{"id":2210,"date":"2026-05-08T07:17:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T07:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210"},"modified":"2026-05-08T07:17:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T07:17:56","slug":"how-a-csuf-graduate-student-became-a-man-on-a-mission-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210","title":{"rendered":"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Kevin Greene knows a thing or two about strength, resilience and empathy. After all, he learned about these qualities from his mother.<\/p>\n

Read more Audit firm looks at Fullerton\u2019s accounting as city deals with budget crunch<\/a><\/p>\n

Challenged with a learning disability during her grade-school years, Greene\u2019s mom, who later worked in a variety of warehouse jobs for some 30 years, struggled to read and was shamed in the classroom by ill-informed teachers. Vowing to never allow that to happen to her two sons, she channeled this shame into determination, continually stressing Kevin and his brother the importance of education, surrounding them with books and taking them to libraries and scholastic fairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe turned her shame into advocacy,\u201d said Greene, a first-generation Cal State Fullerton grad student who, next month, will receive his master\u2019s degree in reading and literacy education.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother said, \u2018Just because I struggled doesn\u2019t mean my kids have to.\u2019 \u201d The result: a young man with his own strength, resilience and empathy, a professional devoted to those neurodivergent kids lucky enough to be in his classroom.<\/p>\n

Greene has had his own challenges. \u201cI\u2019ve been marginalized as a person of color who is African-American and Latino, and as a gay man,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to make sure that my students feel welcomed and accepted, knowing that they can come to me for whatever they need, whenever they need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Greene shared about the future helping neurodivergent students, he\u2019s actually been doing this for years, long before he entered CSUF\u2019s Reading and Literacy Education Department. He\u2019s in his fifth year at Frostig School, a private institution in Pasadena that works with kids with learning disabilities.<\/p>\n

He first embarked on his master\u2019s work during his second year at Frostig. While there, Greene discovered that, \u201cThe key is to make literacy an experience where children can see themselves in the pages being turned. Children need to see themselves through these books and throughout the teaching process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Madeleine Mejia, CSUF associate professor of literacy and reading education, first met Greene when he took her course READ 507: Literacy in the Academic Disciplines. \u201cKevin is extremely intelligent and dedicated to the profession,\u201d she said. \u201cHe is, by far, one of my top students. He\u2019s very thoughtful and intentional in the ways that he\u2019s taking the work that I present \u2014 what the research states around literacy and instruction \u2014 and he makes them his own, implementing them in his classroom of neurodivergent students. The work created by his kids points to high-quality instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Greene\u2019s own high-quality instruction is, thanks largely to Mejia, rooted in rigorous academic research. He became involved in a program, Critical Literacy Research Apprenticeship, launched by Mejia last year that teaches grad students, through coursework and mentoring, every element of Institutional Review Board\u2013approved studies. And Greene, a fellow CSUF grad student and Mejia recently attended an American Educational Research Association meeting in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Read more Fullerton softball falls to Millikan in \u2018needed\u2019 tune-up for CIF-SS playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition, Greene is serving as a co-principal investigator and second author of a Mejia-led study that examines the importance of combining lived experience, classroom study and scholarly analysis to create a more effective classroom experience. The upshot: a doctorate degree is likely looming in Greene\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

That doctorate, however, may be on hold for a while. For now, Greene wants to do what he does best: teach and empower neurodivergent students. \u201cI\u2019ve already had a few job offers,\u201d he said. \u201cOne is at Frostig West, a sister school of Frostig in Los Angeles, as a reading specialist. A second offer is from another private school in L.A. I\u2019m weighing both offers now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greene\u2019s last course, READ 581: Strategic\u00a0Interventions\u00a0for\u00a0Literacy Specialists:\u00a0Practicum, included time spent working at CSUF\u2019s Hazel Miller Croy Reading Center. \u201cI learned so much there,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been the perfect way for me to end my involvement in the master\u2019s program.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

His academic excellence, leadership and commitment to social justice in education hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed, resulting in both the CARR Fellowship Award and the Dr. Greta Nagel Scholarship. \u201cThese mean a great deal to me, since they affirm the kind of educator and advocate I strive to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given all that he\u2019s accomplished, it\u2019s no shocker that Greene has been selected to give a speech at a department reception before CSUF\u2019s College of Education commencement ceremony, on May 18 at Titan Stadium. \u201cThis will be a full-circle moment for me,\u201d he said, \u201cand I\u2019m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just excited to see Kevin evolve as a scholar,\u201d Mejia said, \u201cand I\u2019m thrilled to walk alongside him as he continues to grow and develop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeurodivergent students are capable of incredible things in this world, as long as they have someone to guide them,\u201d said a fellow likely to one day be known as Kevin Greene, PhD. \u201cThat\u2019s been my mission: to be that guide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Cooking with Judy: A nostalgic recipe for a Mother\u2019s Day<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first-generation college student plans a future helping neurodivergent students. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHow a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The first-generation college student plans a future helping neurodivergent students.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-08T07:17:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-08T07:17:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210\"},\"wordCount\":869,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210\",\"name\":\"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-08T07:17:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=2210#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"The first-generation college student plans a future helping neurodivergent students.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-05-08T07:17:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":683,"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission","datePublished":"2026-05-08T07:17:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210"},"wordCount":869,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp","articleSection":["Local News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210","name":"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-08T07:17:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fd2ccd3b2f9d380c1c2de5d7da1488e9.webp","width":1024,"height":683},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=2210#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How a CSUF graduate student became a man on a mission"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}