Tatiana Vargas
Curator of Organismal Biology/ IST II
TELL ME HOW YOU CAME TO WORK AT CPP.
I earned my BS and my MS here at CPP and I worked in the biology department as a student assistant. I was recommended for my position and worked in a temporary capacity for six months and then was hired permanently.
WHAT DO YOU DO? (What are the primary responsibilities of your job)
I oversee the vivarium and the 5-6 student assistants who help with reptile and amphibian care. I support a lot of zoology and plant labs in the biology department. I help prep labs and specimens for labs. I also grow plants and manage the greenhouse.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I like working with the students, teaching them things, and they didn’t know and opening their mind into the biological world. I also like taking care of the animals.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT WORKING?
I like to walk my dog Leo. He’s a Poodle Shih Tzu mix.
I like going to concerts.
TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW.
I like true crime podcasts and I listen to sci-fi audio books.
Ashley Arnold
ASC I
TELL ME HOW YOU CAME TO WORK AT CPP.
I had worked at Mt. Sac previously and was working at the Cal State LA bookstore but wanted to get back to this area so I decided to check out CPP. I applied to the Kinesiology and Health Promotion department as well as the student cashier’s office and I accepted the position with Kinesiology.
WHAT DO YOU DO? (What are the primary responsibilities of your job)
I help with the budget , coordinate department events. I do student hiring, collect packets for lecturers, answer questions, make facilities requests. I work in the front office where the door is always open, so I answer questions from students, prospective students, and people visiting the department.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
I like being able to support people. I like being the person people come to when they need help, even if I’m not the one who ultimately solves it. The job is not the same thing everyday. Throughout the day, I flow into different tasks. There’s always something new, and something to learn. It’s good for the job, good for the brain. I enjoy the challenge.
I like it when people tell me, “Thank you for making my life easier.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT WORKING?
I like reading, mostly fantasy and sci-fi. I’m into the Expanse series, which is a nine-book series. I like to hang out with friends. We have board game nights. Book club, and a movie club.
TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW.
I feel a little rusty now, but I used to be fluent in Spanish. I have a degree in molecular biology. I was an English major, then switched to history before switching to biology.
At Cal State L.A. I was doing work for veterans and financial aid, taking care of vouchers, and verifying what books they needed and coordinating with the department of rehabilitation and veterans affairs.