Storytelling, Social Media, and Staying Authentic with Ian Fernandez

In this episode of Beach Peeps, CSULB Vice President of Student Affairs Beth Lesen sits down with Ian Fernandez, a film major and the creative mind behind many of the Student Affairs Instagram reels.

Ian shares how his passion for storytelling started at a young age and evolved into creating engaging, funny, and sometimes chaotic social media content for campus. From scripting and filming to editing and collaborating with a team, he gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make content that actually stops the scroll.

The conversation also dives into Ian’s perspective on creativity in the age of AI. While many students are turning to AI tools, Ian intentionally avoids using them in his creative process, believing that real storytelling comes from human emotion, lived experience, and originality. For him, creativity isn’t something you outsource; it’s something you develop.

Ian also reflects on how getting involved on campus, through a student job and creative opportunities, has shaped his college experience and helped him find his path in film and content creation.

From social media to storytelling, Ian’s episode is all about staying authentic, taking creative risks, and building something that feels real.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Which is scary because you know, obviously AI is on the on the rise.

SPEAKER_01 0:03

That is scary. Yeah. Do you use AI?

SPEAKER_00 0:05

I do not.

SPEAKER_01 0:06

At all.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

No.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Really?

SPEAKER_00 0:08

No.

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Are you telling the truth?

SPEAKER_00 0:09

I am telling the truth.

SPEAKER_01 0:10

I I You're one of like five students on this campus that isn't using AI. I just don't believe that you're not using it. Nobody? Really? You're not not at all.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Not at all.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

I guess when you're creative, that's a really bad idea.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

Oh yeah, big time. It takes away the personality from using, you know, the creativity from the process.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

That's interesting.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Yeah. You know, humans, they, you know, they tell a story full of human emotions and experiences, right? AI doesn't have any of that. You know, AI is just baseless assumptions on nothing, really.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

I'm Beth Lesson, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment at Cal State Long Beach. And this is Beach Peeps, a podcast about students, stories, and the interesting things happening on campus and beyond. Hi, Ian. Hello. How are you today? Doing really good today, actually. Yeah. I joked earlier that I was going to say state your name for the record, please.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Oh, well, I mean, I'm Ian Fernandez.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Hi, Ian.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Hello. I work here at Cal State Long Beach, matter of fact.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

And where do you work at Cal State Long Beach?

SPEAKER_00 1:12

I work in student affairs communications. Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Yes. Doing what? I think a lot of people who tune into this podcast are going to know who you are already because you're kind of the face of student affairs for Cal State Long Beach. Uh, I mean, yeah, sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

Here and there. Um, but yeah, what I do is I like to make a lot of the reels for the student affairs Instagram page. Um, a lot of skits, a lot of funny videos that I just, you know, edit, write the script, work of with our team, because we have a whole team. It's not just me. I want to specify. A great team of very talented people. We come together, make these videos, and yeah, we put them on the Instagram page.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

So thousands of people have already seen your face on social media.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

That is a huge number, but I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

It's true, right? Yeah, it is true. It's true. So our our student affairs um Instagram account gets like tens of thousands of hits, right? So does that mean you're internet famous?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

That that's a bit of a reach. That is a bit of a reach.

SPEAKER_01 2:14

I think you I think you might qualify as internet famous.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Maybe. We're that is the goal.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

I don't really know what what does it take to be internet famous? Internet famous?

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Like 500,000? 500,000.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

We're gonna get you there.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

We're gonna get there. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

Before you graduate, how long do you have in school?

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Two years.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Two years. We've got two years to make you internet famous.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Yes. And then I walk into anywhere I go and people recognize me.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

We're gonna make it happen. What do you so you have two more years of school, so you've been here for two years?

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Yes, I am currently a sophomore.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

You are currently a sophomore, and what do you study, may I ask?

SPEAKER_00 2:46

I study film, so you know it makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

How appropriate.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 2:51

How appropriate. And are you making other films in addition to all the Instagram reels?

