The Smittcamp Family Honors College

Honors College Highlights: Summer 2026

Congratulations to these scholars and alumni, who have received awards, experienced personal or professional success, or been recognized for their accomplishments during the first half of 2026.

Johnathan Andrade, rising junior, B.S. Biomedical Physics

  • Received Honorable Mention for Oral Presentation at the 47th Annual Central California Research Symposium (CCRS) for his research, "Analysis of Temperature (T) and Resistance (R) Data of Ce1-xPrxOs4Sb12 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25)," under the mentorship of Dr. Pei-Chun Ho.

Jana Boqueo, rising sophomore, Pre-Psychology

  • Invited to present preliminary findings from the SPARK Participatory Action Research and Knowledge Program to the National Coalition for Student Essential Needs. Her presentation addressed gaps in access to food, healthcare, housing and other essential resources among undocumented college students and was delivered to a national audience of higher education professionals and student advocates.

Christian RJ Castillo, rising junior, B.S. Biomedical Physics & B.S. Chemistry

  • Earned Outstanding Oral Presentation at the 47th Annual Central California Research Symposium (CCRS) for his presentation, "Improved Probe Design and Analysis Method for Reliable Thermopower Measurements," under the mentorship of Dr. Pei-Chun Ho.

Ella Cline, rising senior, B.S. Agricultural Education, Teacher Preparation Option

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Eduardo Garcia, recent graduate, B.S. Biology

  • Received Honorable Mention for Oral Presentation at the 47th Annual Central California Research Symposium (CCRS) for his research, "Neuroprotective Effects of Creatine in a Drosophila melanogaster Model of Parkinson's Disease with Alpha-Synuclein Overexpression," under the mentorship of Dr. David Lent.

Giselle Gomez, rising junior, B.S. Business Administration - Accountancy Option

  • Selected for the Capital One Launchpad Program, a fully funded five-day leadership and professional development experience in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, where participants collaborate with Capital One associates and complete a capstone project.
  • Selected for a Summer 2027 Audit Internship with Sensiba LLP.
  • Earned 2nd Place in the Girls Who Consult x D. Little Business Case Competition.

Alisa Gonzalez, rising senior, B.S. Biochemistry

  • Received the Albert Montejano Memorial Scholarship through the Richter Center Community Service Awards program.

Emily Gonzalez, recent graduate, B.A. Liberal Studies

  • Named the 2026 Dean's Medalist for the Kremen School of Education and Human Development. Graduated with a B.A. in Liberal Studies and a 4.0 GPA through the Fresno Teacher Residency Program.

Amy Gong, rising senior, B.S. Biochemistry

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Eliana Kahn, recent graduate, B.S. Biochemistry

  • Received the ACS Outstanding Poster Presentation Award at the 47th Annual Central California Research Symposium (CCRS) for her research, "Temperature-Dependent Dynamics of the Kalata B1 Peptide using Experimental and Computational Approaches," under the mentorship of Dr. Krish Krishnan.

Zachary Macklin, rising senior, B.S. Civil Engineering

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Levon Melkonyan, rising sophomore, B.S. Mechanical Engineering

  • Helped lead the Fresno State Rocketry Team to a first-place finish among California universities in the NASA University Student Launch competition. Fresno State was the only California university to advance to the final launch event in Huntsville, Alabama.

Noah Miranda, recent graduate, B.A. English Literature Option & B.A. History

  • Earned Outstanding Oral Presentation at the 47th Annual Central California Research Symposium (CCRS) for his presentation, "Cannibalizing Poe: The 'Pure Potential' of White Monstrosity in Edgar Allan Poe and Monica Ojeda," under the mentorship of Dr. Sean Gordon.

Sabrina Olmedo, rising senior, B.S. Biochemistry

  • Received the 2026 Doris A. Howell Foundation–CSUBIOTECH Research Scholar Award, including a $3,500 scholarship, recognizing her original research in medicinal chemistry under the mentorship of Dr. Qiao-Hong Chen.

Paige Ounesavath, recent graduate, B.S. Human Nutritional Sciences

  • Accepted into the Master of Advanced Study in Maternal and Child Nutrition program at the University of California, Davis.

Kernpal Parmar, rising junior, B.S. Civil Engineering

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Andrea Parra-Lopez, rising senior, B.A. History

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Brianna Perez-Munoz, rising senior, B.S. Civil Engineering

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Sophia Riser, rising junior, B.S. Biology

  • Received the Paul DeRuosi Memorial Community Service Scholarship through the Richter Center. Recognized for completing more than 500 volunteer hours, including service with Valley Children's Hospital as a NICU Cuddler and as a counselor for California Boys and Girls State.
  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.

Jacqueline Rocha, rising junior, Pre-Health (Nursing)

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Camalah Saleh, recent graduate, B.A. Political Science & B.A. Communications

  • Named the 2026 Fresno State President's Undergraduate Medalist, the university's highest undergraduate academic honor.
  • Selected as Dean's Medalist for the College of Arts and Humanities, College of Social Sciences, and the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, becoming the first Fresno State student ever recognized as a Dean's Medalist for two colleges and a division.
  • Selected as Fresno State's first-ever Schwarzman Scholar, one of only 150 students worldwide chosen to pursue a master's degree in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Elaina Stone, rising senior, B.S. Criminology, Victimology Option

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Mallory Sutherland, recent graduate, B.S. Agricultural Business

  • Named the 2026 Dean's Medalist for the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. Graduated with a B.S. in Agricultural Business and a 4.0 GPA and received a full-tuition scholarship to pursue an MBA at the University of California, Davis.

Areeba Syed, rising junior, B.S. Biology

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Austin Tathong, rising junior, B.S. Computer Science

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Allison Vang, recent graduate, B.A. Psychology

  • Recognized as a member of Fresno State's inaugural graduating class in Asian American Studies, the first degree program of its kind in the San Joaquin Valley.

Emily Vang, recent graduate, B.S. Communicative Sciences - Speech-Language Pathology Option

  • Received the Albert Montejano Memorial Scholarship through the Richter Center Community Service Awards program.

Brianna Voon, rising junior, B.S. Human Nutritional Sciences

  • Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society recognizing academic excellence.

Danielle Vu, recent graduate, B.S. Sociology

  • Selected as a summer research fellow at Columbia University and accepted into a Ph.D. program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Do you know a scholar or alumni with an accomplishment that’s not featured on this list? We would love to hear about it! Send us a message at honors@mail.fresnostate.edu.