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2018-19 EPIC Community College Fellows

2019 EPIC Fellows
Marina Broeder

Marina Broeder

English as a Second Language Instructor, Mission College

Marina Broeder has taught courses in English as a second language (ESL) at Mission College in Santa Clara, CA part-time since 2001 and full time since 2017, after graduating magna cum laude from Moscow State Linguistic University with a diploma in linguistics, intercultural communication, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She has been a summer lecturer with VIA and English for Foreign Students programs at Stanford University since 2015. Marina currently serves as a co-advisor for Mission College International student club MIC. Marina is passionate about empowering immigrants, international students, and adult learners of English through education and advocacy. 

Project: Enriching Community College Culture through Global Growth Mindsets

My EPIC project will explore how as educators we can leverage the richness of experiences and culture that people of diverse cultural backgrounds, including immigrants and international students, bring to the community colleges in the U.S. I am curi-ous to research and present on whether the concepts of growth mindset differ depending on the culture and history and how as educators we can use this knowledge to help guide and motivate our students towards academic success and personal growth. My hope is to facilitate more opportunities for cross cultural learning on campus to benefit all students, faculty, staff, and the wider community.
 
Mary Conroy-Zouzoulas

Mary Conroy-Zouzoulas

Global Studies and Psychology Instructor, Coordinator Study Abroad, San Jose City College

Mary Conroy-Zouzoulas teaches psychology and global studies and coordinates study abroad at San Jose City College. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Child and Adolescent and Global Studies departments at San Jose State University. She has been fortunate to be able to continue to explore her lifelong interest in world issues and human diversity through teaching and travelling. She holds an M.A. in psychology from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in psychological studies in education from Stanford University. 

Project: Using Images and Media Resources for Exploring Global Issues

How can images and media be used to foster global awareness and the understanding of the complexity of global issues? I plan to develop a set of modules using the Canvas LMS focused on global issues that might be used in a number of community college classes. Each module would include introductory mate-rial, links to media images such as photos, drawings (cartoons, anime, etc.), infographics and ways to introduce the images/media, analyze them and use them to foster polycentric views of the world. 
Dave Dillon

Dave Dillon

Counseling Faculty and Professor, Grossmont College

Dave Dillon is counseling faculty and a professor at Grossmont College. He teaches college success courses and curated, co-authored, and edited an open educational resource titled Blueprint for Success in College and Career (Rebus Foundation, 2018). He participates in California Community College committees at a local, district, and statewide level and is currently chairing a California Community College statewide Academic Senate Open Educational Resources (OER) task force. He is passionate about student success, textbook quality, equity, access, and design. 

Project: Internationalizing College Success Open Educational Resource by Adding Cultural Competency Content

I will survey existing OER from different countries and implement appropriate fitting cultural competency content to allow for a broader worldview for students. With guidance from Stanford staff and feedback from my cohort, I plan to develop the content or write original content to fill in the gaps. Peer review and addi-tional editing will conclude with implementation of the content into the Blueprint for Success in College and Career OER text. This will allow students and faculty access to the improved text, which will foster greater student engagement and success, and encour-age easier adoption and adaption in other countries. 
 
Jennifer Fiebig

Jennifer Fiebig

Psychology Instructor, Pasadena City College

Jennifer Fiebig is a Southern California native with 19 years of experience in higher education and currently a faculty member at Pasadena City College. As a developmental psychologist by training, she firmly believes that psychological studies or viewpoints need to be placed in and evaluated in a broader cultural context. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Munich and her dissertation and some of her subsequent publications have explored and contrasted the career aspirations and barriers of girls in the United States and in Germany. Therefore, raising awareness of global issues is an important concept that penetrates not only her research, but is essential for her approach to teaching as well. 

Project: Back to Basics: How to Create an Interdisciplinary Global Studies Program (ADT) by Partnering with and Fostering Pathways to CSUs/UCs

As of May 2018, there are 14 ADTs in ‘global studies’ at California Community Colleges (CCC Chancellor’s Office). The aim of my project is to generate guidelines of best practices and recommen-dations for internationalizing the curriculum through a thorough meta-analysis to aid Pasadena City College and other CCCs in creating and establishing an Interdisciplinary Global Studies Program (ADT).  

 

View Jennifer's presentation here

Andrew Hill

Andrew Hill

Assistant Professor of Philosophy, St. Philip's College

Andrew Hill is an assistant professor of philosophy at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, Texas. He earned a B.A. in english and philosophy from St. Mary’s University and an M.A. in philosophy from the University of St. Thomas. He earned a J.D. from the Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans. As part of further graduate studies at the Irish School of Ecumenics within Trinity College Dublin, he spent a year in residence as the project administrator for the Corrymeela Centre, a peace and reconciliation center in Northern Ireland. 

