PROUD Scholars | Cal State LA

CSU-LSAMP Program for Recognition of Undergraduate Distinction (PROUD)

The CSU-LSAMP Program for Recognition of Undergraduate Distinction (CSU-LSAMP PROUD) is a program designed to recognize and highlight the achievements of our outstanding CSU-LSAMP students. Each year, the Statewide Office will request that campuses select four students based upon their achievements such as outstanding academic performance, research accomplishments, service, leadership, or personal triumph. These PROUD Scholars are featured in the annual CSU-LSAMP PROUD publication.

You can view some of the many outstanding individuals in the CSU LSAMP program, including students from Cal State LA, in the publications below.

The following students were recognized as PROUD scholars by Cal State LA for their outstanding academic performance, research accomplishments, service, leadership, or personal triumph.

Dr. Alejandra Rios - Outstanding Alumna

BS & MS Biochemistry & Biophysics; graduated 2014 & 2016

PhD Physic and Biology in Medicine – UCLA; graduated 2022

Alejandra Rios graduated with a B.S. in biochemistry and biophysics with a GPA of 3.024 from Cal State LA in May 2014. While she began her academic career as a kinesiology major in fall of 2007, Alejandra explored opportunities outside the traditional healthcare path. She switched her major to biochemistry late in her undergraduate career and began pursing research as part of the CSU-LSAMP and MORE programs. To build her academic and research experience, Alejandra entered Cal State LA’s physics graduate program in fall 2014. In spring 2016, Alejandra completed her graduate program in physics with a GPA 3.730 and entered a PhD program in Physics and Biology in Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Alejandra’s research productivity has led to 18 publications and multiple presentations. Upon completion of her PhD program in 2022, Alejandra was accepted as a California Council on Science & Technology Policy Fellow with the California Energy Commission in the office of Chair David Hochschild.

Rohan Chatterjee - Outstanding Academic & Research in STEM

BS Computer Science; graduated 2023

Rohan Chatterjee graduated Summa Cum Laude with a major in computer science and minors in both mathematics and biomedical engineering, and with a GPA of 3.94 in May of 2023. Rohan started his academic career in fall 2018 at Cal State LA, where he has served as an instructional teaching assistant for the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, a mentor for students in the Biomedical Engineering Women Innovators Program, and a tutor at the Center for Academic Success. He was also named in the Dean’s List for all five consecutive years of his undergraduate career and has worked in research in Dr. Navid Amini’s Machine Learning and Sensing Lab. His research focused on the design and development of deep learning algorithm that machine learning model, specifically, a deep neural network, can consistently and correctlydetect large vessel occlusion and brain reperfusion from a patient’s brain 3D CTA scan while providing probabilistic confidence scores. Rohan plans on pursuing a PhD in computer science and focus on research related to machine learning and medical technology.

Stephanie Casarrubias - Outstanding Service/Leadership

BS Natural Sciences; graduated 2021

Stephanie Casarrubias has maintained a 3.09 GPA while committing herself to service and leadership activities. Stephanie volunteers at Cal State LA and its surrounding community, including volunteering for the Silver Angel Program at Kaiser Permanente. She helps 65+ patients stay connected with their family or spends time with them individually to ensure their happiness and well being. Additionally, Stephanie volunteers weekly in the emergency room. As an ER volunteer, Stephanie helps the doctors and patients, as well as spend time with the patients to make sure their needs are met. Stephanie is also a member of the CSU-LSAMP at Cal State LA Student Advisory Council (SAC). As a member of the SAC, Stephanie helps provide a student voice in the planning of CSU-LSAMP events, which is critical to ensure our program provides beneficial and effective academic and professional development programming to its participants. Stephanie also serves as a peer mentor and is a great resource for our incoming students. She sat on multiple panels to describe her experiences at Cal State LA and as a CSU-LSAMP participant for informational and orientation sessions. Stephanie’s commitment to service is the primary reason why she is CSU-LSAMP PROUD student.

Joel Ramirez - Outstanding Alumnus

BS Exercise Science & Bioscience; graduated 2016

MS Kinesiology & Exercise Science; graduated 2020

Joel Ramirez is a first-generation Mexican American student who transferred from Rio Hondo to Cal State LA where he graduated magna cum laude. Joel faced challenges throughout his education, including full time employment and school, battling with dyslexia and ADHD. Forced to drop out of college, he concentrated on work but faced discrimination and emotional harassment. Joel returned to college to “re-engage” with society. Joel’s excellence in research led to presentations at conferences for the American College of Sports Medicine and the Society for Neuroscience, and publications in the European Journal of Applied Physiology and in the Journal of Vascular Health and Risk Management. Joel received a DREAM project fellowship and the Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholarship, the Rosser Fellowship, and the Alumni Scholarship. Joel served the Latinx community, Los Angeles community, the spinal cord injury community, and the veteran community (FitVet) by educating them in health and wellness. He led extracurricular journal clubs for upper-division undergraduates and graduate students and served on the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion task force at Cal State LA and an advisory committee at Rio Hondo to help with student success rates. Joel began a PhD program at Harvard University in fall 2021.

Bliss Tafolla-Aguirre

BS Biochemistry; graduated 2022

A s a biochemistry major, Bliss Tafolla-Aguirre achieved academic excellence and was named to the Dean’s List with a cumulative GPA of 3.969 every semester. Bliss also strived for excellence in research and service. Bliss conducted research with Dr. Mathias Selke determining the effectiveness of resveratrol and its derivatives as antioxidants and investigate their interaction and ability to scavenge singlet oxygen molecules. Bliss has completed one research internship at the University of Iowa, attended and presented at 3 different conferences, including SACNAS, ABRCMS, and ACS. Bliss was named a 2021 Goldwater Scholar. Bliss also demonstrates a deep commitment to service. She serves in a leadership role for three different organizations on campus, as well as an active supporting role in another organization. All four organizations focus on helping fellow Cal State LA students achieve academic and professional development success or raising awareness for different health problems in society, such as cancer, mental health, etc. Bliss plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry