CLU Magazine - Spring 2024

Student Scientists Leading the Way

Spring is here!

Students enjoy the festivities during last year’s CalLuPalooza. The annual event, which features live music, food and fun activities, will be April 12 in Kingsmen Park.

Photo by Moi!

Did you know that by making a planned gift, you can strengthen the Cal Lutheran educational experience today and for generations to come?

Membership in the Orville Dahl Society is open to all who make an estate or deferred gift commitment of any amount to Cal Lutheran. It’s simple and there is no cost to do so.

Thank you today for what you will do tomorrow!

To learn more about planned giving and membership in the Orville Dahl Society, please contact Donna Baharouzi in the Office of University Advancement.

805-493-3161 | DonorRelations@CalLutheran.edu | CLUgift.org

You’ll notice something different

As you look through this CLU Magazine, you’ll notice a few changes. Some, like our newly designed cover, are obvious; you could even say splashy. Others are more subtle: You might notice that we’re covering new topics and adding new sections that provide a little different take on Cal Lutheran. The changes we’ve made are meant to make the magazine more informative, entertaining and attractive, so you can stay up to date on your alma mater and the alumni community.

We embarked on our redesign of CLU Magazine almost a year ago with three main goals: to tell meaningful stories about the students and faculty doing amazing work on our campus, to better engage with our alumni, and to create a look that is contemporary and attractive, befitting the editorial goals we set.

The cover design is the most noticeable change, with a more vibrant and contemporary look. We thoughtfully redesigned the magazine’s name using three different typefaces to acknowledge the university’s past, present and future. In honor of our past, we used the “c” from the California Lutheran College logo, which was used in the early years of the magazine; the “l” is the magazine’s present typeface; and the “u” is a typeface that draws inspiration from early typewriter fonts and applies modern design principles, much like our redesign approach of honoring the past while looking to the future.

We’ve tried to make the magazine visually arresting: We want to make sure you remember how beautiful our campus is. Other changes include a separate Follow the Flag section within the Class Notes, a streamlined Table of Contents that includes a much larger photo and a photo on the last two pages that will allow us to feature special moments around campus. In the future, we plan to share reader-submitted photos in this space.

We’re also making sure that you have a voice in the magazine with our reader-response question, which we’ll ask you in each issue. We’ll ask you to share something about your days at Cal Lutheran, and we’ll share those stories in the magazine and online. In the last issue we asked for your stories of finding love at Cal Lutheran, and you shared some charming tales, which you can read on pages 26 and 27. We received more stories than would fit in the magazine, so you can read them all at CalLutheran.edu/magazine. Now we want you to share your favorite stories of living in the residence halls. See the back cover for details on how to submit your story.

In addition to these changes, we will continue to offer entertaining profiles and feature articles. You’ll see more articles like our cover story on Alina Tong and Alexis Jones of biochem fame, and our fall 2023 story on Ze’ev Remer, stories that show you the Cal Lutheran spirit of determination and curiosity is still alive among our students. We know you’ll be proud of the legacy you have left.

The magazine’s new look is still a work in progress, but we look forward to sharing the finishing touches with you in the fall.

Linda Martinez Editor

Linda Martinez

ART DIRECTOR

Sherri Matsumoto

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Gina Cusano

CONTRIBUTORS

Carley Doyle

Kim Fox

Mahsa Ghaderpour

Steven Guetzoian

Grant Halverson

Tracie Karasik

Karen Lindell

Moi!

Sharon Nelson

Jessi Soporito

VOLUME 31, NUMBER 2

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.

CONTACT US

CLU Magazine

California Lutheran University

60 W. Olsen Road #1800

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-2787

805-493-3651

clumag@CalLutheran.edu

CalLutheran.edu/magazine

CLU Magazine welcomes letters to the editor. Please include your name, phone number, city and state, and note Cal Lutheran graduation years.

If requesting removal from our distribution list , please include your name and address as they appear on the mailing label.

CLU Magazine welcomes ideas for articles and nominations for Vocations articles.

Following the call to help students find their purpose

Throughout this edition, you will read stories about students, staff, faculty and alumni who are living a life of calling and purpose. Such stories illustrate what institutions like ours aim to do: “educate young adults in body, mind and spirit to find their vocation and purpose in life, as well as career,” said the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (bit.ly/48qrwhm).

As the president of California Lutheran University, I endorse this view of Lutheran education, suggesting we take it even further by aligning with David Cunningham’s assertion that “Colleges Have Callings, Too” (2016). Extending the notion of vocation to institutions as a whole, Cunningham issues a bipartite charge:

1. articulate and enact an institutional calling or vocation specific to our university; and

2. invite regents, faculty, staff, students and alumni to “participate in that calling with whatever degree of nuance applies to [their] own specific version of that call” (p. 266).

If Cal Lutheran commits to doing both, we will become even better able to help our students understand, explore and “find” their vocation/calling/purpose (the quotation marks signal that “find” is an ongoing process, not a one-and-done discovery).

Rooted in Lutheran educational values that prioritize “both/and” thinking over “either/ or” thinking, I propose that the following serve as a launch pad for articulating and embodying Cal Lutheran’s vocation.

• Align our calling with our institutional traditions, strengths and current priorities, as well as with what the world needs at this moment.

• Focus our traditions, strengths and priorities on fostering critical and creative thinkers and doers who understand broad-based human flourishing as paramount.

• Steer our commitment to neighbor through service and justice toward a world beyond the myriad polarizations that are tearing apart our neighborhoods, cities, counties, country and the institutions affiliated with all of them. A highly polarized perspective is likely to miss the insights (even the “truths”) that exist outside it. As the saying goes, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

• Explore and co-create a community that is guided by joining our heads, hearts and hands in a messy middle where life unfolds.

We do quite a bit of this already. Let’s imagine that we want to more fully actualize a calling like this on all our campuses and in the mark our alumni leave on their communities. To what extent would in-class readings and discussions change? Pedagogical practices? Co-curricular programs? Worship services? Student and employee reward and incentive programs? Student admissions and employee recruitment materials? Employee evaluations and assessments, and more?

I believe I am called to engage and empower others in more explicitly formulating and modeling our university vocation. More important, I believe that doing this work and reaping its rewards are part of Cal Lutheran’s value proposition — our differentiator.

If you feel called to be a part of this, let me know at officeofthepresident@ CalLutheran.edu.

Happy reading, thinking and doing!

Lori Varlotta

Center for Nonprofit Leadership raises $1.5 million for training

The Center for Nonprofit Leadership at Cal Lutheran successfully raised more than $1.5 million, reaching that goal in one year with the largest single donation in the organization’s more than 30-year history.

The TOLD Foundation of Camarillo donated the $1 million gift that led off CNL’s Campaign for the Future to create an endowment to ensure CNL will continue to offer professional training valued by thousands of nonprofit staff and volunteers.

Rod Gilbert

“We are thrilled the Center for Nonprofit Leadership reached its goal in the Campaign for the Future,” said Rod Gilbert, TOLD Foundation president. “This is a remarkable achievement during challenging economic times. The foundation applauds all who worked toward the campaign’s success, and we thank the generous donors who also contributed.”

In addition to the TOLD Foundation, some four dozen Central Coast philanthropists gave to the campaign, led by co-chairs Kate McLean and Sally Yount. A full roster of donors can be found at CalLutheran.edu/cnl/sponsors.

“When I started the center in 1991, I was hopeful it would increase the operational effectiveness of our region’s nonprofits in meeting our community’s needs,” said McLean, who serves as CNL’s advisory committee chair and is a former president of the Ventura County Community Foundation. “Sally and I are honored the community values our efforts over the past three decades and made this campaign a success.”

This new capital will expand the center’s prestigious board governance programs in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. It also will provide a host of professional development opportunities, such as networking events and open office hours.

