2019-2020 SPSA Board

President: Sepehr Nasserara
Vice President: Tania Calhoun
Treasurer: Wendy Romero
Secretary: Steven Nguyen
Philanthropy Chair: Elizabeth Mejia
Social Chair: ​Brandon Rodriguez
Online Communications Director: Katie Lacy
First Year Representatives: Sabrina Khan, Tommy Nunan, & Maddy Braverman
Faculty Adviser: Dr. Kristi Hagans
PRESIDENT: SEPEHR NASSERARA
Sepehr Nasserara is in his second year of the School Psychology program. He attended El Camino College and transferred to UC Santa Cruz where he earned his BA in Psychology in 2015. Since 2016 he has worked as an aide in various special education settings such as SDC, RSP, one-on-one (1:1), life skills, and autism center. Currently he is at Lawndale Elementary School District (LESD) gaining his practicum experience and working his 1st year as a substitute teacher. Sepehr looks forward to serving his peers with his incredible team during the 2019-2020 school year!

Fun Fact: During his commutes in traffic he likes to do car karaoke to pass the time
Life Goal: To never lose his sense of humor 
VICE PRESIDENT: TANIA CALHOUN
Tania Calhoun is a second-year in the school psychology program.  She grew up in Long Beach and received her BA in Psychology from UC Irvine 2011. After graduating, she took time off from school to work. During this time, she worked as a special education instructional assistant with local school districts. In this position she worked with culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse populations. She noticed disparities within special education services and this prompted her to pursue higher education.

Fun Fact: I am a mom to two girls.
Life Goal: Make the most of her life while she can and take it one day at a time
TREASURER: WENDY ROMERO
Wendy is a second-year student in the School Psychology program in CSULB. Wendy is excited to be the Treasurer for this year! Wendy grew up in Norwalk, CA and attended CSULB for her undergraduate education. In 2014 Wendy received her BA in Psychology, which made her the first in her family to graduate from a four-year college. Wendy is currently part of the Local District South Behavior Support Team for LAUSD, where she provides supports and strategies for students with disabilities. She is also part of the Transition Grant, where she implements culturally responsive interventions to students at Jordan High School in Long Beach, CA. Wendy is excited for her second year in the program and is completing her practicum with LAUSD!

​Fun Fact: On a whim, I DMed a celebrity from a Netflix series, and they responded back!
Life Goal: To have a happy and fulfilling life, free of regrets. Also, to outlive my enemies.
SECRETARY: STEVEN NGUYEN
Steven Nguyen is a recent transplant from San Jose to Anaheim. He is a 2nd year school psychology student and doing his practicum at Anaheim Union High School District.

Fun Fact: I live and taught in Korea for almost two years and I am a licensed Marriage Family Therapist. 
Life Goal: would be to incorporate my experience with mental health into school setting.
PHILANTHROPY CHAIR: ELIZABETH MEJIA
​Elizabeth is a second-year student in the School Psychology program. Elizabeth is currently completing her practicum at Long Beach Unified School District.

SOCIAL CHAIR: BRANDON RODRIGUEZ

Brandon is a second-year student in the School Psychology program at CSULB. He attended Irvine Valley College and transferred to UC Merced where he earned his BA in Psychology in 2018. Brandon is a first-generation DREAMer college student and he seeks to assist and empower younger students with a similar background. He is a part of the CASA grant, where he implements culturally responsive transition interventions to students and advocates for foster youth in LA county. Currently, he is getting his practicum experience at Anaheim High School (AUHSD) and looks forward to what the second year of the program will bring.

Life Goal: Brandon would like to travel often and enjoy every moment.
​Fun Fact: Brandon has worked at Knott’s and Disney, all that’s missing is Universal.
ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: KATIE LACY
​Katie is a second-year student in the School Psychology program at CSULB. Prior to this program, Katie earned a BA in Psychology at UC Davis, and she worked as a public education specialist at a reading clinic. Katie participates on the MTSS grant and is a NASP student Leader. She is currently completing her practicum hours at Powell Academy for Success in Long Beach Unified School District.
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Fun Fact: Katie has a cat named Ronald Reagan (completely ironic).
Life Goal: Katie would like to travel to every continent!
FIRST YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: SABRINA KHAN
Sabrina Khan is a 1st year graduate student in the School Psychology program. She loves it here at the Beach! Sabrina is from Santa Ana and is currently work as an AVID tutor at her old high school. She earned a B.A. in Psychology & Social Behavior and a B.A. in Education Sciences at UC Irvine. Her career goal is to become a more effective advocate for social justice and make school a more inclusive and diverse space.
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Fun Fact: I've been to the Ikea Museum in Sweden (it's as cool as it sounds trust)
Life Goal: To see the Northern Lights and travel as much as I can
FIRST YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: TOMMY NUNAN
Tommy Nunan is in his first year of the School Psychology program. He received his BA from Oberlin College in 2013. After graduating he worked as an RSP and SDC aide, tutor, and soccer coach. He eventually went back to school for his MA in Education from UC Berkeley. He worked as an elementary school teacher for a few years, before deciding to pursue school psychology. After working in schools for many years in many different capacities, Tommy is happy to have found a career that will allow him to support and advocate for students in a variety of ways.

Fun fact: I love sneakers, and have more of them than any one person needs to own.
Life goal: To work toward a world where everyone has the ability to lead a meaningful life, whatever that means to them.
FIRST YEAR REPRESENTATIVE: MADDY BRAVERMAN
Maddy is a first year representative in SPSA and a returning CSULB student. She played volleyball and was very involved in her undergraduate years at Long Beach State. She has already traveled to 15 countries. She is very outgoing and loves going to different school events from sports games to the school recreation challenges to school movies. She loves being outdoors, and will always prefer to face time rather than text.

Life goal: To travel to at least 2 countries every summer while working as a School Psychologist.
​Fun fact: She can find the good in any situation or person.
FACULTY ADVISER: DR. KRISTI HAGANS 
Dr. Kristi Hagans is associate professor and director of the School Psychology program at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Before her appointment at CSULB, Dr. Hagans worked as a school psychologist in public schools at the elementary and middle school levels for five years in both Oregon and California. Her research and practice interests include the use of general outcome measures to inform instruction to increase academic outcomes for preschool, elementary, and middle school students in reading and math. Dr. Hagans is the co-principal investigator of a U. S. Department of Education grant to train school psychologists as instructional consultants in a response-to-intervention model, and serves as an external evaluator on several federal- and state-funded grants. She currently teaches courses on advanced assessment for intervention, behavioral assessment and intervention, supervision of practica students and interns, and serves on several student thesis committees as chair or reader. Dr. Hagans also co-teaches the introduction to school psychology course. She lives in Long Beach with her partner, two children, and two dogs.