A member of the CSUN community is directly responsible for California State University, Northridge, students' first and last moments at the university.

In addition to easing the transition to and from CSUN, Christopher Aston helps current students make change.

Aston, 28 , holds the position of activities coordinator for New Student Programs and Transitions at CSUN. He aspires to help students through their college career by playing an active role in the events that help them transition.

"I find it a joy to be able to impact students in their transition both into and from the university as well as assist in the growth and leadership opportunities for the students," Aston said.

As an activities coordinator, Aston is in charge of organizing events such as new student orientation, commencement, honors convocation, new student convocation and multi cultural-related programs.

He has also taught communications studies classes and is looking forward to continue teaching.

Aston started his passion for working with students when he got involved in new student orientation and commencement while he was a student at CSUN. He was also a member of a fraternity and other organizations on campus. He has passed on this passion to other current students who are partaking in many of the activities he is in charge of.

"Christopher Aston was the single person that made me feel involved on campus," said Montana Phan, an information technology major who has worked with Aston for the past two years. "He's very approachable, organized and cares about the students."

College has been a place where Aston has been able to grow and become his own person. Growing up, he has struggled with being both Chinese and Italian and has had difficulties feeling comfortable being gay.

"Growing up, I felt socially outcast partially due to my mixed race as well as my sexuality, fitting in was challenging," said Aston. "In college, I finally realized my strengths, my weaknesses, my capabilities and my potential."

Aston's professors and mentors have been an important part of his growth process and hestrives to be able to be a mentor for others in his shoes. He has already acted as a mentor to members of his fraternity and is constantly getting students to become involved in the process he enjoys so much.

"Chris is our on-campus adviser for our fraternity," said Eric Gonzalez, a 21-year-old CSUN student. "Since I've joined the fraternity, he has done his best to educate me and he is someone I can talk to not only about chapter affairs, but also personal issues.

I feel like Chris does his best to try and get students involved. I think he knows that the best mentors for new students are the people living the college experience right now."

Aston would like to settle down one day and travel with his family. Until then, he wants to continue to have an impact on students' lives by working in student affairs. He would like to eventually become a dean of students or obtain a doctorate degree in communication studies to possibly teach in the field.

"To be able to actually feel that I have impacted a student's - or a person's life, for that matter - is a wonderful feeling," said Aston.