“This endowment will enable CNL to develop programs that meet evolving needs and ensure a stable future for the center,” said Yount, a philanthropist and outspoken advocate for nonprofit training who has been involved with CNL since 2000.

In 2023 the center served 445 nonprofits and trained over 3,000 who attended its workshops in such topics as fundraising, accounting and strategic planning. CNL is known as an innovator of curriculum; its signature programs include the Board Leadership Institute and Board Service Bootcamp, a partnership with Amgen to place the company’s leaders on nonprofit boards across the Central Coast.

“The Center for Nonprofit Leadership has become an indispensable resource for hundreds of organizations in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties,” said Geoff Green, CEO of CalNonprofits. “I have the privilege of serving as a donor and advisory board member as part of my personal commitment to building the strength of our region’s nonprofit sector.”

The campaign’s successful culmination was announced Nov. 28 to 200 nonprofit and civic leaders at CNL’s annual Celebration of the Sector at the Museum of Ventura County.

For information on upcoming programs, visit CalLutheran.edu/ centers/nonprofit.

“We are thrilled the Center for Nonprofit Leadership reached its goal in the Campaign for the Future.”

— Rod Gilbert, TOLD Foundation president

Cal Lutheran receives $1.2M federal grant to support educators of Deaf/hard of hearing

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Cal Lutheran a $1,241,679 grant to support the Graduate School of Education’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Credential Program.

The five-year grant will fund Access Teach: Closing the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Educator Gap, a project to support 60 graduate-level students who will leave the program as credentialed teachers of high-need Deaf and hard-of-hearing students in public schools. The grant will cover a portion of tuition, financial aid, textbooks and instructional materials, as well as provide mentoring and other support to recruit and retain students. The grant also allows the program to be restructured to a hybrid format by summer 2024. Classes will be synchronous with some in-person classes on Saturdays, a change that will accommodate the needs of working professionals across Southern California.

“This grant is a significant step forward in our mission to provide high-quality education to future diverse and multilingual teachers of the deaf,” said the project’s director, Sofia Ramirez Davis, EdD, assistant professor and director of Cal Lutheran’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. “We are committed to creating an inclusive and dynamic learning environment that prepares our students for success in this high-need field.”

“ This grant is a significant step forward in our mission to provide highquality education to future diverse and multilingual teachers of the deaf.”

— Sofia Ramirez Davis, EdD

According to the Council on Education of the Deaf, the need for credentialed and highly qualified teachers serving Deaf and hard-of-hearing students has grown in recent years due to high retirement rates as well as reductions in training programs.

Crucial to meeting demand in California is recruiting multilingual teachers with skills to serve the state’s increasingly diverse student population.

Cal Lutheran’s existing Deaf and Hard of Hearing Credential Program already has a strong impact on public schools in the greater Los Angeles area because it is one of the few programs in the state to focus on listening and spoken language for school-age children with hearing loss. A large percentage of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s teachers for the Deaf and hard of hearing are graduates of the university’s program.

The end goal of Access Teach is improved language and literacy skills among students with hearing loss, and an increase in the number of fully credentialed educators, including those who are multilingual and from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, to serve school-age children with disabilities.

Project director Ramirez Davis holds a doctorate in educational leadership and a master’s in deaf education from Cal Lutheran and brings over 18 years of experience to the project as a Spanish teacher, credentialed teacher of the Deaf, parent educator, assistant professor, administrator, mentor and leader in spoken-language education for students with hearing loss.

Project partners are the Los Angeles Unified School District and other local districts, USC Caruso Family Center for Childhood Communication, NO LIMITS for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children, Advanced Bionics (AB) Corporation and ECHO Center.

Students’ winning sports management projects support health, literacy and the environment

A student team in the Sports Management program at Cal Lutheran took top honors and a $1,000 prize in the university’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Competition 2023. Matthew Mikhail, Jacob Romano and Dallas Martin worked together on a presentation that showcased how basketball can help Los Angeles County youth improve their physical and mental health and support the L.A. Clippers’ community engagement at the same time.

Three teams were chosen as finalists to compete in the Dec. 6 event. The students’ projects were derived from their semester-length capstone projects for the Sports Management program; each project focused on developing sustainable and business solutions to solve a real-world sports-related problem. Students identified issues related to social inclusion, economic growth and environmental protection, and created strategies to educate the community about them.

Brandon “Kekoa” Alana, Timothy Thompson and Kennedy Lazenby won the $500 second-place prize for their presentation, “Dedicated to Uplifting

Bright Students (DUBS),” on building a financial literacy education program through the Golden State Warriors basketball team to educate underserved youth in the Bay Area.

Third-place honoree Ryan Santourian won $250 for his presentation on “Electric Vehicles and Baseball in the State of California,” a proposal to combine electric cars and baseball to make a difference in the lives of Californians.

Los Angeles-based sports industry leaders served as judges for the competition attended by 80 students and Cal Lutheran leadership.

“All three groups really had impressive presentations. They had really good facts, well thought out presentations,” said Artis Twyman, vice president of communications at the Los Angeles Rams. “What they’re talking about now – sustainability, how the world is heating up and mental health issues –all these things are not only what we’re deliberating now, but will be deliberating down the line.”

The second annual competition grew out of the School of Management’s

“All three groups really had impressive presentations. They had really good facts, well thought out presentations.”

— Artis Twyman, vice president of communications, Los Angeles Rams

commitment to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a United Nations-supported, worldwide initiative. “At the heart of ‘Agenda 2030’ are 17 SDGs and 169 related targets that address the most important economic, social, environmental and governance challenges of our time,” according to the PRME website.

Through the SDGs, Cal Lutheran students see firsthand how these initiatives have become a large part of today’s sports organizations’ identities, and how their efforts can contribute to increasing the impact of SDG work in the future.

Mark Orlando, EdD, director of the Sports Management program at Cal Lutheran, said he is proud of the program’s students and how committed they are to pursuing innovative projects that benefit the field of sports management and the community.

“These projects are simply proposals and do not reflect the beliefs or opinions of the organizations referenced,” Orlando said. “However, they are intended to open the line of thinking and opportunities in how organizations can be leveraged and give back to goodwill.”

Cal Lutheran stands out as the only undergraduate sports management program in California that noticeably promotes and integrates a sustainable development curriculum.

It is also one of five programs in the state that is part of a business/management school; others are more embedded in health, health and human services, kinesiology and other nonbusinessoriented programming.

MAHSA GHADERPOUR

Student Scientists Leading the Way

Cal Lutheran undergraduates are doing groundbreaking RNA research.

Story by Karen Lindell

Photos by Kim Fox

Alina Tong’s path to the recognition she is receiving now as a young biosciences scholar here at Cal Lutheran started in elementary school — with gum.

For an elementary school science fair project, the inquisitive grade-schooler from Oak Park, only a few miles from the Cal Lutheran campus, decided to test the effects of chewing a piece of gum on a person’s internal temperature. First, she asked one group of her friends and family to chew gum for a few minutes without doing anything else, then asked a control group to sit and do nothing. Before each group started chewing, Alina took the temperature of each member of the group; immediately after the gum-chewing session was over, she took the participants’ temperatures again. She then compared the numbers.

The results? “The movement in general of chewing did result in a slight increase in internal temperature,” Tong said. “And mint gum had the highest increase in temperature.”

Tong, who continued experimenting with science throughout middle and high school, is now a senior biology major at Cal Lutheran, and in 2023 accomplished something few undergraduate students achieve: She was the lead author on a research paper published in a major scientific journal, which sets her on a path to scientific and higher-level academic success that most people don’t achieve until they are graduate students.

Tong, fellow senior biology major Alexis Jones, alumna Emma E. Caudill ’23 (now a PhD student at UC Irvine), their Cal Lutheran biology professor Michael Abdelsayed, PhD, and Luiz F. M. Passalacqua, PhD, of the National Institutes of Health, co-authored and published their research paper, “Characterization of a FourU RNA Thermometer in the 5’ Untranslated Region of Autolysin Gene blyA in the Bacillus subtilis 168 Prophage SPβ,” in the journal Biochemistry in September.

Don’t let the title of their research paper intimidate you. Even without a degree in biology, you likely can understand and appreciate the work they’re doing with RNA.

Tong explained that “the central dogma of biology explains the flow of genetic information from DNA to protein. Our DNA contains genes, which act as instructions for what proteins will be made. DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into protein.”

Most people are familiar with DNA, “but not so much RNA,” Jones said. “In my opinion, RNA is the true biological intermediate because it is right in the middle of the process of gene expression. It is known to be single-stranded, but many times it can actually fold in on itself and become double-stranded. RNA is also exciting because it can have the same kind of functions as DNA and proteins.”

For their project, they looked at “RNA thermometers,” or RNATs, which can control gene expression based on structural changes they undergo in response to the temperature of the environment they are in. They studied an RNAT in a bacteriophage (a virus that infects bacteria). “This particular virus, the Bacillus subtilis 168 prophage SPβ, infects a bacterium named Bacillus subtilis,” Jones said. “In this virus is a gene called blyA, which codes for a protein, an autolysin, which can break down the cell walls of bacteria. This can then help the bacteriophage lyse open its host bacterium and spread to find new hosts to infect.”

“ The central dogma of biology explains the flow of genetic information from DNA to protein. Our DNA contains genes, which act as instructions for what proteins will be made.”

– Alina Tong, senior biology major

Microbiologists have known for many years what blyA does, but not how it is regulated, Jones said. “Through our work, we confirmed that this gene is regulated by an RNAT.”

Their findings are significant, Abdelsayed said, because “every organism has to respond to heat. If genes are being turned on in response to heat at the RNA level, it’s very important to understand which ones are being turned on.”

Future research, he said, might “affect how we look at heat stress and how it effects the human microbiome.”

Tong, he said, “put in the majority of the work in writing the manuscript. She spent a lot of time doing figures and writing with me. I thought I’d have to take over the wheel, but she really wanted to be engaged all the way.”

Tong and Jones, who are close friends, met as first-year students during Cal Lutheran online orientation activities in 2020, when the pandemic prevented in-person contact. Both took online science courses with Abdelsayed, who started teaching at Cal Lutheran the same year, and he invited them to work in his research lab.

“ They were both very enthusiastic about science, knew the material, and always participated in classes.”

– Michael Abdelsayed, PhD, biology professor

From left, Alina Tong, professor Michael Abdelsayed and Alexis Jones work in the lab.

Jones got interested in science as a sophomore in high school. After suffering from gastrointestinal illnesses, Jones said, she became “fascinated with human physiology.”

“They were both very enthusiastic about science, knew the material, and always participated in classes,” said Abdelsayed of Jones and Tong.

Professors inviting undergraduates to work in their labs isn’t unusual, but the high-level research Tong and Jones conducted, and the amount of time they’ve spent in the lab, “is extraordinary,” said Abdelsayed, who likes to give undergraduates an early start with lab work so they have a meaningful amount of time to conduct research. “They work like graduate students.”

“ Through our work we confirmed that this gene is regulated by an RNAT.”

– Alexis Jones, senior biology major

Tong and Jones began the research published in the journal in summer 2022, after receiving John Stauffer Research Fellowships in Chemical Sciences to support their work.

Abdelsayed is working on two more research papers that will include Tong as an author. He said the published research will help her get into PhD programs at graduate schools, especially because she’s listed as the lead author on two of them.

“Alina has actually already put the amount of work in to get a PhD thesis,” he said.

Jones, meanwhile, plans to take a gap year off after graduating from Cal Lutheran while continuing to work at the Free Clinic of Simi Valley, then apply to medical schools in June 2024.

Tong, who is minoring in chemistry and public health, and serves as president of the school’s Women In STEM club, initially considered becoming a physician assistant. But the research opportunities she had on campus, as well as a summer fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, led her to instead apply to graduate schools. She hopes to earn a PhD in cellular and molecular biology, or biomedical sciences, then become an independent researcher.

“The professors at CLU are so supportive and willing to help students, and it's really special to be an institution where there's a focus on the undergrads,” Tong said. She and Jones had plenty of difficulties and setbacks in the lab, but at Cal Lutheran, they’ve “learned about how research is an ongoing process,” Tong said. “And I've learned to push through challenges, which allows for opportunities of growth. Wherever I end up in the future, these experiences have provided valuable lessons of creativity, drive and resilience.”

A LASTING LEGACY

BY KAREN LINDELL

Cal Lutheran Women’s Soccer Team Makes History with First NCAA Division III National Championship

The Cal Lutheran women’s soccer team preseason begins with a reading assignment. Depending which class year they’re in, players read a book with inspirational lessons that can be applied to both sports and life, followed by discussion. First-year players, for example, read James Kerr’s Legacy, about the success behind a New Zealand rugby team.

One quote from Legacy seemed to take root this year, said women’s head coach Frank Marino: “Your role is to leave the jersey in a better place,” about the importance of leaving behind a legacy of excellence not just for yourself, but for teammates who will follow.

On Dec. 2, the Regals won the NCAA Division III National Championship for the first time in Cal Lutheran women’s soccer history, lifting the Cal Lutheran jersey to unprecedented heights and securing their legacy as one of the university’s most successful teams. Head coach Marino, along with assistant coaches Shannon Pennington ’97, MEd ’05, Brenton Frame, Chloe Montano and Tony Castro, were named the 2023 Division III Women’s National Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches, as well as the 2023 NCAA Women’s Region Staff of the Year for Division III, Region X.

During a news conference after the championship game in Salem, Virginia, Isabella “Bella” Veljacic ’23, who scored the sole winning goal against Washington University St. Louis, and won Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the tournament, echoed Kerr’s line: “I hope that I left my jersey in a better place. ...”

“I was so proud of her for saying that,” Marino said. “She didn’t just leave that jersey in a better place – she left it in the best place for future generations.”

Legacy and the other required-reading books “are really the foundation for what we’re trying to build in the team culture,” Marino said. “We read them every year, but this group really believed and lived it, which brought us to another level of family and togetherness.”

It almost goes without saying that this team had soccer talent galore. After a historic regular season, the Regals (191-6) defeated No. 2-ranked Washington University (17-2-4) 1-0, even without three of their top starting players, who were injured in the semifinal game: Avery West, SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Adriana Maroney and Savana Durr. In the quarterfinals, they defeated unbeaten and top-ranked Christopher Newport University on penalty kicks.

In the championship match, it was truly a team effort: 20 of the 33 players had time on the field. The Regals limited Washington to three goal attempts, and goalie Kelsey Slaugh made all three saves.

But beyond physical skill, what defined the Regals, team members and coaches said, was the players’ close-knit bond, team spirit, selflessness, grit and unwavering support of each other.

Family Matters

Every player on the Regals team this year had 32 sisters.

“Out of all my five years, I will remember this team was extra family-oriented,” said Veljacic, a fifth-year student in Cal Lutheran’s MBA program. “We were super close, even with age differences from 17 to 23. Connecting with that age gap can be hard, but this year there was no disconnect. We all worked to know each other on a deeper level.”

At the beginning of the season, older players are paired with younger ones. “We called them our sisters,” Veljacic said. “It was a super special bond.” (She and the other fifthyear players also jokingly called themselves “grandmas.”)

Just like the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, the Regals don’t have “substitutes” or “reserves”: They have “game-changers.”

Eden Quiroz, a fifth-year from Newbury Park who won Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the tournament, transferred from a Division I school, the University of San Diego, after four years, and said “the environment they established allowed me to come into this team and feel like a family right away.”

Durr, a third-year who landed a penalty kick that helped the Regals reach the NCAA semifinals, also transferred from a Division I school, California State University, Northridge. When seeking a transfer school, Cal Lutheran stood out in part because it offered a sense of community.