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Uh currently out of out of school, yes. I worked on a short film this past semester, actually. It's it's a great, great short horror film, student made.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Horror? Um, yes, but it's comedy with like catch-up all over people, yeah. Of course. Yeah, with the fake blood and everything. Is it like super campy?

SPEAKER_00 3:13

Yeah, oh yeah. Yeah. It's like a parody on slashers.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

It was literally called a horror movie.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Yeah, because good horror has to be campy. Oh, yeah. It can't take itself too seriously because that's not fun. Of course. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

It's gotta be funny.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

So campy horror. Oh yeah. Is that your genre?

SPEAKER_00 3:29

Um, it's one of. It's it's one of. It was a fun, it was a fun genre to work with, but we are currently branching out because we have our own like production group.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Uh-huh. So what's the name of your do you have a name for your production?

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Pyramid Point Productions.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Ah, pyramid. Nice little nod to our campus. Thank you. We appreciate that. Yes, of course. So, what so far is your favorite? I'm gonna actually go back to the Instagram for a second, and then we'll get into your own films.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 3:57

Of all of the Instagram reels that you have made, do you have a favorite one?

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Ooh, I I wanna say the first one we we I did here. Uh it was for the Beach Go app, the tracking-related one. Yeah, yeah. Um, there was just so much energy put into that, and the script was, I feel like, just hilarious. Like just me riding on a bike, just straight up, and then doing all these wacky things. It was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

And so that still has a special place in your heart.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

It does. It does.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

So, how long is the average real?

SPEAKER_00 4:32

The average real? You tend, you should try to aim for around 30 to 60 seconds through real. Really?

SPEAKER_01 4:40

So that's that's longer than I thought.

SPEAKER_00 4:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

People will actually watch something for a whole minute.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yes. Hopefully.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

I thought that people like 10 seconds and they're out.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

I know, I know, yeah. That's the whole thing with social media, you know, everyone just scrolling and scrolling. They don't, you know, if it's too long, they don't care, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:55

How do you capture people's attention? How do you, you know, that's the the big science, right? Yeah. Because when they're scrolling, you wanna make them stop, right? The scroll stop.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

It's it's all about being being funny, being it's it's funny because the way it is now is the worse the quality, the the funnier, right? The more attractive it is.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Okay, that's counterintuitive. Yes, yeah, yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

It's funny the way it works now with all the memes and like just parody of everything.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Have we done a campy horror version of Instagram reel for student the student affairs account?

SPEAKER_00 5:34

We haven't, but that's a great idea.

SPEAKER_01 5:36

I think we need it like a slasher.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

Oh, we do. I agree.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

A slasher reel.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Oh, be the slasher or something like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

That's I I actually hate being on camera like this right now. Oh, really? Like break out in hives or something. But I would do that.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Really?

SPEAKER_01 5:51

I would. I would if you put fake blood all over me and I'm like a corpse on the ground, that would be the best afternoon I could have on this campus. Yeah. I'd be so happy.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

Fun to shoot.

SPEAKER_01 6:01

So I'm sign me up.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Sign okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Maybe to be an extra, like like I said, like the corpse. In the background. I don't want to be acting. I just want to be like somewhere in this on the in the corner.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Yeah. We'll make it happen.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Let's make it happen.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

Let's make it happen.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

Yeah. Some actually a finals reel could be.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

I mean, yeah, that's horror-related. The finals are terrifying.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

It's like a horror. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

You got people over here running on like two hours of sleep, one Red Bull.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Yeah, and like the finals monster comes out and starts slashing everybody. Yeah, then we're we're going off in a special place. Yeah. Where did you come to us from?

SPEAKER_00 6:35

Are you from Long Beach? Where are you from? I am from Downey.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

You're from Downey. So not far.

