2025-2026 Student Research Scholars

Atlas Tillery is a graduate student studying History at California State University, Bakersfield. Tillery began his college career as a STEM major, earning a degree in Food Science and Technology before starting his journey towards becoming a historian. Tillery background in food science, as well as his love for a good meal, has fueled his interest in the history of food and its use as a holistic approach to healthcare. Tillery's current research focuses on this history of food as a treatment for mental health. Tillery looks forward to using the GFCAB research scholarship to continue his research at the Huntington Library.

Atlas Tillery - An Herbal for Melancholy: Mental Health and Domestic Medicine in the 17th Century English Atlantic World.docx

Eric Perez is a decorated combat veteran with a new mission to give back to the community through selfless nonprofit service and higher education. However, the path taken to get where he is today was not always linear. Perez was raised in Richgrove, California, a small agricultural community that helped shape his values of respect, service, discipline, and commitment to others. Perez was part of the first graduating class of César Chávez High School in Delano, California, where he met his future wife on a school bus at the age of fourteen. Perez earned his GED at sixteen, and with his mother’s consent, enlisted in the United States Army at the age of seventeen. Perez married his high school sweetheart one year into his first enlistment and went on to serve seven years as a dog face soldier in the 3rd Infantry Division. During Perez's military service, he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of operations Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, and Enduring Freedom. Following his first deployment, he became a proud father to one son, an experience that profoundly influenced his personal and professional direction. Several years after completing his service, he made the decision to pursue higher education to set a strong example for his son. Perez is currently a full-time student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management, with an academic focus on organizational behavior. He also serves full-time as the Operations Director for the Wounded Heroes Fund, a local nonprofit serving veterans of Kern County, where he applied his professional training and lived experience to support veterans in their transition from military to civilian life.

The Cost of the Grind: Assessing the Impact of Leader Workaholism on Food Safety Compliance and Employee Retention

Thi Diem Quyen Ngo is an international student from Vietnam. She is currently a senior majoring in Human Resource Management at California State University, Bakersfield. She has had a chance to study and live in Bakersfield, specifically in Kern County, which allows her to witness how the environment, especially air quality, in this area significantly impacts our community's health and the workforce in local agricultural and food processing industries. She is eager to participate in the GFCAB Student Research Scholars program and honored to work with Dr. Sunjin Pak on the project “From Pollution to Action.” This research explores how daily air quality changes affect employees' turnover intentions and environmental behaviors. This topic aligns perfectly with her HR career goals and desire to address real-world workplace issues. Through this project, she hopes to develop her research skills while contributing meaningful insights to support Kern County's agricultural workforce.