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Transnational Teachers On Both Sides Of The U.S.-Mexico Border: Exploring Their Identities And Conocimiento. A Phenomenological Study With A Comparative Stance, Isaac Frausto Hernandez May 2025

Transnational Teachers On Both Sides Of The U.S.-Mexico Border: Exploring Their Identities And Conocimiento. A Phenomenological Study With A Comparative Stance, Isaac Frausto Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The transnationalism phenomenon is at the core of an increasingly globalized world. This phenomenological study with a comparative stance explores the lived experiences and perspectives of teachers with a transnational migration background with regards to how they [re]construct their identities and conocimiento. It compares and contrasts the histories and insights from participants in the borderlands with those from the heart of Mexico. Specifically, this study contributes to the under-explored body of literature which has taken a comparative stance in looking at transnationalism in education on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Data derived from migration memory maps and in-depth, phenomenological …

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Catalyst To Connection: Addressing Social Isolation Through Youth Workshop, Julia Nichols May 2025

Catalyst To Connection: Addressing Social Isolation Through Youth Workshop, Julia Nichols

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Social isolation is a silent, yet extreme issue that many people in the United States are facing everyday that bleeds into many aspects of an individual’s life. In order to address this issue within the community, Safe Families for Children Monterey Bay implemented this capstone project. Safe Families for Children Monterey Bay is a preventative measure organization that works to help support families in crisis in order to keep children out of the foster care system and families together. The community served by this agency are primarily single-parent families with children who are facing social isolation. The purpose of the …

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The Price Of Health: Income Disparities, Chronic Disease And Nutritional Inequity., Joana Ortiz Atlixqueno May 2025

The Price Of Health: Income Disparities, Chronic Disease And Nutritional Inequity., Joana Ortiz Atlixqueno

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Chronic disease has notably increased among children and adults. The alarming trend is especially pronounced in low-income communities. Everyone’s Harvest is a non-profit organization founded in 2002. They work to improve access to affordable fruits and vegetables through farmers' markets, targeting lower-income individuals. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate one of Everyone’s Harvest’s community food programs, Fresh Rx. Fresh Rx is a collaboration with healthcare providers in which doctors prescribe $35 worth of fruits and vegetables weekly for 19 weeks to patients with chronic diet-related illnesses. It was essential to learn if patients coming to the market …

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The Truth Behind Accessing Care For Underserved Populations, Patricia Daniela Vallejo Gomez May 2025

The Truth Behind Accessing Care For Underserved Populations, Patricia Daniela Vallejo Gomez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

A large number of patients are using the emergency department for non-urgent care. The Visiting Nurse Association, known as VNA & Hospice, offers services to residents in Monterey County through two major programs: hospice and home health. In partnership with Central California Alliance for Health (CCAH), VNA’s home health patients who meet the criteria for preventable emergency department visits are enrolled in the Enhanced Care Management (ECM) program to serve Monterey County residents facing challenges when trying to access healthcare services. The purpose of this project is to learn from patients based on their experiences. A quantitative survey was administered …

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Small But Mighty: Strengthening The Value Of Local Pocket Parks, Makana Sm Higa May 2025

Small But Mighty: Strengthening The Value Of Local Pocket Parks, Makana Sm Higa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In Monterey County, youth obesity rates are climbing at an alarming rate. Ventana Wildlife Society, and Wellness Through Nature program seek to help lower these rates. Ventana looks to achieve this through outdoor education and family trips with migrant farm working families in the cities of Soledad and Salinas. These trips attempt to increase environmental stewardship and improve community health. The project aims to evaluate the effectiveness and community engagement in regards to pocket parks. The parks visited were Bataan Memorial Park, Harden Neighborhood Park, Cesar Chavez Park, Joe Ledesma Park and San Antonio Park. The research seeks to increase …

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Ready, Set, Thrive: Preparing Youth For Tomorrow, Denise Rios May 2025