SPEAKER_00 6:39

Yeah, not far.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Not far.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Um with traffic, it's far. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:43

With traffic, everything is far.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

Of course. About 30 minutes from we're in high school before this.

SPEAKER_01 6:49

Yeah. Did you always want to come here?

SPEAKER_00 6:52

Or how did you wind up with us?

SPEAKER_01 6:54

How did we get you?

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Being a huge film guy, I was basically looking for you know the best colleges for the film programs.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

And Casa Longa Beach was one of them.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

We have a great film program.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Oh yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Big time.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

Who's your favorite? Do you uh do you have a favorite professor? Am I allowed to ask you that?

SPEAKER_00 7:10

Ooh.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

That's a tough one.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

That is a tough one. But right now, out of all the film professors I have taken so far, I want to say Aleusha. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

Professor Aleusha.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Yes, he's a great, great professor.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

Okay. So hopefully he'll be able to see he? She?

SPEAKER_00 7:27

He.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

He. So hopefully he'll be able to see this and hear a shout out from Ian. Ian likes you, Professor Alusha.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Yes, great professor.

SPEAKER_01 7:37

So how do you come up with the different ideas for our Instagram reels?

SPEAKER_00 7:42

That's a good question. Um I, you know, being I'm a pretty creative guy. Um, so you know, I I try to think like, what are like funny concepts that are just bizarre that, you know, like you were asking earlier, what's gonna catch someone's attention? Yeah. So concepts like that. Um, and then you know, I just brainstorm until something latches on, and then I just build upon it. Um, and a lot of times it's you know, I like to collaborate with all the other the other people on our team. Yeah, they come up with a bunch of good ideas, they they throw, hey, how about we try this? How about we do this? And it's like, yeah, that sounds that sounds good. Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

This sounds like a really fun job.

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Oh yeah. I yeah, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

It sounds like you all just are kind of playing, yeah, pretty much. And then we film it and you get paid.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Yeah, paid to to make wacky videos.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

This is a good gig. How do people get that gig?

SPEAKER_00 8:32

How do people get that gig? Um, on Career Link, actually. Oh. On Career Link.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

They can just go online and say, I want to do kooky things for money.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Yes, pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

I think that it's probably posted under a name of some sort, right?

SPEAKER_00 8:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Um What do we call you?

SPEAKER_00 8:48

What do we call?

SPEAKER_01 8:49

Yeah, what do we call you and people like you? Do you have a job title? How would people look for your job?

SPEAKER_00 8:55

Student assistance.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

Student assistants, student assistance. Okay, specifically in student affairs comms.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Student affairs comms.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

So are you going to actually be a filmmaker? Or are you gonna be like internet famous?

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Internet famous? Uh one or the other. We'll we'll find out. You'll take it. Whatever it is, you'll take it. You'll take anything. Anything.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Do you want to be a producer? What kind of film do you want to do?

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Ooh. Um, I'm huge on like anything really set realistic, like a realistic film, gritty, you know, nothing like fancy or like too fictional.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Do you want to write the or produce or direct or mainly write it or edit? There's so many different things you can do with it in the film business, right?

SPEAKER_00 9:35

Yeah, it's it's insane. But I would say writing is probably my biggest passion. I like actually creating the story. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

You know, generating the idea and developing it.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

Yes, which is scary because you know, obviously AI is on the on the rise.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

That is scary. Yeah. Do you use AI?

SPEAKER_00 9:51

I do not.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

At all.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

No.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

Really?

SPEAKER_00 9:53

No.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Are you telling the truth?

SPEAKER_00 9:55

I am telling the truth.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

I I You're one of like five students on this campus who isn't using AI. I just don't believe that you're not using it. Nobody? Really? You're not not at all.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

Not at all. Have you ever? I mean, maybe for like Google, you know, like you search up something, it's like, hey, like But that's it. That's it. Yeah. But not, you know, I'm not generating like story ideas or are you just saying that so that your teachers don't don't decide that you're cheating?

