Graduate School of Education and Psychology Education Division
Saturday, May Twenty-Fourth, Two Thousand Twenty-Five Ten Thirty in the Morning Malibu, California
Marshal
DOUG LEIGH
Professor
Class of 2009, Caruso School of Law
Processional Pomp and Circumstance (Elgar)
Invocation
Pledge of Allegiance
ABRAHAM SONG
Assistant Professor
SAMAA HANIYA
Assistant Professor
National Anthem RACHEL GUETTLER
Senior Director of Development Class of 2023
Presiding JAY L. BREWSTER Provost
Presentation of Distinguished Alumnus Award
Commencement Address
ANTHONY M. COLLATOS
Associate Dean of Education
BERNICE L. LEDBETTER Class of 2005
BERNICE L. LEDBETTER
Dean of Students Practitioner Faculty, Organization Theory and Management Graziadio Business School
Presentation of Candidates
FARZIN MADJIDI Dean
Professor of Leadership
Class of 1988, Graziadio Business School
Class of 1991
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Pre-K to 12
Doctor of Education in Learning Technologies
Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership
Doctor of Philosophy in Global Leadership and Change
Master of Arts in Social Entrepreneurship and Change
Master of Arts in Teaching
Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Master of Science in Leadership in Higher Education
Master of Science in Leadership in Pre-K to 12 Education
Master of Science in Learning Design and Technology
Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning
Conferring of Degrees
Benediction
JAMES A. GASH
President
Class of 1993, Caruso School of Law
KAY DAVIS
Senior Lecturer and Director of the Dissertation Support Program Class of 1986
(The audience will rise for the benediction and be seated during the recessional.)
Recessional Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky)
The Graduate School of Education and Psychology Alumni Engagement Department invites you to a reception in Alumni Park following the commencement ceremony.
BERNICE L. LEDBETTER
Bernice L. Ledbetter is the dean of students and founding director of the Center for Women in Leadership at the Graziadio Business School. She oversees three master of science programs at the school, including organization development, management and leadership, and human resources, and she teaches courses focused on organization theory and management. Dr. Ledbetter also serves as co-chair of the Graziadio Diversity and Belonging Council.
Prior to her tenure at Pepperdine, Dr. Ledbetter was a cofounder and director of the De Pree Center for Leadership in Pasadena, California, where she provided ethical and servant leadership development resources to executives in a variety of professional industries. She then served as vice president at Right Management Consultants, where she consulted on change management within the aerospace sector.
Dr. Ledbetter is a sought-after keynote speaker, and she has addressed audiences at such businesses as ESPN, AEG, Amgen, and Farmers Insurance, as well as many others. As a widely published researcher, her work has appeared in a number of academic journals and media outlets, including the Huffington Post, Business Insider, Reuters, and the Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics. She has been the recipient of many awards, including Pepperdine’s Howard A. White Teaching Award in 2014, the Graziadio Alumni Network’s Above and Beyond Award in 2016, and the Going the Extra Mile Award from Reyes Coca Cola Bottling in 2024.
Bernice Ledbetter earned her bachelor of arts in liberal studies from California State University, Fresno, in 1981 and completed a master of divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1987. She earned a doctor of education in organizational leadership from the Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology in 2005.
CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES AWARDED BY THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
OF EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy
Catrisa Dianne Booker
James Roshone Evans
Williams Olmedo
Marcus Reynolds
Stacey Ridgeway
Tisha-Stephanie Tovar
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Pre-K to 12
Mercedes Cordoba Meeks
Doctor of Education in Learning Technologies
Christopher Armstead
Joshua Gray
Tracey Jackson
Arrash Jaffarzadeh
Michael Lee
Sohee Linda Lee
Amanda Pelloth
Shay Riker
Michelle Ruiz
Elias Saade
Talisha Tolliver
Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership
Alyssa Claybrooks
Aimee Gregory
Karen Kassekert
Sarah Laverone
Lauren LeFevre
Lu Liang
Robert Daniel Reyes
Ricardo Robles
Guadalupe Salgado-Shower
Blaine White
Doctoral graduates are listed alphabetically; order of procession is by hooding faculty.
