 nationally in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll.
Cal Lutheran is an independent school (meaning it doesn’t belong to a sports conference) in a state with only two Division III men’s volleyball teams (UC Santa Cruz is the other) out of 128 across the nation. So the Kingsmen volleyball players travel farther than players in other sports to compete, which can be rough on the student-athletes physically, mentally and academically.
This year, when the team added two transfer students, Jordan Cooper ’24 from Long Island University and Michael Stahl from Moorpark College, to an already strong roster, the coaches and team knew they might have a chance at a national championship.
The team’s independent status and lack of geographically close opponents, however, were obstacles to qualifying for the championship. The NCAA, Judd said, requires teams to play at least 70% of their qualifying games in their region. But for Cal Lutheran, the closest regional competitor west of the Mississippi other than Santa Cruz is Loras College. So to qualify for the 2024 post-season with a competitive strength of schedule, Judd scrambled to find teams willing to play Cal Lutheran, and the team endured a grueling schedule. A typical week might involve travel on Wednesday, volleyball matches from Thursday through Saturday, then travel home on Sunday.
In a normal year, the team travels three times; this year they made five trips, plus two more to Iowa for the NCAA playoffs.
“I’m not one for individual awards,” Stahl said. “I don’t play well without teammates, and they don’t get enough credit.”
Many of the team members will be back for the 2024-25 season, including Stahl and Cooper.
Stahl, a business administration major from Northridge, California, recalled the “core values” bracket meeting. “We’d had such a tough schedule, and our bodies were tired, but everyone talked about something they brought to the team,” he said. “We also had a really good brotherhood. We trusted each other.”
Cooper, from Roseville, California, graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology and will return for another year to work on a master’s in sports management.
“We had a lot of skill as an older team, and Judd is one of the most positive role models I’ve had as a coach,” Cooper said.
“Even in big moments he’s a very calming presence, and there’s not a lot of pressure from him.”
Ben Weber ’24 of Rancho Santa Margarita, California, a math major who is returning to Cal Lutheran to earn a master’s in information technology, recalled with a laugh the team’s final celebration at a pizza restaurant near their hotel, which they had to cut short due to a flight at 5 a.m. the next day.
Even in celebration, the 17 strong showed their values: adaptability and sacrifice (when it came to their sleep schedule), and working hard to develop passion for traveling early one last time together.
The following Cal Lutheran Kingsmen and Regals teams have won national championships throughout the university’s history:
Title winners visit White House
On July 22, 2024, members of Cal Lutheran’s national champion women’s soccer and men’s volleyball teams witnessed history.
Visiting the White House for a celebration of the 2023-2024 NCAA champions, the 23 student-athletes and five coaches had a frontrow seat to Vice President Kamala Harris’ first public comments since President Joe Biden bowed out of the election the day before.
“To be invited to the White House along with 1,000 other athletes who were the best in their sport this year … I mean, that’s a big deal,” said men’s volleyball head coach Kevin Judd.
More than 90 college teams were represented at College Athlete Day, which brought together NCAA champions from all three divisions. Harris, who addressed the athletes instead of Biden
“ To be invited to the White House along with 1,000 other athletes … that’s a big deal.”
— Kevin Judd, men’s volleyball head coach
because the president was recovering from COVID-19, said in part: “Each of you has faced challenges and obstacles, and you have endured. … By doing so, you demonstrated that true greatness requires more than skill. It requires grit and determination. You all know what it means to commit and to persevere. And you know what it means to count on teammates.”
Women’s flag football is a new sport at Cal Lutheran
Recognizing the game’s growing popularity in high schools across the state — including those in Ventura County — the university will debut flag football as a club sport this spring, intending to develop it into an NCAA Division III-sanctioned program by the 2026-27 school year.
Athletic Director Howard Davis called the decision a “no-brainer.”
“The demand in our area and throughout the state is unmistakable given its growth and success. Very quickly flag football will be ubiquitous throughout the college athletics landscape,” Davis said. “I’m proud that Cal Lutheran is an early adopter and excited to add what I believe will be another elite athletic program for us.”
Almost unheard of a decade ago, flag football is now a sanctioned girls’ varsity high school sport in 11 states. At the collegiate level, 25 NAIA schools and several NCAA Division III institutions offer flag football. The sport will debut as an Olympic event at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
According to USA Football, there were over 230,000 girls ages 6 to 17 playing flag football in the United States in 2023, up 44% since 2014. The sport is played in 100 different countries.
The sport’s growth has been fueled by the NFL, which sees the game as a way to expand football’s popularity around the globe. Because it requires very little equipment — just a football and flags — and only seven players to field a team, it’s considered much more accessible than traditional tackle football.
Cal Lutheran relaunches
Victory Club
The essence of six decades of athletics at California Lutheran University — teamwork, determination, achievement — was on full display at a special event held Oct. 17 in Lundring Events Center. Part tribute, part celebration, part sales pitch, Road to Victory served as the official relaunch of the Victory Club, Cal Lutheran’s long-running sports booster organization.
Matt Ward, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success, told the 220 people in attendance that studentathletes represent “the best of who we are as an institution.”
The evening’s highlight was a seven-minute video narrated by longtime Cal Lutheran supporter Karsten Lundring ’65, the namesake of Lundring Events Center. The video took viewers on a captivating journey through the history of the university’s sports success.
Cal Lutheran is the second Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference member school to announce its intent to add women’s flag football. The University of Redlands did so recently, and additional SCIAC institutions are expected to follow suit.
“We’re very confident that we’ll be able to build a schedule come spring and, in the coming years, recruit some of the best studentathletes around,” Davis said.
