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Pepperdine | Seaver College
Martha Tran

Martha Tran

Visiting Instructor of Communication
Assistant Director of Debate
Communication Division, Seaver College
CCB 219

Biography

Martha Tran is a communication educator and program builder whose teaching spans California's community colleges, the California State University system, and Pepperdine University, where she has taught Public Speaking and Rhetorical Analysis since 2023. At Pepperdine, she also serves as Assistant Director of Debate, where she launched and now co-directs Legados, the campus's first language-specific debate team and the only foreign-language series in its civic consortium, recognized with awards in its first year.

Her teaching philosophy centers on integrative learning, community building, and critical thinking, connecting theory to students' lived experiences so they find their voice and recognize their own strength. A distinguished graduate of Pepperdine's communication program, she is especially committed to the success of students from historically underrepresented communities, a commitment that has shaped her entire career. She built and led student-success programs as the inaugural Coordinator of Underrepresented Student Initiatives at CSU Channel Islands and as Coordinator of the Titan Dreamers Resource Center at CSU Fullerton.

Her research examines the experiences of undocumented immigrants in higher education. Her teaching, advocacy, and leadership have earned wide recognition, including the Woman of the Year Award from Instituto Para la Mujer, the Hank Lacayo Activist Award, and an invitation from Congresswoman Julia Brownley to attend a Joint Session of Congress as her Special Guest.

Education

  • MS in Intercultural & Organizational Communication, Pepperdine University, 2016
  • BA in Communication, California State University - Channel Islands, 2013
  • AA in Communications, Moorpark College, 2012
  • AA in General Studies - Social & Behavioral Sciences, Moorpark College, 2012

 

 

Published Peer Reviewed Research

  • Zavala Perez, M. (2017). "The (unethical) normal of undocumented immigrants." Ethica, 28 (Special), 4-6.
  • Zavala Perez, M. (2016). "How does america’s next top model represent deafness?" Pepperdine Journal of Communication, 4, 40-53.
  • Zavala Perez, M. (2014). "A comparative study of sustainability awareness at CSU Channel Islands." CI Journal of Undergraduate Research, 1(1)
  • Woman of the Year Award, Instituto Para La Mujer (Womens Institute). October 2019 - Awarded by the Instituto Para La Mujer (Womens Institute) that works with supporting and educating Immigrant Women in the Inland Empire and Orange County.
  • Hank Lacayo Activist Award - Democratic Club of the Conejo Valley. October 22, 2017.
  • ACPA 2017 Voices of Inclusion Group/Team Medallion. Spring, 2017 - Awarded by the ACPA (American College Personal Association).The program awarded was a training curriculum and program that I spearheaded and created from scratch that is used to train students faculty and staff at colleges in supporting students from undocumented and immigrant backgrounds.
  • Special Guest to Joint Session of Congress – State of the Union Address. Spring, 2017. California Congresswoman Julia Brownley invited me as her special guest to the Presidents Speech. This is commonly known as the "State of the Union Address;" however the first of every sitting president is called a "Joint Session of Congress."I was honored to sit in the gallery of the House of Representatives during the Presidents address to the Joint session of Congress in 2017.
  • Outstanding Master of Science in Communication Graduate, Pepperdine University, April 29, 2016.
  • Buonocore, A. & Zavala Perez, Martha. (2019). Hand in Hand: Creating Collaborations with Financial Aid for Student Success. Presented at Keeping the Dream Alive annual Conference, Sacramento, CA, December 2, 2019.
  • Tran, Jeanne & Zavala Perez, Martha. (2019). Empowerment and Self-Advocacy: Civic Engagement in the Undocumented Community. Presented at Keeping the Dream Alive annual Conference, Sacramento, CA, December 2, 2019.
  • Zamora, Jose & Zavala Perez, Martha. (2018). How the TDRC supports its students through a student lead model. Presented at Keeping the Dream Alive annual Conference, Sacramento, CA, December 4, 2018.
  • Zavala Perez, M, Ramirez, H. (2018). UndocuAlly Training Model. Presented at Keeping the Dream Alive annual Conference, Sacramento, CA, December 3, 2018.
  • Anguiano, C., Bowen, D., De Los Santos-Upton, S., Garzía, Z. R., Hernández, L.H., Martinez, A. R., Martinez, S., Mercado Jones, R. & Zavala Perez, M. (2017). Our legacy, our relevance in Latin@ communication studies: Theories, method, and practice. Presented at the annual Conference for the National Communication Association, Dallas TX, November 16, 2017. 
  • Zavala Perez, M. Panel guest at Pepperdine Graphic Media Town Hall. October 6, 2017.
  • Zavala Perez, M, (2017). Mi Secreto (My Secret): How Undocumented Immigrants can tell their stories to challenge the negative media frame. Presented at the annual Conference for the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Dallas Texas, February 24, 2017. 
  • Tefertiller, S., Zavala Perez, M., Walker, J. (2016). Transformational learning through international community engagement. Presented at the annual Pepperdine Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium, Malibu California, April 1, 2016.