Samantha Guzman was a peer adviser during her Cal State Fullerton undergraduate education and found working with fellow college students rewarding.
Guzman mentored incoming students registering for classes and worked as a Titan Career Ambassador at the Career Center, empowering classmates on career readiness.
“I loved students’ energy — and discovered my passion for higher education,” she said.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in history in 2023 from CSUF, Guzman enrolled in the university’s graduate program in higher education to become an educational leader.
After earning an M.S. in higher education in May, she will launch her professional path to support students in their college pursuits.
Guzman will start her career as the scholarships and operations manager at Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, Washington. At the community and technical college, she will oversee scholarships and awards and assist with donor stewardship and recognition programs.
“I have many goals, but first and foremost, I want to support holistic student success and foster educational equity,” said Guzman, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. “My goal is to amplify student voices and support marginalized students.”
In recognition of excellence in service, Guzman is the recipient of the Alumni Association’s 2025 Outstanding Graduate Student Award.
“It’s an honor to receive this award. It’s a full circle moment,” said Guzman, who attended Fullerton schools from preschool, Fullerton College to Cal State Fullerton.
She chose CSUF for grad school because of her positive experiences as an undergraduate, including her research on “Murderous Accusations: A Historiography of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.” Her article was published in The Welebaethan, the Department of History journal.
For her graduate studies, Guzman is participating in a group research project with Lissa Ramirez-Stapleton, associate professor of educational leadership. The project, “Through Black Eyes: Using PhotoVoice to Assess Black Student Life at Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” is for their Introduction to Educational Research course.
The researchers are using PhotoVoice as an assessment tool to examine anti-Blackness, joy and belonging among Black students at CSUF.
Guzman explained that PhotoVoice is a participatory research method where students submit images and personal narratives, which makes findings more persuasive and helps with policy change.
“The project aims to improve institutional support practices by exploring Black students’ needs, support systems and coping strategies,” said Guzman, adding that the students are working toward publishing their findings.
“Our research shows that we must continuously and critically analyze policies and practices to ensure all students are being served.”
Ramirez-Stapleton said Guzman is self-driven, leads by example and actively contributes to the research team’s success.
“I look forward to the positive impact Samantha will have on the higher education field and the future students she works with,” Ramirez-Stapleton said.
Guzman has worked as a graduate assistant career coach at the Career Center and program event coordinator for the Higher Education Leadership Organization. She also served on the scholarships committee for the 15th annual Maywood Education Fair, a service-learning project to foster a college-going culture and increase educational equity
She is the recipient of the 2025 Graduate Student Scholarship from Associated Students Inc.
This spring, Guzman is a graduate assistant for student outreach in the Office of Alumni Engagement. She is an adviser for the Student Alumni Ambassadors and helps create and implement programming that connects students to alums.
As graduation day nears, Guzman looks forward to making a difference in the lives of college students.
“Working in higher education can be taxing, but knowing that you can positively impact students’ journeys is the best feeling.”