Ready, Set, Thrive: Preparing Youth For Tomorrow, Denise Rios

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In Monterey County, a significant amount of youth aged 14 to 24 face homelessness. The Epicenter addresses social inequities faced by Monterey County youth, such as the housing crisis, socioeconomic factors, lack of support, and the struggle of transitioning out of foster care. When creating this project, the voice of youth and their specific needs were deemed most important. “Ready, Set, Thrive” aimed to support the youth profile of The Epicenter by equipping them with essential life skills, knowledge, and resources needed for a stable, independent adulthood. This community-based intervention was done through two quantitative surveys and a workshop focused …

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Improving Hospice Care Awareness In The Hispanic/Latino Community Of Monterey County, Dulce M. Cortez Cruz May 2025

Improving Hospice Care Awareness In The Hispanic/Latino Community Of Monterey County, Dulce M. Cortez Cruz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Montage Health is a nonprofit healthcare provider in Monterey County, offering many services, including the Hospice of the Central Coast. This hospice agency supports older adults and their families with end-of-life care. Although Monterey County has a large Hispanic/Latino population, only a small number use hospice services—mainly due to language barriers, lack of awareness, and insurance concerns. This project focuses on helping the Hispanic community learn more about hospice care through surveys and Spanish-language presentations in the future. The goal is to clarify misunderstandings and help more families feel comfortable using hospice when needed. By sharing information and building trust, …

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The Unseen Wounds: How Non-Utilization Of Va Benefits Contributes To Veteran Incarceration, Peter R. Barragan May 2025

The Unseen Wounds: How Non-Utilization Of Va Benefits Contributes To Veteran Incarceration, Peter R. Barragan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project addressed the issue of justice-involved veterans who fail to utilize Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) benefits, increasing their risk of incarceration. The project consisted of distributing a VA Resource Handbook aimed at enhancing veterans' awareness and utilization of VA benefits, thus improving their reintegration outcomes. Using convenience sampling, the project administered pre- and post-intervention surveys to measure changes in awareness, barriers, and benefit utilization among 16 justice-involved veterans. Results indicated a significant increase in veterans’ awareness of VA benefits post-intervention, prompting additional benefit claims submissions. Critical barriers identified included long wait times, insufficient staffing at Monterey County Military …

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Engaging Minds, Changing Lives: Developing Youth Centered Substance Use Education For Vha, Diana K. Maravillo May 2025

Engaging Minds, Changing Lives: Developing Youth Centered Substance Use Education For Vha, Diana K. Maravillo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Substance use among the youth is a public health concern worldwide. Valley Health Associates (VHA) is a non-profit agency that offers solutions to the deadly epidemic by offering programs like the Youth Outpatient Program. Individuals from different backgrounds are served by VHA. The capstone project aims to develop an engaging, age appropriate and interactive presentation to educate youth on substance use and prevention, specially tailored for (VHA) Youth Outpatient Program. The initiative was sought because of VHA’S outreach materials, which previously consisted of a broad presentation and limited online resources. A new presentation was created using Canva and made available …

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Art Of Returning: Supporting Students After Psychiatric Hospitalization, Kaly Mariano May 2025

Art Of Returning: Supporting Students After Psychiatric Hospitalization, Kaly Mariano

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Reintegrating into campus life after a psychiatric hospitalization can be deeply challenging for college students. Research shows that in the two weeks following discharge from inpatient care, individuals are 200 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population—making this a critical period of vulnerability (Chung et al., 2017). Suicide remains the second leading cause of death among college-aged adults (Centers for Disease Control, 2023). In response to these risks, this capstone project utilized a mixed-methods approach, through community-based participatory research to explore how CSUMB’s CARE Team and Dean of Students’ Office can best support students before, during, …

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Educational Empowerment: Building Connections Through Interventions, Melanie V. Partida May 2025

Educational Empowerment: Building Connections Through Interventions, Melanie V. Partida

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project explores the intersection of substance use disorder (SUD) recovery and educational empowerment, focusing on the clients and peer supporters at Janus of Santa Cruz. The initiative developed an educational support model to enhance recovery through access to adult education, vocational training, and reliable study environments. Utilizing structured surveys, the project identified the educational barriers faced by peer supporters and clients, such as limited access to internet connectivity, mental health challenges, and a lack of awareness regarding local resources. In response, this project included the creation of a comprehensive educational resource directory and a Peer Mentorship Model, enabling …

