Digital Commons Network^™

Time Management And Organization Skills In First Generation Freshman Eop Students, Jennifer Ventura

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Being a First Generation Freshman can be frustrating, confusing, and overwhelming but with the help of EOP many students learn to create affective time Management skills and Organization Skills. Freshman year does not have to be scary and filled with procrastination, allowing yourself to create that small space of time where You can maintain yourself organized is very beneficial throughout your years at California State University, Monterey Bay and in the Educational Opportunity Program.

Marketing Plan: Increasing Access & Creating A Local Voice, Lizzy Hahn

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Too many youth in Santa Cruz County are not seeing their basic needs being met. Basic needs of residents include education, health and financial stability, three of the main focuses described in United Way of Santa Cruz County’s (UWSCC) mission. The pandemic has only exacerbated the effects that low-income families and individuals have experienced, with youth at the forefront of those affected. UWSCC aims it’s programming towards local at-risk youth, providing needed support services and resources to the community. When systems for distributing these services and resources were switched from in-person to predominantly virtual pathways, it became harder for low-income …

Increasing High School Students’ Awareness Of The Effects Of Gender Stereotypes, Kelly Y. Shepherd

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Gender stereotypes can prevent many adolescents from exploring aspects of their identity. One reason being, gender stereotypes are reinforced in media and society on a daily basis, constantly reaffirming the beliefs of what a male and female should act and look like. These beliefs may cause an adolescent to make choices about their identity without thinking or questioning, which is known as identity foreclosure. As a result, adolescents may limit themselves academically or socially which might restrict future career paths and job opportunities. My capstone project focused on teaching adolescent Girl Scouts of California Central Coast how to identify, question, …

Reducing Barriers With Staff And Clients At The Veterans Transition Center Of Monterey County, Cynthia Frerkson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Veterans Transition Center of Monterey County assists homeless veterans and their families in reducing barriers with housing, income, and healthcare. Many clients create issues consciously or unconsciously for themselves and staff due to mental illness related to trauma from childhood or military. Which leads to even greater issues when they self medicate with substances. Three contributing factors of veterans developing daily issues at the Veterans Transition Center with staff are mental health issues, substance use disorder, and further mental health problems due to inability to afford housing. Three consequences due to homeless veterans with mental illness and substance use …

Queer Generational Connection Panel, Sam Hoffman

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project was completed during my time working with the Epicenter in Salinas in their Our Gente program. Just as the program is designed to strengthen and support the LGBTQ+ youth and community in the area, this project seeks to address a growing gap between generations within the LGBTQ+ community. This gap grows due to a lack of both technological literacy, social in-person isolation, and a lack of accessible LGBTQ+ elders to provide information and oral history to those younger generations within the community. This project aims to address this with the Queer Generational Connection Panel. The Queer Generational Connection …

The Importance Of Onboarding Training In Prevention Work, Cindy Alfaro-Andasol

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Monarch Services is a nonprofit organization in Santa Cruz County that helps survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Violence can affect all people regardless of age, sex, socioeconomical status, and legal status. That is why Monarch Services strives to put an end to all violence in our community by empowering individuals, families, and communities to act against violence and abuse. Their mission is to have people's lives be free from violence and abuse. Some contributing factors to increased violence in our community are culture and substance abuse. This can cause a great toll on a survivor's mental …

Pobody’S Nerfect: Improving The Identification And Diagnosis Of Learning Disabilities, Jocelyn Kiser

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is on improving the identification and diagnosis of learning disabilities. This is important because diagnosing a child properly will help teachers understand the students' learning styles and better position the teachers to create more effective learning environments. Also, teachers will be able to better support and accommodate their students both academically and socially. It is argued that many teachers do not have the right resources, understanding, or authority to diagnose learning disabilities. The primary stakeholder perspectives obtained were from teachers, staff, and students because of their relevant experiences and roles in identifying and addressing …

Benefits Of Music Education, Lauren Rafter

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In this Essay I will talk about the benefits of music in education. It is more than just learning how to play a new instrument or song. It is about the mental, physical, social and educational benefits. To understand these benefits, we need to dive into why we study music. Music education in K-12 provides many benefits from social, emotional and even physical skill improvement.

Welcoming Classroom, Comfortable Learning Experience: Implementing Social Emotional Learning In The Classroom, Daniela Muradas

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many students have difficulty expressing their emotions and working with others in elementary school classrooms. The focus of this capstone project is on implementing social-emotional learning in the classroom. This is important because students will learn proper ways to deal with their emotions, work with others, and have better self-awareness. An evidence-based argument is offered that students need guidance and support from their teachers to be able to create a positive space for their learning. Considerations of the issue included the perspective of two parents of elementary school students because they know the needs of their children, and a teacher …

Out Of A Darkness: A Collection Of Ramblings, Short Stories, And Poetry, Valerie Anthony

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

A Collection of Poetry, Short Stories and Ramblings

Plead To The Usl Championship Side, Oscar Alejos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This creative project invites the United States Soccer League side Monterey Bay Football Club The Union, to change, transition and transform its format allowing for fair play, competition, and growth at all levels.

