How taking a ‘leap of faith’ helped Crafton alum Gino Howard find community and success in and outside the classroom
Publish Date: June 3, 2026
Gino Howard says he “lucked out.”
When he began attending Crafton Hills College in the early 2010s, it was a kind gesture from psychology professor Diane Pfahler that made him feel like he belonged.
“During my second semester, I took my first psychology class with this great professor, who told us about the Psychology Club and how to really get involved,” shared Howard. “She took her time to explain how we could embed ourselves into the college and get the most of our experience.”
Now, himself a psychology professor at Cal State San Bernardino, Howard is eager to pay it forward by teaching beginning Cal State San Bernardino students how to discover and build their own community. He called this one of the “coolest parts” of his job.
Thinking about his first semester at CHC, Howard says, “When you go to a new school, regardless of which institution it is, it is easy to feel a bit isolated because it’s a new experience. But immediately joining the Psych Club at Crafton gave me the opportunity to create relationships on not only an academic standpoint but socially as well."
“I had a group of people now that I could reflect on what classes work best, which professors gave me the most meaningful experience,” he continued. “That sounding board and that sense of community helped me explore things more thoroughly.”
Howard explains that while in high school, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in education and go into psychology, but he didn’t know where he would begin his educational journey.
He considered both Crafton and its sister college, San Bernardino Valley College, before applying to become a Roadrunner. Crafton’s friendly environment and the selection of classes led him to choose Crafton.
Howard would later transfer to Cal State San Bernardino, where he earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in industrial and organizational psychology.
In 2023, Howard graduated from Louisiana State University with a Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology.
Today, he serves as an assistant professor at Cal State San Bernardino, where he hopes to promote student growth and success. He called his tenure at CSUSB a “full circle” moment because it was Professor Pfahler who told him about the open Cal State faculty position.
“One of the things that drew me to a community college was [that] I needed a place to start and grow my academic journey,” Howard said. “That leap of faith helped me find success at Crafton and outside of the classroom as well.”
To start your Crafton Journey, go to www.craftonhills.edu to learn more about campus life and its degree and certification programs.