Doctor of Philosophy in Global Leadership and Change
Chidimma Abuka
Julia Anzano
Jessica Arriaza
John Aylworth
Matthew Baham
Lisa Christine Bahar
Erika L. Barnes Ford
Daniella Bove-LaMonica
Portia Cowlings
Karima Curry
Sophia Diop
Mark Divine
Nichole L. Dwyer
Megan Eberhardt-Alstot
Jacques-Michel Endene
Angela Fentiman
Chanel Fort
Dolly Dimple Harris
Wen Hua
Patricia Jacquez-Nares
Xintian Ji
Alejandra Jimenez
Hyejin Kim
Jiangfeng Li
Christan Nguyen
Qiang Qiang
Henri Romain Same Etame
Kathleen Scott
Crystal Ren Thomas
Ryan Weber
Master of Arts in Social Entrepreneurship and Change
Crystal Nalani Humphrey-Hermida
Arden Ophelia Martinez
Madeline Ruth Petrie
Victoria Rose Pillman
Rola Ramadan
Joseph Rodrigo
Julia Perisse Scheibe
Sara Wengefeld
Master of Arts in Teaching
Londyn Alise Andre
Eliza Ray Boyd
Alexis Jane Cardenas
Alan Joe Chang
Kelsey Ann Chapman
Joshua Pureun Choi
Brenda Nicole Cornejo
Aidan Antonio De Alba
Raghav Desai
Elisabeth Donovan
Marla Espinosa
Kimia Farkhondeh
Ashley Guadalupe Garcia
John Carlos Gomez
Jahnae Katrice Hatley
Christopher Houser
Malcolm Joe Isiah
Mattilee Lua Kazemipour
Amber Linh Kha
Shelly Khalili
Anabelle Jeeho Kim
Hanna Caroline Klein
Asha Brooke Lewis
Valeria Georgina Madrid-Marquez
Jeana Jo Mahan
Dianne Alejandra Martinez
Doctoral graduates are listed alphabetically; order of procession is by hooding faculty.
Melissa Martinez
Natalie Anne Meier
Shira Meir
Ashley J. Miller
Joey Monteon
Cecilia Moreno Garcia
Dylane Painter
Parisa Pakray
Elizabeth Carolyn-Ann Pappas
Victoria Mary Rooney
Dora Susanna Schoenberg
Hannah Starkey
Leslie Anne Rose Stratton
Jacob Merrill Strong
Rhett Swanson
Ava Rose Taddeo
Katherine Irene Thanos
Linda Darlene Thompson
Kelei Turner
Devin Scott Van Meter
Shubhita Verma
Alexandra Brooke Weiss
Laura Ellis Whiteland
Claire Alene Wittkop
Lenora Gaile Woods
Maya Yaniv-Levinboim
Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Beyanca Michael Diedrick
Aaron Josiah Horner
Hua Huang
Yingdan Liu
Johnny W. Ludd
Mia Kileen Michaels
Maria Molano
Ashley Parker
Aya Shinkawa
Xurui Song
Yuzhao Sun
Yijin Wang
Chao Wu
Fan Yang
Zalina Zainol
Yaru Zhuang
Master of Science in Leadership in Higher Education
Andrea Aceituno
Stacy Nicole Cerna
Araceli S. Espinoza
Jaylene Hernandez Juarez
Juan Andres Lopez
Aide Luevano
Evelyn Dariana Montes
Jazmin Morales
Desiree Marie Munoz
Ingrid Serna
Denise Solorzano
Master of Science in Leadership in Pre-K to 12 Education
Aurora Brown
Mi’Cole K. Cayton
David Lucero
Savannah Richelle Zaragoza
Master of Science in Learning Design and Technology
Nia Leona Civil
Yufei Liang Yazmine Tyra Verdieu
Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning
Lina Marie Durazo
Georgina Del Carmen Euan
Abigail A. Fanthome
Emma Elisabeth Fosko
Anna Galstyan
Emily B. Gandhi
Leanne Marie Garcia
Daniel Gomez
Kayleigh Alicia Hames
James Gieng Leng Hanson
Jacqueline Keenan
Lisa Kim Leong
Spencer Lin
Michael Anthony Macias
Aditi Vinay Mamidi
Michelle Soleil Davette Miller
Alexis Rogelio Rocha
Benjamin Chase Vaagen
Steven Tom Wein
DOCTORAL CANDIDATES BY HOODING FACULTY
Order of Procession
Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy
Dr. Maria Brahme
CATRISA DIANNE BOOKER
Quantitative Study: Examining Secondary Teachers’ Attitudes, Practices, and Impact on Instruction for Struggling Adolescent Readers
Dr. Ebony Cain
ERIKA L. BARNES FORD
Shadows of Representation: Unraveling the Barriers to Political Electability
Black Women Face Within Predominantly White Constituencies
JAMES ROSHONE EVANS
Exploring Perceptions of College Completion Obstacles Among First-Year Students with Disabilities
DOLLY DIMPLE HARRIS
Black Men Who Teach K–12 in California: Motivations, Experiences, and Rationale
LAUREN LEFEVRE
Educating Outdoors: A Qualitative Case Study on School Readiness Development in a Nature-Based Preschool
Dr. Kay Davis
DANIELLA BOVE-LAMONICA
