AUHSD Future Talks

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda talks with Joshua Bilbrew. Mr. Bilbrew serves as the Director of GEAR UP at California State University, Fullerton.  A federally-funded program through the US Department of Education, “GEAR UP” stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.  

Consistent with Mr. Bilbrew’s educational equity work for more than 15 years, GEAR UP aims to close opportunity gaps and increase the educational and life success of students who are too often underrepresented in higher education.  Over the years in positions in multiple organizations, Mr. Bilbrew’s work to empower students to beat the odds has spanned positions ranging from a tutor to executive director.  These professional experiences, combined with his education and lived history, grant him a keen appreciation for the factors that diminish educational outcomes for too many promising students.  His work is driven by the knowledge that education provides a pathway to mobility and equity unmatched by any other social institution.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Neil Sahota

Mr. Sahota is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations (UN) artificial intelligence (AI) Advisor, author of the book Own the A.I. Revolution, and Professor at UC Irvine. Over his 20+ year career, Mr. Sahota has worked with enterprises on business and marketing strategies to create next generation products/solutions powered by emerging technology as well as helping organizations create the culture, community, and ecosystem needed to achieve success such as the U.N.’s AI for Good initiative. Mr. Sahota also actively pursues social good and volunteers with nonprofits. During the interview, Mr. Sahota discusses the A.I. Revolution, misconceptions about A.I., the application of A.I. to various subject matters, and the innovative Artificial Intelligence pathway at Kennedy High School in the Anaheim Union High School District.

Brian Ton is the founder and CEO of Illumination Institute, a nonprofit organization providing mindfulness training and curriculum to educators and mindfulness workshops for parents, professionals, and parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
During the past five years, Illumination has partnered with AUHSD to provide mindfulness training workshops and curriculum for about 500 educators and 100 parents.

For over 20 years, Brian has worked with families, individuals and businesses to prevent and resolve conflict as an estate planning and business attorney. He found that wealth and success do not always bring happiness into people’s lives, and that even the wealthiest people struggled with stress and unhappiness.

During the conversation, Mr. Ton discusses his personal journey starting in Vietnam, mental health, mindfulness, the 5Cs, the benefits of mindfulness, and the development of a new mindfulness course in the Anaheim Union High School District.

A practitioner of meditation and mindfulness, Brian is passionate about helping others cultivate their own practice and value to achieve peace and happiness, which led to the founding of Illumination Institute. Brian has experienced a wide range of cultures and professions, and found that cultivating a sense of awareness and presence would benefit his quality of life in any set of circumstances.
Born in Vietnam, Brian has practiced meditation and mindfulness techniques including Qi Gong and Tai Chi, Awareness, Vipassana, and Mindfulness. Brian has completed the Mindfulness Fundamentals for teachers and Mindful Educator Essentials training through Mindful Schools, and the Mindful Educator Retreat through Peace in Schools. He has also participated in the Resilient Mindful Learner Summer Institute workshop by the Center for Healthy Kids and Schools at the Orange County Department of Education.

Brian received his Juris Doctor at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law. He later earned an M.B.A. at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the founding attorney at Satori Law Group, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley, California.  Brian was a speaker on Mindfulness and Cyberbullying at the 2018 Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention in Washington D.C.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Ben Drutman, the Executive Director for the Simon Family Foundation and Simon Scholars Program.  Anaheim High School, Magnolia High School, Savanna High School, and Western High School have been selected as Simon Family Foundation and Simon Scholars Program partner schools.  

Simon Scholars is a unique scholarship program that begins at the end of a student’s sophomore year in high school and continues through the completion of college. It is designed to help students facing difficult life and economic circumstances to excel academically and socially so they can successfully complete a 4-year college degree and pursue a meaningful career.

During high school, students receive a laptop computer, networking skills and etiquette training, academic support, leadership training and community service opportunities. Scholars are also provided with an intensive college preparatory program, which includes college tours and assistance in the college application process. Following the completion of high school, Simon Scholars receive a $15,000 college scholarship.

In this episode, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Nathan Zug. Mr. Zug is a dynamic, visionary, Community Leader who is focused on loving and serving his community. He has a wealth of service experience as well as organizational leadership knowledge, training, and experience. Nathan is the Founder and President of JMh – Anaheim / Love Anaheim, a Public Benefit Charity 501c3, as well and the Pastor of Community Presence at Magnolia Baptist Church (MBC) of Anaheim. 

Mr. Zug was elected to the Magnolia School District Board of Trustees in 2004 where he has been a Board Member for the past 20 years and will begin his 6th term in December of this year. 

Mr. Zug also serves the City of Anaheim as a Police Department and Fire Department Chaplain, assisting in Crisis Intervention and on several Critical Incident Stress Management Teams. He also serves on various committees and groups including the Anaheim Homeless Collaborative, the Anaheim Religious Community Council, and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force Faith Based Advisory Council.
    