“I didn’t feel like a stranger,” she said. “People wanted to get to know me. I’ve never had a team like this. Everyone wanted to play together, and you could see it on the field. Even when we didn’t play as well as we could, we always found a way to win. We were going to do this together, and every single player was important.”

Marino, too, emphasized the contributions and talent of each player throughout the season. “No matter who we put on the field, they took care of business,” he said.

©Grant Halverson/NCAA

©Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos

Athletes & Academics

Cal Lutheran President Lori Varlotta, speaking to the team and supporters during an on-campus celebration in midDecember, said the players “represent the absolute best of California Lutheran University,” not only from an athletic perspective,” but also “when it comes to student success.” In addition to the team’s No. 1 national soccer status, she cited their overall group GPA of 3.4 and 93% student retention rate.

“You also represent the best of California Lutheran collegiality, teamwork, sportsmanship … values and community, and that makes me as proud as all of the other bests I’ve just talked about,” Varlotta said.

Veljacic said when she visited Cal Lutheran before enrolling as an undergraduate, “I imagined myself being here without being an athlete. That was a big factor. I chose it for both academics and soccer.”

Durr, who is majoring in sports management and was an intern with Angel City FC, an L.A.-based team in the National Women’s Soccer League, believes this year’s soccer season will be a plus on her future resume. “I was playing soccer, but I was also in school, being a student-athlete,” she said. “I put school first, and I know the effort it takes.”

‘All the Little Things’

Howard Davis, director of athletics, said that of the 441 NCAA Division III women’s soccer teams, the Regals “stand alone. We have so many ultra-skilled soccer players on this team, and it’s a credit to our coaching staff on the recruiting job they’ve done. But [then] the hard work begins. Now you have to mesh 33 highly skilled players who all want to be on the field for those 11 spots. So they have to put their team above self, and this team does that better than any I’ve seen. We never had bad body language on the sidelines. … It really speaks to their character.”

Activities and attitudes outside of practice strengthened the team’s bond. It was “all the little things,” players and coaches said, such as get-togethers in dorms, sleepovers, pasta dinners and simply valuing each other as human beings.

“Everyone gets so hyped on the label of playing Division I college soccer,” Marino said. “But you don’t need the Division I label to be a great place for people to play.”

MORE ONLINE: To read about our award-winning coaches and Isabella “Bella” Veljacic, winner of the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award, visit CalLutheran.edu/magazine.

©Grant

Halverson/NCAA Photos

©Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos

Erik Scherer named head baseball coach

Cal Lutheran conducted a national search to lead its prestigious national championship baseball program and found the ideal candidate in its own dugout: longtime assistant coach Erik Scherer ’95, who has been promoted to replace Marty Slimak as head coach.

“I am grateful and honored that Cal Lutheran has selected me to be the head baseball coach,” Scherer said. “I was fortunate to be part of coach Slimak’s staff and know that the lessons of his leadership will serve me well going forward. I’m proud of the success the program has had over the years, and I look forward to the challenge of sustaining those highest standards of achievement, as we work tirelessly to help our players reach their full potential as citizens, students and athletes. We are excited for the opportunity to not only compete in the SCIAC, one of the toughest NCAA Division III baseball conferences in the nation, but on the regional and national level as well.”

“We could not be more excited to name Erik as Cal Lutheran’s head baseball coach,” said Howard Davis, director of athletics. “Erik’s national championship pedigree and terrific service to the university over two decades have earned him universal respect on the field and in our athletic department. We are excited about the future of Kingsmen Baseball under coach Scherer’s leadership.”

Scherer played for Cal Lutheran from 1992-95 and was named an assistant coach in 2000. As acting head coach in 2022, he led the team to a second straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Tournament Championship.

Scherer took over at the helm in February 2023 and guided the Kingsmen to a 29-16 (16-8 SCIAC) season. As the No. 4 seed, the Kingsmen swept through the SCIAC Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament, where they finished one game shy of playing for a regional championship.

“We could not be more excited to name Erik as Cal Lutheran’s head baseball coach.”

— Howard Davis, director of athletics

With Scherer on staff, the Kingsmen have made nine NCAA West Regional appearances, won seven regular season SCIAC titles, and appeared in 10 SCIAC tournaments, winning six SCIAC championships. In the run to the 2017 National Championship, four members of the pitching staff earning post-season honors.

Since 2000, Cal Lutheran has seen 11 players (six pitchers) drafted by Major League Baseball organizations, and won 30-plus games eight times, capped off by a 40-win campaign in 2017. Under Scherer’s tutelage, three pitchers earned All-American honors, and 17 were selected All-West Region. Eighteen pitchers have received All-SCIAC First Team honors, with another 21 earning All-SCIAC Second Team awards.

Slimak said the program is in great hands: “Erik is a Cal Lutheran alumnus. He has played in this program as a student-athlete and has been a part of the winning system for over 20 years. He will continue the success of the baseball program and continue to keep our baseball alumni in the fraternity of the Purple and Gold.”

Scherer graduated from Cal Lutheran with a bachelor of arts in social science in 1995, and earned a master’s in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in 2000. He lives in Valencia with his wife, Nicole. They have five children and two grandchildren.

Photos courtesy of Cal Lutheran Sports Information

Athletics partners with Sidearm Sports to create new website

Cal Lutheran Athletics has released a new look for CLUSports.com in partnership with Sidearm Sports. “The redesign features a modern look that is very user-friendly,” said Brianne Talboom, associate athletic director.

The new site’s enhanced design better suits the Cal Lutheran fans who follow all 22 varsity sports. It’s the place to catch up on all news about Cal Lutheran Athletics, featuring news releases, box scores, photo galleries, videos and more. The responsive layout scales to fit any device, whether a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone. The CLUSports.com URL will remain the same for easy access on all devices.

In addition, a soon-to-be-released Cal Lutheran Athletics mobile app will be free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices. The app’s user-friendly interface integrates with CLUSports.com to provide the latest digital content and will include links to video and audio streams of live games, in-game stats, team social media feeds and photos for all Cal Lutheran sport programs. Sidearm provides a technology platform that powers the official websites, mobile apps, statistical integration, live audio, video streaming and e-commerce platforms for college athletic partners across the nation.

“We look forward to promoting our athletic programs by telling the stories of our talented student-athletes and successful coaches on CLUSports.com,” Talboom said.

Howard Davis named director of athletics

After seven months as interim director of athletics at Cal Lutheran, Howard Davis, EdD ’18, is now the permanent head of the school’s 22-varsity-sport program.

“I could not be more excited and honored to serve in this role,” Davis said. “It is a perfect match of my passion for integrating athletics and academics, my experience in athletics leadership, and skills sharpened in collegiate administration. Beyond that, as an alum of Cal Lutheran and a Thousand Oaks resident, I love this university.”

Davis joins Cal Lutheran after a professional journey that has included leadership positions in Academic Affairs, Student Success and Athletics. He most recently served as the vice president of Academic Affairs at Antelope Valley College, where he was responsible for more than 75 academic departments, including an athletics program of 16 women’s and men’s teams.

Davis brings to Cal Lutheran extensive knowledge and experience in enrollment management, integrated planning, program

development, budgeting and compliance. He is committed to improving equity within higher education and outcomes for marginalized students, and gender equity through enhanced programs for women.

“I’m excited for the year ahead with Dr. Davis at the helm of athletics,” said Matthew Ward, Cal Lutheran vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success. “He joins us at a critical yet exciting time for our athletics program, as our student-athletes continue to excel academically while achieving national success in their sports.”

Davis has athletic roots in Ventura County going back 35 years. He served 10 years as the athletic director at Moorpark College before transitioning to dean of student learning for six years. He was the founding athletic director and head basketball coach at Pacifica High School for seven years.

