My name is Audia Dixon.
I am the Graduate Dean's Medalist for the College of Arts and Humanities.
As a African American
artist here in the Central Valley, I'm proud to
express my work in my own style
that share narratives about Black representation
and what I understand about it myself and people who I've known.
Without the academic support
and exposure and knowledge that I gain in the arts,
I don't know where I would be.
My name is Nevaeh Grubb, and I am the Undergraduate
Dean's Medalist for Craig School of Business.
It's becoming
really apparent to me that I am graduating soon
and leading up to this point, I was excited, and I was ready to get out.
But it's becoming sad to leave this chapter,
but I am really excited because it made me realize
that I do have almost the entire world at my fingertips right now.
I can do whatever I want.
And so that's very exciting and very scary, and it feels like
a really big responsibility.
But I feel like Fresno State has prepared me to take it on.
My name is Joey Contreras, and I am the Graduate
Dean's Medalist for the College of Science and Mathematics.
So I studied physics,
and my proudest academic achievement would probably
be getting my first research publication in early 2021.
It's something I've always wanted to do ever since I started at
Fresno City College.
I wanted to pursue physics and pursue research and physics in particular.
And so to get to put out a publication in theoretical physics,
for me, was like a dream come true.
My name is Jaklin Rowley, and I am the Dean's Medalist
for the Lyles College of Engineering.
I really enjoy the whole building process.
I like seeing the buildings from the very, very start when you're just starting
with an idea
and then all the way through, through the city, through building permits
and then through to completion and maintenance afterwards.
It's an incredible journey that you get to see,
and you get to help dreams come true as well.
Whether it be for somebody's small business or someone's home,
you get to help make a difference.
My name is
Héctor Jácome-Sáenz, and I'm the Dean's Undergraduate Medalist
for the Jordan College of Ag.
My proudest academic achievement is getting to where
I'm at right now with a 4.0 being a first-generation student
and being able to represent a culture that is really unrepresented.
It was really surprising to see that, actually, somebody in our family
was successful enough to be recognized at this level of of honor.
My name is Maram Kiran, and I'm the Undergraduate Dean's Medalist
for the College of Science and Mathematics.
My plan to become a physician
really centered around the mission of providing culturally competent
care here in Fresno and also becoming an advocate for health equity here in Fresno
for my patients in the future. And my experiences here in Fresno
and in Yemen abroad have really impacted my decision to come back to the Valley
and ensure that our patients are receiving the best health care that they need.
My name is Tania Castillo, and I am the Graduate
Dean's Medalist for the College of Social Sciences.
I'm very happy to have been a student at Fresno State,
not just for my graduate experience, but also for my undergrad experience.
I feel prepared to go into the professional world.
A little sad to leave,
but I know Fresno State will always be a home.
My name is Saúl Pamatz Melgarejo, and I am the Graduate
Dean's Medalist for the Kremen School of Education and Human Development.
One of my proudest accomplishments is that I was able to present
and win an award for my master's
project, "Journeys and Pathways to Higher Education,"
which studies the narratives
and experiences of undocumented students from 2016 to 2020.
This is not just for me, but it's for my community.
It is for them because I plan to go back to my community
and show them that just like I was capable, so are they.
My name is Karina Ortega, and I'm the Undergraduate
Dean's Medalist for the College of Health and Human Services.
I wanted to advocate for mental health,
especially after the return to campus, after the COVID-19 pandemic.
A lot of people, including myself, suffered with a lot of losses and anxiety,
and we just wanted to make sure that people knew that resources
were available on campus.
And that's why we decided to create the Bulldogs Joyful Together event.
My name is Noorjot Kaur, and I am the Undergraduate
Dean's Medalist for the College of Social Sciences.
I've seen myself grow
at Fresno State because I started attending
as Zoom was present and the pandemic was happening.
So I was able to see myself
explore new options of learning
with virtual and online and become better at Fresno State
because I was given so many opportunities to work in many different areas
while also receiving a really good education here.
My name is Tania Sanchez, and I am the Graduate Dean's
Medalist for the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.
So, I am an aspiring school counselor or academic advisor.
I do want to remain in the Central Valley.
This is my home. I never see myself leaving.
And the students that I want to serve belong here.
The population I want to make a difference in.
I want to give back to my community, and I do know
being here and staying in the Central Valley, I can do just that.
My name is Joseph Calcagno, and I'm the Graduate Dean's Medalist
for the Craig School of Business.
I worked full time during this whole period.
It's accelerated. We finished in just over a year.
We welcomed a new baby in our family in the last part of it,
so it was an extreme time management challenge.
And just getting through this successfully and was probably my biggest achievement.
My name is
Rebekah Moses, and I am the Undergraduate Dean's Medalist
for the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.
It's been a very wonderful experience
to participate in the TRiO veterans, the program.
And I know now that I would like to continue to serve my community.
And to do so, I would
need to obtain my master's degree
and be able to serve locally, actually here in Fresno
at the Veterans Hospital.
Hi, my name is Cameron Standridge, and I'm the Graduate Medalist
for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
My proudest academic achievement in my master's degree
was securing half a million dollars from USDA National Institute for Food
and Agriculture to create agri-science curriculum for high school students.
This achievement means so much to me because I was able to work with a fellow
graduate student, as well as the awesome faculty and staff here at Fresno State,
to really put my ideas into action
and develop some awesome curriculum for students so that way
they become more college and career ready as they look towards the future.
My name is Ivonne Pulido.
I am the Undergraduate Dean's Medalist for the Kremen School of Education
and Human Development.
To be the first one in my family to get a degree means a lot to me.
I feel as if it's a way to repay back
the sacrifices of my parents as for them coming to a new country.
My next plans after my bachelor's is to continue my education
by attending the credential program here at Fresno State to further
my education.
My name is Steven Hensley, and I am the Undergraduate
Dean's Medalist for the College of Arts and Humanities.
My proudest accomplishment
is having gone from community college to Fresno State
and transferring successfully, and then not only doing that,
but also getting into Berkeley Law School and really going down that long
path and making it to where I am today and helping others do the same.
My name is Sumanjit Gill, and I'm the Undergraduate Dean's
Medalist for the Lyles College of Engineering.
Being recognized
as a Dean's Medalist is really showing me that this hard work means a lot,
and it's worth the time and effort for me to put into myself to become better
and that I am a capable of doing great things.
My name is Rebekah Weimer.
I'm the Graduate Dean's Medalist for the College of Health and Human
Services.
I think my proudest accomplishment
during my time at Fresno State was finishing my thesis.
It was about mental skills on a soccer juggling task,
and during the pandemic it was really hard to get that data collection.
My thesis was really important to me
because I dedicated it to my grandfather, Oscar Wallace.
He was a history teacher for many years and just really instilled to me
higher education.
So it's really important that I got to finish it.