ScholarWorks (California State University)
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Luminara Records Label: Lessons from Visionary Minds
No full textLuminara Records is a U.S.-based independent music label that seeks to redefine artist development in a rapidly evolving music industry. This project explores the company's strategic model, international ambitions, and the lessons learned from my internship experience, which contributed to the company with cross-cultural insights and enhanced both parties with cultural richness and business experience. Luminara Records was built on the belief that independent artists should focus on the creative side with freedom, while the label offers solid support behind the scenes. By combining artistic expression with strong business foundations, the label helps musicians thrive through multiple revenue streams, including streaming, merchandise, live performances, publishing, sponsorship, and licensing. In 2025, Luminara began executing its first international expansion initiative in Brazil, selected for its strong music consumption and established partner network. As an intern, I directly supported this international expansion and contributed to the company's strategic objectives through targeted, cross-functional initiatives. Key contributions included conducting cultural market research to align local audience preferences with Luminara's brand identity, identifying Brazilian music genres and potential artist collaborators, and providing translation support in meetings with regional partners. Additionally, I participated in the drafting of video production proposals, event budgets, and financial project analysis, helping shape the strategy for an upcoming event in Brazil projected to reach 5,000+ attendees. Moreover, I helped grow Luminara's online presence and helped to double their Spotify online streams, adding 214,525 streams, 120,925 listeners, and 100 new followers from May to July 2025. This internship enabled me to translate academic learning, such as cultural and industry analysis, into actionable business value, sharpening my skills in cross-cultural communication, market analysis, and international project coordination. For Luminara, my work accelerated strategic planning for Brazil, bridged cultural gaps, and laid the groundwork for long-term brand presence in Latin America. For me, the experience of working with such visionary minds offered lasting insight into the mechanics of creative entrepreneurship and reaffirmed my commitment to international business development
Implementing Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA): Public Administration Challenges and Effectiveness
No full textThis thesis explores the implementation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) in U.S. correctional facilities, emphasizing public administration's role in addressing barriers. Through a systematic review of literature and reports (2018-2024), it identifies progress in staff training and inmate protections, alongside persistent challenges like funding gaps, staff resistance, and inconsistent oversight. Using Street-Level Bureaucracy Theory, the study highlights how discretion and institutional culture affect enforcement. It recommends increased funding, leadership accountability, and targeted strategies for vulnerable groups. The research indicates that effective PREA enforcement depends on strong administration, not just policy mandates
Career Technical Education and Apprenticeship Programs: A Review of Public Policy and Its Effectiveness on Public Sector Employment Recruitment & Retention
No full textBaby Boomers and Generation X represent nearly half of the skilled labor force in both public and private sectors, but they are retiring in large numbers. To address this, public sector agencies must develop strategies to attract new talent through public service motivation. This project reviews literature on the multigenerational workforce and public policy related to career and technical education, suggesting that partnerships with public schools are essential for creating a viable labor market. The purpose and aim of this graduate project is to assess the impact of public sector-sponsored education programs on recruitment and retention while emphasizing the need for further research
Sports Fan Identity and the Stereotypes of Female Fans of Men's Sports
No full textSports in Western culture have been typically male dominated throughout their history, both in participation and as fans. The literature reveals that a great deal of stereotypes surround women that are fans of men's sports, including that they don't know or care as much about sports as men. This study uses survey data to examine facets of the sports fan identity and the feelings of both men and women regarding stereotypes of female fans of men's sports in the United States and Canada. The results show that male respondents are more likely to self-report greater knowledge about one's favorite sports team(s) than female respondents. Women are more likely than men to agree with the stereotype that most women who watch sports aren't really fans, they're just there watching with a man. Women also believe that men are annoyed by their presence when watching sports, and that they speak differently to them about sports than men feel they do. There is also a significant difference between gender identity and organizations joined through their fandom, with women slightly more likely than men to join more groups, as well as men being slightly more likely than women to report satisfaction with their apparel marketed towards their gender identity. Further research needs to be done with a larger sample size and a more diverse group of people in order to find more generalizable results
"Not all who wander are lost" an analytical performance guide to music for Baritone recital
No full textThis thesis serves as a written accompaniment to my Graduate Recital, given in the Spring semester of 2023 at California State University, Northridge, and as such it takes the form of an analytical performer's guide to the pieces in my program. I will provide brief context for each selection, analyze notable compositional elements in each, and discuss some of the challenges and important moments for performers. Music selected for this recital includes a range of styles within the Common Practice Period as well as a contemporary composition by an emerging composer. The pieces will be addressed here in their concert program order, grouped by the language of their texts: German, French, Italian, and English. The concert opens with my own abridgement of Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin as a shortened cycle that fits the themes implied by my concert title, "Not All Who Wander Are Lost." In programming these pieces I posit that they represent aptly the concert title, and I argue that they embody the themes of wandering, travel, change, loss, and home. The concert order itself represents a journey moving through the idea of loss before returning home. This work would be useful for other baritones or students of voice when programming their own recitals, but also to any performers or academics researching the repertoire I discuss here. Those researching the Music graduate student experience from an education perspective may find my journey informative also, as someone who returned to education after a gap to pursue a higher degree later in life
Examining Knowledge Transfer Frameworks for Complex Public Organizations