A lifelong educator, Davis also teaches in the doctoral and master’s degree programs for CSU Northridge’s Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program. He holds a BA in communications from the University of Redlands, an MA in education from Claremont Graduate University and an EdD in higher education leadership from Cal Lutheran. Davis and his wife, Christina, have been married 36 years and have three grown daughters and four grandsons.

sports highlights

Tim Settem named interim head men’s and women’s water polo coach

Tim Settem has been hired as the interim head coach for the men’s and women’s water polo programs.

“We are excited to bring in coach Settem to lead our men’s and women’s water polo programs, and the Cal Lutheran Athletics team,” said Howard Davis, director of athletics. “He brings vast collegiate experience and success. Coach Settem’s hiring poises our teams for immediate leadership and success.”

Settem comes to Cal Lutheran with a wealth of water polo knowledge. He has coached at Pepperdine, Claremont-MuddScripps, UC Santa Barbara and Ventura College. Teams have excelled with Settem at the helm, and he helped coach players to All-America status and teams to league championships.

“I am elated to step into this position,” Settem said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how we can elevate water polo at Cal Lutheran and in the county.”

Settem’s experience has no bounds. With the USA Water Polo Club, he has helped the South Coast Water Polo Club, Sharks Water Polo Club, Santa Barbara Water Polo Club, Foothill Water Polo Club, Waves Water Polo Club and Ventura Gold Coast Aquatics Club. Settem’s most recent coaching has been at Villanova Preparatory School. He was a six-time Coach of the Year, and his teams were six-time league champions.

Kingsmen Golf wins CA State Intercollegiate; Adam Cartozian sets program record

Cal Lutheran men’s golf and Adam Cartozian made history at the CA State Intercollegiate tournament in September at Olivas Links Golf Course in Ventura. The Kingsmen won the tournament at 9 under par, and Cartozian, who finished 10 under par, won the first tournament of his career.

Cartozian’s 54-hole score of 206 is a program record, and his 63 in round two tied the program record. He shot a 73 in round one and 70 in round three for two rounds under par, and took gold with his 206 strokes.

The scoring team for Cal Lutheran consisted of JP Guimaraes Jr., Jot Singh, Blake Fitzhugh and Tyler Lumpkin. After combining for a 1-under-par 287 in the first round and a 271 in the second, they finished with 298 and claimed the team title.

Competing individually for the Kingsmen were Jacob Fox, Hudson Solters, Tanner Stewart, Nick Huffman, Ryan Mattivi, Ty Kuroda, Jack Wilson and Braden Chestnut.

Guimaraes and Fox made it three Kingsmen in the top 10. Guimaraes tied for seventh with 214 strokes. He carded a 69 in round one, a 71 in the second, and a 74 in the third. Fox tied for ninth and started his tournament with a 70 in the first and second rounds, and a 75 in the third.

Five Kingsmen finished in the top 20 as Solters tied for 11th and Stewart tied for 16th. Rounding out the Kingsmen were Fitzhugh (T-31, 73-73-77-223), Huffman (T-31, 70-71-82223), Mattivi (T-41st, 72-80-76-228), Kuroda (48th, 77-76-79-232), Wilson (57th, 82-78-77-237) and Chestnut (58th, 78-84-77-239).

The tournament featured nine teams and 60 individuals. The teams shot 36 holes on the first day and 18 on the second.

Photos courtesy of Cal Lutheran Sports Information

Celebrating 65 years

Cal Lutheran’s enduring legacy of academic excellence, innovation and community is a testament to the commitment of our faculty, staff, students and alumni who have contributed to our growth and success over the past 65 years.

As we continue on our journey, please join us by offering your unrestricted support. Your generous contribution will empower us to continue shaping future leaders, advancing research and fostering an environment of intellectual curiosity.

Help us celebrate. Donate Today.

Homecoming 2023 Highlights

Homecoming Choir Concert

Latinx Alumni Alliance Homecoming Mixer

Homecoming Festival and Carnival

Poster Session at Student Research Symposium

Homecoming Volleyball Game

Thank you for celebrating Homecoming weekend and making memories with alumni, students, families, staff, faculty and community friends. See you in October!

SAVE THE DATE Homecoming 2024 | Oct. 18-20

Hall of Fame Celebration

Student Research Symposium Presentation

Reaching for the stars

Josh McCall ’22 has channeled his childhood love of space into a career with NASA.

As a fourth grader visiting the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Joshua McCall ’22 enjoyed it so much he didn’t want to leave. Now, his love of space is fulfilled with a permanent place at NASA: He’s a cybersecurity data analyst at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

“I’m part of the team that protects and secures the critical data that makes space exploration possible,” McCall said.

Long before shooting for the stars at NASA was even a possibility, McCall was an avid Science Channel watcher who loved learning. After high school, he enrolled at a community college, where he focused on computer science, and discovered he was interested in cybersecurity. By chance, he got to combine his love of space with his newfound passion for computer science. McCall saw a flyer on the floor of the computer lab advertising NASA’s Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program and ended up entering the NCAS Robotic Competition at the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. His team won the four-day competition.

“Having some of the smartest minds in the world motivating and believing in you is a feeling unlike any other,” McCall said of the experience. “There I met … Haroon Khan, a scientist who studies black holes and physics. He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and encouraged me to keep doing things, knowing that it isn’t easy. … I would’ve never had thought that my life would lead me here. …”

Bolstered by his NASA experience, McCall transferred to Cal Lutheran, where he honed his skills by majoring in computer science and working in the university’s IT department.

Supportive professors who served as mentors, comprehensive coursework in Python and Java programming languages, practical coding projects and the university's technological infrastructure and access to research materials “greatly contributed to my education,” he said.

While a full-time student at Cal Lutheran, McCall also served as a senior project manager for two NASA ’s L’SPACE (Lucy Student Pipeline Accelerator and Competency Enabler) programs: Mission Concept Academy, and Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience Academy. L’SPACE is a free, online, interactive experience open to undergraduate STEM students interested in pursuing a career with NASA or other space organizations. Students learn NASA mission procedures from industry professionals as they collaborate with others on mission-related projects. After graduation, JPL offered him an internship to work on cybersecurity projects, where he learned how to use Splunk, a software security platform that “helps organizations explore the vast depths of their data, like spelunkers in a cave.” McCall assisted with tracking and monitoring cyberdata for two NASA missions, Mars 2020, part of the Mars exploration program; and Psyche, a spacecraft mission to the asteroid Psyche, a metal-rich asteroid orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter. McCall, who’s never done learning, also is working on a master's degree in management information systems with a specialization in cybersecurity management from The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He’s aiming as well for a goal that’s not at all starry-eyed, thanks to his early career start at NASA: He wants to be an astronaut, and is already working to obtain his private pilot license.

It hurts to be haunted when no one can notice.

– from the poem “Lost, I Linger” by Cal Lutheran senior Jazzy Colbert, featured in the 2023 edition of Morning Glory

All artists, no matter the medium, want people to notice their work, especially when they are sharing their very souls in meticulously crafted words, sounds and visuals.

Jacqueline Lyons, Cal Lutheran professor of English and creative writing, is a poet and writer who has felt desire to connect. As the faculty adviser for Cal Lutheran’s studentrun literary and visual arts magazine Morning Glory, Lyons helps give young writers and artists on our campus the opportunity to scratch that artistic itch to share what they do and have their work read, seen, held and heard.

Morning Glory, founded in 1971 by former English professor and author Jack Ledbetter, includes poems, prose, visual art and music by Cal Lutheran students, faculty, alumni and staff, in either printed or digital formats.

“For students especially, the affirmation and recognition from being published in a literary journal is so meaningful,” Lyons said. “To see their work alongside a community of other writers and artists mirrors what can happen in the professional literary world.”

She doesn’t dictate what goes into the magazine. “I work with students on this,” she said. “I always want to respond to their sense, both what they want to create and read, and what other students want to read.”

