August 4, 2026
I grew up in a very rural community of Southern California in the agricultural desert of Imperial County, where today the summer temperature is purported to reach 113 degrees Fahrenheit. I sometimes say I have a higher heat tolerance than a cold tolerance because of being raised in a desert; when others are complaining of 90 degree temperatures, I’m still quite alright.
Graduating out of Brawley Union High School, I was admitted into the local San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus (SDSU-IVC) Freshmen Scholars Program that had its origins in Fall 2003. I was within one of the last cohorts admitted into the program that capped annually at 50 students before SDSU-IVC stopped admitting Freshman students for almost a decade.
The Freshman Scholar’s Program at SDSU Imperial Valley Campus was a financial issue for SDSU main campus as in 2005 the program faced discontinuation [1]. However, due to local community protests in favor of keeping the program, it was salvaged and I was accepted in Fall 2006.
At SDSU-IVC, I gained research experience that paved the way for my acceptance into the Cal State University San Marcos (CSUSM) Master’s Program in Psychology where I gained further experience in research methods in Psychology.
After graduating from CSUSM, I took some time away from research to pursue a career in Applied Behavior Analysis to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
The Covid-19 “pandemic,” however, brought me back to my research background due to the efforts of various advocates that sparked an interest in me on topics affecting people nationally and globally.
Thus, I’ve returned to my undergraduate and graduate roots: research.
I aspire to turn this library and transform/combine publications into a doctoral dissertation independently published; I am not presently enrolled in a doctoral program.
To be frank, the desire to independently publish my dissertation is largely due to retractions that various publications that challenge the consensus regarding vaccines have faced, leading me to believe there isn’t a doctoral program nationally or perhaps even globally that would accept a dissertation such as this one.
I am hopeful that may change in the future, but for the time being, I am content chipping away at various research papers in my spare time in the early mornings.
I thank you for taking the time to read my research and other publications.
Reference
- San Diego Union-Tribune. (2005, April 4). Imperial Valley fights to keep 4-year campus. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2005/04/04/imperial-valley-fights-to-keep-4-year-campus/