California State University

Prestigious CSU scholarship goes to SFSU grad student advocating for prison reform

Gabriel Singer (B.A., ’25) turned life around after incarceration to pursue career as professor, change system from within 

Gabriel “Gabe” Singer is the epitome of higher education’s transformative power. In 2006, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter that occurred during a fight between street crews. The experience forced him to confront the consequences of his actions and rethink the path his life was taking. 

Singer participated in restorative justice opportunities and completed as many community college courses as he could while in prison. When he was released early in 2022, the college credits he earned allowed him to transfer to San Francisco State University (SFSU), where he’s been working hard toward his life mission: to become a criminal justice studies professor and reform the prison system. Along the way, he also earned the highest recognition of student achievement granted by the California State University (CSU). 

That award is the CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, which provides a donor-funded scholarship to students who demonstrate superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and inspirational goals for the future. The awardees have shown a powerful determination to making a positive impact on their generation as well as those who come after them. 

“Gabe’s story is of a long comeback,” SFSU President Lynn Mahoney said. “He has emerged from incarceration with a deep commitment to inspiring others to believe in the power of education.” 

Singer transferred to SFSU through Associated Students' Project Rebound, an academic support program that helps formerly incarcerated people enroll and succeed. Since he first started at SFSU, Singer has demonstrated a strong dedication to his education, being an active member of the campus community and advocating for prison reform. 

“It’s an honor to receive this award. But it’s also just as importantly an honor to receive this award in representation of an organization called Project Rebound that I am very supportive of,” Singer said. “I think it just shows when someone gets support — in academics or the workforce or in any anything — anyone can thrive and shine in the spaces that they’re trying to be in.” 

Singer received his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice Studies with a minor in Reentry Services from SFSU in spring 2025 and was honored with his department’s Distinguished Student Award. He returns to SFSU this fall to earn a graduate degree in International Relations, which will help him contextualize carceral practices in the U.S. with those beyond our borders. 

Singer also taught a course in restorative justice practices through the University’s Experimental College, which he plans to offer again. He also served as a cognitive behavioral therapy coach for Getting Out by Going In, a program that offers participants a framework for making positive, productive decisions in their lives. Singer has also served as a staff member for Project Rebound. 

“I first met Gabe when he was an undergraduate student at SFSU. I noticed he was a dedicated student who showed up to campus faithfully with brilliant ideas for civic engagement and the betterment of our legal system,” Project Rebound Executive Director C. Jason Bell said. “I often speak with him about his in-depth analysis of various social justice issues and respected his views so much that I eagerly advocated to embrace him on our Project Rebound efforts on campus, and welcomed him as new staff.” 

Learn more about Associated Students' Project Rebound at SFSU. 

SFSU creates new pathways that guarantee admission for transfer students

The expansion provides 83 new tracks students can follow to transfer and earn their bachelor’s degree within four years

SAN FRANCISCO – August 19, 2025 – San Francisco State University (SFSU), the premier public university that educates and equips students to thrive in a global society, has added 83 new Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) pathways. This significantly expands opportunities for guaranteed admission to SFSU for California Community College (CCC) transfer students. 

The new ADT pathways, which provide transfer students a detailed plan to earn their bachelor’s degree in four years, span six key academic departments: Apparel Design and Merchandising, Race and Resistance Studies, Child and Adolescent Development, Communication Studies, International Relations and Journalism. With the expansion of 83 new pathways, SFSU now offers a total of 264 pathways. This makes SFSU among the California State University (CSU) campuses that offer the most pathways.

“With this expansion, we are making it even easier for transfer students to come to SFSU,” said Vice Provost of Academic Planning and Dean of Undergraduate Education Lori Beth Way. “These pathways provide a clear, step-by-step roadmap so that students know exactly what to do from the time they step foot at a community college up until they transfer and graduate from SFSU.”

How ADT pathways work

The Associate in Art for Transfer (AA-T) and the Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) are types of associate degrees that students may earn at a California community college that guarantee admission to a CSU campus, including SFSU. ADT pathways are the advising pathways students follow at their respective community college to earn an AA-T or AS-T. 

For example, one pathway is earning an AA-T in English and then transferring to SFSU to complete a B.A. in English. Another pathway is pursuing that same AA-T but completing a B.A. in Creative Writing. By providing many different pathways into multiple majors, SFSU can meet each student’s unique needs, education goals and career aspirations.

“The beauty of what we’re trying to build is that students should have choice and freedom,” said University Articulation Administrative Analyst Christopher Sugarman, who coordinates with academic department chairs to develop new pathways. “The more pathways that our departments are able to accept means more opportunities for a student to come to SFSU and chart their own unique future.”

For each ADT pathway, students will spend two years at a community college to earn their AA-T or AS-T by completing 60 units, typically courses in general education in addition to some courses devoted to lower-division major curriculum. Once they earn their ADT, they can transfer to SFSU and enroll in a bachelor’s program similar to their associate degree. At SFSU, students will spend another two years to earn their bachelor’s degree by completing 60 more units, typically with a specific set of courses geared toward their major of choice. Learn more about the different routes students can take after completing their ADT of choice.

“The Associate Degree for Transfer is a proven pathway that empowers students to reach their educational goals. It removes barriers, guarantees CSU admission and offers a clear, affordable route to a baccalaureate degree, which remains one of the most powerful drivers of economic mobility and lifelong opportunity,” California Community Colleges Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs James Todd said. “Ensuring that all students have a fair chance to earn a bachelor’s degree is central to the California Community Colleges’ mission and guides the work in our strategic plan, Vision 2030.”

