WASC Testimonials

Don Manning

CSUDH Senior, Business Administration: Human Resources Management
ASI, Student at Large; Vice Chair, Board of Directors Loker Student Union

I transferred from El Camino College. The interesting part of about me is that I am adopted. I came from Korea when I was six. That is one unique things about me.

What brought you here to DH?

I went to day at Dominquez. I was accepted on the spot. And I was befriended by Randy Zarn and I was asking him about my first involvement on the campus which was being on the Alcohol Awareness Coordinating Team. Because I have had my own personal interest on being aware about alcohol and the danger and just letting other people know about it. That stemmed from that and working in the Multicultural Center and then being involved in ASI from being the Upper Division Representative to now being a Student-at- Large. Then going to the Loker Student Union Board and currently and I am the Vice Chair for that. Also, I was the past Student Chair for the Regional Leadership for Region 15 of the Association of College Unions International. I am also the Secretary for the Human Resource Management Association. I sit on various university committees and I currently sit on the Enrollment Management Policy Committee.

WASC Questions:

Describe the “Adopt a Freshman Program”, and tell us why the ASI developed this program?

The “Adopt a Freshman Program” was ASI's approach to student retention. We saw that at the time we were in an enrollment crisis so ASI wanted to help contribute. Our goal along with Ifeanyi Ebigbo, the current ASI president, we created a mentoring program that would be a buddy-to-buddy link to initiate peer-to-peer interaction. We also had support and guidance from various student university entities on campus. The major part of it was that the freshmen were coming here but not staying here. And we figured why that was and it’s because they don’t have a person they could turn to orient them to, the hows, and where different things are located. Just to get them to transition from high school to college, that is a huge transition. Without having that support network and having a person to call upon saying, “Hey, I am having trouble with getting this type of class or which class/professor should I take?” Without having that network they may give up or work full time or may want to transfer to another university that has more student life. It is ASI’s initiative to boost student life. We envisioned the program to build future student leaders on campus. The mentees become the mentors. The then mentors become “the Adopt a Freshmen” Coordinator. Then hopefully that starts a cycle then we start developing the program until it gets to a point that the university adopts it. Then it will become one of its programs like the Honors, McNair College, TRIO, or SPARK program, another mentoring program that we saw that did not limit the student compared to the other, like with Honors and its GPA requirement. With the TRIO and the SSS you have to have a financial requirement or disability. With the McNair Scholars you have to be a first generation college student. With this program you have captured those students who would not be able to go into those various other support programs. We aren’t excluding those who are those currently in the other previous programs, but it just gives other opportunity for those students who don’t have that. When they take the UNV 101 course it a cohort so it’s just another way to catch those to freshmen to stay on campus. Events and studies have shown that when they have that peer-to-peer interaction that they will become more successful and they graduate at a faster rate. Just going to class and going home you don’t get that full college experience. So ASI developed it to put the approach on how we can help the student retention.

You have attended the Multi Cultural Center retreats, please talk about what you learned and how you believe students benefit from these retreats?

This last year was my fourth Cross Cultural Retreat attended what helped me with that was to learn who I was. I have had struggles with my own self regarding different topics we have talked about. Sexual orientation, it’s the hot issue that is not discussed in the classroom. We have to embrace our diversity and embrace the various aspects that entail our diversity, all the different entities. The Cross Cultural Retreat has really helped me to develop who I am and help others accept and being able to have tolerance and accept change and be able to co-exist and not have a conflict because of personal bias or things like that. It also helps you to learn in a world which continues to be diverse. We can’t just put it on under the rug and try and continue, we have to face it one way or the other and I rather face it now when I am in my learning mode and being just able to soak up the various different things which will make me a better person. What also helped me was working in the Multi Cultural Center I was able to see how the operations helped the Cross Cultural Retreat in he planning stages, what it takes and the different aspects we work with. Loui Amador hires a consulting group that helps us develop the whole program. It is called Pro Development Group. We have been working with them for all the retreats except one. For the rest we have been using them as the backbone to creating the program and there is a different theme each year to the retreat and they try to encapsulate community wise or encapsulate work place environment things like that. Different entities of how and what makes a community.

What are your career goals?

My career goal is currently with Macy’s. I have been with Macy’s for 5 years. I have done three internships with them. The last internship they created the program for me. I got to shadow three regional managers. My career goal is to continue up the corporate ladder with Macy’s. Upon graduation I will enter there Executive Development Program. My goal in 5 years is to become a Vice President Store Manager. Five to ten years after that to become Regional Store Director. My ultimate goal is to become CEO either divisional or corporate CEO of Macy’s Inc.

How has Dominguez Hills made your ambitions accessible?

Basically it’s being able to have this opportunity to be involved on campus. The great part of being on a small campus you get that more personal interaction with the administration, with the various entities on campus where you want to have to opportunity. CSULB or USC, where it is over-flooded with students, the administration doesn’t have the time to really have that more personal interaction. Here the President of CSUDH knows who you are rather than a number. My opportunity with being on ASI and all the committees. I will be on the search committee for University Advancement's Vice President, being able to interact from the President down, it is not just the professor and that’s it. You have interaction with the various entities on campus.