As the 2023 commencement season is in full swing, the California State University (CSU) celebrates graduates from all backgrounds and life experiences who are receiving their college degrees. For many, this accomplishment is the result of defeating the odds, overcoming obstacles and pursuing the change they want to see in the world.
With the CSU's support both inside and outside the classroom, these students have been able to discover their passions, grow in their knowledge and participate in opportunities that have prepared them for the next level in their educational or professional careers.
Meet just a few of the CSU's inspiring graduates from the Class of 2023 and learn how the university helped equip them to reach their goals for the future.
Ramadhan Ahmed
Cal State Fullerton
Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences
Immigrating to California from East Africa when he was five years old, Ramadhan Ahmed is the first in his family to earn both high school and college degrees, graduating summa cum laude with a 3.91 GPA.
“The chances of me being here are nearly impossible," Ahmed said in a Cal State Fullerton news story. “I was born in the rural village of Wajir, Kenya, where most of the land is covered in sand and the nearest city, Nairobi, is a 12-hour bus ride away."
During his time at Cal State Fullerton, he was involved in the Bridges to Stem Cell Research program and mentored two community college students in Project RAISE (Regional Alliance in STEM Education). He also worked several jobs to support himself and volunteered for such organizations as StandUp for Kids Orange County.
For his scholarly achievements and community service, Ahmed was named the Alumni Association's Outstanding Senior. The honor comes with a $1,000 award.
Reading Malcolm X's autobiography greatly inspired Ahmed's decision to become a doctor. He developed a habit of asking himself: “What can I do for others?"
“I believed that medicine was the career that fit me the best, so I started delving into experiences that would help me confirm that belief," Ahmed said. “The power and beauty of medicine stems from the fact that its practice can touch many lives, not just that of your patient."
In August, Ahmed will begin his first year of medical school at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with a full-ride scholarship that includes tuition and living expenses. He was offered a total of 12 scholarships, six of which were full rides.
Read more about Ahmed in the CSUF Newsroom.
Michelle Gradowitz
Cal State Bakersfield
Master of Arts Degree in Social Work
Michelle Gradowitz was recently awarded the President's Medal at Cal State Bakersfield and recognized as the university's top graduate student for the Class of 2023. After stepping back from her pursuit of higher education for more than two decades, Gradowitz decided to put her career on pause after the birth of the first of her three daughters.
She spent much of that time working for the Kern County Department of Human Services in several areas, including in Child Protective Services. The abuse and neglect she saw persuaded her to devote herself to her growing family.
“During that time, I found that I liked to keep busy, so I started a food pantry and eventually returned to the Department of Human Services," Gradowitz said in a Cal State Bakersfield news story. "I was there for two years and decided to get my Master of Social Work (MSW) degree."
While completing the MSW program at CSUB, Gradowitz also helped care for her brother who was in hospice. He died about a month after her return to school, and the experience shattered her.
“That's when I started rethinking things. He was only 53. I just thought: 'If I really want something, I should go for it and do it now,'" Gradowitz said. "Then in my second year, my mother's lung cancer returned. So, with the help of my husband, I decided to devote myself to my studies, and he carried the load financially."
Despite the demands of being a mother and caregiver, Gradowitz organized several initiatives while at CSUB that benefited the community and her fellow social work students. She led a drive to collect goody bags for foster children last December and worked with Drug Free Kern to provide Narcan training for students, who are now able to administer the life-saving drug to overdose victims in the community.
On June 5, Gradowitz will join Clinica Sierra Vista as a Healthcare for Homeless therapist, working with the community health center's street medicine team in serving the homeless in encampments around the city.
Read more about Gradowitz in the CSUB Newsroom.
Natalie Castillo
CSUN
Bachelor of Science Degrees in Biology and Central American Studies
Natalie Castillo came to California State University, Northridge in 2018 as a first-generation college student and has since become a role model for young, underrepresented students in STEM. She recently graduated from CSUN with bachelor's degrees in biology and Central American studies.
Named this year's Wolfson Scholar, the top honor given to a graduating senior, Castillo has an exceptional academic record and has made significant contributions to CSUN and the community through co-curricular and extracurricular activities.
During her time at CSUN, Castillo was heavily involved in research on the invasive Brown Widow spider and presented her research at CSUN and at regional and international conferences. She was awarded the
CSUN NSP Presidential Scholarship two years in a row, which supported her research. Last summer, Castillo researched the potential effects of climate change on Andean pollinators in Colombia, work that was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Though she was a full-time student, Castillo helped support her family with work as a tutor and as an assisted living coach for adults with intellectual disabilities. These additional responsibilities did not interfere with her academic success as she held a 3.96 GPA in her double major while also volunteering in the biology department.
