Homebase Lab

Welcome to SDSU Homebase Lab!

About Us

The Homebase Lab is a welcoming space where students can find support, connection, and community. Through mentorship, academic and career guidance, and culturally responsive programs, we support first-generation, commuter, and underrepresented students as they navigate college. At Homebase, you are not just getting help. You are finding your people and a place to grow.

homebase lab

Mision and Vision Statement

The Homebase Lab advances student success through applied developmental interventions that promote belonging, well-being, and academic persistence. We design and evaluate innovative, culturally responsive practices that support first-generation, commuter, and underrepresented students, particularly young men of color, as they navigate the transition into and through college. Our mission is to cultivate a community where all students feel seen, supported, and empowered to engage fully in their academic and professional journeys.

We envision a campus ecosystem where every student has access to a reliable “home base” for connection, mentorship, and growth. Through evidence-based programming, collaborative partnerships, and community-engaged research, the Homebase Lab strives to become a national model for holistic student development. We aim to transform institutional environments so that students not only succeed academically but thrive as emerging adults, leaders, and social change agents.

Homebase Scholars Model

  • Peer mentorship
  • Academic and career scaffolding
  • Professional skill-building
  • Engagement in a supportive community

Drop-In Student Success Support

(3–7 PM, Mon–Thu) High-touch, same-day support for students experiencing academic, social, or personal stressors. Staffed by peer mentors, graduate student trainees, and counseling psychology interns.

Dr. pope and students

First-Year Experience (FYE) Courses

A sequenced set of general studies courses designed for holistic student development each year. The curriculum integrates:

  • Social and emotional development
  • Applied developmental psychology
  • Imposter syndrome and stress reduction
  • Holistic academic and career planning
 
homebase lab ymoca collaboration

YMOCA & YMOC Partnership

CSU systemwide partnership with Young Men of Color Consortium and Collaboration with the SDSU Young Men of Color Alliance to scale impact across the CSU system through restorative practices, peer networks, and shared learning.
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Join the Homebase community.

Whether you’re looking for mentorship, academic support, or a place on campus where you truly belong, the Homebase Lab is here for you. Connect with peers, meet caring staff, and take the next step toward your academic and personal goals.  

 
Ema
Peer Mentor

Ema Lisinac

Ema Lisinac is an undeclared sophomore working as a student assistant. She is from the east bay area of California. Ema enjoys baking, hiking, singing, and hanging out with friends and is interested in the sciences, mathematics, and geography. She looks forward to working alongside you to enhance your student experience. Fun fact: Ema has traveled to more countries than states! 
darren
Graduate Assistant

Darren Michael Famisan

Darren Famisan is the graduate assistant for Homebase Lab. He is grateful to continue his previous undergraduate work as a peer mentor, and hopes to be a catalyst for the same experiences that shaped him during his undergraduate degree for the students he comes across. Through the lab, he has come to see that his lived experiences as a non-traditional, first-generation college student not only has value, but can serve as a foundation for his peers as they navigate their own path. 
ozzy
Lead Peer Mentor

Jesus Mendoza "Ozzy"

Hi my name is Ozzy. I am a senior at San Diego State University majoring in Economics. As a Lead Peer Mentor, I enjoy helping students feel welcomed, connected, and confident as they navigate college. I am passionate about supporting others, building community, and helping students find the resources they need to succeed.

AD 201 - Drop-In Student Success Support
(3–7 PM, Mon–Thu)

Homebase Lab Contact Form coming soon.

Homebase Lab Contact Form coming soon.

coming soon.

coming soon.

ricky pope headshot

Dr. Pope leads several campus initiatives, including the Homebase Lab, the Young Men of Color Alliance (YMOCA) partnership, which centers culturally responsive mentorship and prosocial engagement as pathways to student success. His research examines service utilization, institutional attachment, and the developmental transitions of emerging adults. Guided by a scientist-practitioner approach, Dr. Pope’s work seeks to transform educational environments and elevate student voices to build more equitable and human-centered systems of support.

Dr. Ricky Pope is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor at San Diego State University. He is the founding director of the Homebase Lab, an applied developmental research and intervention hub focused on improving college engagement, well-being, and academic success among first-generation, commuter, and underrepresented students, particularly young men of color. His work integrates principles of applied developmental science, psychological intervention, and holistic student support to design programs that cultivate belonging, resilience, and institutional attachment.

Recent scholarship 

  • Pope, R.J. The Homebase Approach: A First-Year University Seminar as a Secure Base for Students Who Self-Identify as Young Men of Color. Innov High Educ 50, 1787–1811 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-025-09833-w