This expansion also aligns with California’s efforts to streamline the transfer process and improve four-year graduation rates. In 2010, California passed the STAR Act, which allows community colleges and CSU faculty to create ADTs and form pathways.

Visit the SFSU Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning website to learn more about the ADT program and its different pathways.

Social work student earns top CSU award, says ‘education radically transformed’ his life

Juan Carlos Arredondo (B.A.. ’24) returns to SFSU, pursues graduate degree to advance career in supporting migrant communities

Juan Carlos Arredondo faced challenges that profoundly disrupted his life. His father passed away when Arredondo was young, he had to navigate the United States education system as a child with very little guidance and he dropped in and out of college while pursuing an associate’s degree. 

Despite these challenges, Arredondo persevered and turned his life around. Last spring he earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from San Francisco State University, graduating with a 4.0 grade-point average. He returned to San Francisco State this fall to pursue a master’s degree in Social Work. On top of that, he recently earned one of the most prestigious student accolades. 

The California State University (CSU) has awarded Arredondo the Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, the highest recognition of student achievement granted by the CSU. Each award provides a donor-funded scholarship to students who demonstrate superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and inspirational goals for the future. The awardees have demonstrated a deep commitment to making a positive impact on their generation, as well as those who come after them. 

“Mr. Arredondo is an extraordinary person as well as a promising future professional who deserves the support provided by this award,” SF State President Lynn Mahoney said. “He possesses qualities of character, determination and personal excellence that’ll help him reach his goals and better our communities." 

Arredondo was born in the U.S., relocated to Mexico due to his father’s death and eventually moved back to the U.S. When he returned, he spent all of his time outside of school helping with food preparation for his mother’s food truck that catered to agricultural workers. While this experience shaped his strong worth ethic, it also took away his focus on school at times and prevented him from joining extracurricular activities. 

After a decade of financially insecure and high-pressure work, Arredondo committed to pursuing an undergraduate degree. At that time, he had learned about an agency at the U.S./Mexico border that provides counseling to migrants who are incarcerated and separated from their families. That’s when his dream of becoming a social worker came into focus. “I want to be a role model and catalyst for change and embody the representation and services that were not available during my youth,” he said. 

While at SFSU, Arredondo worked hard toward his dream. He led a qualitative study that highlighted the voices of the unhoused population in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District and presented the findings at the 2024 Social Work Social Development Joint World Conference. 

Arredondo also won the highly competitive Willie L. Brown , Jr. Fellowship, which landed him an internship with San Francisco’s Human Services Agency. There he helped connect emancipated foster youth to a guaranteed-income pilot program, shadowed social workers in the family maintenance and family reunification department and assisted with biopsychosocial assessments.  

“Education radically transformed my life,” Arredondo said. “It has not only given me meaning and hope for the future, but it is also healing old wounds. It has made me aware that I have always been capable.” 

Arredondo is also involved in helping the communities he deeply cares for. For example, he interns at Manzanita SEED Elementary School, where he provides bilingual behavioral therapy in Spanish and English. 

“It is with tremendous joy and great pride that I celebrate the outstanding achievements and extraordinary perseverance of this year’s Trustees’ Scholars,” said CSU Chancellor Mildred García. “Through the visionary generosity of our donors, the CSU is able to uplift and support these diverse students and truly outstanding scholars who have overcome educational and personal hardships in pursuit of a college degree that will not only transform their lives, but will also elevate their families and strengthen their communities.” 

Are you passionate about social work and supporting marginalized communities? Learn more about how SF State’s School of Social Work can help you make a difference.

SF State to host public forum of CSU chancellor selection committee Feb. 9

The committee will hold open forums at three CSU campuses to gather feedback for the national search for a new CSU chancellor

The committee tasked with identifying and appointing the next chancellor of the California State University (CSU) will hold a hybrid open forum on the campus of San Francisco State University from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9. San Francisco State will host the forum in the McKenna Theatre of its Creative Arts Building.

The forum, which will also be livestreamed, will provide an opportunity for members of the CSU community to participate in person or virtually to share their thoughts about the qualities and experiences needed by the next chancellor. Two other forums — one at the Glenn S. Dumke Auditorium in Long Beach and another at CSU, Bakersfield’s Doré Theatre — will be held Feb. 7 and 8.

The forums are being held by the Implementation Committee for the Selection of the Chancellor, which has been appointed to work on a national search. Jolene Koester, former president of CSU Northridge, was named interim chancellor last March. Her appointment is expected to last between 12 and 15 months.

“The CSU chancellor is an important role with significant impact on our university and across our state,” said SF State President Lynn Mahoney. “This is an excellent opportunity for the SF State community and local communities to participate in this important process."

Registration is not needed to attend any of the forums in person or to observe virtually. Members of the CSU community will be able to provide in-person comment to the committee, but those who wish to provide comments virtually must register to do so in advance.

The Chancellor Search Forum Planning Committee welcomes persons with disabilities. Sign language interpreting (ASL) and captioning will be provided in-person at McKenna Theater; captioning will also be provided via livestream. Attendees in need of on-campus mobility transport should call the Disability Programs and Resource Center at (415) 338-2472 to request a ride. If you would like additional reasonable accommodations for this event, please contact the Office of the President at (415) 338-1381 or president@sfsu.edu as soon as possible so your request may be reviewed.

The CSU is the largest system of four-year higher education in the country, with 23 campuses (including SF State). Each year, the CSU awards more than 132,000 degrees, and one in every 20 Americans holding a college degree is a graduate of the CSU.

SF State is a doctoral public university serving students from the San Francisco Bay Area, across California and around the world, with nationally acclaimed programs that span a broad range of disciplines. More than 24,000 students enroll at the University each year, and its more than 286,000 graduates have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and beyond.

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