La Familia: An Inside Look At A Co-Op School Community, Yesenia Rosario Garcia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is to showcase the co-op school values of Hillmont Elementary as a way of highlighting the importance of parent involvement in schools. An argument is made that educators feel overwhelmed and lack support from parents when it comes to promoting the importance of their children’s education. It is argued that the participation of parents as part of the school community creates a positive example for their children in how their place of learning is viewed. An evidence-based argument is offered that students gain a sense of community and responsibility through seeing their parents take …

Today A Reader, Tomorrow A Leader: How Reading Comprehension Plays A Role In Academics Among Low-Income Students, Marissa Sandra Francisca Torrez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project, the researcher investigates how teachers and low-income families view the resources needed for students to increase their reading comprehension and what they thought could be done to improve access to those resources. Interviews included a fieldworker who has a child enrolled in a middle school, a middle school Community Liaison who is very familiar and close to low-income families and the issues they face with education. Additionally, three middle school students completed a survey on reading comprehension. Based on an analysis of the interviews, surveys and the relevant research literature, the researcher used what they had …

Rainbow Impostors: Impostor Syndrome In The Lgbtq+ Community, Kira C. Rideout

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Most people do not enjoy feeling like they are not enough or as like they are not a part of their community. As human beings we are social creatures and our communities play an essential role both in our development as we grow up and for our overall emotional well-being as we continue to live our lives. When people feel like they are an outcast or like they are not contributing to the progress of their community it can have a negative impact on their state of mind. This sense of self-doubt can cause individuals to realize their fear of …

Future Possibilities For Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Nicolas Leonardi

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder’s nature of presenting socially awkward behaviors creates barriers for those with ASD in the job interview process. This problem raises questions on how the interview process can be redefined to be more inclusive. Dillenburger et al. conducted a study on interventions provided for individuals with ASD. The study concluded that most jobs do not provide an appropriate job interview process for those with ASD. Solomon et al. and Maras et al. both conducted studies that highlighted the social behaviors presented by individuals with ASD that prevented them from being hired during the job interview process. Both of …

Santa Cruz County Prepares For The Next Major Wildfire, Antonio Lucero

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Office of Response, Recovery, and Resiliency (OR3) was established in 2020 and is a part of the County of Santa Cruz’s Strategic Development Department. The OR3 has been established to improve the emergency response and capabilities for the County of Santa Cruz in the event of another major environmental disaster. The CZU Lightning Fire Complex of 2020 was a significant wildfire and the largest the county had seen in over 100 years. Global warming led to climate change that has made this area of California more vulnerable to uncontrollable wildfires. In addition, severe drought conditions have left Santa Cruz …

Reimagine 2021, Bryanna Amezcua

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

United Way of Santa Cruz has been a resource for the community for many years. Sadly, after the pandemic hit, it caused many financial hardships for the nonprofit organization. There is a lack of economic support for nonprofits all over the US that could be heard around the world. United Way exists to be able to support those in need, but at this moment they cannot provide that support without help. This is due to several reasons including high rates of unemployment, decreased spending during the pandemic, and reduced person-to-person contact with potential donors. All these factors contribute to the …

Women Veterans Needs Assessment, Yezzenia Dena

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Military & Veterans Affairs Office in Monterey County stated 20,674 veterans. They provide advocacy, assistance, and services designed to enhance the lives of the county’s veterans who served their country in the Armed Forces, their families, and their survivors. While this purpose is both efficient and admirable, there are still unmet needs in the veteran community. Increasing the support for women veterans within the veteran community requires further effort to address adequately. They are addressing this by understanding the contributing factors, several of which are related to stigma, lack of understanding services, and trauma. This survey took a closer …

Mental Health Awareness Among Watsonville Youth, Yajaira Rea

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Watsonville PAL is a non-profit agency that is funded by donations or community sponsors. Watsonville PAL works with the city of Watsonville and the Police department to help youth stay out of trouble. Watsonville PAL offers an amount of programs that as well relies on educational and recreational activities to keep youth busy and focus on school and heading to the right path and most importantly be a positive influence in their community. Watsonville is a community where the highest percentage of population are Latinos, who work all the time to feed their families and try to survive. While this …

Supplementation Of The Community Action Board Of Santa Cruz County’S Commitment To Equity, Cristian Paredez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County, Inc. (CAB) is a non-profit organization that aids low-income clients with emergency, sustaining, and self-sufficiency services through their specialized program areas. Through a micro-level assessment of the County, research indicates a growing rate of poverty among marginalized communities, particularly in the Latinx population. Inequities relating to the low-wage occupational outlook in highly populated Latinx communities coupled with a high unemployment rate in Santa Cruz County only exacerbate the cyclical issue of poverty. Among marginalized community members who are most affected, they are also faced with housing insecurity and lack of health insurance. …

Alternative To Suspension: Decreasing Suspension Rates For Minority Students, Alyssa Galindo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Between the timeframe of August 2020 - December 2021 Salinas Union High School (SUHSD) suspension rate data was reviewed in the California School Dashboard network. It was determined the suspension rate of this school district exceeded those of its fellow districts. SUHSD has increased their suspension rates of English learners by 2.3%, decreased their suspensions of African American students by 2% and Hispanic students have maintained the same rates as the prior year (caschooldashboard.org). Contributing factors to this social dilemma are lack of knowledge of Alternative to Suspension, unconscious and conscious bias and the newly adopted practice of Social Emotional …