Mr. Zug helped launch the organization Love Anaheim in January of 2016. Since 2016, Love Anaheim has seen more than 8,500 volunteers complete over 450 Community Service Projects. Love Anaheim has several programs that help Anaheim be a better City including Better Way Anaheim, a Homeless “Pathway to Work” Program and Love Anaheim Chaplain Program, a program that trains and equips community Chaplains.

Mr. Zug is known as a Community Leader and is passionate about loving, serving and giving back to his community. He constantly works to develop partnerships and leaders that will enhance and benefit the Greater Anaheim Community.

AUHSD Future Talks: Episode 20 (Shawn Patel)

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Shawn Patel an AUHSD/Oxford Academy graduate and currently a UC Berkeley EECS & Regents' Scholar and Mobile Health Engineer.

Shawn joined OA-HOSA when he was in 9th grade and started working on his medical innovation projects and became the winning force in HOSA's medical innovation competitions at the state and the international levels. He was recognized in the Congressional App Challenge and in the Apple Worldwide Developers Challenge, became a featured developer in the app store, awarded by NOCROP as Outstanding Student for AUHSD, and served as OA-HOSA Co-President during his senior year.  In addition, Shawn was featured on the Taco Bell Foundation website for pitching his innovation of utilizing thermal-sensing technology to prevent food-borne illness to a large group of corporate employees.  Consequently, he was offered a paid, never-been-done internship by the Taco Bell’s Kitchen Innovation Team after impressing a panel during his Live Más Scholarship interview.

In this episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Anthony Gomez and Randy Garcia, Security Analysts at Hulu and AUHSD alumni. While Anthony and Randy attended Magnolia High School, they participated in the Dual Enrollment program and during their time there they took an IT Fundamentals and Anti-hacking class. 

They chose the Cybersecurity pathway because they had a natural curiosity to break and hack things. The support they received from the Dual Enrollment team and the instructors gave them a head start in their career and with the skills they learned, they were offered an internship at Hulu as Information Security Engineers. 

After their internship concluded, Hulu brought them back as security consultants making about sixty thousand a year as nineteen year-olds with no college degree (since then, they have received a significant pay increase). 

During the interview, Anthony and Randy share their journeys and experiences with the Cybersecurity pathway as well as their thoughts on the importance and future of cybersecurity.

In this special episode of AUHSD Future Talks, Superintendent Matsuda interviews Dr. Clayton Chau, Director of the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) as well as County Health Officer. During the episode, Dr. Chau discusses his personal drivers, the long-term effects of COVID-19, the COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine distribution, and the importance of community to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Chau worked for the HCA ’s Behavioral Health Services team from 1999-2012 and was most recently Chief Clinical and Strategy Officer for Mind OC, the not-for-profit created to support the advancement of Be Well OC.

In addition to his time at Mind OC, Dr. Chau was previously employed by Providence Health System, the third largest health system in the country, as the Regional Executive Medical Director of the Institute of Mental Health and Wellness, Southern California Region. Dr. Chau was also appointed by the 23rd U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services serving on the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee.

AUHSD Future Talks: Episode 17 (Adriana Badillo) in Spanish!

In a special all-Spanish episode of AUHSD Future Talks, AUHSD Chief Academic Officer, Manuel Colón interviews Cal State Fullerton's Center for Educational Partnerships Program Director Adriana Badillo. During the interview, Ms. Badillo discusses her personal, inspirational story as well as the importance of educational partnerships.

AUHSD Future Talks en Español!

En un episodio especial en español de AUHSD Future Talks, el director académico de AUHSD, Manuel Colón, entrevista a la directora del programa del Centro de Asociaciones Educativas de Cal State Fullerton, Adriana Badillo. Durante la entrevista, la Sra. Badillo analiza su historia personal y de la importancia de las asociaciones educativas.

This episode features Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva who was first elected to serve California’s 65th Assembly District in 2012. In 2016, she regained her seat to serve the constituents of North Orange County. In 2018, the constituents re-elected her to serve the communities of Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Palma, and Stanton. Prior to her service in the State Legislature, she served in local government as a member of the Fullerton City Council from 2004 to 2012, including serving two terms as Mayor.

As a life-long resident of Fullerton Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva has close relations with the community. She was educated in Fullerton public schools through 12th grade and went on to earn an Associate of Arts degree from Fullerton College, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at University of California, Los Angeles, and a Teaching Credential from California State University, Fullerton. As one of ten children, she honed negotiating skills and learned the advantages of teamwork early on. As a teacher in the Fullerton School District, Sharon was able to learn about the concerns of her community first hand. A practice she has continued with her work in the State Assembly.

Quirk-Silva has been a strong influence in her Assembly District community, and in the lives of her constituents and their families, paving the way for the next generation of California's leaders. As a legislator, she is passionate about all Californians having access to affordable housing, quality education, and access to physical and mental health services.