In January, Lyons learned that the 2023 issue of Morning Glory had earned the rank of “Superior” in the Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) program from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Superior is the second-highest category, after First Class. The 2023 edition of Morning Glory, themed “Renaissance,” was published last spring.

“The student editors had enormous vision for that issue of Morning Glory, and gave so much energy to its creation,” Lyons

Love of language

BY KAREN LINDELL

Professor Jacqueline Lyons shares her passion for poetry and prose with students as faculty adviser of Morning Glory.

said. “It’s of course wonderful to see their work, and the work of other student creative writers and artists featured in the journal, receive confirmation from a national organization.” Lyons, who has a PhD in literature and poetry writing from the University of Utah, and an MFA in creative writing from Colorado State University, has fond memories of her own work being published when she was an undergraduate, in the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s literary magazine NOTA ( None of the Above).

“It was a highlight of my college experience; I remember being so thrilled,” she said. Her master’s thesis was a book of poems, and since then she has published four books of poetry: Adorable Airport, The Way They Say Yes Here, Earthquake Daily and Lost Colony

Lyons said her interest in writing is rooted in an “inherent love of language and sound and rhythm” she’s had as long as she can remember.

Although she received a great deal of encouragement from teachers to become a writer, Lyons recalled, “I still didn’t feel like I had something important enough to say.” After joining the Peace Corps, however, stationed in Lesotho, in southern Africa, she kept daily journals that she then turned into the book of poems for her master’s thesis.

In addition to serving as Morning Glory faculty advisor, Lyons is the founder and director of Cal Lutheran’s Guest Writers Series, founding faculty adviser of the Write Club, and mentor to creative writing students.

Her writing has been published in numerous journals, including first-person essays that read like poetry. Here’s just a small excerpt from her essay “Down Into Open”:

“A sentence makes a shelter with its seven parts: interjection, pronoun, adverb, verb, adjective, noun, preposition, as in: Wow – he quickly shared with me the spare key to his house.” She will always take shelter in words.

MORE ONLINE: To read Morning Glory online, or to find out how to contribute to a future issue, visit CalLutheran.edu/morningglory.

Meeting Their Matches

Alumni share their stories of finding true love on campus.

Cal Lutheran must have its own Cupid who has been hanging around for decades, because we’ve heard plenty of stories of couples who have fallen in love under the shadow of Enormous Luther. When we asked alumni who met their spouses here to share their stories, more than a couple of couples obliged. Here are a few of those tales of Cal Lutheran courtship, brought to us (perhaps) by that diaper-clad little boy.

Ariana (Sanchez ’1 7 ) Chavez and Daniel (Danny) Chavez ’18

I met my husband Daniel (Danny) Chavez during our undergrad years at Cal Lutheran. Danny and I were first introduced to each other through Student Support Services (SSS), a program for first-generation students. I attended their summer pre-orientation program during the summer of 2015 when Danny, who was an RA at the time, was on a student panel, answering questions for incoming or transferring students (I was transferring in from a junior college). The following year, Danny asked me if I wanted to meet up for In-N-Out, and we’ve been together since. We got married Aug. 12, 2023, at Rancho de Las Palmas in Moorpark, not far from where we first met and where our story started.

Karen (Person ’69) Jackson and Jeffrey Jackson ’69

Jeff and I met our freshman year (1965) when he valiantly rescued me from a fierce squirt-gun ambush while I was walking through the Mount Clef lobby on my way to dinner at the cafeteria. He has ever since been my “Rescue Ranger.” He later admitted that he’d had his eye on me since noticing my typically late arrivals at our 7:30 a.m. Western Civilization class held at Trinity Lutheran Church (I was commuting from home my first year). We were married the summer of our junior year. My bridesmaids were my roommates, Cate (Lundring ’69) Hillard, Gloria (Jensen ’69) Ward and Patti David Rogness. Two of Jeff’s groomsmen from California Lutheran College were Bob Skipper ’69 and Lonnie Anderson. We finished up our last year at CLU living in McAfee apartments overlooking the practice fields and sharing meals in our mutual poverty with fellow married students, Bob and Eileen (Ferkel ’69) Skipper, and Margie (Goforth ’70) and William “Bill” ’69 Stokes.

Jennifer Augeson and Chad Augeson ’91

We met during J-term at CLU in 1991. I was attending Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, where it’s so cold in January! My roommate and I decided to do a J-term somewhere warm, landed on CLU and headed West. On the first day of class, we learned the course we registered for had a prerequisite requirement, and there was only one remaining class open. The next day in that new class, a guy introduced himself to us, and my roommate said she knew him from her small town in Minnesota! We quickly became best friends through the rest of the month. I finished school in Gustavus and accepted an internship in Southern California. It was a way to test out the company, and the boyfriend. The internship turned into a job, and the boyfriend turned into a fiancé. My husband told me when we met that he would never move back to Minnesota, but here we are! We just celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. I had to go 2,000 miles away to meet someone from Minnesota. Gustavus may be where I got my bachelor’s degree, but CLU is where I got my Mrs. degree.

Brian Malison ’81 and Leanne (Bosch ’81) Malison

From a Sadie Hawkins Dance invitation, [I] reluctantly said yes to Leanne Bosch, which was followed by two years of dating, clandestine swings from the Nygreen Hall flagpole ropes, countless late-night “study sessions,” tackle football in Kingsmen Park … and a marriage proposal while sitting on a curb over a sewer on Olsen Road. One week after graduation in 1981, [we] were married, officiated by the Rev. Gerry Swanson. And it stuck.

Kevin McKenzie ’79 and Lorrie (Bursvold ’81) McKenzie

Lorrie Bursvold and I met when I … stole her car. While she and her roommate were in our dorm room at West End pranking my roommate, I got her car keys and proceeded to drive her car around campus for several days, honking and waving as I passed her on the way to and from the cafeteria — in the rain. As introductions go, memorable, but not exactly magical. Still, we got to know each other, became friends and she forgave me — I think. We’ve been together for 45 years now, married in 1983, celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary this summer and have raised two adopted boys. Sometimes crime does pay!

Andrea (Whisler ’16) Davidson and Nathan Davidson ’16

Ten years ago, Nathan Davidson and I were side by side. ... He was the shy, quiet, terrified-looking guy next to the only open seat left in our Communications class freshman year. I remember it vividly — the “Oh my god someone get me out of this class look” in his eyes as I sat down and introduced myself, followed quickly by, “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.” And maybe our professor was on to us way back then, before we ever exchanged numbers, made all kinds of plans, or talked to friends and family about one another — because he put Nathan and I into a group project together, and even now, 10 years later, I don’t think our group project has ever really come to an end. If anything, it’s just now begun; this time, of course, with the same last name in the credits.

Alumn

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Linda (Endow ’74) Hall recently retired after teaching for 42 years, and works at Bonners Ferry Veterinary Clinic in Idaho, which she has owned for 41 years. She was inducted into the Idaho Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for 27 years of volunteer service to USA Wrestling, and is a proud Grammy to Theo, Narasha and Charley Hall.

Larry Hayes ’74 served in the U.S. Army as a military police officer from 1966-68, and received his associate’s degree in business administration from Ventura Junior College in 1972 and his bachelor’s degree in management from Cal Lutheran in 1974. He was a deputy sheriff of Ventura County from 196877, and owner of Tony’s Burrito from 1974-77. After graduating from the Santa Clara University School of Law in 1980, he worked at Fenton & Keller and became a partner with the law firm. He also served as a California Superior Court judge in Monterey County, and in the Temporary Assigned Judges Program of the California Judicial Council from 2022 to the present. Outside of Larry’s work accomplishments he enjoys backpacking, hiking, racquetball, RV trips and Scout leadership. Larry is a father of seven, with six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Raymond Hebel ’75 recently retired after almost 40 years as a vocal arts teacher at Moorpark High School. During his tenure he received several awards, including the NBC Television Crystal Apple, Boys & Girls Club Champion of Youth, High Street Arts Center Champion of the Arts and Educator of the Year. He also led the charge for Moorpark High School being named an Exemplary School of the Performing Arts. Even though he retired as an educator, he still performs a tribute to Elvis. ’70s

The Rev. Dr. Terry Rommereim ’78, MDiv ’86, retired May 31, 2023, following 17 years as a parish pastor and 21 years as lead chaplain of the VA Central California Health Care System. He also served as chaplain for many Honor Flights to Washington, D.C. He is thankful to his wife, Kim, as his partner in this amazing journey. He will continue to serve in the community, travel, and spend more time with his children and grandchildren. To God be the glory!