Until then, the university hopes to field a team from the current student body. Team activities will begin in January.
Davis said Cal Lutheran is in the process of selecting a head coach and will make an announcement once the decision is made.
The future team will practice on Memorial Field in the center of campus and play games at William Rolland Stadium, mirroring the Kingsmen football team.
MORE ONLINE: Student-athletes interested in competing in women’s flag football can find more information and an interest form at CLUsports.com.
Seated next to his players, women’s soccer coach Frank Marino shed tears watching a replay of his team’s stunning come-frombehind victory over defending champion Christopher Newport University in the semifinals.
“Every one of our players — all 37 of them — got to go to the NCAA tournament. The NCAA (provides funding) for 29 people to go. So, all that extra money had to come from somewhere, and it was the Victory Club support that got us there and got those kids to experience probably the greatest moment of their entire lives that they’ll remember forever,” Marino said.
In the newly reimagined Victory Club, members can expect more opportunities to interact with the student-athletes they support. These include exclusive experiences like “coach for a day” and the chance to attend practices and pre-game socials. To make membership in the Victory Club more accessible, the university has added the option of paying monthly. Membership levels start for as little as $10 a month.
For more information or to join the Victory Club, visit CLUSports.com/victoryclub.
The Cal Lutheran community savored the activities at the sold out Homecoming Festival
Students and alumni connected at Black Success Pathways Event
Kingsmen and Regals pride filled campus as our Cal Lutheran family gathered to celebrate, reconnect and create new memories together.
See you next year, Oct. 17-19, 2025
FULL CIRCL E COM ING
Thirty years removed from sharing a room inside Mt. Clef Hall, the three friends can still conjure up the name of an obscure Texas Rangers third baseman who, for most casual baseball fans, has been lost to the sands of time: Doug Strange. It was 1993, and in between classes, practices and workouts, Russell White ’94, Erik Scherer ’95 and Brian McCoy ’95, filled their free time with Statis Pro Baseball, a board game that allowed players to simulate the real thing using a set of dice and cards corresponding to actual major leaguers.
White and Scherer approached Statis Pro with an almost Tommy Lasorda-like intensity, while McCoy was more of a casual participant, selecting players not for their hitting or pitching prowess but for less statistically significant reasons … like having an unusual name.
Enter Doug Strange.
“Every time I would roll the dice I would yell, ‘Strange for another home run!’ and it would just drive them crazy,” McCoy said.
A recent Zoom call found the three pals reminiscing about Statis Pro and their early years at Cal Lutheran. Even within a close-knit university renowned for its generational connections,
Three alumni journey from college roommates to coaches at Cal Lutheran
BY KYLE JORREY
the trio’s journey from high school teammates to college roommates and now coaching colleagues at their alma mater stands apart.
White is the current coach of the Kingsmen basketball team, Scherer coaches the Kingsmen baseball squad and McCoy is an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s golf programs.
Military brats
The threesome met at tiny Desert High School on Edwards Air Force Base. The sons of servicemembers, they struck up a kinship while playing on the varsity basketball team.
“We weren’t exactly a powerhouse,” Scherer laughed.
A year ahead of his two friends, White was the first to leave the Antelope Valley for greener pastures. A gifted center, he was recruited by then-
Kingsmen coach Mike Dunlap in 1990. During a weekend trip to see the campus, White didn’t even get the chance to play in the university’s gymnasium, which at the time doubled as the concert home of the Conejo Symphony Orchestra.
“There was no Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, so the symphony played in the old Cal Lu gym,” he said.
As a freshman, White competed on both the basketball and golf teams. McCoy and Scherer followed a year later, drawn to the opportunity to play collegiate sports and reunite with a familiar face.
“It was absolutely a safety net knowing someone at Cal Lu, and knowing it was Russ,” McCoy said.
The group would spend the next two years living together while pursuing separate interests: White basketball, McCoy golf and Scherer baseball. McCoy’s academic focus was advertising and marketing, White and Scherer both majored in history.
Russell White
Brian McCoy
Erik Scherer
McCoy described his friends “hyperintelligent,” with the ability to recall obscure stats, numbers and dates.
“I can remember times just sitting and listening to them and thinking, ‘How the heck do you know all this stuff?’” he said. “I think for both of them, their brains ―and their competitive nature is what drove them to coaching. I happened to fall into coaching.”
Journeys, similar but different
Both Scherer and White had to wait for their shots to lead their respective programs.
Scherer was the first of the roommates to become a Cal Lutheran coach, hired as an assistant under Kingsmen legend Marty Slimak in 2000. Slimak, the winningest coach in Cal Lu history, retired 23 years later, opening the door for Scherer to take over the baseball head coaching position. Meanwhile, White spent two decades as a successful high school basketball coach before landing his dream job as the head coach for Cal Lutheran’s program in 2019.
Last season, White guided the Kingsmen to a 23-5 record and their second consecutive trip to the NCAA DIII tournament.
“Russell and I used to talk all the time about him getting the job and I knew he could come here and do great things if given the opportunity,” Scherer said. “To his credit, it did take a while for that to line up, but then once he got it, he definitely ran with it and you see the results of that.”
The respect is mutual.
“Erik always wanted to be the head coach at Cal Lu,” White said of his friend. “He passed up many opportunities elsewhere waiting for that one day when hopefully he would get the call . . . and when it came, he clearly crushed it.”
In his first season as skipper in spring 2023, Scherer led the Kingsmen to a 29-17 record and a SCIAC tournament championship. The team finished one game shy of playing for a regional NCAA title.
