Eight undergraduate and nine graduate students have been named Dean’s Medalists – the Class of 2001’s top students – and will be honored at California State University’s 90th Commencement ceremony on May 26.

The Dean’s Medal honors the top graduating student at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels in each of the university’s eight schools and colleges of academic discipline and the Division of Student Affairs. The dean of each college, school and division selects an undergraduate medalist and a graduate medalist based on academic excellence, community involvement and other outstanding achievements.

The medalists are then considered for the highest honors given to a graduating student – the President’s Medal (for undergraduates) and the University Graduate Medal (for graduates).

The name of the University Graduate Medal honoree will name announced at the Graduate Degree Hooding Ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 25, in the university’s Amphitheatre. The President Medal honoree will be announced at Commencement, which begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 26, in Bulldog Stadium.

The medalists range from a son of migrant farm workers, to a student who battled life-threatening Valley fever, to an international student from war-torn Croatia. Also this year, one student was selected by two deans for their medals.

The Class of 2001 undergraduate Dean’s Medalists are:

Arakel A. Arisian – Craig School of Business; and Division of Student Affairs

Ronda L. Hamm – College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology

Amanda Johnson – College of Arts and Humanities

Pedro Enrique Nava – School of Education and Human Development

Terry J. Anson – College of Engineering and Computer Science

Cynthia A. Goddard – College of Health and Human Services

Kim Goto – College of Science and Mathematics

María Rocío Magaña – College of Social Sciences

The Graduate Dean’s Medalists for 2001 are:

Emil Milevoj – Craig School of Business

Yee Wah “Eva” Wong – Division of Student Affairs

Jennifer Carmelita Miguel – College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology

Douglas Hansen – College of Arts and Humanities

Coleen Kubota – School of Education and Human Development

Mei Zhang – College of Engineering and Computer Science

Stacey Abersold – College of Health and Human Services

Timothy McConnico – College of Science & Mathematics

Curtis James Eastin – College of Social Sciences

(Brief bios are attached. For more detailed information about any of the students, contact Shirley Melikian Armbruster at 278-2795. Photos of the students are available via e-mail.)

CLASS OF 2001 UNDERGRADUATE

DEAN’S MEDALISTS

CRAIG SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Arakel A. Arisian

B.S., Business (Finance option)

Arakel Arisian, a Rodman Presidential Scholar, was selected by two deans as medallist. He graduates with a 4.0 GPA and with minors in Latin and Armenian Studies and has completed the Craig Honors Program, a three-semester program that culminates in the completion of an honors thesis. He was president of the Craig School’s Inter-Business Council and was elected Associated Students Inc. president for two years. In that role, he was a leader in the successful student referendum that will fund a recreation center in the new Save Mart Center.

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

Ronda L. Hamm

B.S., Agricultural Education – Teacher Preparation

As an Agricultural Ambassador, Hamm has volunteered for the last four years to speak to prospective students, teachers and industry leaders about college and the field of agriculture. She also speaks in elementary schools to help children understand agriculture, animals and insects and their relationships to humans. A Rodman Scholar, Hamm has a cumulative GPA of 4.0. She has a minor in communications and is a member of Golden Key National Honors Society and Phi Kappa Phi.

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Amanda Johnson

B.A., English, Anthropology

The Valley fever that for a time threatened Amanda’s Johnson life, never managed to dim her enthusiasm for life, learning and helping others. In fact, Amanda conquered the disease and graduates with two majors — English and Anthropology. She maintained a 4.0 GPA in her majors and a 3.91 overall GPA. While working for four semesters as a tutor at the University Writing Center, Amanda developed her own methods for tutoring students with especially difficult problems and those with disabilities.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Pedro Enrique Nava

B.A., Liberal Studies

A son of migrant farm workers, Nava looks forward to becoming a college professor. He wants to be a positive influence and mentor to Hispanics and other minorities, as well as anyone who has had to overcome poverty and other hardships in pursuit of their education. He already has started in that role, serving as a peer counselor and mentor to Asian and Latino migrant students attending Fresno State. A Ronald E. McNair scholar and a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Nava has a 3.59 GPA.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Terry J. Anson

B.S., Electrical Engineering

Anson’s love of classic cars and a fascination with electronic circuitry in newer vehicles helped fuel his interest in the field of electrical engineering. He will graduate magna cum laude and with a minor in mathematics. His GPA is 3.81. Anson designed a bypass system to be used with the electronic control module on GM vehicles equipped with an anti-theft system, and has designed automotive electrical systems that enable older vehicles to be equipped with newer power trains.

COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Cynthia A. Goddard

B.S., Recreation Administration and Leisure Studies (December 2000)

Returning to college after helping to support her husband’s education, Goddard has learned to balance the demands of family and home with a full-time course load. She graduates with a cumulative GPA of 3.95. As a volunteer for the Sanctuary Youth Services Project, she worked with at-risk girls and runaways. She was recently appointed director of the campus Friendly Visitor Service, a university auxiliary program that coordinates care providers for home-bound older adults.

