Beyond J

Jeffery Benson calls himself a disruptor because he’s never been one to follow the traditional path. The 61-year-old graduated from Sac State with his bachelor’s degree in Career and Technical Studies in December 2024. In May, he returned to offer words of wisdom and encouragement to fellow Class of 2025 graduates during Spring Commencement, where he proudly represented the College of Education as...

For former foster youth, attending college, let alone graduating, may seem daunting. In fact, nationally, only 4% of college students who have experienced the foster system will earn a degree. Bucking that trend are the students in Sac State’s Guardian Scholars Program, which provides support and resources to former foster youth at the University. The program has just over 200 students participati...

When Ryan Todd came to Sacramento State as a student some two decades ago, the idea of colleges and universities investing significant time and resources into sustainability was a concept still in its infancy. But Todd liked the outdoors, so he decided to major in Environmental Studies. He left Sac State with not only his degree, but also a commitment to do his part to help the planet. Little did...

With Beyond J taking a break this week, we revisit our 2022 episode featuring a pair of Sac State alums who become caught up in the war in Ukraine.

What can the common fruit fly teach us about autism? That's a question Sacramento State Biology Professor Kim Mulligan and her students are working to answer. Mulligan's research centers on the molecular basis of brain disorders. In her lab on campus, she and her students use the common fruit fly to study how genes and environmental factors can converge to cause neurodevelopment disorders,...

Earlier this year, Sacramento State joined a prestigious list of colleges and universities recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for “high research activity,” earning the foundation’s Research 2, or R2, designation. But what does that designation mean — especially for Sac State faculty and students? To answer that question, “Beyond J” welcomes Sac State Interim Provost Carlos Nevarez, who will soo...

In 2015, after all 20 Academy Award acting nominations went to white actors, social media responded with the #OscarsSoWhite campaign to press for greater representation in film. Now, ten years later, has Hollywood made good on its promise to diversify? What do this year’s nominations say about the state of filmmaking? And where is the industry headed overall? Michele Foss-Snowden is a professor of...

Annette Reed had been retired from Sacramento State for all of a week when President Luke Wood approached her with a unique opportunity: The University was starting a first-in-California Native American College, and he wanted Reed to serve as its inaugural dean. After taking some time to think it over, and talk with colleagues and tribal leaders, Reed made the decision to return to Sac State, wher...

Phillip Altstatt has been making art since before he can remember, but when he was in high school, his art teacher told him he didn’t have much potential. He stopped drawing for 10 years. By that time, he was a Sacramento State student who was taking an Art Studio class simply to fulfill an elective. His professor pulled him aside and, this time using the word “potential” in a positive way, encour...

We look back at a powerful episode from 2022 featuring Tammy Linn, who earned her degree from Sacramento State with the help of the University's Project Rebound program, which supports students who were formerly incarcerated. The child of drug addicts, Linn grew up with instability and loss. She lived with multiple foster families and bounced around from school to school before ultimately dropping...

We revisit our very first episode, where we we introduce you to Mona, a then-Sacramento State student who persevered and kept her college dream alive despite daunting challenges. She has faced difficulties meeting basic needs such as food and housing as well as domestic violence and severe health challenges. Our co-host for this episode is Danielle Munoz, then-director of the Sacramento State CARE...

Shortly after the 2024 general election, Sacramento State President Luke Wood met with some of the University’s undocumented students and posed a question. "He said, ‘We can go two ways. We can go into hiding if that makes you all feel better, or we can be out and we can be proud and we can say that Sac State stands with you,’ ” said Kim Gomez, coordinator of the University’s Dreamer Resource Cent...

Inside 180 bubbling tanks in Biological Sciences Professor Ron Coleman ’s lab, fish called cichlids practice complex courtship rituals, build nests and fight to protect their young. They do so under the watchful eyes of Coleman and his students, who document fish parenting habits for scientific purposes. “The fish will tell you everything if you know how to read them,” said Coleman, who built the...

Scientific research is “a lot of fun,” Sac State Chemistry Professor Kathie McReynolds insists. But in her lab, it also has a serious purpose. She and her students are studying agents capable of slowing the spread of deadly viruses, including those with the potential for causing epidemics or even pandemics. In the latest episode of “Beyond J,” McReynolds discusses her academic journey and career p...

For Erin Kaplan, theater isn’t just a performance. It’s a chance to have a conversation. At 19 years old, she was a student at the University of Michigan and on track for a career as a lawyer when she participated in a program that taught theater to girls incarcerated at a youth correctional facility. Kaplan, now a Sacramento State Professor of Theatre and Dance, says she ended up learning just as...

Mail-in ballots are already trickling in, and voters soon will decide the direction the United States will take – for the next four years, at least. In a new “Beyond J” podcast episode, Rebekkah Mulholland, Sacramento State Public History Program director, and Kim Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate, offer their insights on the 2024 election, cutting through the noise of a c...

Sasha Sidorkin is an artificial intelligence realist. Or, as he puts it, “I know what hype is.” While the conversation about AI can swing between excitement about its seemingly endless capabilities and concerns about sweeping job losses or, in some circles, the potential end of the world, Sidorkin, Sacramento State’s chief AI officer, takes a more measured approach. As head of Sac State’s National...

A discussion about the importance of inclusion, and a story about President Luke Wood most still don’t know. Luke Wood almost didn’t graduate from college. Which means he almost didn’t earn his master’s degree or Ph. D., almost didn’t become a respected college administrator and national leader on antiracism and inclusion. Which, of course, means he almost wasn’t president of Sacramento State. The...

Beyond J is back with new episodes, publishing every other Tuesday starting September 24.

Tammy Linn was the child of drug addicts, and grew up with instability and loss. She lived with multiple foster families and bounced around from school to school before ultimately dropping out. Unable to read and write, and eventually turned to crime before landing in prison. Linn’s determination to turn her life around found her on the path to higher education . In this episode of "Beyond J," she...

Two Sac State grads—one visiting Ukraine and one at home in Sacramento— share their experiences following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Olya LeBaron learned firsthand of the invasion from friends and family in her homeland of Ukraine and watched in disbelief as events unfolded from her home in Sacramento. Meanwhile, Blake Westman woke to the sounds of explosions, gunfire, and air raids after a...

Sacramento Poet Laureate Andru Defeye’s startling declaration that “he is a recovering racist” while reading a poem he wrote for Sac State’s 2022 antiracism and inclusion Convocation blindsided host Phillip Altstatt and inspired this episode. This thoughtful conversation about the difference between prejudice and racism, systemic power and control, privilege, and equity reveals some uncomfortable...

Antonia Peigahi (she, her, they), director of policy and records management at Sacramento State, visits the studio to tell her incredibly personal story of coming out publicly as a transgender woman. We are joined for a conversation about the role of gender pronouns by Sacramento State Professor Dana Kivel (they/them/their) and PRIDE Center Program Coordinator Tranh Pham (they/them/their). Togethe...

We sit down with Roshaun Davis, co-founder of Unseen Heroes, to discuss the topic of rebuilding community post-pandemic. He opens up about a personal and professional loss that he calls his ego death. Roshaun says the notion of rebuilding shifts to providing outlets for communities to connect. The Sac State alumnus also mentions his four community pillars: Creativity. Community. Collaboration. Com...

In our second episode, we introduce you to six Sac State students who share their experience and advice entering the internship and job market during a time of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re also joined by Emma Wadiak and Stephaine Francis from the Sacramento State Career Center, who discuss how the department is helping students navigate these difficult circumstances. Don’t miss...