As for McCoy, he pursued a career in business and spent two terms on the Cal Lutheran alumni board before joining the golf staff in 2017 under his former coach, Jeff Lindgren, after the program’s two assistants retired.
“The last six, almost seven years, the relationships I’ve formed with the students have been incredible,” McCoy said. “I know why these two coach. I know why they’ve coached their entire lives. It’s just a different experience.”
Still close
Nearly 35 years since they first met, the three maintain a never-ending group chat and a long-running fantasy football league. Their parents know each other, as do their wives and kids. Given that they both have offices at Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, White and Scherer cross paths most frequently, but McCoy is never too far from mind. At university events, they tend to gravitate together ―whether they mean to or not.
When time allows, they do their best to watch each other’s respective teams, even if it’s only for an inning here, a half there.
“The amount of times I’ve been to all 9 innings of a baseball game, probably none,” White said. “The number of times I’ve gone, stood right next to the dugout, got eye contact with Scherer and dabbed him up ... it’s probably in the 100s. You just get it done and show your support.”
From left to right are Erik Scherer ’95 Russell White ’94 and Brian McCoy ’95
Asked what it is about Cal Lutheran that has made their connection to the institution so strong, Scherer suggested it may have something to do with their upbringing.
“Being the children of military parents, we don’t really have a hometown,” he said. “When you grow up on a base, you don’t have that tie to that area. And I think over time, Cal Lutheran, that’s become my hometown. These are my closest friends. … It just became my home, that’s the best way to put it.”
Even if they do go periods without speaking or texting, when they do spark up a conversation, it’s as if they never left Mt. Clef — as if they were still drawing cards from the Statis Pro deck, rolling dice and recording the outcome, and Doug Strange is still coming up to the plate.
“They’re the type of friends you cherish the most because you don’t have to talk to them for six months and then you catch up and you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m really glad we caught up,’” McCoy said.
“The support is enduring,” White said. “You just know it’s there. ... If I text them, I know I’m going to get a text back. That’s really what it’s all about.”
Turning passion into purpose
BY MARTHA GROVES
Jasmine Keys ’23 shares her love for music as a high school teacher.
With a dad who played drums in church and a mother who sang around the house, Jasmine Nicole Keys ’23 developed an appreciation for music early on.
She dabbled in piano, not very enthusiastically, and sang in a choir.
In seventh grade, she joined the strings program at the nondenominational Christian school she attended in Westlake Village, California, and found her passion: playing the viola.
Music has been a colossal part of her life ever since. Now, as a fledgling high school teacher, she seeks to inspire students to love the art form as much as she does.
“I couldn’t read music for the first year and a half,” Keys said of her middle school music studies. “But I picked it up and made some friends. And I started composing. Music is such a gift if you allow it to be, and it’s such an escape from everything around you. I found a lot of comfort in music.”
In August 2023, Keys channeled her love of music into teaching the marching and symphonic band programs at Hueneme High School in Oxnard, California. She is the first African-American female band director in the Oxnard Union High School District.
When Keys, 23, began teaching at Hueneme High School, was she nervous about wielding her baton in front of teenagers just a few years younger than she is?
“One thousand percent,” she said with a laugh. But she said the students gave such a warm welcome that she immediately felt at home. They are helping her to learn patience as she encourages them to work well as a team and develop leadership skills, she said.
“They really give it their all,” she said. “They come early to practice and stay late. Providing a space where they can practice and chill is important. They’re all incredibly talented, really driven. That’s something I constantly foster.”
Keys credits Yoshika Masuda, former assistant professor of cello and director of string studies at Cal Lutheran, with kindling her interest in attending the school after her graduation from Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard. When she auditioned at Cal Lutheran, she recalled, he told her parents: “Your daughter is super-talented. I’d like to work with her and cultivate those talents. If she goes to another school, she’ll get lost in the crowd.”
A full-ride Visual and Performing Arts scholarship helped to seal the deal.
While at Cal Lutheran, she said she also enjoyed studying with violinist Andrew Towsey-Grishaw and Michael D. Hart, an associate professor of music and associate dean, creative and performing arts.
“Those were probably the best years of musical growth I’ve had in my life,” she said.
Keys is in demand as a violist. She has played with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, the Santa Barbara Symphony and the Ventura College Symphony Orchestra. She is among the musicians listed in the orchestra credits on the soundtrack for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the Eddie Murphy action comedy released by Netflix in July 2024.
She expects to complete her master’s degree in education at Cal Lutheran in May 2025, then continue teaching at Hueneme. She said she gets a charge out of seeing her students enjoy the fun and challenge of music, and she sees ample evidence that music helps to improve their academic performance.
“I feel that every kid should be exposed to music,” she said. “Seeing that spark as they get it and connect with it is huge. All of the Hueneme kids have been really amazing and have helped me grow as an instructor and a musician.”
remember when?
Through Thick Thin&
From first-day jitters to forming lifelong friendships, alumni share memories of their days in the Cal Lutheran residence halls.
Vicki (Brandt ’66) Walker
In the early years at California Lutheran College, the women’s dorms were Alpha and Beta Hall. After a long night of studying at the library, I returned to my room at Alpha Hall to find my bed was missing! Unbeknownst to me, my roommate and the dorm president had decided to play a prank on me. I ran out of my room to look for the bed, but only saw only a few people, including my roommate. No bed. Apparently the two culprits were “moving” my bed and when she spied me, my roommate forcibly pushed the mattress into the person holding the other end. Finally, after several frustrating minutes — maybe an hour — I found my bed. It was nicely made, pillow and all, on the landing, midway down the steps in the foyer of Alpha Hall. I had been pranked.
