Claremont Graduate University

06/24/2026

Recent graduates from the School of Educational Studies at CGU share their thoughts and reflections on their educational journeys.

www.cgu.edu/ses

GRADUATE EDUCATION REIMAGINED

06/24/2026

Dr. Vee Kativhu was named the recipient of the Eli Molina Community of Caring Award at the 2026 School of Educational Studies Awards Night.

The Eli Molina Community of Caring Award is named for Elias "Eli" Molina, a man of faith, family, and service who served for 32 years in law enforcement and continued his service to community with the SES Urban Leadership family during his partner, Dr. Aida Molina’s, studies. The award honors those who continue to develop and support a culture of caring for leaders to flourish.

06/22/2026

to Andre Spicer on his appointment for a new role as Chief of Schools beginning July 1, 2026. As Region South Superintendent, Mr. Spicer led the ’Super South’ schools to their highest achievement levels since prior to the pandemic, and has positioned them to continue their trajectory of improvement.

Mr. Spicer is a doctoral student in the PhD in Urban Leadership program at CGU/SES.

www.cgu.edu/ses

GRADUATE EDUCATION REIMAGINED

06/22/2026

We're expecting… new merch. 👀🍼 CGU Affinity merch is now available exclusively at https://www.cgu.store

Shop the full collection for every CGU fan in your life.

06/09/2026

CGU is honored to recognize Vui Nguyen as one of two recipients of the 2026 Pamela M. Mullin Dream and Believe Award, presented at this year's commencement ceremony.

Nguyen grew up selling vegetables at a market in rural Vietnam before school each morning, driven by a single conviction: that education was her way out of poverty and her way toward changing the lives of women like her. She saw how hard it was for women in her community to provide for themselves and decided to build her life around changing that.

While working full time as a banking associate in Hanoi, she recognized that advancing her career required more than technical ability. So for eight years, she gave free tours to international visitors as an unconventional but effective way to build fluency and cultural awareness. That determination eventually brought her to CGU, where it only grew.

Now a PhD Candidate in Organizational Behavior, her research focuses on leadership, organizational culture, and employee well-being, with particular attention to women's empowerment. During her time at CGU, she was chosen to represent Vietnam at the Commission on the Status of Women conference at the United Nations in New York City, bringing her research to a global stage.

The Dream and Believe Award recognizes doctoral students whose lives and scholarship embody resilience, purpose, and transformative impact. Vui exemplifies all of these.

Read her full feature on the CGU blog:

https://www.cgu.edu/news/2026/06/from-vietnamese-markets-to-the-un-nguyens-dream-and-believe-journey/

06/08/2026

Congratulations to Teresa Contino, this semester’s top performer in the Games and Interactive Technology Lab at CGU.

The lab is a space within the School of Social Science, Policy, and Evaluation where students take on real research partnerships at the intersection of UX, game design, and interactive technology. Teresa has been one of its most consistent contributors.

This semester she led a team on an onboarding and adoption research project with CircleUp, an edtech platform that integrates social-emotional learning into academic instruction, helping first-time users build a clear mental model of the app from day one. It’s her third time leading a project in the lab, and she brings the same care and rigor every time: organized, communicative, and deeply invested in her team’s growth alongside the work itself.

Teresa graduated this semester and is heading to Apple as a User Study Coordinator for the Beats team (via Sasken Technologies) ✨💼

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

The same technology often blamed for our loneliness crisis may also hold the key to addressing it.

CGU researchers at the Center for Information Systems and Technology (CISAT) are exploring how AI can detect early signs of social isolation, facilitate meaningful human connection, and provide compassionate support when it's needed most. Led by Dr. Samir Chatterjee, the ClareAI project is one thoughtful attempt to put these questions into practice.

The goal is not to replace human connection. It is to remove the barriers standing in the way of it.

Read the full story at the link below:
https://www.cgu.edu/news/2026/05/can-the-technology-that-isolates-us-reconnect-us/

06/08/2026

Celebrate a champion of education and justice! Romarilyn Ralston ’14 has received a 2026 Dream & Believe Award from Claremont Graduate University (CGU).

Ralston is a Ph.D. Candidate in Executive Management at CGU’s Drucker School of Management.

Ralston graduated with a B.A. from Pitzer’s New Resource program for students 23 years of age or older. She currently serves as executive director of the UCLA Prison Education Program and Center for Justice.

Read more: https://ow.ly/Q9mY50Z6UKj

06/05/2026

Our students don't just study the future. They present it to a room full of industry leaders.

This semester, CGU's Center for Information Systems & Technology (CISAT) hosted AI in Action: Immersive Industry Day 2026, bringing together students, executives, nonprofits, and startups for an afternoon of generative AI in practice.

Students shared their research alongside executives from Amazon Web Services, Intel, Activision, and more. Live demos, startup exhibits, and a panel on AI and the future of work made for an afternoon full of energy and possibility.

What made this event truly special was the collaboration across CGU. Voices and perspectives from CISAT, the Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences (DBOS), the Transdisciplinary Studies Program (TNDY), and Upsilon Pi Epsilon came together to make it all possible💡