Providing Resources And Knowledge To Empower The Youth, Iliana Jimenez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The project was developed to provide opportunities and resources to first-generation youth from possibly following in their parents footsteps whose jobs may often be marred by racial and ethnic inequality at United Way of Santa Cruz, with the Jovenes SANOS program. During a three-semester internship, and through interactions with the program's youth, the need for school related resources, and college readiness became apparent. Such missing resources and readiness are due to a lack of access to tutoring; absence of a study place, home care responsibilities, lack of access to mentorship for college readiness, and missing employment pathways. Consequently, such factors …

Helping Hand For Youth Participants, Andrea Bravo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Rancho Cielo is an agency that works with youth in Monterey County and helps them achieve a shared vision of success. Not enough participants are reaching out to teachers when they need help to have a more successful experience. Participants are not taking advantage or using the resources that are offered. This affects the participants and the agency as a whole. Some contributing factors are lack of trust on the staff members, not having a good connection between staff and students, and language barriers. The consequences to this issue are that participants are not learning, their assignments are incomplete, they …

Overcoming Technology Illiteracy, Yolanda Cruz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Community Bridges Child & Adult Care Food Program is a non-profit organization that strives to provide yearly services to the tri-county residents of Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, and San Benito County. Amidst their service providence, the agency works diligently with daycare providers. A requirement for working daycare providers is to take annual training that incorporates new regulations from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Developing Better Study Habits Through Peer Mentoring, Desteney Garcia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many children lack the resources and opportunities to improve their studying skills. Specific skills include improving their peer mentoring abilities, ranging from learning to listen, guide, or collaborate. By giving students the knowledge on studying and being in charge of their work with their peers, they become more engaged with the content and develop a sense of competency. Interactions will also help students improve their prosocial behavior. To test out my theory, I worked with seven students involved with the First Tee of Monterey County. They varied in ages but learned what studying is and what it entails. They then …

Care And Compassion, Daisy Cuevas

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many students who struggle with behavioral and mental health issues have a difficult time succeeding in school. Harden Middle School’s Wellness Center is where students struggling with socioemotional, mental, and behavioral health can come to receive support. The Care & Compassion program was created to address students who have more than five F’s or a zero-grade point average (GPA) and are failing classes at a high rate. A lack of parental and student engagement in distance learning, as well as depression due to isolation caused students to fall behind, fail classes and increased mental health concerns. Therefore, the Care & …

Education Inequities In South Monterey County: No English Learner Left Behind, Alejandra Zavala

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is established in the state of California to serve primarily low-income individuals and farmworkers in rural areas. English learner students, in South Monterey County esp. San Ardo & San Lucas Elementary, are not receiving the high-quality education they deserve. Latinx parents in rural areas such as South Monterey County are unaware of where to seek legal assistance for their children’s education. In return, the education system fails English learner students, and they do not succeed in school. Furthermore, Prop 227 in California made it harder for English learner …

Reproductive Health Education For Teens, Nataly Diaz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The paper focused on Reproductive Health Outreach for Teens, through the implementation of a new teen brochure. The purpose of this project is to create new outreach pathways for teens of the Watsonville, CA community to take advantage of the free services Salud Para La Gente has to offer. Specifically, services relating to reproductive health and sex education.

Modeling Recurrence In Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis With Mobile Peak Expiratory Flow, Kyle Kimura, Liping Du, Lynn D Berry, Li-Ching Huang, Sheau-Chiann Chen, David O Francis, Alexander Gelbard

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: We sought to establish normative peak expiratory flow (PEF) data for patients with idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS), evaluate whether immediate changes in PEF after a procedure predict long-term treatment response, and test if a decline in longitudinal PEF is associated with disease recurrence.

STUDY DESIGN: International, prospective, 3-year multicenter cohort study of 810 patients with untreated, newly diagnosed, or previously treated iSGS.

METHODS: iSGS patients consented and enrolled in the North American Airway Collaborative (NoAAC) iSGS

RESULTS: Within the NoAAC iSGS1000 cohort, 810 patients participated in a 3-year, prospective study comparing surgical treatment efficacy and 385 had appropriate PEF …

Global Forces Of Change: Implications For Forest-Poverty Dynamics, Priya Shyamsundar, Laura Aileen Sauls, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek, Kira Sullivan-Wiley, J.T. Erbaugh, P. P. Krishnapriya

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

This article examines global trends likely to influence forests and tree-based systems and considers the poverty implications of these interactions. The trends, identified through a series of expert discussions and review of the literature, include: (i) climatic impacts mediated through changes in forests, (ii) growth in commodity markets, (iii) shifts in private and public forest sector financing, (iv) technological advances and rising interconnectivity, (v) global socio-political movements, and (vi) emerging infectious diseases. These trends bring opportunities and risks to the forest-reliant poor. A review of available evidence suggests that in a business-as-usual scenario, the cumulative risks posed by these global …