Maria (McDonald ’69) Grago
A long time ago, six young ladies moved into Beta Dorm, and we were six in a room made for two. Our first task as roommates was to move large furniture. Two roomies had to share a bunk bed. We were given white sheets and towels, which the college would launder each week. We cleaned our rooms, but living in the room was an education in management. There were curfews, room checks and rules. Ladies were to wear dresses, but we were allowed to wear pants on certain occasions. There was a recreation room on the first floor that housed a TV, old couch and a piano. In the rec room we had engagement ceremonies: The room was dark, and we sat in a circle and passed the lighted candle. One roomie blew out the candle with her engagement ring on it. The foyers were elaborately decorated for Homecoming and special events. Some won a prize for the best décor (including my roomie’s dorm). For Mother and Daughters Weekend, our mothers lived in our rooms for the weekend and attended a fashion show and tea.
Our happiness was forming lifelong friendships. I had wonderful roommates. We celebrated our birthdays and holidays together. We kept our friendships through the years.
Jayme (Housh ’96) Johnson, EdD ’16
The first night, after moving into Thompson, my roomies and I did a Target run and bought all the things, plus roller blades. We had so much fun on our after-dark roller blading adventures around campus that year. Lots of laughs and amazing memories were made with Michelle (Wright ’96) Bertier, Karen (Billings ’96) Schuster and Kelly (Watson ’96) Ghaffary
Jordan Sanchez ’23
I grew up in Hawai’i and was nervous to attend a university so far from home. All my life, I always thought your college roommates were supposed to be your first friends on campus. That wasn’t true for me as my roommate left Cal Lu on the second day of orientation! Not only was I so far from home; now I was alone. During orientation weekend, I sat on the floor of my dorm and cried my eyes out as I unpacked the clothes from my luggage. In that moment, I was telling myself I would need to move back home to pursue my education. That same weekend, I had the courage to ask Maylee Murillo ’23, someone in my orientation group, if I could hike the CLU Rocks with her. We hiked the rocks together with some of her friends who were all Oxnard locals, and the rest is history! Many of my favorite memories from Cal Lutheran involved the friends I made that weekend. If I could time travel back to 2019 when I was crying on the floor in Mt. Clef 323, I would tell myself, “The friends you make this weekend are going to be the same friends you walk the stage with on graduation day. Everything will be OK.”
Jordan Sanchez ’23, right, and Maylee Murrillo ’23 celebrate during Commencement.
CAPITOL LEARNING
Lutheran College Washington Semester program offers students the chance to be part of our government at work.
BY KAREN LINDELL
Democracy is messy … in a good way. Matthew Bauer ’24, a double major in political science and criminology and criminal justice, said that’s one lesson he learned during his internship in Washington, D.C., in fall 2023.
“Our government is that way purposefully,” Bauer said. “Our republic is constructed in a way that allows it to be messy in order to get better.”
During his semester-long internship, Bauer, who served in the office of the speaker of the House of Representatives, experienced chaos on a small and large scale. He spent a great deal of time answering phone calls from congressional constituents, listening to their concerns and directing them to others who could help them. Then, just a few weeks into his internship, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California was ousted by his colleagues, the first time in U.S. history the House had removed its leader. Suddenly, Bauer had a new boss, Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, and callers had plenty of opinions to share about the congressional turmoil.
“Mentally, it was a hard time,” Bauer said of the transition. “But I’m glad it was dramatic, because I was exposed to so many different experiences.”
Bauer is now working as a field representative for Rep. Vince Fong in California’s 20th Congressional District
(McCarthy’s former district) and is planning a career in law enforcement. He served his internship through the Lutheran College Washington Semester (LCWS) program, which works with students from 16 small liberal arts colleges in the U.S., mainly those with Lutheran heritage. Cal Lutheran has been sending interns to Washington through LCWS since 1997.
“It’s not a religion-centered program,” said Kiku Huckle, PhD, Cal Lutheran associate professor of political science and the university’s LCWS representative. “But because we’re all liberal arts colleges, and very student-focused, we all agree on basic values. One of the goals is to teach students not just to be independent, but also how to work as a team.”
LCWS, she said, offers students “an amazing combination of opportunities” to live, work and network in the nation’s capital, “and gain exposure to the different types of jobs available when they graduate.”
Photo by Sonder Quest on Unsplash
Although a majority of LCWS interns are political science majors, the program is open to students in all fields. Interns work Mondays through Thursdays and attend classes two nights a week, then take Fridays off for special tours of federal sites. The interns serve more than 500 organizations, including government offices, media companies, cultural institutions and nonprofits. Applicants are matched with organizations that fit their academic and career interests.
The call of duty (and constituents)
Bauer, of Glendora, California, was initially interested in forensic accounting when he enrolled at Cal Lutheran and considered a career with the FBI. He then developed a passion for local law enforcement.
When he applied for the LCWS internship, most of his applications were for organizations related to law enforcement. His grandmother, however, suggested he apply for a position with the speaker’s office because McCarthy is from California. After an interview, he was immediately offered the internship, and decided the opportunity was too great to pass up.
Bauer started his internship in the speaker’s Capitol office, where he helped set up events — from delegate gatherings to the Capitol Christmas tree-lighting ceremony — and gave tours to dignitaries or groups.
Halfway through the internship he switched to McCarthy’s Rayburn Building office across the street to handle calls from the congressman’s California constituents, then transitioned to new speaker Johnson’s constituent office.
“People just like being heard,” said Bauer, who fielded calls from around the country about many issues, as well as occasional threats (passed along to Capitol police).
