Success Stories
We're proud to honor the achievements of our students and alumni.
These students and alumni of the Graduate School of Education are fulfilling the values and mission of the university and their achievements have been recognized and submitted by Cal Lutheran family members.
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Melissa Dennin '22
Preliminary Teaching Credential
in March 2023 at the National Association for School-University Partnerships annual conference in Anaheim, California. Brandy Yee and graduate student Melissa Dennin ’22 presented “Celebrating Identity: Empowering Young Learners through Name Stories.”
Vanessa Contreras '23
MA in Educational Leadership
in 2023 Vanessa Contreras MA ’23 in Educational Leadership was announced as the new principal at E.P. Foster Elementary. Contreras also has earned a Pupil Personnel Services Credential, Preliminary Administrative Services Credential and an additional Master of Science Degree in Counseling and Guidance at Cal Lutheran.
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“If I ever return to school to obtain an additional degree, I would absolutely return to Cal Lutheran. The programs I have taken at Cal Lutheran have been so beneficial and have really helped prepare me for my varying roles in education. The faculty that I have had at Cal Lutheran has given me so much guidance, support and encouragement in all of my classes. I truly believe Cal Lutheran would never let me fail. I have so much respect for my professors and feel so honored and grateful that I had such a prestigious faculty at Cal Lutheran. I highly recommended Cal Lutheran to anyone looking for a graduate program.”
Sawyer Merrill '10
Sawyer Merrill ’10 graduated Cal Lutheran with an emphasis in education and was honored with 2023 Sandy Lundberg Educator of the Year Award by the Rotary Club of Sun Lakes. Merrill is a special education teacher at Chandler Unified Auxier Elementary School in Queen Creek, Tempe, AZ. Click here to read the article from Queen Creek Tribune.
Steven Blum '21
Adjunct/Faculty
GSOE Dean, Mike Hillis and adjunct faculty member, Steven Blum ’77, MA ’91, published an Op-Ed article in the Ventura County Star: Teachers impact the lives of children and communities Click here to read the article.
Ryan Keller '13
MS in Special Education
Congratulations to alum Ryan Keller MS ’13, named Special Education Coordinator for CUSD in 2022.
Lorelle Dawes '19
EdD in Educational Leadership (K-12)
Alum, Lorelle Dawes EdD ’19, principal, Cabrillo Middle School, Ventura USD Region 13 and adjunct faculty member was selected 2022 ACSA State Middle School Principal of the Year. Dawes recently accepted a promotion as Director of Expanded Learning in Ventura Unified School District, a new position. She says, “I am excited at all the opportunities we get to create for students who have not had much access to them in the past.”
Paige Mariko Gonzales '20
MA in Educational Leadership
Paige Mariko Gonzales, MA ’20 in Educational Leadership with a Preliminary Administrative Services Credential, shared on LinkedIn that she started a new position as Dean of Student Services at Los Cerritos Middle School in the Conejo Valley Unified School District in 2022.
James Jenkins '20
MEd in Teacher Leadership
Congratulations to doctoral candidate and Cal Lutheran alum, James Jenkins, MEd ’20, on becoming the principal of Los Colinas Middle School for PVSD.
Michelle Bennett '08
MA in Educational Leadership
After a two-year pause due to the pandemic, CRLP was thrilled to re-boot our 2022 summer camp program for elementary and middle school students! Read2Write and Study Skills and Art of the Masters were returning favorites and we also introduced a brand new camp this year, Finding the Poet/Writer Within.
From the last week of July through the first week of August, CRLP hosted a total of 65 elementary and middle school students. The teachers were pleased with both the level of student engagement and parent satisfaction. CRLP will continue to gather additional feedback from both parents and campers to help inform our planning for next year’s camps.
We are very grateful for CRLP’s incredible summer camp teachers, Michelle Bennett, MA ’08, Kim Ernest, and Julie Hughes. The planning, preparation, and creativity they put into the camps is what made them such a huge success. Michelle, Kim, and Julie worked hard to inspire and motivate their students, which is certain to have a positive impact on their future studies!
Angela Rowley
Adjunct/Faculty
in 2018, the GSOE is happy to welcome Angela Rowley, MS as a new lecturer in Counselor Education.