CSUF's Fram & Friends

Gaddi H. Vasquez is the descendant of migrant farm workers who instilled in him a strong work ethic and the value of serving others. He was the first member of his family to earn a college degree and has been a lifelong advocate against world hunger, disease and poverty. Before retiring, he was senior vice president of government affairs for Edison International and Southern California Edison, one of the nation's largest investor-owned utilities. He was responsible for government relations activities at the federal and state level, as well as local public affairs. From 2006 to 2009, Gaddi H. Vasquez served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Organizations in Rome, Italy, including the World Food Program and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. He led major reform efforts resulting in the adoption of some of the most sweeping changes in the organization's history. From 2002-2006, Ambassador Vasquez served as director of the United States Peace Corps where he led the international volunteer service organization with volunteers and staff serving in 78 countries. Early in his career, he served as an Orange County supervisor, as chief deputy appointments secretary to Governor George Deukmejian, and as a police officer for the City of Orange. He has served on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships, the California Criminal Justice Council, the California Film Commission, and the board of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund. He serves on the boards of directors of the Public Policy Institute of California, the Pat Brown Institute, the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, the national advisory boards of the Aspen Institute Latinos and Society Program and of the Salvation Army, and the board of trustees of Chapman University. ​Ambassador Vasquez has been named one of Hispanic Business Magazine's top 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States. Ambassador Vasquez is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the recipient of five (and soon to be a sixth from CSUF) honorary doctorate degrees.​

As president, Dr. Coley leads an institution with nearly 30,000 students and 2,700 faculty and staff. Under her leadership, Cal Poly Pomona has continued to grow its legacy as the most diverse polytechnic university in the country and as a national leader in promoting social and economic mobility. Dr. Coley formally took office in January 2015, and during her tenure enrollment has grown by 6,000 students and graduation rates have reached historic levels.

Niveda Rao graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a minor in Pre-Health Professions from CSUF in May 2020. She was an eight-time Dean’s Scholar in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and completed the University Honors Program. While at CSUF, she had the privilege of being a President’s Scholar, Supplemental Instruction Leader, and member of multiple on-campus clubs. In addition to her on-campus involvements, she was a part of the COPE Health Scholars program for four years, where she interned and served on the leadership team at St. Mary Medical Center, in Long Beach. Niveda conducted medicinal biochemistry research in the Billingsley Lab Group for three years. In April 2019, her research on the synthesis of the PKC modulator (−)-Indolactam I was published in Tetrahedron journal. After graduating from CSUF, she continued to work as an Emergency Room Patient Care Technician at St. Jude Medical Center while applying to medical school. Niveda is currently a first-year medical student at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine!

On this episode of Fram & Friends we were joined by CSUF's very own Marco Mendoza, the Assistant Director of Client Services in the Office of Financial Aid, and Alumni of Cal State Fullerton. This year, after being nominated by a current CSUF Student, Marco was given the prestigious title, Titan of the Year for 2021. During this episode we get to learn more about Marco's background both inside and outside of academia, as well as what drove him to work for the Financial Aid department. Tune in to find out more about our Titan of the Year!

Alumna Shaina Nguyen ’21 (B.S. biochemistry) graduated from CSUF with a perfect 4.0 after four years of serving as both a student leader in the President’s Scholar program and an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Nicholas T. Salzameda, associate professor of chemistry and science. She blazed a trail in both arenas, earning the Glenn Nagel Undergraduate Student Research Award for creating new therapeutics to treat the West Nile virus and a role as Social Chair in the CSUF Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Scholars program. Shaina aspires to become a physician-scientist in a clinical setting, so when she isn’t skateboarding or surfing, she spends her time preparing to apply for M.D.-Ph.D. programs.