Waffaa Hanna is originally from Egypt. She has a degree in Chemical Engineering but she chose to build a career in student support services. She has over 20 years of experience in higher education. Her last position was a Program Director at Heald College. She has been in this country for more than 35 years and lived in three states: Indiana, New York, and now California. She is married, has 2 married sons, and 3 grandchildren.
About Us
Since 2001, the California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) Student Center for Academic Achievement (SCAA) has provided content tutoring for writing across the curriculum, all math and statistics courses, and selected science courses. Additionally, the SCAA offers academic support through new and innovative programs such as the Writing Associates and Supplemental Instruction (SI).
The mission and objective of the SCAA is three-fold:
- to help CSUEB students develop and improve their skills and abilities in order to meet the demands of college level coursework;
- to assist CSUEB students in achieving and maintaining academic excellence;
- and to support CSUEB students in accomplishing their academic and career goals and graduate as self-directed life-long learners.
The SCAA accomplishes its mission and objectives by providing students with high quality tutoring and academic support, providing faculty with a resource for students who need additional help, and providing the university with an intellectual hub offering innovative programming that reflects our values.
Our Impact
The SCAA is dedicated to providing impactful academic support services to the CSUEB community. In an effort to keep our organization accountable to our students, we produce a thorough annual report each year outlining our accomplishments and areas of growth. Below is an infographic highlighting some of our work from the 2017 – 2018 academic year.Our Staff
Shonda Goward - Director
Dr “G” as she is known to students, is an award-winning scholar practitioner with over a decade of experience in higher education administration. She is proud of her working-class upbringing and first-generation college graduate status. Her current research focuses on how universities can work to retain racially and economically marginalized students and support their academic success and well-being. Outside of work discussions, you can always engage her in a conversation about her cooking, Star Wars, and baseball.
Waffaa Hanna - Supplemental Instruction Coordinator
June Mertens-Barber - OWL Coordinator
While obtaining her English Literature Bachelor’s degree and then pursuing a Master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Students of Other Languages), June tutored writing at the SCAA. Now, as a member of SCAA staff, she is the Online Coordinator for the OWL (Online Writing Lab) and the WST (Writing Skills Test) Coordinator. She likes to visit her daughter and grandchildren during her vacations.
Sara Schupack - Writing Coordinator
Sara, our Writing Coordinator, is responsible for overseeing matters relating to the Writing Tutor and Writing Associates programs. She has always cared about writing, having kept a journal since second grade and teaching English for many years before studying education and coming back to California and writing tutoring. Her interests include film as literature, creative nonfiction, and crime stories.
Graduate Assistants
Amber McNeill - Math & Statistics Coordinator
Amber McNeill is working towards her Master's Degree in Mathematics, and hopes to use her skills to teach math in community colleges one day. In addition to coordinating the math and statistics team at the SCAA, she is also a Teaching Associate for the Mathematics Department. She enjoys reading, hiking, and collecting Hello Kitty memorabilia in her down time.
Sabina Lucke Lawrence - Science Coordinator
Sabina coordinates the SCAA science tutoring team, and is a Master's student in the department of biological sciences. Her research focuses on the ecology and behavior of Anna's hummingbirds and their pollination of California native plants. Sabina holds a Bachelor's degree in music, and later attended community college as a working adult to complete the required science courses for graduate work in biology. She is committed to supporting and celebrating student success, especially for non-traditional and historically underrepresented students. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, birdwatching, and gardening.