SPEAKER_01 10:19

Uh um that's just so it boggles my mind, really. I know. I guess when you're creative, that's a really bad idea.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

Oh yeah, big time. It it takes away the personality from everything, you know. The creativity from the process just interesting.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Yeah. You don't want to dilute your voice. Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

Yeah. You know, humans, they, you know, they tell a story full of human emotions and experiences, right? AI doesn't have any of that. You know, AI is just baseless assumptions on nothing really. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Well, it's based on you know what it's learned from everybody else who's used it and how it's been programmed and and the data it's fed fed.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

No soul, no soul in it.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

That it's true. There is no AI has no soul. Yeah. You have a soul.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

I have soul. Yes. Thankfully I do. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

AI's slasher movie would not be nearly as good as yours.

SPEAKER_00 11:10

I can only imagine what that would look like. AI and oh god.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

So, how has your two years been so far on this campus? Tell me a little bit about your experience of Cal State Long Beach and like how's it been? What's it like?

SPEAKER_00 11:23

It's been really good. I I really enjoy the school. Yeah. Um, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

You're not just saying that because I'm a vice president.

SPEAKER_00 11:30

No, no.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

I mean because if you don't, you can say that too.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

Um it's no, it's like for the most part, it's it's been really good. Um, I I I spend like 80% of my time doing this job and I love it. Really? Yes. We take that much of your time. Yes. Well in in a good way. Wow. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

Wow. That's awesome. I think that's awesome. Is that awesome?

SPEAKER_00 11:52

It is awesome.

SPEAKER_01 11:53

I mean you ha you're happy, you like it. Yeah. Okay, then it's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

Yeah, it's it's gone to the point where like I consider my classes to be like my break from you're the real reason you're here. Yes, yes. Wow. So it but I enjoy it. So that's that's why I love coming here.

SPEAKER_01 12:08

Well, and you're the face of our division. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Yeah. Yeah. People uh see you when they open our our Instagram. They see you.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

It's funny because they were doing store orientations, and one of my friends was was doing it, and he sends me a picture, and the picture is of me up on the screen. I'm like, oh, they're they're showing the reels to the new students. That's funny.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Why not?

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

Did you ever do any acting?

SPEAKER_00 12:35

I have actually.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

You have? Like in high school?

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Yes. I was I did a musical called In the Heights.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

Okay, I know that musical. That's the Lynn Manuel. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Yes, great, great musical.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

What what role did you play?

SPEAKER_00 12:47

I was a background dancer.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

You danced too?

SPEAKER_00 12:50

I did dance, yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:51

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Dance. A little bit of singing, a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 12:53

You're a triple threat?

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Seven and one shampoo.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

We're not gonna make you sing or dance on the podcast, even though I just need you to know that in my heart I really want to. But I'm not gonna ask you to do that.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

Any day.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

Okay, but if you just break into song, I won't be mad.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

So you have been acting. Yes. And singing and dancing. Is this something that you were doing ever since you were a little kid?

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Uh no, not probably since like middle school.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

How did you fall into it?

SPEAKER_00 13:24

You know, I just I always being a kid, I always liked watching movies. Because like I'm gonna get I'm I'm gonna get a little personal. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Um that's what we do here.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

We like that. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Think of me as like a younger Barbara Walters. My goal is to get you a little a little misty by the end.

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Gotcha. But um coming from a house with divorced parents, yeah, I would, you know, like try to escape from reality by watching movies all the time. Totally. So, you know, watching movies and and I I get sucked into these fictional worlds of that just blew my mind and amazed me. And it's like, wow, like this is like incredible. I can do this, I can make movies just like this when I grow up. So as I grew up, you know, it's like I always wanted to be that storyteller, creating these awesome stories and then put them on the big screen and see them on the big screen. And so we're we're still following that path.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Stories are some of the most powerful things that we have as human beings. I mean, that's how we have shared information generation to generation. It's how we connect with one another. Yes, totally makes sense. It's oh yeah, and yes, for escape, but also not just, right? Right. Like stories can help you escape, but they can also bring tremendous meaning and they can really connect people and inspire.