Evolving Enterprise Resilience Through Security Convergence: A Mixed Methods Study
PORTIA COWLINGS
Birthing While Black: The Color of Care and Black Women’s Lived Experiences Giving Birth in the United States
AIMEE GREGORY
Consumer Satisfaction and Complaint Resolution in the L.A. Home Improvement Industry
ARRASH JAFFARZADEH
The Influence of Fictional Storytelling on the Student Experience in a Gamified Classroom
MICHAEL LEE
A Quantitative Study of Teachers’ Experiences with and Preferences Toward Technology-Facilitated Professional Development
AMANDA PELLOTH
Teacher Stress, Well-Being, and Adaptation to Innovation
SHAY RIKER
A Systematic Review of Novice Registered Nurses’ Experiences with Mentorship Programs
MICHELLE RUIZ
Upskilling California’s Public Health Workforce, an Assessment of UC Berkeley’s Online Data Science Program
CRYSTAL REN THOMAS
Rules and Engagement: An Empirical Study on Parliamentary Procedure Utilization, Fairness, Perceptions, and Member Engagement in Divine Nine Black Greek-Letter Organizations
TALISHA TOLLIVER
ADHD Black Girl Magic: A Narrative Inquiry of the Lives of Black Women with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Doctoral Programs
Dr. Danielle Espino
KARIMA CURRY
Making Healers Whole: Exploring Faith-Informed Leadership Practices that Promote Resilience and Traumatic Growth in Healthcare Practitioners
Dr. Eric Hamilton
SOPHIA DIOP
Understanding the Role of Athlete Leaders in Peacebuilding: An Exploration of Characteristics and Contributions
CHRISTAN NGUYEN
Leading with Positivity: A Phenomenological Study of Affect and Leadership Effectiveness
HENRI ROMAIN SAME ETAME
The Impact of Global Leadership Competencies on Governance in Cameroon
Dr. Dawn Hendricks
STACEY RIDGEWAY
Exploring the Perceptions and Experiences of California Female Superintendents
Dr. Martine Jago
JESSICA ARRIAZA
Navigating the New Normal: A Grounded Theory Study of Lessons Learned about Leadership Practices Since the Pandemic in Multimodal Workplace Settings and the Future of Work
MATTHEW BAHAM
Student Success, Suicide Rates: A Correlational Study of Pressures on, and Expectations for High School Students in the United States
MARK DIVINE
Assessing the Five Plateaus Vertical Development Model with a New Likert Scale Instrument
MEGAN EBERHARDT-ALSTOT
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GENAI) and the Metaliterate Learner: A Mixed Methods Study of AI-Literacy and US Undergraduate Students’ Interaction Within an AI-Integrated Knowledge Economy
Dr. Stephen Kirnon
ALEJANDRA JIMENEZ
Leveling the Playing Field: A Phenomenological Study Advocating for Diversity in NBA and WNBA Sports Organization Leadership
KAREN KASSEKERT
Best Practices for the Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention of Diverse Leaders in US Public Education
WILLIAMS OLMEDO
Parental Engagement in Distance Education: A Phenomenological Study of Middle School Parents’ Perspectives During Unanticipated School Closures Due to COVID-19
TISHA-STEPHANIE TOVAR
Admissions Advisors’ Perceptions of Adult Learners
Dr. Seung Lee
JULIA ANZANO
The Role of Generative AI in Supply Chain Management: A Comprehensive Study of Adoption, Usage, Impact, and Ethical Implications
HYEJIN KIM
Analyzing Students’ Long-Term Motivational and Emotional Effects on Achievement Performance Within and Across Diverse Socioeconomic Backgrounds
ELIAS SAADE
Understanding the Mentorship Experiences of Underrepresented Minority STEM Leaders
Dr. Doug Leigh
JACQUES-MICHEL ENDENE
A Phenomenological Investigation of School Spending and Academic Proficiency in a US Charter High School
Dr. Farzin Madjidi
with Dr. Maria Brahme, Dr. Theresa Dawson, Dr. Gabriella Miramontes, and Dr. Kelly Sullenberger
PATRICIA JACQUEZ-NARES
Rooted and Rising, Reclaiming Power, and Setting Resilient Paths: Uncovering the Barriers and Success Factors Through PAT’s Latina Leadership Model: Empowering Latina Leadership in Municipal Government
