Maria Ortuoste

Maria Ortuoste is associate professor of political science. I received my PhD from Arizona State University, and M.A. from the University of the Philippines. I worked as a journalist, speechwriter and research director before taking a leap of faith into academia. My research covers international security, foreign policy, the United Nations and diplomacy. When I entered CSUEB, I was fortunate to have two mentors -- one in my department and the other outside. That really helped me adjust to life in the university. Over the past four years, I have been mentoring our students in terms of academics and career options, and I have also been mentoring junior scholars, graduate students and junior faculty in two professional organizations -- the International Studies Association and the American Political Science Association. I also served as Faculty in Residence for New Faculty two years ago. All of these experiences have been positive and am excited to collaborate with other faculty who want to develop a mentoring program in the university.