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Breaking The Silence: Student Mental Health, Karina Almanza May 2025

Breaking The Silence: Student Mental Health, Karina Almanza

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many students in Portola-Butler Continuation High School are experiencing mental health struggles. The continuation school is located in King City and serves students from 10th to 12th grade, ages 15 to 18. The project was implemented through the use of surveys which focused on student mental health and their experiences with mental health in school. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate the struggles students may be facing related to their mental health and recognize areas where students may be in need of support. This project was created with the intent to provide students a platform where they are …

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Enhancing College Students’ Awareness Of Effective Stress Management Strategies, Makenzie Barnes May 2025

Enhancing College Students’ Awareness Of Effective Stress Management Strategies, Makenzie Barnes

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many college students may not have learned effective stress management skills. Given that college students often face academic pressure, financial challenges, and social conflict, they may benefit from learning about practical ways of managing these stressors effectively. College students who do not use effective stress management skills may be at risk for physical and mental health problems and may struggle academically. When college students develop better stress management skills, they can experience lower levels of stress and anxiety and increased resilience. Therefore, I have created a one-day workshop for the women’s basketball team at Gavilan College in Gilroy, California.

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Unlocking Potential Through Expungement, Carolina Lopez May 2025

Unlocking Potential Through Expungement, Carolina Lopez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Individuals with misdemeanor and felony records in Monterey County face persistent barriers to employment due to criminal record stigma, despite being eligible for relief under Proposition 47. This capstone project was implemented at the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office within the Clean Slate expungement unit, which serves low-income individuals seeking to reduce or clear their criminal records. The project focused on supporting formerly incarcerated community members by developing a formal verification letter confirming their active participation in the record clearance process. The purpose was to empower clients during their job search by providing documentation they can share with prospective employers, …

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The Csumb Well-Being Compass: A Student Guide, Giselle Miller May 2025

The Csumb Well-Being Compass: A Student Guide, Giselle Miller

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Food insecurity, stemming from a limited awareness of available resources, often challenges new domestic and international students navigating California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). This can potentially hinder their academic and social integration. The CSUMB Basic Needs department addressed this critical issue through a resource development project, creating and evaluating a comprehensive digital resource guide designed to connect new students with essential food resources and other crucial support services for academic success. This evaluation involved a feedback survey of 32 student staff and faculty across campus. The findings indicated that an overwhelming majority found the guide very or extremely helpful, …

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Bridging Gaps: Connecting Santa Cruz Seniors To Services, Elsa B. Tamayo Alvarez May 2025

Bridging Gaps: Connecting Santa Cruz Seniors To Services, Elsa B. Tamayo Alvarez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project addresses the lack of awareness among the senior population in Santa Cruz County about available resources and services that support healthy aging. Nonprofit Connection Santa Cruz County is a county-wide nonprofit that provides a platform to connect people, ideas, and resources for the benefit of nonprofits across all sectors. It serves a diverse population of over 270,000 residents, including a significant older adult population (19.8%) and a large Hispanic/Latino community (35.2%), by supporting nonprofits that address health and social needs. The project aimed to increase awareness through the creation and distribution of an informational pamphlet and a …

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Learning For Life College Field Trip, Omar Martinez May 2025

Learning For Life College Field Trip, Omar Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The high school dropout rates in Monterey County continue to challenge individuals, particularly Learning For Life Charter School students. Contributing factors to the high school dropout rates include academic underperformance, unmet basic needs, an agricultural economy, and migrant labor. This translates to significant consequences such as substance abuse, increased poverty, and low-paying jobs. The project consisted of a university field trip to UC Santa Cruz with 9 juniors and seniors. The field trip included a tour guide explaining various pathways and college perspectives. With many students experiencing their first on-site college field trip, this project was to create college awareness …

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Gonzales High School: An Effort To Educate Teens On Pedestrian And Bicycle Safety, Cesar Cisneros May 2025

