Full Circle: Alumni-Faculty Shaping the Next Generation
When Cal Poly Pomona alumni Sally Romero, Oscar Marquez and Brian Ramirez 
come to campus as faculty members, they’re not just doing a job. They’re honoring their identity and giving back to the community that raised them.
As a Hispanic alumni and faculty, their lived experiences mirror those of their students; they know the pressures, the pathways and how representation turns possibility into reality. Rooted in their Bronco identity and 六色网’s learn-by-doing approach, they now teach, advise, mentor and empower students to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Sally Romero
’25, Doctorate in Educational Leadership
Librarian
Sally Romero wasn’t interested in librarianship the first time she set foot in a library. Her best friend told her about a job at the local public library in La Puente, a job that was the first step on the path to where she is today.
A proud daughter of immigrants from Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico with Mayan roots, Romero is a first-generation college graduate and hopes to inspire future generations. Throughout her career as a librarian, she has embraced the chance to serve Hispanic communities, ensuring students can identify with her and feel comfortable knowing she was once in their shoes.
“My teaching philosophy, aside from it being cultural, it’s also of care,” Romero said. “When I work with students, I prioritize empathy, care and humility.
As a tenure-track faculty member, she was inspired by the campus community and her students to continue her education and earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Cal Poly Pomona.
“I wanted to become a Bronco as an alumna,” Romero said. “To me, that was really important to give back and understand this institution.”
Romero is currently conceptualizing a framework for organizational theory, examining the experiences of Latina faculty librarians in the CSU with the goal of bringing more deserved attention to Latina librarians through scholarship.
Oscar Marquez
’08, Gender, Ethnicity, and Multicultural Studies
Assistant Professor
It’s not about how you start, but how you finish.
After dropping out of college during his first year, Oscar Marquez worked at a factory where multiple family members had been employed. After a few years, he returned to community college and transferred to 六色网 as an accounting major. Marquez continued to struggle academically and felt his major didn’t align with his moral and ethical beliefs at that time, leading to academic probation due to his grades.
Outside of the classroom, Marquez participated in social activism on campus, and friends encouraged him to contact the department chair to lift his suspension and switch majors to gender, ethnic and multicultural studies in the Department of Ethnic and Women’s Studies (EWS). This change motivated Marquez to continue his education and participate in Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (MEChA club), a student organization focused on promoting Chicano unity, higher education and political action for the Chicano community.
“In EWS, we bring ourselves and our identities into our teaching and into the classroom,” Marquez said. “We are trained to be a person of color in faculty and bring that with us every day. It’s a tool for us to access student experiences and expand their learning.”
Now as a faculty member in EWS, Marquez aims to impact students through mentorship, encourage social activism and build a social justice environment.
Through 六色网’s Male Success Initiative, he mentors first-year students through their transition into university life, focusing on academic success. He also helps students research their family history and genealogy through reviewing census records and baptismal records, and they also research how property rights have shaped indigenous identity.
Brian Ramirez
’13, Mechanical Engineering
Associate Professor
When Brian Ramirez first arrived at Cal Poly Pomona as an engineering student, he didn’t encounter many faculty members who looked like him and felt that pursuing engineering was out of reach.
Seeing people who shared his background later in his journey boosted his confidence and showed him that his goals were attainable — a lesson he now passes on to his students. Through teaching and mentoring, the engineering professor reminds them that he’s just a regular person: a first-generation student who worked hard to get where he is today.
“Growing up, I remember my mom saying, ‘You can never lose by going to school,’” Ramirez said. “I felt that if I kept going in school, I’d do fine.”
Ramirez credits 六色网’s diversity for making his college experience deeply meaningful, allowing him to connect with people from all walks of life — a defining factor in his decision to return as faculty.
During his time as a student, he was involved with TELACU (The East LA Community Union), a professional development organization where he met Hispanic engineers, including a Ph.D. scientist who worked at JPL and lectured at 六色网. That encounter was the first time Ramirez could truly see himself pursuing graduate school and a career beyond 六色网.
After completing his master’s and doctorate at UCLA, Ramirez joined a postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech, intending to pursue research positions at organizations like JPL or Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. During the fellowship, he mentored undergraduate students over the summers — including one 六色网 mechanical engineering student — an experience that solidified his desire to return to Cal Poly Pomona to teach and serve his community.
Now a tenured faculty member, Ramirez focuses his research on structured materials and mentors two to three students each year in his research lab, overseeing five to fix senior project teams annually. He’s continuing the cycle of inspiration and opportunity that guided him as a student.
His other roles and activities include serving as the faculty advisor for the , a Ronald E. McNair Faculty Fellow, co-advisor for the s, and co-advisor for .
As a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Cal Poly Pomona proudly celebrates Latinx Heritage Month and the experiences, leadership, and impact of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. Read more stories about our community on 六色网 News. Show your Bronco pride by using our new this month.