LS Students Recognized for Outstanding Accomplishments
Cal Poly’s Liberal Studies Department embodies the University’s focus of Learn by Doing, preparing students for credential programs while giving them the opportunity to further explore the arts, science, technology, and mathematics. Over the years, Liberal Studies students have won a number of different awards, showcasing their academic abilities, community outreach, research, and more.
2024 Awards
Dawn Neill, from left, Cal Poly’s interim vice president of research; Hector Reyes; Alejandra Yep, biological sciences professor; Xavier Aguilar; and Jane Lehr, Cal Poly director of the Office of Student Research.
Photo by Alexis Kovacevic
Five Cal Poly student research teams from the Bailey College of Science and Math—including one team from the College of Liberal Studies—received first- or second-place recognition at the 2024 California State University (CSU) Student Research Competition held on the San Luis Obispo campus April 26-27.
Hector Reyes, Xavier Aguilar and Chanel de Smet took first in the Education category designated for undergraduates. Their study, “Nuestra Ciencia: Empowering bilingual students as scientists,” involved teaching microbiology in Spanish to local bilingual elementary school students. Reyes is an eligible recent Cal Poly alumnus (Psychology, '23) who is working toward earning a master’s degree at San Diego State University.
“It was one of the best days of my life,” said Aguilar, a first-year liberal studies major from San Miguel, California, of the first-place award. “Being able to represent Cal Poly on the state level and win in the Education category was one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done.”
Nuestra Ciencia — led by biological sciences Associate Professor Alejandra Yep and liberal studies Assistant Professor Jasmine Nation — aims to inform and empower young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies, or STEM.
“Being a future Latino educator, I was really drawn to this project, as it included two important things to me: Latinx in STEM and having a diverse classroom,” Aguilar said. “Overall, Nuestra Ciencia and this research competition shifted my view on research and opened my eyes up to a new stream of education.”
Past Awards
2020
Academic Excellence Award
Congratulations to Vanessa Lamoureux, the recipient of the CSM Academic Excellence Award for Liberal Studies. A select few students who achieve outstanding academic performance measured by cumulative grade point average receive the award.
Ms. Lamoureux graduated from the Liberal Studies program in Spring 2020. For the last three years of her career at Cal Poly, she was a Student Assistant for the Liberal Studies department while serving as an Instructional Student Assistant for various professors and departments around campus.
Lamoureux credits her success to her love of learning, family support, and great educators at her high school.
"While in high school, I had some wonderful teachers who knew how to support their students in a way that helped them grow both academically and personally. Without those teachers, I definitely would not have had the educational foundation and tools I needed to succeed at Cal Poly,” said Lamoureux. “My parents have always supported me and have always been a constant source of encouragement in my educational journey.”
Liberal Studies is a major for students who are planning on becoming teachers. That made Lamoureux, who’s wanted to be a teacher ever since I was six years old, a perfect fit.
“I have a passion for learning and education, so it was very inspiring to be in a major and surrounded by faculty and students who feel the same exact way,” said Lamoureux. “Their dedication to education only fueled my own, and I feel extremely lucky that I was able to spend the last four years surrounded by people who love education and believe in it as much as I do.”
Lamoureux says she chose Cal Poly College of Science and Mathematics because she wanted to experience the "Learn by Doing" approach that the school has become synonymous with.
“I knew that if I attended Cal Poly I would constantly be in local elementary classrooms learning from actual elementary teachers, and that was very exciting to me!” added Lamoureux.
She is currently getting her teaching credential and Master's in Teaching at UC Santa Barbara. Way to go, Vanessa!
Outstanding Citizenship Award
Congratulations to Elisabeth Marciano, the recipient of the CSM Outstanding Citizenship Award for Liberal Studies. Special attention is given to the graduating student who met multiple award criteria and also made an outstanding contribution to the community as a whole.
Ms. Marciano graduated from the Liberal Studies program in Winter 2020. She worked as a tutor for LS students in the Math series for the entirety of the last school year. She is on track to get her teaching credential and bilingual authorization at Cal Poly next year, and will then continue and get a Master’s in Education. Good job, Ellie!
2018
Courtney Johnson, center, receives her award for academic achievement from Anne Marie Bergen,
interim department chair, and Dean Wendt, dean of the college.
The college and department honored a number of liberal studies 2018 graduates for their outstanding achievements last spring. Congratulations and good luck to them and the entire 2018 graduating class.
College of Science and Mathematics Honors
Academic Achievement
Courtney Johnson
Contributions to the Department
Kylie Frost
Liberal Studies Department Honors
Child Development
C.J. Wingate and Emily Garner
English
Olivia Brown
History and Social Sciences
Raha Haghnia
Mathematics
Robyn Amendola and Veronica Zepeda
Science
Courtney Johnson and Kylie Burk
Spanish
Madison Yule and Emily Sweetman
Teaching English as a Second Language
Kylie Frost and Jordyn Romant