Gonzales High School: An Effort To Educate Teens On Pedestrian And Bicycle Safety, Cesar Cisneros

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Monterey County has experienced an increase in pedestrian and bicycle safety accidents. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program of Monterey County has been conducting outreach and community engagement to educate the community on pedestrian and bicycle safety through distribution of educational materials and safety supplies, and collaborating with local law enforcement. Teens are at a higher risk of being victims of pedestrian accidents, including bicycle accidents, as they tend to be distracted and unaware of their surroundings, unaware of distracted and impaired drivers, and incautious when crossing the roads. This project is aimed to increase engagement of teens by implementing …

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Optimizing Client Retention In Mental Health Diversion, Amelia N. Hernandez May 2025

Optimizing Client Retention In Mental Health Diversion, Amelia N. Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This qualitative study at the Monterey County Public Defender’s Office explored client experiences within the mental health diversion program. The research was prompted by a noticeable discrepancy of high case dismissal rates that appeared to be linked to declining client engagement rather than successful program completion. Twelve clients were interviewed and categorized into two groups: active participants and program graduates. Additionally, two lead attorneys overseeing diversion cases were interviewed to provide further insight into the program’s impact and potential strategies to strengthen client engagement. Through analysis, six key recommendations emerged: (1) a participant checklist packet, (2) Employment Connect partnerships, (3) …

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Increasing Student Awareness Of Mental Health Resources, Vanessa M. Morga May 2025

Increasing Student Awareness Of Mental Health Resources, Vanessa M. Morga

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Rates of anxiety and depression are too high among youth in Greenfield. Portola Butler High School is an alternative education institution serving students that struggled in traditional school environments. Many students at continuation schools deal with unique stressors such as academic struggles, family issues and social isolation which can significantly affect their mental well-being. Located in a rural area with limited access to mental health resources, Portola Butler faces unique challenges in addressing the mental and emotional needs of their students.The intervention included a presentation to a class of high school students at Portola Butler Continuation School. The focus was …

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Building Motivation And Confidence In Elementary School Students, Alyssa I. Perez May 2025

Building Motivation And Confidence In Elementary School Students, Alyssa I. Perez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone project aims to explore how growth mindset, motivation, and self-confidence are key components to student success, especially during elementary school years. My capstone results highlight that consistent encouragement, a proactive classroom environment, and self-efficiency skills significantly contribute to improved student attitudes and engagement.

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Impact Of Afterschool Programs On Students; Social Development And Emotional Learning, Natalie B. Harper May 2025

Impact Of Afterschool Programs On Students; Social Development And Emotional Learning, Natalie B. Harper

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Afterschool programs are described as activities that are organized and structured outside of the regular school day where there is a time where there is no academic pressure and, therefore, is a time with the potential to enhance social-emotional skills development and learning. The capacity to genuinely implement social emotional learning (SEL) programs that are hindered by difficulties in staff training and turnover, in addition to funding. This senior capstone project explores the impact of afterschool programs on students' social and emotional learning at a Monterey Bay charter school, especially in their ability to impact peer and teacher relationships, ultimately …

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Increasing Awareness Of Imposter Syndrome For High School Students, Elisua S. Pena Salas May 2025

Increasing Awareness Of Imposter Syndrome For High School Students, Elisua S. Pena Salas

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Imposter syndrome(IS) is a psychological pattern in which individuals experience self-doubt and fear of being exposed as unqualified, even if they have the skills or achievements to prove otherwise. Many high school students are not aware of IS and its effects and may perform poorly in school due to chronic self-doubt and a poor sense of belonging. However, when students learn coping strategies to overcome IS, they can improve their well-being and academic growth. To address this issue, I created a two-day lesson for sophomore and junior students who are part of the GEAR-UP program at Seaside High School in …

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Promoting Safety And Sustainability: A Community-Based Approach To Road Safety, Nicole V. Vargas May 2025

Promoting Safety And Sustainability: A Community-Based Approach To Road Safety, Nicole V. Vargas