Castillo plans to eventually enter a Ph.D. program in entomology, where she hopes to further explore biological control of pests and vector-borne diseases.
“Hopefully I can do research in Central America and apply everything I've learned at CSUN to make a difference in communities where there is great need," Castillo
said in a CSUN news story.
Read more about Castillo in CSUN Today.
Sofia Rosales
Cal Poly Pomona
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science
The first in her family to obtain a college degree, Sofia Rosales believes that a good education opens doors to making a difference in the community.
Rosales earned her bachelor's degree in political science, along with a minor in psychology, and will be pursuing her Ph.D. this fall at Michigan State University. She received a full scholarship for a program that is only accepting five students this year.
Beyond her academic accomplishments, Rosales has demonstrated a clear commitment to doing good deeds. Over the past two years, she has spent her time interning at the
Food in Need of Distribution (FIND) Food Bank, where she assisted low-income families in accessing essential food resources.
She served as a mentor in Cal Poly Pomona's Bronco Navigators Program, and helped guide freshman and transfer students through their educational journeys.
Rosales also taught an "Introduction to Autobiography Writing" class at the California Institution for Women as part of the
Prison Education Project (PEP), the largest volunteer-based prison education program in the United States.
She hopes to continue to make a positive impact on society in the future.
Read more about Rosales in the Fontana Herald News.
Joseph Valadez
Cal State Long Beach
Master of Arts Degree in Applied Sociology
Joseph Valadez spent most of his adolescent years addicted to drugs and in and out of juvenile facilities, but this spring he earned his second degree from Cal State Long Beach.
At age 18, after graduating from high school, he was offered the option to join the military or go to prison. Valadez spent four years in the U.S. Army before he was honorably discharged, after which he resumed his previous behavior. Throughout the following 30 years, he found himself still struggling with addiction and was in and out of prison.
Valadez began his journey of recovery over 10 years ago, and almost nine years ago, his educational journey. Starting at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California, Valadez transferred to CSULB in 2018 and graduated with his bachelor's degree in sociology in 2020.
While at The Beach, he got involved in Project Rebound, a program that recruits and supports formerly incarcerated students looking to advance their education at the CSU.
During Valadez' last two years in undergrad, he made straight A's and was placed on the President's Honor List his final two semesters, finishing with a 3.67 GPA.
Now having obtained his Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, Valadez will start his employment with an organization that works with system-impacted adolescents, formerly incarcerated young adults and older adults.
“This is my dream job, to give back to the community that I had robbed for so many years." Valadez
said in a Cal State Long Beach article. "I really do have a life beyond my comprehension."
Read more about Valadez in CSULB's "Beach Voices."
Nina Chuang
San José State
Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition and Food Science
When Nina Chuang started her freshman year at San José State, she longed to find a physical space that would allow her to feel safe and be authentically herself. But when she arrived on campus, she soon realized that space simply didn't exist.
It wasn't until 2019, when she joined Associated Students (AS) during her second year as a College of Health and Human Sciences representative, that she began to align to a deep purpose. Since then, Chuang has driven numerous efforts to support students and effect change on campus. She was elected director of student resources affairs in her third year, vice president of AS during her fourth year; and in June 2022, Chuang officially took the reins as student body president.
One of her proudest achievements is having worked with students, staff and faculty to advocate and lay down the vision for a center that would serve as an empowering space for students who identify as Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA).
In fall 2022, the Center for Asian Pacific Islander Student Empowerment (CAPISE) opened its doors for the first time and the safe space Chuang had been searching for finally came to life.
“The advocacy for CAPISE has actually been happening for a long time," Chuang
said in a San José State news story. “It started during the third world liberation movement in 1968 and 1969, where student activists here at SJSU were advocating for ethnic studies and a space on campus."
In alignment with her passion for advocacy, Chuang also played an instrumental role in the planning of SJSU's inaugural Day of Remembrance, which received a great deal of support and media attention in February.
Chuang also introduced a Sense of Senate resolution — a call for SJSU to institutionalize the Day of Remembrance. By making this day a permanent fixture on campus, Chuang hopes to see future students carry on the work that she and others have started.
Read more about Chuang at the SJSU NewsCenter.
Special thanks to campus writers and photographers: Lynn Juliano, Jennifer Self, James Burger, Albert Baker, Rhoda Shapiro.