SPEAKER_00 14:44

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Yeah. I no, I get it. And so around middle school, you were like, that's me.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

That's me.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

I'm gonna do that.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

I'm gonna do that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

Were you um I'm trying I'm thinking about like little Ian. And were you like a little bit of a class clown? Oh did you like try to make people laugh?

SPEAKER_00 15:00

I mean, yeah, I I definitely did. Um, I, you know, I would I was always kind of kept kept to myself um until like I actually started acting. Like that's kind of what like made me fun, you know.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Brought you out of your shelf.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

Brought me out of the shell. Yeah, yeah. And then when I started high school, my film teacher was like, Hey, you're a funny guy. So you want to do you want to be the anchor for the school? Sure.

SPEAKER_01 15:25

Oh, I love that. So you were like an like a school news pit news anchor.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Pretty much, yeah. Big big guy on the TV screen at the entire school saw that.

SPEAKER_01 15:34

So we're not your first date. No, we're like your third engagement.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Pretty good though.

SPEAKER_01 15:41

No, that's great. We've we've gotten you on the upswing.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

Yeah, we're we're still going.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 15:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

And were you always comfortable on stage, or did you get stage fright? Were you nervous?

SPEAKER_00 15:52

I honestly, I'd say I've always been good up on stage.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

Yeah, you seem very comfortable right now. Yeah. Like in front of a camera. Doesn't seem to faze you at all. Really? I've talked with some other students and I've been like, I want to interview you. And they've gotten a little nervous about the idea of being on camera and being having a microphone. You're like, let's do this. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Not my first radio.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

And it's it's not your first radio. Yeah. And and it's always been that way. You've always been pretty much. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Pretty much. Yeah. It's just, yeah. I mean, I don't know why, but you know, it's just it is what it is. I enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

That's awesome. You've you seem to have found your path. Yeah. You found your way. And not only have you found your way for your career and your future, but you found it here. Like you're really immersed. You're you're doing the things that you came here to do and really enjoying it and doing it like all the time. All the time. And that's why you're gonna be internet famous.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

I see what you did there. I see what you did there.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

That's why you're gonna be internet famous. What's your where do you hang out on campus?

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Where do I hang out?

SPEAKER_01 16:53

Yeah, like when you're not in class.

SPEAKER_00 16:55

When I'm not in class. Um mainly, mainly like the by the sin the cingy buildings where the uh the cinema area because are there places to hang out over there?

SPEAKER_01 17:04

Oh yeah. Where do you hang like kind of like by the fountain?

SPEAKER_00 17:06

Oh, okay. Like the fountain or like the uh like the big old beach chairs on the like the other side of the the Macintosh building? Great place, a lot of shade. Yeah. A lot of shade.

SPEAKER_01 17:16

And where do you go to eat on campus?

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Where do I go to eat?

SPEAKER_01 17:21

Like what to go to?

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Um I used to go to Subway and Carl's Jr.

SPEAKER_01 17:26

And we have destroyed your life.

SPEAKER_00 17:28

We have destroyed, yes. Yes. So sad.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

How are you navigating, speaking of which, how are you navigating the construction on campus?

SPEAKER_00 17:35

Um, it has definitely added a few minutes to my walk.

SPEAKER_01 17:39

It's cramped your style a little bit. Just just just a little bit. Just a little bit. Just a little bit. But you're rising to the occasion.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

We are trying our best.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Have you found some some other food options that work for you?

SPEAKER_00 17:51

Um, habit. Habit. The habit. Oh, that's good.

