CSULB’s first Beach EDGE dual-degree grads ready to leave their mark

Lupita Nieto '25, '26 had her eyes on health care when she started at The Beach. Yet while planning her higher education, she wanted to ensure she could stay close to her family.

Nieto chose Cal State Long Beach in part so she could remain close to her father and 11 siblings, who live in Santa Ana. Beach EDGE (Expedited Degrees in Graduate Education), enabled Nieto to see a future for herself as a public health professional; the program fast-tracked Nieto's completion of bachelor's and master's degrees while she experienced face-to-face care with patients and community-minded research.

"That's what I really liked about public health," Nieto said. "You have to be very compassionate. Everybody goes through different things."

As an undergraduate, she devoted time to an internship helping Alzheimer's disease and dementia patients maintain mental alertness. In graduate school, she researched strategies to encourage colorectal cancer screenings.

"I just want to be able to spread early intervention and tell people to be aware," she said.

Nieto was among the first members of the inaugural Beach EDGE cohort to earn master's degrees this year. She and two others earned a Master of Public Health; another three grads earned their Master of Arts in Economics.

Beach EDGE opened in 2024, enabling undergraduates to simultaneously earn credits for bachelor's and master's degrees. It now lays out 31 degree paths spanning such fields as accounting, criminology, engineering, linguistics and the sciences.

The option's growth further affirms The Beach's commitment to social mobility and access. As many Beach undergraduates are first-generation students, Beach EDGE empowers them to also become the first members of their families to earn master's degrees.

"Because of this program, I think our promise is beyond the bachelor's," said Dina Perrone, dean of Graduate Studies. "We have these pathways for students."

'They very much want you to succeed'

Christina Lopez '25, '26 arrived at CSULB determined to study economics. She enjoys how the field's empirical rigor enables a well-informed approach to solving social problems.

"You can see what needs to be fixed, what needs to change, where it needs to change," said Lopez, who earned a Master of Arts in Economics.

Lopez completed her thesis by studying international migration patterns among people of varying education levels.

She's now studying for the LSAT and plans for law school. Looking back, she said her peers developed a close camaraderie on their way to May's graduation stage. Another new Beach EDGE grad, Diego Diaz '25, '26, similarly said Economics Department faculty were highly supportive of students who, like him, were taking a new route to a master's degree.

"I'm very lucky to have a very nice and open department," Diaz said. "They very much want you to succeed."

Beach EDGE is also an option for working students. Janelle Ledezma, '25, '26, has professional experience in hospice care before assisting and at the time of completing her master's degree, assisted physicians in an Anaheim orthopedics department.

At CSULB, Ledezma researched infectious disease control and one of her favorite aspects of her master's program was encountering students who shared their perspectives of working in different parts of the health field.

Now with her Master of Public Health, she plans to obtain an additional master's degree in nursing and pursue certification as a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

"It gives a lot of students a lot of opportunities, not only to learn more or expand their education, but you also learn a lot about research and a lot about job opportunities and how you make an impact in someone's life or within your communities," Ledezma said.