Spotlight

Recent ESRM Graduate Araceli Dominguez is Putting Her Interdisciplinary Degree to Work Educating Children of All Ages.

Araceli Dominguez

Araceli Dominguez graduated with an ESRM degree this past spring. While at CSU Channel Islands she took full advantage of all our campus had to offer. Our Introduction to Environmental Science course (ESRM 100) introduced her to the California state park system where she began volunteering and was subsequently employed part-time throughout her undergraduate career. In addition to availing herself of the variety of courses here on campus, Araceli also traveled to Japan with one of our International Experiences (University 392) courses (taught by Drs. Alioso and Denton) during the spring of 2006. In Japan, she and her class mantes took in Japanese science, culture, and architecture.

Araceli currently lives in Los Angeles and works with California State Parks in the Malibu area as an Interpretive Specialist. She has always been passionate about the marine envi­ronment and focused her capstone project on low frequency active sonar (sometimes referred to as LFA) impacts on whale migra­tion throughout the Southern California Bight. As a result, Araceli also now works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a MERITO academy assistant. MERITO (Multicultural Education for Research Issues Threatening Oceans) is the new multicultural education program at the Chan­nel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. This program delivers bilingual ocean conservation prod­ucts and services to students (4th-7th grade), teachers, adults, and families living near the Santa Barbara Channel. It particularly targets Hispanic citizens (37% of the population of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties), and includes Hispanic-Adult Outreach, Community Events, Professional Development, Field Activities, Internships and Scholarships, and Production of Bilingual Outreach Products. Araceli organizes a number of community events in the area like the California Coastal Cleanup, and is always on the lookout for interested CSU Channel Island students that want to volunteer. You can reach Araceli at aracelidmngz@yahoo.com.