Sociology professor Elham Gheytanchi on Crime Expose with Nancy O'Dell
- Major kudos are due to SMC’s Architecture Program, which was one of just three programs statewide—among 116 California Community Colleges—recognized
by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and the Chancellor’s Office through the Exemplary Program Awards. This distinction acknowledges the program’s intentional focus on inclusion, community
engagement, and creating learning environments where diverse student perspectives
are valued and amplified. Congrats!
- SMC’s Interaction (IxD) Bachelor’s degree program has a couple of very noteworthy brags! The program recently partnered with IxD alum Devin Anderson, Creative Director at GameStop, a leading global gaming and entertainment brand. This fall, Devin brought GameStop
to the IxD program as an industry partner for senior students, creating a full-circle
moment that highlights how alumni success can translate into real-world opportunities
for current students. Learn more in the SMC IxD LinkedIn post: GameStop Industry Project.
- IxD senior Harmony Simpson recently spoke on an EdSource roundtable titled Degrees of Value: How Changing Attitudes Toward College Challenge Higher Education
in California. As the only student panelist, she joined higher-education and policy leaders to
reflect on how SMC met her where she was—supporting her exploration, growth, and ability
to turn creativity into a career. Watch her shine via the link above – #ProudToBeSMC!
- Counseling professor Susan Finley has been appointed to serve on the Board of Governors for the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges (FACCC) as Governor for Part-Time Faculty, Southern Region. Her term ends June 2027.
- Nursing professor Ashley Cohen had the pleasure of learning from two women—trailblazers in the nursing world who
are globally recognized—over winter break: Patricia Benner and Chris Tanner at their 2026 conference in Las Vegas: Educating Nurses- A Radical Transformation. Ashley “learned about the latest clinical judgment model that Tanner created this
year...which has not been updated in textbooks yet!” she wrote. “It was an incredible
experience. . .”
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Psychology professor Dorothy Chin was appointed to the Editorial Board of the journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, the flagship journal of the American Psychological Association's Trauma Psychology Division. Dorothy's term started in Jan, 2026 and runs indefinitely.
Dorothy was also interviewed and quoted as an expert in the newly-released best-seller Authentic: The Myth of Bringing Your Full Self to Work, by writer and TED-talk presenter Jodi-Ann Burey.
Last but not least, Dorothy is very proud to share that former SMC student and mentee Emma Dezarn has been admitted to the clinical psychology doctoral program at the University of Edinburgh. Emma also worked with Dr. Lisa Farwell at SMC and former adjunct psychology professor Dr. Jan DeVries, who after leaving SMC, became a tenured professor at Trinity College in Dublin. "It is the highest privilege as an educator to share in the success of a student!" Dorothy wrote. Indeed!
- Theatre Arts instructor Crystal Robbins received a grant from Burbank Arts & Education Foundation to work with a kindergarten class. She will be exploring voice, body and imagination
preparing them for their class play. Other new work includes partnering with Uniper, an online subscription-based wellness platform for those 65+. Her 4-week workshop
is called "Humming Wellness". Crystal is a registered somatic educator and a Lessac
Master Teacher.
- SMC Business & Law professor Moorisha Bey-Taylor, Esq., who is also an intellectual property attorney, was invited to the 28th Annual International Intellectual Property Law Association Conference and World Lawyers Forum to speak on cutting-edge developments in the monetization of entertainment and intellectual
property on January 20, 2026 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Attorney Bey-Taylor's groundbreaking scholarship and thought leadership has recently
earned her multiple awards including Top 40 Under 40 from the National Bar Association and National Black Lawyers and the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles, Inc. Congratulations, Moorisha!
- Sociology professor Elham Gheytanchi was interviewed for Episode 119 of Crime Exposé with Nancy O'Dell (Season 1), which focuses on the murder of Gelareh Bagherzadeh, a graduate student and activist shot in Houston, Texas. The episode explores the
investigation into the religiously motivated killing of her and her son-in-law by
Ali and Nasim Irsan, and it first aired in October 2025.
- Spanish professor Alejandro Lee served as an invited panelist for the webinar “Heritage Language Teaching Exchange,”
representing community colleges. He was joined by Maria Dessipris (Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge, New Jersey), Ivette Obarganes (Stephen T. Mather Building Arts and Craftsmanship High School, New York, New York),
and Sendy Rhone (Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas). The panel was part of the Sheri Spaine Long Professional Development Webinar Series, sponsored and hosted by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, on December 3, 2025.
- Nina Kato, an adjunct instructor in the Modern Languages Department who also teaches at CSUN, is proud to share that a project she is working on under the leadership of Dr. Drake Langford at CSUN has been awarded the prestigious 2025–26 CSU Artificial Intelligence Educational Innovations Challenge grant. The project, titled “Curriculum-Aligned AI Language Partner to Support Student-Centered Learning in Japanese,” aims to prepare students to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven world. This project was selected from a highly competitive pool of proposals across the entire CSU system
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SMC in Focus Volume XII, Issue 1
Hope for the Unhoused
An assignment in SMC’s Homeless Service Work certificate program led Patricia Kusaba to launch an online toolkit to help people in need. Read Article
Frontline Responder
From award-winning journalist to first point of contact at the SMC Police Department, Erin O’Neill brings empathy and creativity to a vital role. Read Article
Woodshop Until He Drops
Meet Terry Kamibayashi, Santa Monica College’s reggae-loving, easy-going director of facilities maintenance. Read Article
Solo & Ensemble
SMC redefines the library experience to support both personal study and group collaboration. With a $1 million renovation, the award-winning 96,000 sq.ft. space has been reimagined. Read Article
Bragging Rights
The Architecture program recognized as an Exemplary Program. A counseling instructor appointed to statewide FACCC Board of Governors. A sociology prof interviewed on a popular Apple crime podcast. Read Article
#2016 Era SMC in Focus: A Look Back
SMC in Focus does a #2016Era throwback. Ten stories—Nursing’s 50-year anniversary, Emeritus, Promo Pathway, SMC students at NASA/JPL, & more—celebrate SMC’s excellence: past, present & future. Read Article