Featured Scholars: Deans’ Medalists
The eight schools and colleges at Fresno State, along with the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, each selected an outstanding student to honor as part of the class of 2023 Undergraduate Deans’ Medalists.
The deans of these areas selected an undergraduate and graduate medalist based on academic excellence, community involvement and other achievements.
In mid-May, one medalist from the group below will be announced as the President’s Undergraduate Medalist, the University’s top academic honor for an undergraduate student.
This year, three of the eight recipients are Smittcamp Family Honors College scholars.
Joshua Heupel, of Le Grand, earned a B.S. in agricultural business and political science with a 3.98 GPA. A Smittcamp Family Honors College Scholar, Heupel double-majored in agricultural business and political science. His honors thesis for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology was titled “California’s Pesticide Regulation Policy Future: A Case Study on 1,3-Dichloropropene in Strawberry Production.” His research allowed him to work with the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. His political science project titled “California’s Water Rights: A Challenge to the State’s Mitigation of Water Needs” was on water rights, the drought and underserved communities. Heupel was a congressional intern for Congressman David Valadao and Congressman Jimmy Panetta. He participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute at Carnegie Mellon University this past summer. Heupel was a supplemental instructor in the Learning Center, helping other students with agricultural business quantitative methods. He served on the Camp Kesem coordinator board, volunteered during the Fresno State FFA Field Day and was a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Heupel will attend Princeton University to pursue a master’s of public affairs and hopes to get a doctorate in the future.
Lucca Lorenzi, of Merced, earned his B.A. in media, communications and journalism (public relations option) with a 4.0 GPA. In high school, Lorenzi underwent a successful surgery to remove a tumor that grew into his left nostril, eye, sinuses and throat. To show his thanks to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Lorenzi started Pack it Up for Packard, a collection drive for the hospital’s therapy program and library, which donated over 3,000 art supplies, 300 books and $6,000. He was invited to shadow the hospital’s foundation team when he discovered he could combine his passion for art, writing and public speaking into a career in public relations. Lorenzi is a Smittcamp Family Honors College Scholar, worked as a multimedia student assistant for the Fresno State Transportation Institute and was a writer for the Fresno County Historical Museum’s Italian Heritage Exhibit. During the pandemic, Lorenzi created thank you videos for Lucile Packard donors and art videos for patients. He helped with fundraising for the hospital’s virtual toy drive and served as patient ambassador for Stanford’s 2021 Virtual Dance Marathon. He was a Washington D.C. intern in Congressman Jim Costa’s office and was one of Valley Children’s Hospital’s inaugural marketing interns.
Daisy Soto-Hernandez, of Visalia, earned her B.A. in liberal studies and teaching credential in only four years with a 3.9 GPA. She considered dropping out of school after losing her grandfather, her biggest supporter, to COVID-19, but was inspired to finish to make him proud. Soto-Hernandez is a Smittcamp Family Honors College Scholar and a bilingual authorization candidate in the Fresno Teacher Residency Program. She worked as a student assistant in the Center For Advising and Student Services, which influenced her decision to continue her studies beyond a bachelor’s degree. She presented her research on emerging bilinguals at the “Make a Difference: Teach” conference in the South Valley, the largest single event for teacher recruitment where she encouraged future teachers to use asset-based language in their classrooms. Soto-Hernandez and a classmate worked on a children’s book called “Con Mis Ojos: Privileging Emerging Bilinguals” to elevate the voices and views of girls who feel marginalized. The book will soon be published. Soto-Hernandez will begin her first year of teaching for the Fresno Unified School District in the fall. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, then a doctoral degree so she can make a difference as an education administrator.