The internship, Bauer said, taught him “genuine maturity and professionalism,” as well as about how government works — or doesn’t work.
Miles away in California, he said, “I had a very sheltered sense of security; I assumed government would handle problems and pass laws.” But politicians, he said, “are just as human as you and me, and because of that, there’s a lot of dysfunction.”
On the frontlines of the consumer hotline
Rebecca (Rae) Eastham, of Visalia, California, a senior double majoring in political science and mathematics who wants to attend law school after graduation, was an LCWS intern in spring 2024 for the office of Brian L. Schwalb, attorney general for the District of Columbia.
Her first day as an intern, Eastham said, was “a little crazy” because the entire district closed down due to a snowstorm, so she did her orientation via Zoom. Most of her responsibilities involved answering calls for the attorney general’s consumer protection hotline, handling legal problems related to local businesses and apartments.
“I had my own set of cases I was assigned to, and helped other attorneys on their cases,” she said. For one large case, Eastham went through 1,000 pages of bank statements to search for suspicious purchases and transfers (such as an expensive puppy) by a woman suspected of stealing government money.
“But I think the main thing I learned was to listen and care,” she said. “Often, people had already called 15 other places and were so exhausted. Telling them I know how to help, even just as an intern, was an awesome feeling.”
For more information about LCWS, visit washingtonsemester.org.
Alumn
’60s
Karsten Lundring ’65 and Kirsten (Bodding ’64) Lundring celebrated 59 years of marriage in June with fellow alumni friends at Lazy Dog Restaurant in Thousand Oaks. Pictured from top right at the table circling around are Bob Trevathan ’66, Bob Davis ’67, Dave Festerling ’69, Charlene Ohlrich ’65, Nancy Trevathan ’65, Gail (Samuelson ’70) McGinnis, Laura Daivs, Karsten and Kirsten, Kathie Ferkin ’68, TC ’83, MA ’88, Sue (Peterson) Festerling ’68, and Gary McGinnis ’72, TC ’74
John Luebtow ’67 recently had his book titled Glass, A Lifetime of Creating published. Available via Amazon, the book walks readers through six decades of his life via 500-plus images showing the development of his artistic concepts and ideas. The images include drawings and objects he started in grade school and recently completed large architectural commission projects. John also had two exhibitions in L.A.
Submissions from Dec. 1, 2023, to Jun. 25, 2024
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’70s
The Rev. Chris Heian ’70 completed 27 consecutive years of gospel preaching with salvation and healing in 22 different countries, mostly in Asia and Africa. Over the years, this included 105 two-day seminars throughout Nepal. Chris also should have graduated in 1967 but was in Vietnam; he is a Vietnam veteran.
Robert Jonson ’74 is a professor emeritus, professor of art and Legacy Project partner at Cypress College. He created what he believes is the largest photo documentary project and the world’s largest single photograph, which is 28 feet high by 111 inches wide.
David Penny ’74, after graduating from Cal Lutheran with a BS in biology, moved to Northern California, where he attended the Pacific Marine Station in Dillon Beach, then earned his MS in marine biology from University of the Pacific in 1978. He became a general contractor in 1985, specializing in renovations, remodeling and repairs to vacation cottages in Dillon Beach. As a sought-after contractor, he served that community for over 40 years. During that time, he raised his son Lee as a single dad. David also kept his hands busy on piano keyboards, playing with local bands and musicians. He had a five-piece jazz group, then a jazz trio, performing at many local venues and
events. He also played in the bands for a local Lutheran church and the Center for Spiritual Living in Santa Rosa. Now retired from professional construction and musical engagements, David spends his time on home projects, camping, hiking, gardening, reading and writing, creating yard-art sculptures from recycled materials and traveling with Margee, his wife and best friend. They have lived for over 30 years in the home they built together in Petaluma, California.
Ray Haynes ’76 was recently asked to speak at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation on Electoral College reform. Ray is a former California State Senator (1994-2002), where he served as the Republican whip; and a former member of the California State Assembly (1992-1994 and 2002-2006), where he served as the assistant Republican leader (under Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader and later speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives). Ray was also national chair of the American Legislative
Exchange Council, a national organization of state legislators, in 2000. He is currently a senior consultant and national spokesperson for the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact initiative, the chief executive officer of the Institute for Research on Presidential Elections, and a nationally recognized expert on Electoral College reform, having spoken to over 800 state legislators in 30 states about their role in changing how the Electoral College works. That was his role at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he talked about ways to change the system of awarding a state’s Electoral College votes to encourage more voter participation in presidential elections.
’80s
Natalie Larkin MS ’89, TC ’91, TC ’96, was ordained as a deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on Aug. 27, 2023, in spiritual formation. The service was held at New Hope Lutheran Church in Agoura Hills, but her call is with Southwest California Synod as a spiritual director. Currently, Natalie is working with Thriving Leadership Formation of CLU/PLTS, her own practice and Stillpoint: The Art of Spiritual Direction. This call involves small-group ministry, retreats and one-on-one sessions.
Mark Storer ’89, ’92, and Susan Storer had a quick meetup in their hometown of Lakewood, Washington. Pictured are Marc Janssen ’89 and Laura (Kennedy ’89) Janssen, Elizabeth Mercer ’89, Marc and Laura’s children Kate and Tom, and Mark and Susan’s daughter, Shannon (PLU Senior).