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Yeah, that was a good addition, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:55

Yes. I'm I'm glad they brought that back. Or it was never here. It was never here. I'm glad they brought it. It's great. Yeah. All the way up there.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

That's a good idea.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

Um, but yeah, those stairs. Really getting my steps in. That that is good though. That is good.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

My daily I love looking on how you look on the bright side. I really appreciate that about you.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

Daily Cal State Long Beach Hike.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

What would make it easier for you to be a student here? What's one thing that if we did it would make your life better as a student?

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Hmm.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

I'm always looking for tips and tricks.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

I would say escalators. I would say escalators.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

How about a lot of elevators?

SPEAKER_00 18:40

Please, yes. Okay. Elevators.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

So they're coming. Coming soon. Coming to a campus near you.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

Hopefully.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Yes. Coming soon to a campus near you.

SPEAKER_00 18:48

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

So that's really it. Like I ask you, I could wave a magic wand. You can have anything you want, and you're like elevators. Okay. I'll take.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

I will say, mayhaps, maybe more student parking.

SPEAKER_01 19:00

Parking. That's fair. I opened myself up to that. That's fair. That's on me. Yes. Note to self. From now on, I ask that question and I say except for parking.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Except for parking.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

No, I I hear that. We are actually really wait. Okay. That is a huge subject of for exploration on amongst the leadership. We have heard this loud and clear, and we're looking for all sorts of um different possible solutions.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

Okay. I like that.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

You know, parking is only a pro really a problem in the first few weeks of campus.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

And then the rest of the time it's fine.

SPEAKER_00 19:42

Yeah, I'd say like the first month or so. Yeah. Um, but then it eases out.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

And then it's fine for the rest of the semester.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Like the top of the the top of the pyramid parking structure, I'm I'm able to find good parking. Yeah. Um, but my my first year I didn't know that. Yeah. So it was just always just fight.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

Well, now you're telling a whole bunch of people.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

Yes. So no.

SPEAKER_01 20:02

Now you're not gonna be able to find anymore.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

Oh well.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

So just come early.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

Come early.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Yeah. I get that. Yeah. If you were talking with a brand new student or a few brand new students, what would you what advice would you have for them? Like you've been pretty successful here. You've really embraced the campus and we've embraced you back. So how did you do that? How did you get to where you are? And what would you advise new students?

SPEAKER_00 20:36

I would say definitely, definitely get involved, like no matter what it is, whether it's clubs or like just applying for jobs, school jobs, just do it. You know, it's look for every opportunity that that you know that you like that comes your way and take it. Why not?

SPEAKER_01 20:52

And it doesn't really matter what the opportunity is. People are always like, well, what should I get involved with? Should I be a part of like the young engineers of America?

SPEAKER_00 21:02

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

It it doesn't have to be related to the kind of work that you want to do.

SPEAKER_00 21:06

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

It can literally be anything. It could be like the Netflix club. I don't care because it is.

SPEAKER_00 21:11

You know, it it opens up other pathways for you. You you find out you really like this thing and then you voila. Yeah, you're in there.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Yeah, and that's how you form real connections. Not because you're doing something for your resume, but because you're doing something that you really enjoy.

SPEAKER_00 21:24

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

With other people who like the same thing.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

And network, networking is huge.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

I like the finger.

SPEAKER_00 21:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

Network, uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

Knowing people. Knowing people for sure. It is.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

It's important. Is there anything that I can? Do you have any questions for me? Is there anything that I can answer? Sure. I've asked you a lot of questions.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

How many years have you been have you been working here?

SPEAKER_01 21:43

That's a great question. I'm this is my sixth year. Your sixth year. Yeah. I've been here five and a half years.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Um, so we're we're gonna round out six at the end of this semester. Oh, I started June 2nd, 2020. 2020. It was a very difficult rough year. Yeah. Which you completely understood. Right in the beginning of the pandemic was my first day.