MERCEDES CORDOBA MEEKS
AI: A Path Forward in Education Teachers’ Insights on Implementation, Challenges, and Future Innovations
ROBERT DANIEL REYES
Either At the Table or On the Menu: Strategies for Enabling Practitioner-Led Policy Co-Creation in Education Systems
Dr. Molly McCabe
MARCUS REYNOLDS
Black Men Who Teach K–12 in California: Motivations
Dr. Jennifer Miyake-Trapp
TRACEY JACKSON
Empowered Creation: Investigating Business Acumen and Technological Engagement Among Female Artist/Creative Entrepreneurs
SOHEE LINDA LEE
Generative AI’s Impact on Students’ Motivation and Well-Being in Online Graduate Programs: A Phenomenological Study Through Self-Determination Theory
Dr. Latrissa Neiworth
ALYSSA CLAYBROOKS
Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity Amongst US Black Women in Executive Leadership: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study
LU LIANG
Analysis of Dual Roles: Work-Life Balance Experiences of Female Professors and Mothers in California
RICARDO ROBLES
Alleviating English Language Learners’ Structural Inequities in a Comprehensive High School: A Qualitative Case Study
GUADALUPE SALGADO-SHOWER
The Impact of Lifelong Learning Programs in Southern California on Perceived Quality of Life Among Older Adults
Dr. Kent Rhodes
NICHOLE L. DWYER
Innovative Approaches to a More Sustainable Global Supply Chain: A Phenomenological Study in the Footwear Industry
JOSHUA GRAY
From Intent to Invent: An Exploration of the Entrepreneurial Learning Strategies of Entrepreneurially Intentioned Individuals When Navigating Social Media as an Informal Learning Environment
Dr. June Schmieder-Ramirez
QIANG QIANG
Corporate Soft Power Strategy in Shaping Global Influence: A Case Study of Microsoft
RYAN WEBER
Exploring Adaptive University President Narratives to Generate Growth and Sustainability
Dr. Abraham Song
JOHN AYLWORTH
R&D Efficiency of Drug Development at Universities
LISA CHRISTINE BAHAR
Refining Albert O. Hirschman’s Model: High-Performance Employee Covert Behavior Toward Organizational Identity Change
WEN HUA
Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for US FinTech Startups in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Revised Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework Approach
BLAINE WHITE
Strategic Military Readiness: Navigating Knowledge Management in the United States Army
Dr. Paul Sparks
CHRISTOPHER ARMSTEAD
Achieving Vibrant A Cappella Worship: A Descriptive Study of Key Takeaways of Worship Leaders Graduating from the Worship Leader Institute
KATHLEEN SCOTT
AI for the Common Good: Organizational Framing of Artificial Intelligence in Global Nonprofits
Dr. Amanda Wickramasinghe
CHIDIMMA ABUKA
The Phenomenon of Collaborative Leadership at Gensler: Work-Life Balance of Co-Leaders
ANGELA FENTIMAN
We’re Forcing Space: A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences and Leadership Perspectives of Women Who Have Been Candidates for Elected Political Office
SARAH LAVERONE
Digital Artifacts on Paintings of the Subject of Jesus Christ
Dr. Kevin Wong
CHANEL FORT
The Black Experiences of Education in the South: Retracing the Geographical Impacts of Family, History, and Society on Academic Achievement
XINTIAN JI
The Influence of Educational Games on Young Bilingual Children’s Intrinsic Motivation and Vocabulary Development
JIANGFENG LI
Investigating the Impact of a Study Abroad Program on Shaping Undergraduate Students’ Development of Intercultural Competence: An Ethnographic Study
THE ACADEMIC REGALIA
The academic regalia worn at college commencement exercises dates back to the Middle Ages, when scholarship was usually associated with a church or monastery. The influence of the church could be noted by the regular costume worn by the faculty and students, which consisted of clerical garb borrowed largely from the monastic dress of their day. Over the years, the simple hooded gown, or cassock, worn during this era evolved into a distinctive academic costume.