Susan Voss-Rothmeier ’92 is a licensed clinical social worker in mental health crises and homeless outreach in Portland, Oregon. She has worked at Cascadia Health for almost 20 years on a team that responds to crises in the community as an alternative to police. She expanded that team eight years ago by creating a program at the Multnomah County Library, becoming one of the first library social workers in the county. She recently collaborated with other social workers on a book about trauma-informed care. Outside of work, she helped develop a new family homeless shelter in Portland where she serves as a board member and volunteers her time to coordinate programming.
Melissa rallies her students to get behind and support local community service efforts like toy drives, canned food drives, and childhood cancer and diabetes awareness campaigns.
’90s ’00s
Nathanael Brazelton ’92 was promoted to lieutenant with the Oceanside Police Department in November 2023.
Shari (Owen ’94) Brown has built a multimillion-dollar business on social media through cosmetic sales and by coaching other women to sell online. In 2022, her book Let’s Grow, Girl! was published and became an Amazon bestseller. In it, she primarily teaches women how to overcome fear and step out of their comfort zone to share their authentic selves on social media. Shining their light and being a positive influence can improve their confidence, help their businesses grow and encourage other women to do the same.
Melissa (Rider ’99, MA ’03) Portela is one of the athletic trainers at O’Connor High School in Arizona. She has taken the lead role in the school’s AT department and plays a vital role in the athletic and career and technology education departments. Melissa teaches the sports medicine curriculum and the school’s NASM class. In both classes, students practice their skills related to athletic training and sports medicine. As a preceptor for Grand Canyon University athletic training students, she works with two to three clinical students each semester to provide them with opportunities to use their skills and work on their proficiencies.
Juan Ros, MBA ’08, CFP, has been named a partner for Forum Financial Management, LP. Juan joined Forum as a financial adviser in late 2018. He brings extraordinary perspective to the Forum partner group, amassed from his career experiences in the film industry and world of charitable giving and financial planning. Previously, Juan worked with Forum partner Chris Lamia as a partner and vice president of Lamia Financial Group in Thousand Oaks, before the group joined Forum in 2019. In 2024, Juan began splitting his time between Thousand Oaks and Scottsdale after moving to Arizona.
Mackenzie (Faumuina ’08) Rubish participated in The Great American Baking Show on The Roku Channel on May 24. The jokester of her family, she is always ready with a smile and a light to help break the ice. She comes from a warm and welcoming Samoan family, so no one stays a stranger for long around her; she immediately welcomes them as family and tries to feed them something comforting and sweet. Mackenzie grew up surrounded by aunties and cousins, and they always had epic parties where a pig was roasting on a spit in the backyard. Mackenzie’s mom made all the birthday cakes, but her dad taught her about baking from her culture. He passed away when she was 19, but she celebrates his memory every time she makes puligi, a traditional Samoan steam cake. Her baking has evolved exponentially over the years, and she now bakes creations that look magazine-worthy. Mackenzie and her husband Luke have three daughters, and she works as a quality analyst. When she isn’t baking you can find her Polynesian dancing, which she’s returned to as an adult so she can pass along the Samoan tradition.
’10s
Christian Hogan ’10 completed his first mural project in Ventura County in August. The Oxnard Mural Project, pictured, commissioned by the city of Oxnard, is in Downtown Oxnard near Plaza Park behind the Carnegie Art Museum. This achievement was made possible through his involvement with Open Door Studio in Oxnard, where he teaches various art forms, including digital art, photography, digital marketing and online sales to adult artists with autism. The project reflects his commitment to engaging with the local community and underscores his ongoing dedication to learning from and educating others. The mural, titled “Action Oxnard,” had been a long-standing aspiration, and he is thrilled to have the opportunity to bring it to fruition. This expansive mural embodies the essence of “action” painting: It seamlessly melds abstract expressionism with elements of
performance art. Although he carefully plans the colors, the creation process is entirely freestyle, driven by the energy and emotions of the moment. It’s a dynamic and spontaneous expression of artistic creativity.
Upon graduation, Jesse Knutson ’11 went into the TV news business, serving as a producer and moving into a reporter role. He worked in Los Angeles, Harrisburg (Pennsylvania), Seattle and Nashville, where he earned three Emmy Awards for his reporting. He left the news business and for the past 2 1/2 years has served as the head of publicity and media relations at the Academy of Country Music, working with the biggest names in country music and leading all publicity efforts for the 57th, 58th and 59th ACM Awards.
Ryan Townsend Strand-Prewit ’12, pictured with friends, did not shift career courses as stated in CLU Magazine’s fall/winter issue. Ryan is still singing professionally full time in Chicago and expects to release his third album, Letters to Jackie, this year with Sono Luminus Records.
Felecia S. Russell ’13, EdD, a Black DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipient, scholar and practitioner, has released Amplifying Black Undocumented Student Voices The book highlights the invisibility and lack of belonging Black undocumented students face within both the undocumented community and the United States at large. Through both a biographical memoir and a qualitative approach, Felecia interprets the experiences of “undocuBlack” students, a group seldom represented in the immigrant narrative, arguing that without visibility, “undocuBlack” students rarely benefit from advocacy and instead become targets of overcriminalization. This text offers an important new perspective for faculty, administrators, policymakers, upperlevel undergraduate and graduate students and readers interested in Black and immigrant narratives and the undocumented experience as an academic subject.
Jasmine Waples ’15 has worked at Citizen Pictures, a production house best known for the TV series Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, for the past several years. She has had a hand in every episode since Season 33 (they are just starting Season 39). She’s also had the opportunity to work on several Emmynominated television productions.
