New Faculty Newsletter
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New Faculty Newsletter East Los Angeles College /Spring 2017 ELAC New Faculty Newsletter East Los Angeles College would like to give a warm welcome to our new Professors and Faculty! Randall (Randy) Adsit Vernita Burrell Anthropology/Geography/Geology English M.S., Geology, California State University, Los Angeles Ph.D., English, Fordham University B.S., Geology, San Diego State University M.A., English, Loyola Marymount University B.A., English, Hunter College, City University of New York In between getting his B.S. and starting his graduate program, Professor Adsit joined the Professor Burrell is a Los Angeles native, but Peace Corps and served for two years in Liberia, West Africa. His just received her Ph.D. in English literature at Fordham University job in the Peace Corps was to teach farmers how to raise fish - he in New York. She is very excited to begin her full-time teaching was a fish farmer! After getting his M.S., Professor Adsit started career at East. Professor Burrell feels that East is an amazing col- part-time at ELAC, and worked as a “freeway flier” for 23 years, lege, and already feels at home here! until he was hired full-time. Professor Burrell always had an interest in teaching Basic English Professor Adsit teaches four disciplines: Geology, Earth Science, Composition. Encouraging students to have confidence in their Oceanography, and Environmental Science. He enjoys being mul- writing by guiding them to discover correct ways of crafting a sen- tidisciplinary, and does not specialize! Professor Adsit is the fac- tence, teaching students grammar and new vocabulary, and having ulty advisor for the Geology Club here on campus. Off campus, he students create rich paragraphs that lead to writing formal essays is the assistant scoutmaster for his son’s Boy Scout Troop. has always given her joy. Professor Burrell loves talking with stu- dents one-on-one, and would eventually like to utilize this love by Gia Barilari getting involved with student success initiatives at East. English Hyo Jin (Angela) Chung M.A., English Composition and Certificate in Teaching Post-Secondary Reading -- San Francisco State University Mathematics B.A., English Literature -- University of California, Berkeley M.A., Applied Mathematics, California State University, Long Beach A.A., English -- Pasadena City College B.A., Mathematics, California State University, Long Beach Professor Barilari enjoys teaching students how to annotate their Professor Chung was born and raised in Seoul, texts, especially for main ideas and supporting details. Active South Korea and moved to California when reading helps students process information that will lead them she was in high school. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s to a stronger comprehension of what they are reading. She enjoys degrees in mathematics from Cal State Long Beach, and has taught assisting professors across the disciplines in developing reading all different levels of math courses at community colleges as an strategies to facilitate their students’ success in the classroom. adjunct professor since 2010. Professor Chung currently resides in Cerritos, CA, with her husband and two sons. She is very excited Maria Betancourt to begin her career as a full-time math professor at ELAC. English Professor Chung enjoys teaching all math classes, but her favorite classes are Pre-calculus and Trigonometry. She finds both of these M.A., English, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona courses fun and intriguing, and has a great passion for teaching B.A., Spanish, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona these particular topics. Professor Chung wants to spread her love of math to her students, and believes that what goes on outside of Professor Betancourt grew up in the city of El the classroom can be just as important as what happens inside. She Monte. After completing her degrees at Cal Poly would like to serve as a mentor for students in the MESA program Pomona, she worked at Citrus College and Mount San Antonio and also serve in campus-wide committees, such as the Student College as an ESL and English instructor for five years. Grammar Success Committee and the Work Environment Committee. is one of the subjects that interests Professor Betancourt the most. She considered it one of her weakest and most dreaded subjects when she was in high school. While attending college, Professor Betancourt took an introduction to English grammar course, and the professor’s dynamic presentations changed her life forever. Professor Betancourt enjoys attending professional conferences within her field so that she can share what she has learned with her colleagues. She has also had several opportunities to present at many of these conferences, and considers these opportunities to be helpful for her to strengthen her own pedagogy and mentor novice instructors. 2 Kenneth Chaiprasert Bryant Horowitz Social Sciences Psychology Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, Irvine Ph.D. Behavioral Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles J.