By the end of the 16th century, English scholars and students added birettas, floppy hats similar to berets, to their academic regalia. As fashionable educators tried to outdo each other with larger birettas, these hats finally had to be stuffed with cardboard to keep them from falling into their faces, thus giving birth to the concept of the mortarboard.
By the end of the 19th century, American universities and colleges standardized their academic costume, following the English tradition. Today, the distinctive caps, gowns, and hoods worn at college and university functions denote the institution granting the degree, the field of learning in which the degree was earned, and the level of the degree.
Today’s gown is usually black in color. The master’s gown has long pouchlike sleeves that were once probably used to carry books, while the doctoral gown is faced with panels of velvet down the front and three bars of velvet across each sleeve.
The hoods of monastic times have remained, becoming decorative symbols of the attainment of higher degrees. Worn around the neck and hanging down the back, the hood is emblematic of the nature and source of the degree held. The colors in the hood lining are the colors of the school conferring the degree—orange and blue for Pepperdine. The color of the border indicates the specialization attained by the wearer—light blue for education and white and royal blue for psychology. These colors are used for the edging of all hoods, and may also be used for the velvet facing and sleeve bars of the doctoral gown and the tassel on the master’s cap.
The modern cap may be a square mortarboard or a round, soft, flat velvet hat, which is reserved for the doctoral graduate. Both types bear a tassel, which may be black, gold, or colored, according to the scholarly field of the wearer.
Today’s academic regalia is profoundly symbolic of the reverence that is still held for the pursuit of knowledge and the achievement of scholarship.
As a Christian university, Pepperdine affirms:
That God is
That God is revealed uniquely in Christ
That the educational process may not, with impunity, be divorced from the divine process
That the student, as a person of infinite dignity, is the heart of the educational enterprise
That the quality of student life is a valid concern of the University
That truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, should be pursued relentlessly in every discipline
That spiritual commitment, tolerating no excuse for mediocrity, demands the highest standards of academic excellence
That freedom, whether spiritual, intellectual, or economic, is indivisible
That knowledge calls, ultimately, for a life of service
Accessible Seating
SERVICES
Drinking Water
First Aid
Lost and Found
Reception
Restrooms
Sun-Sensitive Seating
Blue chairs indicate the area for accessible seating plus one accompanying guest. Please find posted signs or ask an usher for assistance.
Drinking water is available in dispensers in various locations on Alumni Park.
First aid is available at the first aid/information tent near the entrance of Alumni Park. If an emergency occurs, please ask the nearest usher for assistance.
Please visit the information tent regarding any lost or found items.
Following the ceremony, refreshments will be served under the canopies near the Alumni Park pond.
When facing the stage, restrooms are located to the north of the graduation ceremony area.
A small area of shaded seating is located behind guest seating.
To view a live broadcast of this event or a digital version of this program, scan the code or go to go.pepperdine.edu/commencement
