David Wakefield in his office. Photo by Danielle Hale/Daily Sundial.

For some, finding a calling or destiny comes at an early age. Others never find it at all. David Wakefield, the chair of CSUN’s Department of Child and Adolescent Development, found his way once he was in graduate school. It was there that he came to realize that his natural curiosity about why some excelled in school while others didn’t was the key in how he would give back to the world.

During the 13 years he has been at CSUN, Wakefield has enjoyed helping students navigate the world of child development. He was one of the founding professors of the division created in 2003.

In a recent story for the Daily Sundial, Wakefield said he is “committed to developing pathways for undergraduate students to continue on to post-baccalaureate graduate and professional programs” and realizes that there is an educational gap for students who come from underrepresented backgrounds.

“We need to do a better job building pathways for people,” he said to student reporter Christina Bennett. “We have a really good group of faculty at Cal State Northridge that are committed to … helping students identify how to navigate college.”

For more: David Wakefield, Chair of Child and Adolescent Development, Teaches Students Self-Improvement [Daily Sundial]

College of Health and Human Development