People

Dr. Tae Sung
Dean of Student Success
Associate Professor of English 
Founding Director of University Writing Center

• Bio
  Tae Sung is Dean of Student Success, Associate Professor of English, and Founding Director of the University Writing Center. He is passionate about helping people understand the power of languages and literatures to create deep meanings, identities, and traditions. He began his undergraduate studies as a bioengineer at UC San Diego before switching his major to English literature. After college, he served as an associate pastor for several years before completing his M.A. in theology from Fuller Seminary and his Ph.D. in American literature & critical theory from UC Irvine where he was awarded the Strauss Fellowship in English and the Koehn Fellowship in Critical Theory. His writing has appeared in Books & Culture, the William James Studies journal, the journal of Religion and Literature, the Emerson Society Papers, and elsewhere. He is working on a novel and a scholarly monograph titled, The Spirit and the Gift: Postsecular Pragmatism in Literature, Religion, and Philosophy, which is projected to be the first of a three-part series on the spirit in American literature. With his family, he lives in the Inland Empire where he grew up, served as a foster parent with Olive Crest, and has taught weekly classes for incarcerated men through Prison Fellowship. 

Sammy Carter 
Major: English, Minor in Philosophy
Focus Areas: APA, MLA, Graduate Students, Students with Various Abilities, ARts and Sciences, Behavioral and Social Sciences

• Bio

  Sammy Carter is a sophomore, double majoring in English and Philosophy. He is planning on pursuing a PhD with the intent to become an English Professor. Outside of academics, he loves surfing, skating, and listening to and finding music (particularly hip hop, rock, and EDM). He has a passion for helping others understand and communicate complicated things in a way that is easily manageable. Fostering growth, progress, and creative expression is his number one priority as a writing coach and future educator. He has expertise with MLA and APA and enjoys the planning and structuring processes of essay writing.

Benjamin Lang
Major: MA English
Focus Areas: MLA, Graduate Students, Arts and Sciences, History, Business, Christian Ministries, Creative Writing, Literature

• Bio

  Ben Lang is a second-year student in the MA English program at CBU. He graduated summa cum laude from Concordia University Irvine in 2020 with a major in English. While at CUI, his paper “Violence, Feuding, and the Wergild: Christian and Germanic Metaphysics in Beowulf” was selected as a semifinalist for the CUI President’s Academic Showcase. He has previously tutored history classes during his time at Concordia, and has spent the last five years coaching a high school debate club. After graduating from CBU, he plans to either continue graduate studies at the Ph.D. level or begin a career as a novelist. He has substantial experience with MLA formatting, English language and literature analysis, and creative writing.
  

Kennedy Luevano
Major: Radiologic Sciences
Focus Areas: MLA, APA, Students with Various Abilities, Arts and Sciences, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Creative Writing, Literature, Health Science

• Bio

  Kennedy Luevano is a second-year undergraduate student at CBU majoring in Radiologic Sciences. She has a spirited sense of purpose rooted in serving others and aspires to fulfill this purpose through her career in healthcare. Apart from her interest in science and medicine, she enjoys painting, writing poetry, and fashion. She has a strong adoration for the arts and writing specifically. Kennedy has experience with MLA and APA formats and is well-versed in essay structure, literary and rhetorical devices, and literature analysis. She is highly analytical, enjoys learning about effective writing and communication, and values sharing knowledge with those around her. Kennedy believes the potential to be a skillful writer and communicator is not reserved only for those with natural talent--anyone with passion, dedication, and a good teacher can become a proficient writer. Promoting learning and personal development in others are Kennedy’s primary goals as a writing coach. She is dedicated to cultivating a passion for writing in others, as her mentors have done for her.
  

Emily McGinn
Major: Journalism and New Media, Concentration in Writing and Publishing
Focus Areas: APA, Students with Various Abilities, Arts and Sciences, Creative Writing, Literature

• Bio

  Emily is a senior pursuing a major in journalism and a double minor in environmental science and political science. She is also the editor-in-chief for The Banner newspaper on CBU campus. Emily enjoys guiding writers toward finding their voice and gaining confidence in their skills. She aims to enter the field of journalism as a writer and reporter. When she is not working toward her degree, Emily enjoys creative writing, hiking, working out, going to concerts, drinking coffee, ice skating, and bowling.
  

Ahmed Nahian 
Major: Biology
Focus Areas: APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Graduate Students, Students with Various Abilities, Veterans, International Students, Online Students, Arts and Sciences, Health Science, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Education, Christian Ministries, Nursing, Business

• Bio

  Ahmed Nahian is a BS/DO student in an 8-year-long program with California Baptist University-LECOM College of Medicine. He is a NIDA-NIH-funded SPURA addiction research fellow at the University of South Dakota. He received a competitive grant from Parker B. Francis Foundation to research comparative abuse liability of cigarette and alternative devices at the University of Kansas. He is a selected member of the Alpha Chi National Honors Society. A portion of his publications is dedicated to analyzing opioid addiction and neuropsychiatric conditions. He is Student Editor for the International Journal of Medical Students and aspires to build a career in helping people with addiction. He formerly served as President of CBU Pre-Student Osteopathic Medical Association and is an avid advocate for medical student advocacy. As a former QuestBridge Scholar and Finalist, Nahian cherishes mentorship in his spirit. At CBU, he works as a biology tutor and writing coach for University Tutoring and Writing Center. He firmly believes that there is a bridge between science and arts, which is writing. Writing helps us to express our thoughts in a way we all connect to concepts and issues. Do you want some suggestions on how to express better? Ahmed is here for you without judgments.
  

Noah Sigsbee
Major: Single Subject Credential - Social Science
Focus Areas: MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, Graduate Students, History, Literature, Education, Music

• Bio

  Noah Sigsbee is a graduate student working towards a teaching credential to teach history and language arts. He graduated from CBU with Bachelor’s degrees in History and English in May 2022. Along with his studies and work at the writing center, Noah also is a substitute teacher in Riverside. Noah is very passionate about helping guide fellow students to be better writers and believes that writing is an extremely valuable skill that can be developed with practice and assistance just like any other. He hopes that he will be able to inspire growth in many people through the writing center and looks forward to any opportunities to help others grow and learn.
  

Emma Totaro
Major: Creative Writing, Minor in Christian Studies
Focus Areas: MLA, Arts and Sciences, Christian Ministries, Creative Writing, Literature, Education

• Bio

  Emma is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a Creative Writing degree. Emma’s goal in life is to serve people in the publishing field as an editor. She hopes one day to be an established fiction author as well. In her spare time, Emma plays the flute in CBU’s Symphonic Band and the Lancer Pep Band. Emma strives to be a light to fellow students and help them become better writers. She is looking forward to creating positive experiences with students and empowering them through learning the art of writing and communicating efficiently.