Department Faculty

Full Time Faculty and What We Teach

AMY HOLZGANG, department chair
Ph.D., Syracuse University
M.A., Syracuse University
B.A., University of California, San Diego
Co-Chair of the VetNet Ally Committee
aholzgang@cerritos.edu
Office: SS40, Ext. 2768
www.cerritos.edu/aholzgang
Teaches Soc 101;  Soc 201; Soc. 202; Soc. 205 (Research Methods), Women's Studies 102

Matthew Dunn

Matthew has a PhD in sociology from the University of California, Riverside, and a BA in political science from Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN. Matthew teaches classes in Marriage & Family and Intro to Sociology. His research interests include family demography, sociological theory, and the history of symbolic interactionism.

Joy Tsuhako

Joy is a Cerritos College alumna who transferred to Cal State Long Beach to complete a B.A. in sociology then earned a M.A. in Sociology from Cal State Fullerton. Joy teaches Soc 101: Intro to Sociology, Soc 201: Social Problems, and Soc 210: Race & Ethnic Relations in the U.S. She is a Vet Net Ally, UndocuAlly, and supports the LGBTQ+ community. Joy is a certified Climate Reality Leader and advises the Environmental and Sociology clubs. Her master's thesis was entitled, "Lived Experiences of Young, Urban, Fundamentalist Latinas: Understandings and Negotiations of Cultural and Faith-Based Values" and other research interests include racial capitalism, policing, environmental justice, and social change. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in educational leadership at CSULB and hopes to study the experiences of faculty of color with community college campus police. In her spare time, Joy likes to hike, garden, go to heavy metal concerts, and try new vegan restaurants.

Adjunct (Part-Time) Faculty 

Pauline Acosta

(bio forthcoming)

Kristina Brown

Education:
Associate of Arts, Liberal Studies, Fullerton College
Bachelor of Arts, Sociology (w/ an emphasis on Deviance and Social Control), California State University, Fullerton
Master of Arts, Sociology, California State University, Fullerton
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), California State University, Fullerton

Research Interests:
Higher Education, Community College, First Generation College Students, Social Justice
                            
Emma DerMesropian  

My name is Emma Der-Mesropian and I would like to provide you with a little information about myself. I am teaching sociology in various community colleges, and I love what I do. Subjects I have so far been teaching are Principles of Sociology, Marriage and Family, Sociology of gender and Social Problems in synchronous, asynchronous, and face-to-ace classroom settings. Among my accomplishments, I would like to address my Sociology Thesis research on Compilation Benefit Albums: Hegemony and Philanthropy, a focus on the role of organizations in production of culture. My degrees were earned from various institutions – An M.A. and a B.A. degree in Sociology from CSULA, an Associate of Arts in Humanities from Glendale College, and an Associate of Arts in Administrative Assistance from Burleigh College, England. I have also been privileged with an extensive community work involvement in local, national, and international settings. I have served in academic, grassroots, and ethnic societies. One example is my participation in a study abroad course in South Africa in the company of other sociology and political science colleagues. Beyond the academic goal, in this trip I volunteered to work for a nonprofit environmental organization for a personal enrichment. 

Holly J. Gregg

Holly J. Gregg began her academic career as a community college student in Orlando, Florida before finishing her B.A. at the University of Central Florida. She studied Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Sociology at New Mexico State University, where she earned her M.A. She has written on reproductive justice/infertility, gender, inequality, and social movements and enjoys teaching and collaborating with students on these topics at Cerritos College. In her spare time she enjoys reading, traveling, and pressing the pause button during Netflix binges to deconstruct social topics in movies and TV shows.

Yvette Letelier

Yvette Letelier received her Bachelors Degree from California State University, Northridge, in Sociology and Women’s Studies with a minor in Chicano@ Studies in 2005 and a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California in 2010.

Yvette has been an Adjunct Instructor in the Sociology Department at Cerritos College since August 2019. She has since taught Soc 120: Intro to Human Sexuality and Soc 220: Intro to Human Services. She is also a Social Worker and has worked with foster and adoptive families, domestic violence survivors and victims of crime. Yvette has experience with program management, case management, in home counseling and medical social work.

Bobbi-Lee Smart

My name is Bobbi-Lee Smart. I am a first-generation college graduate. I went to 4 community colleges before finally earning my AA in Social & Behavioral Sciences from Cypress College. My BA is from Cal State Fullerton in Sociology with a concentration in Deviance & Social Control and a Minor in Criminal Justice. My MA is from Cal State Dominguez Hills and also in Sociology. My Doctorate is from Cal State LA in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Social Justice & Educational Reform. My interests are primarily in social problems, such as racism, classism, and sexism, and how we solve these issues at the structural level rather than the individual.
                     
Michelle Ysais  

(bio forthcoming)