Cynthia Mosqueda
Faculty Coordinator for the First Year Experience Program
El Camino College
Dr. Cynthia Mosqueda is the faculty coordinator for the First Year Experience Program at El Camino College located in Torrance, California. El Camino College’s FYE program has received accolades for exemplary program status through the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and through the California Community College Chancellor’s Office for outstanding contributions toward student success, transfer, and retention. In 2012, Dr. Mosqueda received the First Year Advocate Award from the National Center for First Year Experience and Students in Transition from the University of South Carolina for her work in helping first-year students transition into college life.
Dr. Mosqueda holds a degree in counseling and earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA. She has been a strong advocate for community college issues and is currently serving her second term as board member of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges representing colleges in Southern California. In addition, Mosqueda chairs the professional development committee for FACCC and coordinates numerous conferences throughout the year such as the National California Great Teachers Seminar, Counseling & Inclusion, and Online Teaching. She also provided leadership in developing new technology and activities to improve campus student services, including the online New Student Orientation, Virtual Counseling, the first student portal service (MyECC), High School Senior Days, and the El Camino College Transfer Conference. Mosqueda leads the growing FYE program, which offers an innovative approach to traditional academic offerings by linking courses together through thematic content, by developing skills, and by combining instructional methods. Dr. Mosqueda is also a lecturer in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California and works with graduate students pursuing a degree in counseling who are interested in working with community college students.