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison M.A., Behavioral Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles B.A., Political Science & History, University of California, Los Angeles B.A., Psychology, California State University, Northridge Born in Monterey Park, Professor Chaiprasert Professor Horowitz received his Ph.D. in 2012 grew up in the South Bay (Hawthorne/Lawndale and Torrance). from UCLA in Behavioral Neuroscience and taught part-time at After earning his B.A. in Political Science and History, he went to ELAC for 2 years before becoming one of the family, full-time. law school and earned his Doctor of Law degree. Nevertheless, His favorite subject is Biopsychology, and he is a self-proclaimed his true calling is in Political Science, and Professor Chaiprasert “NEURO NERD”. just recently finished his Ph.D. in Political Science. His goal is Professor Horowitz enjoys teaching about the brain and drugs, to help students use the knowledge and skills gained from polit- and behavioral disorders. He likes to mentor students, and put his ical science to be successful in whichever institution they may lessons in action. transfer to or whichever profession they may pursue. Professor Chaiprasert now has come full circle: he returns to Monterey Park, his birthplace, to work with the spectacular people at ELAC to LaQuita Jones serve, inspire, guide, and teach the awesome students at ELAC. Social Sciences M.A., Sociology, Cal State University, Fullerton François-Pierre Couture A.A., General Studies, Cypress College Theater Arts Professor Jones has over ten years of experi- M.F.A. in Scenic and Lighting design from UCLA ence in higher education. She has extensive B.F.A. in theatre, scenic design from Concordia University experience in student service programs such as Financial Aid, Originally from Montreal, Professor Couture CARE/CalWORKS, and EOPS from Cypress College. Professor has had the privilege of working in Los Angeles Jones worked as an instructional assistant at Fullerton College’s and the United States for the last decade as a scenic, lighting and Academic Support Center and adjunct instructor at Mt. San projection designer. His multifaceted and dynamic approach to Antonio and El Camino colleges. his craft has given him the opportunity to work across multiple The discipline of Sociology offers a broad range of topics that environments and venues across the United States. He is also pur- expands one’s knowledge and social consciousness; giving them suing a fulfilling career as a teacher at East Los Angeles College the tools to explore and discover the influence of the social world and is proud to be part of one of the most dynamic and upcoming on their lives and their influence on the social world. For this rea- theater departments in Los Angeles. son, Professor Jones enjoys teaching topics such as Socialization, Some of Professor Couture’s designs include; Destiny of Desire Critical Race Theory, Crime and Delinquency, Gender, and Social at the Arena Stage Theatre, SCR and the Goodman; James and Movements. She views these topics as being some of the most the Giant Peach, Pinocchio and The Light Princess at South Coast stimulating, transforming, and educationally enriching. Repertory; The Mexican Trilogy, an American History at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Médée and Teseo for the Chicago Opera Professor Jones embraces the role of being a change agent and Theatre; A Picasso at the Geffen Playhouse; Woodboy Dogfish mentor. For this reason, she is an avid supporter of all student with the Rogue Artist Ensemble; Everything you Touch for support and success efforts. Professor Jones enjoys serving on Rattlestick productions at the Cherry Lane Theatre and Boston the Equity Committee, serving as the Sociology Club Faculty Court Theatre; The Year of Magical Thinking at the Laguna Advisor, being part of Student Success Advocates, and serving on Playhouse; Metamorphoses and Woyzeck at the Santa Barbara Scholarship Selection Committees. Ensemble Theatre. Charles Fogel Mathematics M.A. Math, California State, Long Beach B.A., General Studies, University of Michigan Professor Fogel is a former newsman who spent 20 years researching, writing, and reporting the news for papers in Detroit, Louisiana, Texas, and California. In 2009, he earned a master’s degree in math and made the switch to teaching. Professor Fogel is especially interested in teaching Higher Math, Calculus, Statistics and Discrete Structures. He volunteers at the Natural History Museum, and also as a tutor. Octavian Le Professor Lee enjoys teaching Biology the most, and feels that it exists in the most beautiful, alluring, and fascinating parts of the Life Science world. In other words, all of it! Everything from our cells, physi- M.D., Medicine, Universidad Central Del Este ology, and ecology paints a dazzling patterned picture of intricate B.S., Biological Science, University of California, Davis interactions. He welcomes partnerships with other colleagues and community organizations to help students move beyond East LA Professor Le feels that the best way to con- College and to find their own life adventure.