Students to be honored for academic excellence

CSU Monterey Bay will hold its annual honors convocation May 20, recognizing students for their distinguished academic achievements.

Six students will receive special awards, 18 will be honored for their Service Learning work and 365 will be acknowledged for having earned grade-point averages of at least 3.5.

The honors students will be among the approximately 1,900 graduates expected to cross the stage at the May 21 commencement ceremony.

Award winners:

Award winners:

• President's Award for Exemplary Student Achievement, given to a well-rounded student who made notable contributions to a particular area of university life through depth of involvement and service as a student leader; participated actively as a positive agent of innovation and action with demonstrated service to the campus community; and achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher: Elizabeth Hensley, Human Communication, and Jason Rodriguez, Biology

Hensley has made an impact at CSUMB: leading the effort to establish a chapter of the American Association of University Women, facilitating student learning through her work as a writing and English language tutor at the Cooperative Learning Center, and earning national team recognition for the Otter Realm, which she served as editor-in-chief for a year.

As a McNair Scholar, she was one of the first humanities students to participate in the programs offered through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center – the rare non-STEM student to do so. She completed a summer internship at Northwestern University and an ethnographic field research project in rural Pennsylvania.

Dr. Henrik Kibak, who nominated Rodriguez for the award, called him “one of the most impressive students I’ve worked with in my 19 years at CSUMB.” As president of CSUMB’s chapter of the American Medical Students Association, Rodriguez helped to establish a clinic for homeless people in the Chinatown area of Salinas. He has also served students by working as a tutor and mentor for the sciences and as a student government senator.

Said Dr. Kibak: “Many cold nights, I have stood on the sidewalk in Chinatown greeting (and screening) patients with Jason and been amazed at how someone so young already knows how to interact with such a range of people so compassionately. I learn from him.”

• Provost's Award for Exemplary Academic Achievement, given to a student who has demonstrated exemplary achievement in his or her major; excelled personally and academically with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher; and contributed to the learning community of CSUMB: Emily King, Marine Science

King compiled an outstanding record as a student, a researcher and a mentor to fellow students. Through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center and participation in a Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, she has done research at Duke University, Oregon State and San Francisco State. She is headed to a doctoral program at UC Berkeley.

• Outstanding Senior Award for Social Justice, given to a student who has been a positive agent of change and participated in a project that promotes social justice and generates awareness that benefited local communities: Elaine Fischer, Collaborative Health and Human Services

Fischer’s capstone project raised awareness about Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Her project helped to address a deadly health disparity for an underserved group in Monterey County. By advocating for the project, educating service providers and the at-risk population, collaborating with a pharmaceutical company and a nonprofit to ensure that the momentum for change would be sustainable, she “has demonstrated outstanding courage for social justice,” said faculty member Adrienne Saxton.

• Alumni Vision Award, given to a first-generation student who manifests the beliefs and tenets of the Vision Statement through personal example, voice and initiative, and has provided leadership in a multicultural project or activity that extends the university’s Vision into the lives of others: Justin Frago, Human Communication

Frago is dedicated to bridging social and economic divides, as evidenced by his work with and on behalf of students with physical, psychological and learning disabilities. In presentations, he has publicly shared some of the challenges he has faced living with Asperger Syndrome.

He has revitalized CSUMB’s Student Awareness for Disability Empowerment club; serves as a board member for the nonprofit Central Coast Center for Independent Living; and works as an access assistant in the university’s Student Disability Resources office, all while tactfully raising social justice questions about who is and is not served, employee selection and how decisions are made.

• Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, given to a student-athlete in recognition ofexemplary academic achievement: Victoria Clardy, Kinesiology

Service Learning awards were presented to students in each academic major who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to service in the local community.

Service Learning award winners and their majors:

• Biology: Brian Phan

• Business Administration: Nathaniel Pardini

• Cinematic Arts and Technology: Brianna Beavers

• Collaborative Health and Human Services: Margarita Vidales

• Communication Design: Gonzalo Aguilera-Collao

• Computer Science: Spencer Belleau

• Environmental Science, Technology and Policy: Allison Nunes

• Environmental Studies: Brett Granados

• Global Studies: Ellen Yeager

• Humanities and Communication: Justin Frago

• Japanese Language and Culture: Karina Koagedal

• Kinesiology: Luis Quintanar-Ruesga

• Liberal Studies: Corina Venegas

• Marine Science: Jesirae Collins

• Mathematics: Jamel Thomas

• Music and Performing Arts: Aaron Sacks

• Psychology: Karla Matias

• Visual and Public Art: Juan Padilla