As you continue your speedy pace through the semester, we encourage you to take a moment to acknowledge some new faces. Associated Students is proud to welcome four new staff members to the Beach. These distinguished professionals are excited to continue ASI’s legacy by partnering with and serving students.
AlecSandria Colchico, Director, IPCDC
The new director of the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center (IPCDC), AlecSandria Colchico, is quick to profess how CSULB’s impact stretches far beyond her career.
“Starting in 2000, I worked for five years at the IPCDC and it had a huge impact on me,” she said. “I learned a great deal, enjoyed my time and carried the values, goals and beliefs about children to the next places I was employed. When I had kids, I raised them also in the philosophy of Isabel Patterson.”
Alec weaved the principles of Isabel Patterson into classes she taught at El Camino Community College. She also worked at Long Beach City College’s Child Development Center and is eager to tackle the challenge of facilitating a bigger picture operation such as the IPCDC.
“When students have a place to take their children to be cared for securely and safely, it’s so awesome and humbling to be a part of,” she said. “It’s exciting to get reacquainted from what I did years ago, and to learn every single day I’m here.”
Arnecia Bryant, Associate Director, Facility Operations
As a new associate director with the University Student Union (USU), Arnecia Bryant wants to use her lengthy experience in facilities and maintenance to benefit students at the Beach.
“I feel as though I have made a connection here, and I’m excited to embrace the opportunities for growth, tackle the challenges in our facilities and to meet the needs of our students,” she said.
Bryant is seeking an emphasis on sustainability for the USU, encouraging students to get involved and take ownership over the facility. As the associate director for the student union at Cal State University Dominguez Hills, she led renovation, oversight and growth efforts for the facility. For her, all maintenance and development is centered on the needs of the students.
“This is your union, your home away from home,” she said. “Get involved in the facility use committee, come engage with our board of trustees, put your ideas out there—we want to make this building accessible, sustainable and ultimately most beneficial for the needs of students.”
Farron Fowler, Associate Director, SRWC
Hailing from Fort Smith, Arkansas, Farron Fowler is excited to serve the students of CSULB with his sixteen years of recreation experience as associate director of the Student Recreation & Wellness Center (SRWC).
“Interacting with students is what gets me out of bed each morning, because the passion they have for their own personal development and pursuits is infectious,” he said. “I’m a big believer in development and growth—not only for myself or my career, but for the staff and people around me.”
With a motto of “nurturing growth with immeasurable potential,” Fowler hopes to involve and empower students by engineering exciting programs, keeping the equipment modern and embracing new ideas, updates or expansions.
“I want to build the already phenomenal team at the SRWC into one that is stronger, more dynamic and more of a family unit, so that we can shape lasting relationships with students and propel them into their desired fields and industries,” he said.
Parker Chalmers, Beach Pride Events Coordinator
A proud CSULB alum, Parker Chalmers is excited to be back on campus and contributing his expertise to students as the new Beach Pride Events Coordinator. After working as a student union program coordinator at CSUDH, Chalmers looks forward to working with Beach Pride Events to help students develop new ideas, programs and ways to promote them.
“It’s the students’ ideas that move this whole thing forward, and I’m excited to guide and mentor them to be as successful as possible,” he said.
Chalmers spent many of his formational years at CSULB, so he has a lot of pride for the Beach. He considers himself a mentor to students, and finds deep satisfaction in seeing them develop professionally and individually.