Natalie Bologna ’15, MS ’19, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, minor in English and master’s degree in counseling psychology at Cal Lutheran, completing her marriage and family therapy licensure in 2022. Natalie graduated summa cum laude and deeply cherishes her academic and interpersonal experiences. Since then, she has built a group practice in Simi Valley called New Leaf Marriage & Family Therapy. The staff of six Cal Lutheran graduates have a high regard for the experience, education and training they received at the university. Their mission and services are built upon inclusion, diversity and community, largely influenced by their experiences as MFT trainees.
Ali Sadreameli ’20, EMBA ’22, has been voted on to the School of Management Advisory Council at Cal Lutheran. With nearly two decades of experience in the banking industry, Ali currently serves as the branch manager for Montecito Bank & Trust’s Regional Commercial Banking Office/Branch in Camarillo. Active in community service, Ali has contributed his time to county nonprofits including the Camarillo Chamber of Commerce and the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo. Ali holds a BS in organizational leadership and an EMBA from Cal Lutheran. In 2023, he graduated from the Ventura County Leadership Academy, showcasing his commitment to continuous learning alongside industry leaders. He has maintained an active role in the community through volunteer work at the Commemorative Air Force Museum at the Camarillo Airport and ongoing service on the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo board since 2018, where he contributes to the Finance Committee. Beyond his professional endeavors, Ali is passionate about aviation, education and community engagement.
Kylie Roseanne Johnson ’21 has been self-producing short horror films with the help of her YouTube audience. Through their crowdfunding campaign, she’s completed her second independent film and is submitting it to festivals, hoping to premiere it in 2025. She has already completed a featurelength script of the story and hopes to shop it around once the short has been made public. Pictured with the crew that made her short horror film “Liked” possible, Kylie is in the sunflower top and glasses, holding the clapper.
Friends
skip around with a nutty companion
In 1989, Kevin Charlston ’93, Rod Borgie ’93, Michael Clarke ’93, Eric Rutlin ’93, and Eric Weeden ’93 attended Cal Lutheran together, and packed away among their many movein items was a jar of Skippy Peanut Butter. Somehow, the jar went unnoticed until the end of the school year when it was found missing only a spoonful of peanut butter. As a joke, one of the friends snuck the jar into another’s suitcase, where it was discovered when it was unpacked for summer vacation.
Thus began the many travels of the jar among the friend group, some of which included trips back to their hometowns and even out of the country to Japan.
The alumni graduated together in 1993 and still pass around the 30-year-old jar, dubbed Skippy Kingsmen. It has made trips to their hometowns, appeared at each of their weddings and several Cal Lutheran reunions, including the 30th-year reunion in October 2023, and even made it to Japan. A travel list is affixed to the jar.
MORE ONLINE: Skippy Kingsmen has seen the alumni grow up and continues to travel to meet the friends’ children and tell his stories. He is now at UC Santa Barbara where a founding member’s daughter is attending. You can follow the travels of @skippykingsmen on Instagram.
THE FLAG FOLLOW
Alumnae sisters share a hiking trip in the Colorado Rockies in August 2023. Pictured from left to right are Marry (Wulff ’89) Harrington, Susan (Wulff ’82) Hood, Julie (Wulff ’79) Phair and Cheryl (Wulff ’78) Shear.
Daniel Lacey ’17 began 2024 by trekking to the top of Laguna de los Tres to witness the magnificent view of Cerro Fitz Roy in El Chaltén, Patagonia, Argentina.
Rosalyn (Sayer ’07) Skelton and Kimberly (Barclay ’03, MEd ’08) O’Hara, are teachers in Lake Hughes, California. They live in a rural area and work at a small school with 200 kids in grades TK-8. It’s the only school in their area. They think it is amazing that there are two Cal Lutheran alumni teachers out of their small teaching staff of 10.
Barry Disselhorst ’77 and Tania (Reimnitz) Disselhorst, MBA ’83, visited Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2024.
Ruthanne (Hendrickson ’77) Henderson and Mary Lou Collier-McFaden ’77 became friends 50 years ago as first-years at Cal Lutheran. They still get together several times a year, usually in the greater Seattle area, where Ruthanne and her husband have lived for the past 30 years. Mary Lou and her husband, Ron, live and work in Moorpark. Ruthanne and her husband are retired and live in Kent, Washington
Pictured from left to right in Qumran (location of the Dead Sea Scrolls) are Carl Friedemann ’90, Sarah (Estergren ’92) Friedemann, Laurie (Estergren ’89) Galloway, Amber (Hart ’03, ’04) Stull, Anna Liljas ’19, MBA ’20, and Sean Kelly ’94.
Pictured from left to right at Hippos, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, are Sarah (Estergren ’92) Friedemann, Carl Friedemann ’90, Laurie (Estergren ’89) Galloway, Amber (Hart ’03, ’04) Stull, Anna Liljas ’19, MBA ’20, and Sean Kelly ’94.
A group from Penasquitos Lutheran Church completed a pilgrimage to Israel following the footsteps of Jesus in September 2023.
Pictured from left to right at Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem are Sarah (Estergren ’92) Friedemann, Amber (Hart ’03, ’04) Stull, Carl Friedemann ’90, Sean Kelly ’94, Laurie (Estergren ’89) Galloway and Anna Liljas ’19, MBA ’20.
Jo Petersen ’21 and Juanita Hall, MS ’99, EdD, met on campus as coworkers. They are both huge K-pop fans; Juanita was the inspiration for starting the CLU KPOP Club.
Pictured are Jo and Juanita at Juanita’s first K-pop/rock concert, featuring The Rose during their first world tour, Dawn to Dusk, at the Forum.