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Pedestrian and cyclist injuries remain a public health concern in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, where low safety awareness and infrastructure gaps contribute to preventable collisions. This capstone project, in partnership with Ecology Action’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and Modo Active Transportation programs, assessed the impact of community-based education on road safety awareness and behavior. Using convenience sampling, two tailored surveys were distributed at farmers' markets and tabling events in February–March 2025. Over 800 individuals were engaged, and 113 surveys were completed. Results showed that 75% of Bay View Elementary participants increased active transportation and felt more confident in …

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Teaching Diversity In Early Childhood, Allison Debellis May 2025

Teaching Diversity In Early Childhood, Allison Debellis

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Diversity and inclusivity is not taught enough in early childhood education. This project is a curriculum based project in order to show children about diversity and kindness to people who are different.

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Building Language Enrichment Activities For Parents Of Eld Students, Lizbeth Ponce-Alcantar May 2025

Building Language Enrichment Activities For Parents Of Eld Students, Lizbeth Ponce-Alcantar

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Parents of elementary school children learning a second language often lack the skills to support language improvement at home effectively. Without a strong foundation in language development, children may struggle to improve their language skills. When parents learn at-home activities to enrich their child’s language enhancement, children can benefit by increasing communication and building social relationships. Therefore, I have created a one-session curriculum on how parents can build and maintain their child’s language with at-home activities for parents of English learners at Washington Elementary School in San Jose, California.

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Increasing Mental Health Awareness In High School Athletes, Kaitlyn R. Melendez May 2025

Increasing Mental Health Awareness In High School Athletes, Kaitlyn R. Melendez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Student-athletes often struggle to balance the demands of multiple academic and athletic responsibilities. These demands may harm student-athletes’ mental health by increasing anxiety, stress, and poor academic performance. When student-athletes develop effective coping skills, they can reduce their overall stress and enhance their overall well-being. To address this issue, I created a 45-minute workshop for the cross-country team at Marina High School in Marina, California.

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Impacts Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy On College Students' Self-Esteem And Mental Health, Adriana Hay May 2025

Impacts Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy On College Students' Self-Esteem And Mental Health, Adriana Hay

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this senior capstone research project is to examine the potential impacts of culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) on the self-esteem and mental health of college students. CRP is an approach which connects students’ cultures, experiences, and identities to what is taught in the classroom. Through the use of literature review and anonymous surveys to college students, faculty, and professors, the results suggest that students indeed benefit from the caring relationships which CRP creates at the university level. By assessing the methods of CRP implementation within higher education, this senior capstone also evaluates how educators could optimize their students’ …

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Effects Of Teen Parents On Elementary School Students’ Academic Performance And Well-Being, Victoria Canchola May 2025

Effects Of Teen Parents On Elementary School Students’ Academic Performance And Well-Being, Victoria Canchola

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone research project examines the academic achievement and general welfare of elementary school children who have teenage parents. With the help of literature review, original qualitative research, anonymous surveys were sent to teachers and teen parents. The result findings uncover the difficulties faced by children of adolescent parents in terms of educational attainment. Highlighted findings revealed the complex interplay of socio-economic disadvantage, inadequate parental self-efficacy, emotional distress, and heightened learning environment barriers that these students face. These in turn affect their trajectory of development. In addition, responses from teachers indicated the chronic underachieving academically, exhibiting behavioral problems of the …

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The Impacts Of Instructional Technology On The Socio-Academic Development Of K-12 Students, Alivia L. Haines May 2025

The Impacts Of Instructional Technology On The Socio-Academic Development Of K-12 Students, Alivia L. Haines

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Becoming an educator in a post-Covid society results in many unknowns in regards to the socio-academic development of students. Specifically, the utilization of instructional technology in the classroom has become a centralized topic within educational settings over the past six years. Through research conducted from peer-reviewed journals, as well as surveys with fourteen educators and one hundred and fifty-one students, the result and findings revealed that, while there is a great divide over whether or not instructional technology is a net-positive or negative classroom asset, the use of technology in instruction impacts students’ socio-academic development with the overall consensus that …

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