When Anne Soon Choi MA’00 and Mariappan “Jawa” Jawaharlal PhD’94 discovered they shared the connection of being UMass Amherst Graduate School alumni, it wasn’t at a reunion in Massachusetts, but during a meeting at California State University, Northridge (CSUN).

Now colleagues at CSUN in senior leadership roles, the two are using their shared values and educational roots to make a lasting impact on students, faculty, and their community.

Jawa, who earned his PhD in mechanical engineering, came to UMass in 1990 from India, where he’d been a practicing engineer with a young family. He was looking for work teaching, and an associate dean in the College of Engineering helped him secure a teaching assistant (TA) position.

“That transformed my life,” he says. “That teaching experience is one of the reasons I said I want to be a professor and not go into industry.”

Jawa taught undergraduate students and helped train other TAs in the department. He also landed a job as an assistant resident director at MacKimmie Hall, an experience that deepened his appreciation for the university beyond the classroom.

“The support system in UMass is amazing. It’s not just the academic side, but the housing side, the student side,” he says. “It’s one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in the U.S.”

Both Jawa and Choi say their paths were shaped by the generosity of UMass faculty who went out of their way to help.  

When Jawa graduated into an economic recession, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Stephen Malkin helped him land an interview for a teaching job.  

“Professor Malkin played a profound role in getting my first break. He didn’t know me well, and he didn’t have to do that for me,” Jawa says. “Now, I do the same thing for my students. I’m forever thankful to UMass and Professor Malkin.”

As the associate vice president of research and sponsored programs at CSUN, Jawa helps faculty enhance their research capacity. He has dedicated his career to teaching and uplifting others. In addition to co-founding the Femineer Program, which introduces girls to engineering, his TEDx talk, “Becoming a Better Teacher,” has been viewed nearly two million times.

“Teaching is about more than delivering a lecture. It’s about mentorship,” he says. “I also want my students to have success in their careers, so I follow up with them after they graduate and help them find jobs. To this day, I am in touch with thousands of students.”

Choi, who earned her master’s degree in history at UMass, found mentorship through Professors Emeriti Bruce Laurie and William Johnston in the Department of History. Though she had originally planned to study early American history under Laurie, she shifted her focus to 20th-century U.S. history. Her time as a graduate student wasn’t always easy, she says, especially as one of the few nonwhite students in the program.  

However, the support she received from Laurie and Johnston had long-lasting impacts. Though she had never taken a class with him, Johnston encouraged Choi throughout her PhD application process, suggesting she apply to West Coast schools.

“That he could support someone who was never his student really shaped my view,” Choi says. “Now, I try to use my career to be in service of others.”  

As assistant vice president for faculty programs and initiatives at CSUN, Choi focuses on faculty hiring and retention, with the goal of building community and fostering a sense of belonging for all.  

“One of the most important things I learned from UMass is how important relationships are,” she explains. “If you work for years and years and you don’t have any friends or connections, what’s the point?”  

Outside of CSUN and academic writing, Choi writes true crime and fiction. In 2025, Third State Books released her first nonfiction book, L.A. Coroner: Thomas Noguchi and Death in Hollywood, which explores race, celebrity, and justice in 20th-century Los Angeles. 

“It’s a true crime biography of Thomas Noguchi, the first Japanese American coroner,” she explains. “He had this fascinating public career, then disappeared from the historical narrative. It’s interesting because the writing I wanted to do in my twenties I’m doing now, and I love it.”

As for what advice they have for recent graduates, Choi says, “You are allowed to take up space and have a spot at the table. Keep learning and be self-reflective about it. Make art, write, sing, make music, and create things, even if you don’t do it well. Being creative feeds you when times are hard.”

For Jawa, it’s all about balance and paying it forward.

“Focus on your education, get jobs outside your comfort zone, get involved with the campus community, and get out into Amherst,” he says. “You will get lucky breaks in your life, but if you want to get those lucky breaks, you should always be giving back to others.”

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