’90s

Kevin Charlston ’93 shared photos from the Class of 1993’s 30th class reunion, which was held at Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. in Thousand Oaks.

Andrew Radke ’93 served almost 21 years in the Air Force as a personnel officer and retired in 2015. Since returning from active duty he has been a Department of Defense federal employee. His civilian jobs have included Inspector General case management, embassy personnel assignments, and in his current job he works in strength management and assignments for Air Force personnel involving NATO positions across Europe.

The Rev. Dr. Jana Schofield ’93, MDiv ’00, was installed as a pastor at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Bellingham, Washington, on June 11, 2023. Pictured are the rostered ministers in attendance at Jana’s installation, including some Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary alumni, with Jana third from right in the front row.

Jayme (Housh ’96) Johnson ’02, EdD ’16, is the new head of school at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Thousand Oaks. Jayme worked for more than a decade as director of academic technology at Village School in Pacific Palisades, followed by six years at St. John’s Episcopal School, where she served as the head of lower school as well as the associate head for academic and student affairs. “I am incredibly excited to accept the call to lead St. Patrick’s and to carry forward the mission, message and momentum of this great school,” Jayme said.

The Rev. Kristine Schroeder, MDiv ’97, was installed as the permanent pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church of Madison, Alabama.

’00s

Christin Farrell ’00, LPC, has been selected as Hope and Wellness Director of Liberty House Children’s Advocacy Center serving children and families to treat and prevent child abuse, neglect, trauma and grief in Marion and Polk counties in Oregon. She was previously recognized as an Outstanding Young Alumni for her counseling work in the prison system, including serving inmates on death row.

Brian Berman ’02, after graduating from Cal Lutheran, sold all his material possessions to follow his calling to serve others on a mission to the Dominican Republic. Eventually Brian founded the global nonprofit organization Project Mañana International, which has developed a new school provided at no or low cost to local children, and several programs devoted to clean water, nutrition, education and discipleship. The organization, under Brian’s leadership, is working on expanding the school and opening a holistic health and wellness center.

The Rev. Christine Emerson, MDiv ’05, is the new lead pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Pictured is an outdoor God’s Work Our Hands Sunday service event. Christine was the associate pastor at the congregation for 13 years before taking on her new position.

Adam Jussel ’05 was featured in three articles in The Chronicle of Higher Education, including “What One University Learned About Pandemic Trauma and Its WorkForce,” “How to Support Your Staff Beyond the Pandemic” and “A ‘Trauma Informed’ Return to Campus: How one university is creating space for people to process the pandemic’s damage.” He also coauthored an article for APA PsycNet, “Mental health among university employees during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of previous life trauma and current posttraumatic stress symptoms.”

Brad Mitchell, MBA ’07 will take the helm as president and CEO at NeoSystems. He is credited with aggressively growing the size of NeoSystems’ professional services business while overseeing product delivery and professional services delivery for the past three years. Prior to joining NeoSystems, Mitchell co-owned and managed a consulting business for the GovCon marketplace. Earlier in his career, he was a software developer and project manager and worked as vice president of finance for QinetiQ North America, a multibillion-dollar defense contractor, where he also led a companywide ERP consolidation team.

Pembury in England. Pictured

David Hinchliffe, chair of the Methodist South East District, at Katie’s welcome service to Kent College at St. Peter’s Church, Pembury. The Church of England parish has a partnership with Kent College, an independent Methodist school.

Jason Sims, MPPA ’05, was the interim police chief, and is now the police chief, for Culver City, where he has a good relationship

with the community after leading public meetings.

The Rev. Christie (Anderson ’03) Webb is the new head pastor at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Santa Monica.

Katie (Bombardi, MDiv ’07) Osweiler is the new chaplain at Kent College

is

The Rev. Ryan Roberts, MDiv ’09 and Rev. Bre (Tavenner, MDiv ’10) Roberts celebrated 15 years of marriage in August. They took a trip to Canada with their two kids to mark their anniversary. The photo features the Roberts family at Niagara Falls.

Inspiring women, girls with an epic challenge ’10s

Myers

Sawyer Merrill ’10 graduated with an emphasis in education and was honored with the Rotary Club’s 2023 Sandy Lundberg Educator of the Year Award.

Tom Herman ’97 (left) and Jacob Norlock ’12 met on the sidelines of the Florida Atlantic University versus Charlotte football game Oct. 27, 2023. Tom is the head football coach for the FAU Owls. Jacob is the vice president for GPS DataViz, a performance data automatization platform used by FAU football. FAU won the game 38-16.

days.

After her first Olympic-distance triathlon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Kelsey continued racing around the globe in Portugal, Morocco, Oman and Australia. Her final triathlon was in Malibu, California, on March 8, International Women’s Day. At each location, she completed a .9-mile swim, a 24.8-mile bike and a 6.2-mile run.

The feat was a fundraiser for ZGiRLS, a nonprofit organization that teaches middle school girls to overcome self-doubt and gain lifelong confidence.

“The biggest concern I had was the logistics of it — you know, missing a flight or anything going wrong,” she said. “But I got very lucky again and again!”

Guinness World Records is reviewing the evidence, which included two witnesses signing off at each destination, pictures at each destination and GPS routing data.

When asked what’s next for her, Kelsey said she’s already planning to race seven triathlons on seven continents in seven days.

MORE ONLINE: Follow @kelseymyers4 on Instagram to learn more about Kelsey’s journey or visit Tortis.us to donate to ZGiRLS.

Kelsey

’08 has completed her world record attempt at being the first woman to complete the equivalent of six triathlons on six continents in six

Photos courtesy of Johnny Talay

Kelsey Myers '08

Taylor (Guyette ’14) Cruz and Arthur Alvarado ’19 visited Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico, in July 2023 after attending a mutual friend’s wedding.

Natalie Kalamdaryan ’16 is a musician who has performed at the Crypto.com Arena multiple times for a variety of sports teams including the L.A. Lakers and L.A. Clippers. She has also performed in Michigan Stadium, the biggest in North America. Natalie’s music has charted on the Shazam Top 50 Charts in the US, and her song “I Wish it Was You” was chosen as a semifinalist in the International Songwriting Competition. As an actress, she has appeared in multiple national TV commercials, and most recently starred in a Super Bowl 2023 commercial for Clark Pest Control.

The Rev. Dr. Niveen Sarras, MDiv ’16, a Palestine native, was ordained by the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), and serves as pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Neenah, Wisconsin. Sarras’ first call was with Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wausau, Wisconsin, where she served six years. She began her new call with St. Mark Lutheran after expressing interest in ministering in a metropolitan area and engaging with more lay leaders.

Monica Echeverri ’17 is excited to share that her artwork will be on display at coffee shop The Five07 in Thousand Oaks. Displaying her work at a coffee shop has been a fun dream, and she says it couldn’t feel more right starting at an alumni-owned place so close to Cal Lutheran. Her artwork features paintings of national parks including Redwoods, Yosemite and Death Valley.

The Rev. Crystal (Larsen, MDiv ’17) Stewart is the new pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Alameda, California. She also served as associate pastor for United in Grace Lutheran Church in Vallejo. After graduation from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, she completed a chaplain residency program, and now serves as a staff chaplain at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley.

