One of those opportunities was working in the Department of Nursing, first as a student assistant and then, after earning her English degree in 2012, as an administrative assistant. Students would come to her with their troubles and it inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in educational counseling.
Lara split her time between the Nursing and Student Housing departments during her graduate studies. When a close friend and colleague in Nursing took personal leave, Lara was asked to work in Nursing full-time. Her co-workers had become like family and helped her through some personal struggles, so saying yes came easy.
“I had gone down to a pretty terrible place and they had pulled me back,” Lara said.
Lara earned her master’s degree in 2016 and then hit a crossroads. She wanted to move up in her career but there weren’t any open advising jobs on campus and nowhere to move up to inside Nursing. Leaving CSUB was not an option.
“I can’t even explain it,” Lara said. “I can’t explain how much this university means to me.”
So she applied and was hired to be the assistant to Vice President for University Advancement Victor Martin. The department’s mission of advancing CSUB through fundraising, events, communications and alumni relations really appealed to her and she loved learning how all of those efforts benefited the university and its students.
She particularly loved putting together the puzzles of where money came from and went.
Lara filled a critical role in UA, which was going through a leadership transition and adding staff, Martin said. She was a liaison with the CSUB Foundation Board of Directors, helped draft updated bylaws, identified cost-savings and kept UA directors updated on their spending.
“She was the all-around glue in the office during a significant period of growth and transition,” Martin said.