Micah Roschke celebrates high school graduation with Cal Lutheran alumni parents Dan Roschke ’00 and Heather (Embree ’97) Roschke, grandparents John Embree ’70 and Marsha (Otsea ’70) Embree, and aunt Jill (Embree ’99) Elsemore in Fairfax, Virginia.
ALUMNI MILESTONES
MARRIAGES
Chris Park ’12 and Katelyn Downing ’14 were married on June 7 in Moorpark, California. Cal Lutheran was a special time in both of their lives, and they were fortunate to have alumni family and friends be there to celebrate their special day with them. Pictured from left to right are Susan (Waterman ’97, MBA ’08) Millis, Michelle (Eiftert ’16, MA ’19 ) Cox, Jordan Cox ’12, Amy (Downing ’06) Duarte, Peter Ciaramitaro ’12, Chris, Katelyn, Reid Furlong ’12, ’13, Allison (Kerr ’11) Furlong, CJ Woldanski ’12, Brittany (Kennedy ’11) Brouhard, Justin Brouhard ’10, Kiley (Munro ’20) McQuillan, Sheyenne Machida ’14, Kayla (Sakamoto ’14) Taniguchi, Collin Knudsen ’14, Ashley (Frese ’14) Knudsen and Bill Hall ’12.
David Hall ’21 and Inger Smuts ’21 were married on Dec. 29, 2023, in Palo Alto, California. It was a great celebration with many Cal Lutheran alumni present.
John Wise ’19 and Laura Willits ’19 met at the Student Union on campus and dated for six years before officially tying the knot on Aug. 3, 2024. During their time at Cal Lutheran, Laura founded the Happiness Club, John was a member of the football team, and they were both part of the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi.
Ryan Kyaw ’20 and Lauren (Fesler ’19) Kyaw celebrated their wedding on campus in Kingsmen Park on June 8, 2024, with family, friends and fellow alumni. Ryan and Lauren coach Cal Lutheran’s golf teams. Jeff Lindgren ’88, head coach of the golf team, was their officiant. From left to right are Jeff, Brodie Munro ’91, Tara Ng ’23, Derek Hahn ’23, Brooke Logsdon ’21, Mikayla Contreras ’23, Parker Colvin ’14, Lauren (Jurick ’14) Colvin, Matt Holland ‘03, MBA ‘09, Courtney (Parks ’05, MBA ’09) Holland, Anna Bello ’23, Megan Choi ’09, Jess Card ’02, Lauren, Ryan, Jake Rosen ’19, Brian McCoy ’95, Jenni (Lutz ’96) McCoy, MA ’21, JP Guimaraes ’23, Jimmy Solano ’22, Grace Mitchell ’23, Claire Cornejo ’23, Craig Thorlakson ’20, Erica Mitchell ’20, Grace Cornejo ’22, Tyler Ferrier ’18, Brandon Jones ’20, Jesse (Monhaupt ’20, TC ’22) Jones and Ricardo Torres ’18.
BIRTH
Raelyn Rose was born on Jan. 11, 2024, to Andrew Pankow ’14 and Michelle (Ritenour ’14) Pankow. Pictured are Andrew, Michelle, big sister Ella, big brother Jameson and baby Raelyn.
DEATHS
The Rev. Carl E. Andersen ’68 on Feb. 29, 2024
Patricia A. Christoffersen ’01 on June 1, 2024
Shirley M. Egertson ’84 on Feb. 24, 2024
William Fardy, MS ’77, on May 21, 2023
William H. Fischer, MBA ’01, on July 14, 2023
Allyson M. Fredericksen ’06 on March 3, 2024
Larry G. Grimes ’86 in December 2023
Patricia (Benham, ’78) Guthrie, on Dec. 17, 2023
Harriette E. Hodgson, MA ’74, on Nov. 15, 2023
Dolores M. Hultgren, MS ’74, on March 20, 2022
Carolyn L. Frady Jager ’78, MA ’78, on Dec. 16, 2023
Cathy (Buxton, MBA ’82) Kiburtz on Feb. 26, 2024
The Rev. Mary Laufer, MDiv ’86, on Jan. 25, 2024
Donna Jean Main ’66 on May 8, 2024
Marc M. Maupin ’94 on Jan. 6, 2024
Larry John McBroom, MPPA ’03, on Feb. 21, 2024
Donald S. Meyer ’64 on April 28, 2024
Salvatore Ochoa ’24 on April 3, 2024
The Rev. Jon Petersen, MDiv ’60, on May 20, 2023
Janine E. Pitt, MBA ’99, on Oct. 10, 2023
Geraldine G. Reese, MA ’80, on April 3, 2022
Monique Roy ’89 on June 17, 2024
The Rev. Marty J. Schaefer, MDiv ’65, on June 11, 2024
Ethan M. Siegel ’97 on Nov. 30, 2022
Kim Sillari ’98, MBA ’03, on Sept. 3, 2022
MaryAnn (Hardenbroo MA ’93) Souder on Jan. 9, 2024
Alice K. Watson, MA ’08, on Feb. 5, 2024
Beverly G. Weiher, MA ’76, on July 17, 2021
Looking Forward to
Spring
Students take advantage of a beautiful day to relax and study outside on the Center for Cultural Engagement and Inclusion Patio.
Brittany App/App’s Photography
60 W. Olsen Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-2787
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
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What’s your Cal Lutheran jam?
Every Cal Lutheran memory deserves a soundtrack. What was your go-to song during your college days and why did it top your personal charts? Share your favorite tune and let’s spin the ultimate alumni playlist for the next issue of CLU Magazine
Email your songs and memories (250 words maximum) by Jan. 15 to clumag@CalLutheran.edu. Please include your name and graduation year. We love photos, too.