Cody Jones ’17 represented Team USA at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in France, finishing sixth. He recorded his best javelin throw since returning to the sport after a hiatus, and his mark of 43.25 meters in the F38 category was his best throw in more than two years. Cody previously represented Team USA in the 2016 Paralympics.

The Rev. Andrew Flatt-Kuntze, MDiv ’19, is the new lead pastor at University Lutheran Church in Seattle.

Lauren Fesler ’19 and Ryan Kyaw ’20, who coach the men’s and women’s golf teams at Cal Lutheran, are getting married in Kingsmen Park on June 8, 2024. Jeff Lindgren, the head golf coach, will be their officiant. Lauren and Ryan are excited to celebrate their special day at Cal Lutheran, where they met and played on the golf team together.

Michael P. Ramirez, MS ’19, has been selected as the new city manager for Carpinteria. He is currently the assistant city manager, and during his tenure served as interim risk management and human resources manager, and interim parks, recreation and community services director. Ramirez has over 24 years of publicsector experience, including prior work with the Oxnard Elementary and Hueneme School districts, and with the cities of Moorpark and Oxnard.

Emily Willams ’19 is the Newbury Park High School new girls’ varsity soccer head coach. A Panther through and through, she is a graduate of NPHS and served as the girls’ varsity assistant coach for the past six seasons. During the day she works as a physical education teacher in the Simi Valley Unified School District, and at night is on the pitch as the head coach of the Los Angeles Football Club’s 2015 Girls. Emily’s coaching approach is to provide guidance and support that inspires and empowers female athletes in developing their overall mindset and love of the game.

CAL LUTHERAN CARES DAY

Wednesday, April 10

Donate to Cal Lutheran on Cares Day to support our students, community programs and other initiatives.

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Stetson T. Stallworth ’20, MBA ’21, sold his first business, Because We Care Cleaning in July 2023. During his time as owner-operator, the company employed seven individuals and cleaned more than 800 homes in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is now turning his attention to his job as director of guest relations for the podcast A Better Life with Brandon Turner.

Peter Appleby ’22 is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service after the agency’s global evacuation in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He will serve as a volunteer in Kosovo in the education sector. “I am looking forward to gaining experience teaching, developing foreign language skills, and acquiring a grassroots perspective on international affairs,” Peter said. Upon finishing a threemonth training, volunteers collaborate with their host communities on locally prioritized projects in one of the Peace Corps’ six sectors – agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health or youth in development – and all will engage in COVID-19 response and recovery work.

Lukas Prelooker ’23 started the PharmD program at the University of Southern California, marked by the White Coat Ceremony.

FOLLOW THE FLAG

Kaaren (Johnson ’82) Cieciorka, Lynn (Fredson ’82) Byrnes, Susan (Wulff ’82) Hood, Joy (Roleder ’82) Kunz, PhD, and Susan (Lovingfoss ’82) Ito (not pictured) had a roommate reunion on Orcas Island in Washington state in July 2023.

William Frem ’16 and Benjamin Banaszklewicz ’16 traveled to Japan wearing traditional kimonos as they visited the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto.

John Lenhardt ’76, Kathy (Hannemann ’77) Lenhardt, Susan (Hofmann ’76) Nielsen and the Rev. Carl Nielsen ’76 visited Ella’s Vineyard in Creston, California.

Ali Sadreameli ’20, MBA ’22, and his family took a trip to New York City to visit the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Lower Manhattan (9/11 Memorial and Financial District).

Tony White ’83 and John Penman ’85 met up at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) 124th National Convention.

ALUMNI MILESTONES

BIRTHS/ADOPTIONS

DEATHS

Mildred Bostick ’78 on Oct. 17, 2023

The Rev. Linda Boston, MDiv ’92, on Sept. 14, 2023

The Rev. Dr. Bill W. Busch ’65 on Nov. 24, 2023

Eloise (Olson ’71) Cohen on Aug. 8, 2023

Amy Elizabeth Ellis ’92 on Aug. 3, 2023

Kim (Sillari ’98) Flintoff on Sept. 3, 2022

Kirsten Marie Fragodt ’95 on Oct. 21, 2023

Gail Goepfert ’74 on Feb. 28, 2023

William Hamm, H ’86, on June 9, 2023

Barbara Johnson ’84 on July 6, 2021

Ellen Kossoris ’79 on Sept. 23, 2023

The Rev. Paul Krueger, MDiv ’76, on June 1, 2023

Larry Lehecka ’77 on Oct. 6, 2023

Lynn McCracken ’85 on March 9, 2023

Anne Meierdierks ’70 on Sept. 2, 2023

Jeff Modaff ’95 on Oct. 2, 2023

Ronald Myren ’69 on July 6, 2023

Teri (Harinen ’66) Pearce on Nov. 9, 2023

Jeffrey Peck, MBA ’91, on Aug. 8, 2021

The Rev. Dr. Lee Rozen ’66, MDiv ’71, on Aug. 13, 2023

Stanley Saez ’71 on June 1, 2023

Sandy Smith ’14 on July 15, 2023

Jason Soyster ’05 on Aug. 24, 2023

Nancy Stehle, MBA ’76, on Aug. 29, 2023

Joseph Stewart ’05 on July 2, 2023

Gail Stromstad ’69 on Oct. 18, 2021

John Vaux ’99 on Sept. 19, 2023

Malia Rayne Zeiger on July 22, 2023, to Holly (Bertelsen ’12) Zeiger and Eric Zeiger ’12

Glory Lazenby on March 26, 2023, to Erika (Hendersson ’21 Lazenby and Samuel Lazenby, their first baby. Erika and Samuel also just celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary.

MARRIAGE

Ashley (Reagan ’05) Dunster and Joe Dunster celebrated their wedding on May 5, 2023, in Santa Barbara, California, surrounded by family and friends.

Rey Rivera ’14 and Janina (Vega ’15) Rivera were married on June 4, 2023, in an Italian castle overlooking Lake Como. They were joined by their family and friends, including many of their lifelong CLU friends. Pictured from left are Kaitlin Wichmann ’17, Henry Brehny, Barret McGinnis ’15, Jackie Shlain ’17, groom Rey, bride Janina, Alex Wardle ’15, Bryce Truver ’14, Lauren (Kennedy ’13, MBA ’15) Fleming, Julia (Teitzel ’17) Miller, Kyle Fleming ’14, Brian Dwyer ’13, Wes McCurtis ’14 and Dan Miller ’14

Elizabeth (Whetstone ’15) Franco and Francisco Franco were married on Aug. 19, 2023, at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Santa Barbara. They now live in Colorado. Pictured from left are Athena Papadopoulos ’14, Stella Kalivas ’14, Christina Joannou ’16, Mirielles Gilbert ’15, bride Elizabeth, Kat McConnell ’15, Cynthia Coler, EdD ’14, Sarah Peterson ’15, Kaitlyn Webster ’15, Breanna Drummond ’15, Dane Smestad ’15 and Julie Griffin ’15

FALL Looking forward to

If you have a photo taken on campus and would like to see it printed here in an upcoming issue, email it with a brief description and photo credit to clumag@CalLutheran.edu.

The Cal Lutheran Dance Team performs at a football game last fall. This fall’s Homecoming game will be on Saturday, Oct. 19.

Photo by Tracie

Karasik/TKLMultimedia

60 W. Olsen Road

Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-2787

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CAN YOU HELP?

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Send your favorite residence hall story

From jitters and joy on move-in day to elation and pride at Commencement, students at Cal Lutheran have felt it all, and living on campus can play a big part in those experiences. We want to hear your favorite story from your residence hall days for the next issue of CLU Magazine. Email your stories (250 words maximum) by June 15 to clumag@CalLutheran.edu. Please include your name and graduation year.