Jimmy Kirby, Jr.: Alum Aspires to Perpetuate Legacy of Africana Studies Jimmy Kirby, Jr. (Class of ’05, B.A., Africana studies) is working on his doctorate at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., the first institution in the world to offer a Ph.D. program in African American studies. As a teaching assistant there, he is honing his skills for his ultimate goal as a professor of Africana studies at Dominguez Hills.

	Rebecca Smith: Alumna Gets in the Middle of Things With Career in Mediation As an undergrad in English at Berkeley, Rebecca Smith (Class of ’07, M.A., negotiation, conflict resolution and peace building) was impressed with the power of language and how lives could be transformed through storytelling. While researching graduate programs in creative writing, she discovered the negotiation, conflict resolution and peace building masters program at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Photo above: Jose Solache (Class of ‘06, B.A., Liberal Arts/Spanish) is currently a board member of the Lynwood Unified School District (LUSD) Board of Education.

The former Associated Students, Inc. president (2001-03) served
two terms on the CSU Dominguez Hills campus before being elected to the LUSD board in 2003, becoming the youngest Latino member to serve. Since then, he has held the positions of the Board’s clerk, vice president and president. Photo by GK