How the CSU Transformed Them

Isaac Alferos
2021-22 Cal State Student Association President

Campus: Cal State Fullerton
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration

As Cal State Student Association president, Isaac Alferos represented the needs of nearly half a million CSU students. But in addition to advocating for additional resources for those students, he also inspired many of them to take up the torch.

One of Alferos's key strengths is bringing people together and uplifting them, according to long-time friend and classmate Dixie Samaniego, who was recently elected CSSA Vice President of Systemwide Affairs for 2022-23. “Isaac is the reason I went to Cal State Fullerton, and why so many of my peers and I decided to join student government," she says. "He makes people see their value."

As a freshman, Alferos became involved with CSUF's Male Success Initiative, which empowers men of color to achieve their potential. He says he found the program provided the support he needed to pursue his passion for social justice in higher education. "The CSU brought me an education unlike any other, one in which mentors invested in me and faculty and staff worked tirelessly to see me succeed," Alferos says.

He was later appointed to the California Student Aid Commission by Governor Gavin Newsom, where he advocated for affordable higher education for all Californians. He found his calling and encouraged his fellow students to do the same.

“Isaac is amazing at organizing and building communities to make real change, and he single-handedly encouraged and mentored the next two years of student leaders at CSUF," says Samaniego. "He made us believe we could enact change and helped many of us overcome Imposter Syndrome."

Alferos also served as a research assistant and project lead for CSUF's Center for Research on Educational Access and Leadership (CREAL), a Panetta Congressional intern and a CSSA social justice and equity committee member. He was later elected CSSA president, which exposed him to systemwide, state and federal higher education policymaking.

“If you have the absolute privilege of meeting and speaking with Isaac, there's this warmth you can just feel," says Samaniego. "I am most proud of him for his courage—to be authentic; to be genuine; and to love."

Alferos plans to continue working on higher education policy and wants to eventually earn a Ph.D. in social policy. He recently published his first book, "Prayer Song: Love, Healing, and Ancestry."

Fabiola Moreno Ruelas
2021-22 Cal State Student Association Vice President of Systemwide Affairs

Campus: San Diego State
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

Resilient and selfless. That's the best way to describe Fabiola Moreno Ruelas, according to mentor Randi McKenzie, Emerita Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at San Diego State.

“Fabiola is a very powerful young woman who is, in some ways, driven for success, but also in giving back," says Mckenzie.

Moreno Ruelas learned about San Diego State through the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) in high school and eventually graduated from mentee to peer mentor as she pursued her bachelor's degree. During her time at SDSU, McKenzie watched with pride as Moreno Ruelas found ways to help support her fellow students, from serving on the California Governor's Council for Post-Secondary Education Intersegmental Working Group on Student Basic Needs to being elected CSSA VP of Systemwide Affairs.

“The CSU provided Fabiola, who has a deep passion for helping people, the platform to mentor students like herself who come from underserved backgrounds," says McKenzie. “Her position with CSSA enabled her to advocate on behalf of CSU students systemwide, within the university itself and in the legislature."

“SDSU and the CSU have transformed my life," says Moreno Ruelas. “Being a first-generation, low-income student was not easy, but knowing the CSU community was there to support me along my journey allowed me to reach my fullest potential. I am proud to be a product of the CSU."

And Moreno Ruelas is paying it forward, not only through mentorship, but by helping students pay for college. As a teen, she was awarded a small settlement following a car accident, money she used to start the Ruelas Fulfillment Foundation. The foundation has awarded scholarships to more than a dozen graduating high school seniors from Moreno Ruelas' hometown of Gonzales, California.

“Fabiola is a person who has always sought ways of giving back to other people," says McKenzie​. “There's never any self-centeredness about her."

Up next: Moreno Ruelas will participate in the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program beginning in September, which she says will allow her to continue to serve others throughout the state.