SPEAKER_00 22:04

SmackDapp day. Yeah. Yeah. So it's changed.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

It's changed a lot. I've been, I was up in Sacramento. Sacramento. And had planned on moving here to start the job in August. In on July 1st was my actual start date. It was supposed to be my start date. But then COVID happened and I started remotely on June 2nd and I was still in Sacramento. And I relocated while I was already working here.

SPEAKER_00 22:30

What a way to start.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

It was it was a wild time. It was a wild ride. We stood up. This was before you were here. We had to stand up an entire vaccine clinic in the in a parking structure. We were vaccinating people in a parking structure. Wow. We vaccinated thousands of people in a parking structure online.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

Can you only imagine how hectic that was?

SPEAKER_01 22:50

It was it was intense. It was something. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:53

I bet.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

Yeah. You were in high school.

SPEAKER_00 22:55

I was still in high school. I started, I was going from eighth grade to ninth to freshman year of high school. Yeah. Insane.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Yeah. I had a my son was in kindergarten. He did kindergarten online. And my daughter was in fifth grade and she did fifth grade online.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

I'd I'd honestly say for the younger gen like the younger kids, it would probably be better when you're younger, because like you, you know, you're just starting.

SPEAKER_01 23:19

It's not like you already my son didn't care at all. Exactly. My kindergartner, he was like, whatever. I was crushed. Yeah. Because you know, I wanted him to have this normal kindergarten experience.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

But he doesn't know what it's like.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

Could not have cared less. He was so psyched that he got to hang out with us all day.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:36

But my daughter, fifth grade, she knew.

unknown 23:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

She was like, uh, don't love it, gotta say.

SPEAKER_00 23:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

But they got two puppies out of it. Two puppies. Hey. Because I'm a sucker. So yeah. Cobra puppies. We did. We got pandemic puppies.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

Pandemic puppies, there you go. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

They're not puppies anymore. No. And there's no more pandemic. And I have two huge dogs. Shh.

SPEAKER_00 23:58

Seven years old.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

What can you do?

SPEAKER_00 24:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:01

Yeah, six. Six? Yeah. A lot of dog. Do you have any other that went far? Do you have any other questions for me?

SPEAKER_00 24:08

Um, I mean just just to kind of like what have I been doing for six years? Yeah, sure. I mean, how how did you were you just immediately like given this role or did you have to like work your way up?

SPEAKER_01 24:19

No, I was somewhere else. I was at Sacramento State. Yeah, I was associate vice president and dean of students at Sacramento State.

SPEAKER_00 24:27

I see.

SPEAKER_01 24:27

Oh and I got a phone call asking if I would be interested in this role. And initially I wasn't so sure because, you know, we were pretty, we were pretty my whole family was pretty established up there. Um, and I wasn't sure I would was ready to relocate my kids.

SPEAKER_00 24:44

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Um, but the more I looked at Cal State Long Beach and saw what an incredible place it is, and I was so excited to work with our last president, Jane Close Connolly. Yes. Um, the more I looked at it, the more I thought, yeah, I think we're gonna do it. And I talked to the kids and I bribed them with trips to Disneyland. I was like, if we locate so close to Disneyland, right here. And they totally they were very suspicious and skeptical.

SPEAKER_00 25:11

Really?

SPEAKER_01 25:11

They they did not believe me, but I was like, we'll be 10 minutes from the beach, we'll be so close to Disneyland. Come on, kids, who's with me? Who's with me? Yeah, it worked out. They're very happy that we made the move. And I've been so honored to be a part of this place. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

How about you? Uh same. I would say I am honored.

SPEAKER_01 25:32

You feel pretty good about this choice? I do. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

The beach. The beach. Would recommend 10 out of 10 experience.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

I think that's a great I think that's a great place to stop. Yes. Thank you so much for joining me today. Thank you. The beach would recommend 10 out of 10 experience.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

Yes, thank you, Beth.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

Thank you, Ian. Yes. And thanks for being the face of student affairs on on the internet.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

I I will keep trying. I appreciate it. Thank you.