CAL alumnus builds creative life and advocates for social change
On any given week in San Diego, you might find him suspended in the grid of Viejas Arena or the CAL Coast Credit Union concert venue rigging lights and trusses for a national tour. He might be scanning the horizon from a lifeguard tower, watching a set roll in, or sitting behind a drum kit at the Casbah — keeping time in a city that thrives on music.
Declan Halloran (‘16 sociology, ‘24 MALAS) wears many hats. He is a production rigger for SDSU and various production companies and he’s an ocean-qualified lifeguard for the City of San Diego. For more than 20 years, he’s been a drummer in a variety of bands, playing venues from Tijuana, Mexico to Bellingham, Washington.
But beneath the cables, currents, and cymbals is something deeper: a sociologist shaped by San Diego State University’s College of Arts and Letters — and a proud graduate of the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences (MALAS) program.
SDSU isn’t only where he studied; it’s where he built a creative life.
A major shift — and a broader lens
As an undergraduate, he didn’t begin as a sociology major. It took one class — Sociology 101 with Associate Professor Jung Choi — to change his trajectory. The course was transformative enough that he switched majors from music and political science to sociology.
That decision would define the way he sees the world.
“He is dedicated, motivated, and passionate about making sure that voices that are not typically included — are included. He wants to make change,” said Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk, lecturer in sociology. ”He represents what CAL is. It’s critical thinking; it’s humanity.”
Halloran engaged with The Dignified Learning Project, the nonprofit organization that Holkenbrink-Monk and Choi co-founded in 2015. Holkenbrink-Monk said in 2018, that Halloran single-handedly organized a fundraiser called Bands Against Bigotry — an all-day music festival with the intention of bringing the community together.
When it came time for graduate school, he looked for something that reflected his wide-ranging interests. MALAS offered exactly that. “I like to think of MALAS as an interdisciplinary master’s program,” he said. “It was the best way for me to gain as much academic experience as possible.”
He describes liberal arts as a “Swiss Army Knife” — versatile, adaptable, endlessly applicable. MALAS allowed him to pick his own adventure, guided by mentors like William Nericcio, Charlene Holkenbrink-Monk, Tom Semm, Mike Roberts, and Pierre Asselin.
Because MALAS has no rigid limits on areas of study, he was able to explore everything from education to digital literature to the sociology of surfing and skateboarding. “If you leave college the exact same person you were when you came in, you should ask for a refund,” he says. For Halloran, MALAS was transformation in action.
“Declan was one of the first MALAS students whose work was so valued by an associated department, sociology, that he was hired as a graduate teaching assistant for that department,” William Nericcio, director of the MALAS program said. “Halloran is affable, clever, funny, and gifted. Moreover, his commitment to MALAS led to other students joining our program. He is an able and gifted surfer of waves interdisciplinary, and one of our most outstanding recent graduates."
Research rooted in real life
Halloran’s scholarship is inseparable from his lived experience. During the summer of 2021, when concerts were shuttered and music paused, he lifeguarded. What began as a practical decision became a sociological inquiry. He began examining drowning statistics documented by the United States Lifesaving Association and other agencies.
The data was stark: he learned there were higher drowning rates in low-income communities and lower access to swim education. He researched the generational ripple effects tied to segregation and systemic racism that historically restricted access to public pools and beaches.
“When we segregate who can swim in public areas, it has consequences that span generations,” he said. Halloran presented his research, “Drowning and Inequalities,” at The Stoke Sessions 2.0 in October 2025. Now, he hopes to help develop a course at SDSU in collaboration with the Surf/Skate Studies Collaborative to bridge sociology, recreation, and public health.
Sound, streaming, social justice and building what’s next
Another emerging focus for Halloran is the music industry in the age of social media and AI.
A digital literature course with Jessica Pressman, professor of English, sparked his interest in how streaming platforms reshape artistic labor and economic equity. As a working musician, he sees firsthand how algorithms and monetization models affect creators.
“I believe there needs to be stronger regulations to help maintain a more equitable field that puts musicians, songwriters, and artists first,” he said. For Halloran, sociology isn’t abstract. It’s in the pit at a show. It’s in the water. It’s in the code behind a playlist.
He’s currently working with SDSU student organizations Aztec Music Group, and KCR College Radio, to advocate for a live events venue in SDSU Mission Valley.
“It’s high time that SDSU had another small-scale, all-ages venue where students can play and go see bands perform,” Halloran says. He points to the legacy of SDSU’s Montezuma Hall and The Backdoor — spaces that through the years have hosted national acts like the Ramones, The English Beat, the Violent Femmes, and Green Day among others.
His vision is clear: build a music space where students can engage fully, and connect with the music scene at large. With Halloran on board, anything is possible.