Project: Approaches to Engaging Faculty in the Process of Internationalization

I have proposed the creation of a professional development workshop for faculty members, titled “Global Humanitarian Values in the Classroom,” that will be tailored for, and presented to, the three academic divisions on my home campus, and to fac-ulty members at our four sister institutions in the Alamo Colleges District (Northeast Lakeview College, Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College, and San Antonio College), for a total of seven presentations during the 2018-2019 academic year. The aim is to encourage our academic communities to teach, debate, and research basic humanitarian issues from a global perspective.
Chigusa Katoku

Chigusa Katoku

Director of International Programs, Mission College

Chigusa Katoku serves as the director of international programs at Mission College and has taught ESL at Mission College, San Jose State University, and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS). Chigusa has an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from MIIS and has been an active presenter at TESOL and CATESOL conferences. Prior to coming to the United States to pursue her master’s degree, Chigusa taught EFL in Japan. International education is her lifelong passion, which stems from her own experiences being an international student in the U.S. 

Project: Creating Outbound Study Abroad Opportunities through Global Partnerships

I can honestly say that my own study abroad experiences truly transformed me. I would not be here doing what I love doing if it weren’t for those experiences. That being said, my EPIC project is to create and implement an outbound study abroad program for Mission College students by building on and expanding the existing partnerships with foreign institutions. I believe through the study abroad program, our students will develop essential 21st century skills, gain intercultural insight and competencies, make new friends, and return to Mission College as true global citizens infusing the campus with global perspectives. 
Philip Tran

Philip Tran

Business Instructor, San Jose City College

Philip Tran teaches business courses at San Jose City College. He holds a B.S. in physiology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a M.B.A. from Santa Clara University. Before his teaching career he worked in Silicon Valley in roles ranging from sales director, finance manager, infrastructure engineer, and forensic toxicologist. His travel has taken him to 45+ states and over 20 countries. His EPIC fellowship is focused on the tools to successfully manage the different business cultures, protocols, and etiquettes in a global business setting. 

Project: Business Etiquette in a Global Economy

My goal for the EPIC Fellows Program is to develop the tools to successfully manage the different business cultures, protocols and etiquettes that today’s modern business professional might encounter in a global business setting. These issues often start with language and cultural differences and barriers that both parties are unaware of. Knowing and following the business protocol and etiquette your client/partners adheres to can make the difference in a successful relationship. 
 

 

Don Uy-Barreta

Don Uy-Barreta

Economics Instructor, De Anza College

Don Uy-Barreta as been teaching economics and personal finance related courses around the Bay Area since 1999. Prior to joining academia full-time, he was in investment management for 12 years in various roles, most recently as a portfolio analyst. His main interest is in macroeconomic policies and their effects on the broad economy. He was previously a fellow at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco under the Education Advisory Group. He holds B.A. and M.S. degrees, both in economics. 

Project: Why Different Economies Have Different Results from the Same Economies Policies Enacted

Economic policies can be predictive but there may be times that the results vary differently from what was expected. For example, did austerity measure strengthen both Germany and Greece in the same way? If so, why and what should be considered so that the desired economic outcome is achieved. I’m interested in research-ing how and why different countries have different unexpected results from the same economic policy enacted by other countries. 
 
 
Nancy Willet

Nancy Willet

Co-chair of Business & Information Systems Department, College of Marin

Nancy Willet is the co-chair of the Business & Information Systems Department at the College of Marin where she has been a business instructor since 2005. Before that, she was a senior associate with the law firm of Pollack & Davis in Berkeley, California. Nancy teaches business law, business communication, entrepreneurship, and legal aspects of real estate. She holds a B.A. from Kirkland/ Hamilton College, an M.A. in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School, and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law. 

Project: Cross-cultural Negotiation: #Get2Yes!

What better place to learn cross-cultural negotiation skills than in a community college classroom with a diverse student population? Along with problem solving and critical thinking, 21st century workforce skills include the ability to work on teams and negotiate effectively. For my project, I plan to modify the business curriculum and infill with experiential exercises, such as mock negotiations, so my students can practice and develop their own personal strategies to be successful leaders in the global workplace.
 
 
 
Irene Young

Irene Young

Instructor of Psychology, St. Philip's College

Irene Young is an instructor of psychology at St. Philip’s College and has over 20 years of higher education experience in addition to serving as an Air Force family life program specialist in Incirlik, Turkey. Previously serving as an adjunct professor of psychology for both the University of Maryland- European Division and Central Texas College-Mediterranean Division, Irene has facilitated life enrichment studies in Germany and Turkey. Irene served as co-faculty leader for the 2015 Ireland Study Abroad program to the Corrymeela Ballycastle Centre of Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland. 

Project: Cross-cultural Altruism and Social Cognition: Who do we help? When do we help? How do we help? 

As a globalized social psychology course, curriculum will be designed to introduce students to global learning to broaden their scope of knowledge about how various cultures define, interpret and express altruism. Student learning outcomes will focus on:  1) identifying cross-cultural definitions of altruism; 2) analyzing cultural viewpoints on altruism and prosocial behavior; 3) describ-ing how altruism is expressed in collectivistic and individualistic cultures, and 4) explaining individual behaviors sustaining prosocial behavior including personal application and analysis.