No full textIt is detrimental for any organization when employees leave and the institutional knowledge goes with them. While there are many knowledge management (KM), knowledge transfer (KT), and knowledge sharing (KS) frameworks studied, there has not been a selected framework to capture, retain, and transfer knowledge for complex organizations. The researchers in this study will interview managers and subordinates from the County of Los Angeles, Department of Agricultural Commissioner/ Weights & Measures, to determine if there is a preferred KM, KT, or KS strategy to help with preserving the information across different generations in the workforce. The analysis will help other similar organizations implement an appropriate framework to promote better KM, KT, and KS practices
Effects of Transformational Leadership Style on Employee Motivation & Performance in the Public Sector
No full textMaintaining employee motivation and performance is an ongoing challenge in local government agencies, often complicated by bureaucratic hurdles, financial restrictions, and rigid management systems. When leadership is ineffective, it not only hampers internal efficiency but can also negatively affect public service delivery, ultimately undermining community trust. This study provides a systematic review of recent peer-reviewed empirical research, using a qualitative thematic analysis of journal articles to understand how transformational leadership influences employee motivation and performance and identifies specific organizational conditions that enhance this relationship within local government contexts. The results demonstrate that transformational leadership strongly boosts employee motivation and performance by meeting their core psychological needs, such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Leaders who build trust, connect daily tasks with broader organizational goals, and emphasize the societal significance of the work tend to motivate employees most effectively. Furthermore, creating inclusive environments and providing emotional support driven by genuine emotional intelligence significantly improves employees' morale and engagement. The study emphasizes the value of incorporating transformational leadership into broader organizational strategies. Local governments are encouraged to prioritize leadership development initiatives that nurture emotional intelligence, collaborative teamwork, and alignment with meaningful missions. Keywords: transformational leadership, employee motivation, employee performance, public sector, local governmen
Artificial Intelligence in Public Sector Decision-Making: Accountability, Transparency and Ethical Governance
No full textAs artificial intelligence (AI) increases in popularity in public sector operations, concerns arise regarding transparency, accountability, and ethical governance. This qualitative study investigates how Los Angeles County officials promote transparency and accountability in AI-driven decision-making. The proposed study will employ semi-structured key informant interviews with a purposive sample of county-level stakeholders who are involved in the implementation and oversight of AI systems. Interviews will be conducted in person or via secure video. The interviews will allow for open-ended, flexible responses. The study will also explore how ethical governance principles such as fairness, non-discrimination, and human oversight are integrated into the implementation of AI systems within a large public sector. The findings are expected to contribute to the growing discourse on responsible AI governance by identifying context-specific mechanisms that support transparency and accountability. The study seeks to inform future policies and serve as a model for other jurisdictions that are or will be exploring similar technological and ethical challenges
Beyond Pediatrics: Effective Healthcare Transition for Medically Complex Adults
No full textTransitioning from pediatric to adult healthcare remains a critical challenge for medically complex adults with pediatric-onset conditions. Traditional models of care often fail to address the unique needs of this population, leading to gaps in care continuity, increased healthcare utilization, and poor health outcomes. This project examined the limitations of current transition models and highlighted the critical need for emergency department-level interventions, proposing an enhanced, patient-centered framework to optimize healthcare transition. Using an evidence-based approach, this project evaluated the implementation of a structured clinical pathway tailored to the needs of transitioning adults. The pathway integrated key principles of transition medicine, including interdisciplinary collaboration, shared management between pediatric and adult providers, and proactive care coordination. Outcomes measured included adherence to the clinical pathway, transition planning efforts, and patient-reported experiences. Additionally, the project assessed the impact of this model on provider confidence and institutional readiness to care for medically complex adults in a pediatric setting. Findings from this project highlighted the necessity of redefining transition care beyond a traditional pediatric framework and underscored the role of the emergency department in identifying at-risk patients and leading innovative models of care to support effective transitions. By bridging gaps in the healthcare system, this project supports the development of sustainable transition practices that improve long-term health outcomes for medically complex adults. The insights gained contribute to policy recommendations and serve as a foundation for future research to enhance transition care on a broader scale
The George Floyd Resolution 101: examining the new implementation of a school resource officer (SRO)-free student discipline and support system
No full textHistorically, African Americans have been subjected to institutional racism and substandard educational experiences in public schools. Consequently, they do poorly on many indicators of school success. The fight for a proper and equitable education continues today. African American students in public schools have disproportionately experienced harsher disciplinary acts for otherwise minor offenses, often based on their skin color. This has led to school push-out by suspensions, dropouts, and expulsions, and created a school-to-prison pipeline for students of color (Peterson, 2021). One source of this kind of mistreatment can come from School Resource Officers (SROs), whose purpose is to protect the safety of all students. With growing evidence of African American students being singled out, abused, and punished for minor infractions by SROs, the question that arose was: Are SROs needed? Oakland Unified School District's (OUSD) answer was no; SROs are unnecessary and more harmful. Thus, SROs were removed from all schools in 2020, leaving a need for the development and implementation of alternative safety protocols and practices. SROs have been replaced by the George Floyd Resolution (GFR). Goals of GFR were to remove police from schools and to reimagine how to keep students and staff safe using better treatment of African Americans by eliminating targeting and incidences of discriminative punishment. Funding was reinvested into programs and trainings that focused on both prevention and response, including safety, restorative justice, traumainformed practices, anti-racism/equity, and ultimately, to dissolve criminalization and the school-to-prison pipeline. This qualitative research study examined the initial stages of the new implementation of the GFR in OUSD. Findings suggest that a school district can provide safe learning environments after removing SROs when appropriate funding, adequate professional development opportunities, effective communication, wrap-around student support resources, a system of evidence-based discipline practices and community supports are put in place. As data collection for this research study ended 2½ years ago, an epilogue is included