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

Kim Goto

B.S., Chemistry, Mathematics

Goto is graduating with a double major and a GPA of 4.0 in her majors and overall GPA of 3.94. She has been accepted into doctoral programs at Stanford, Cornell and the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was named the Professor Kenneth Chan Scholar, the Dr. Harold Downing Scholar, Outstanding Organic Chemistry Student and

College of Science and Mathematics nominee for the Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship. In addition to her academic load, she has engaged in research with faculty in the Chemistry and Physics departments, as well as a summer research project at Harvey Mudd College.

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

María Rocío Magaña

B.A., Sociology, Anthropology

Magaña is graduating with a double major and a cumulative GPA of 3.95. She has been accepted into the prestigious doctoral program at the University of Chicago. She will begin that program after studying for a year in India with a $25,000 Rotary Foundation Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship. A native of Mexico, Magaña has been active in social movements both on and off campus, including civil rights work in Chiapas, Mexico. She also is a past student body president at Fresno State.

CLASS OF 2001 DEAN’S

GRADUATE MEDALISTS

CRAIG SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Emil Milevoj

M.B.A., Entrepreneurship (Marketing option)

Milevoj, a native of Croatia who came to Fresno seven years ago, graduates with a 4.0 GPA. While completing his studies, he was involved in a marketing project for General Motors, a marketing research plan for Warner Jewelers, an M.B.A. Team Consulting Project for Ansel Adams Gallery, and customer service training and development for Macerich. He also was office manager of the International Business Programs Office and After School Program Director of Kids Invent! He is fluent in English and Italian.

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Yee Wah “Eva” Wong

M.A., Education (Counseling and Student Services)

Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wong fluently speaks Cantonese, Malay and English. She enrolled at Fresno State as an undergraduate in 1996. She is a recipient of the Graduate Student Research Merit Award and has contributed to Summer Bridge, the International Student Services and Programs, the American English Institute, the Friendly Visitor Service, the university and the community. She graduates with a 4.0 GPA.

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

Jennifer Carmelita Miguel

M.S., Animal Sciences and Agricultural Education (December 2000)

Graduating with a 4.0 GPA, Miguel will continue her studies at University of Illinois after receiving the prestigious Jonathan Baldwin Turner Graduate Fellowship. Her doctoral studies will focus on swine nutrition. Miguel received the American Society of Animal Science Award. She is a member of Golden Key National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Zeta. She has been a volunteer at the California Feline Foundation and Central California SPCA.

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Douglas Hansen

M.A., Art

Hansen, who graduates with a 4.0 GPA, has spent the last 30 years documenting and recording images of Fresno. He has a long and high profile career as a graphic artist. His work for the Fresno Bee as a staff artist and on the “Fresno Sketchbook” series is well-known. In 2000, he won the Horizon Award-Directors Award from the Fresno Art Council and the George F. Gruner Award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Coleen Kubota

M.S., Rehabilitation Counseling

Kubota’s dedication to furthering opportunities for people with disabilities resulted in a supported employment site within the Fresno County court system for six persons with developmental disabilities as document shredders and mail deliveries. Kubota also researched accommodations for students with disabilities in California’s community college system. A Sally Casanova Predoctoral Scholarship winner, Kubota graduates with a 4.0 GPA.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

Mei Zhang

M.S., Computer Science

Mei Zhang earned recognition for her project that simulated the assembly and execution process of a computer assembly-language program. The work pioneers a new methodology for learning and teaching core courses in Computer Science in a comprehensive manner covering both hardware and software aspects. As a lab assistant, she demonstrated a love for her discipline by sharing her knowledge with others. Her overall graduate GPA is 3.95.

COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Stacey Abersold

Masters of Physical Therapy

Abersold is graduating in the top 1 percent of her class with an overall GPA of 4.0 in the Physical Therapy Program. She has developed a line of research that addresses the issues of access to fitness and health promotion activities for low-income women in rural settings. Although actively employed in her field, she has taken time for volunteer work with such programs as Team in Training for the Leukemia Society, Empty Bowls of Fresno and Easter Seals Society.

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

Timothy McConnico

M.S., Geology

Graduating with a 4.0 GPA, McConnico has received the prestigious Fulbright Doctoral Research Award to undertake his Ph.D. studies at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He also received two Presidential Rodman Fellowships. McConnico has volunteered to tutor math, science and English at various K-12 schools and Fresno State. He also volunteered at the Sierra Endangered Cat Haven in Dunlap and as a speaker for the Boy Scouts.

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

Curtis James Eastin

M.A., History

With presentations and publications appearing in the Central California Research Symposium and Journal, Ronald E. McNair Research Symposium and Journal, and the California State University, Fresno Graduate Student Symposium, Eastin demonstrates excellence in his field. He is a Phi Kappa Phi member with a GPA of 4.0. He will attend Yale University, with full, five-year financial support, to complete doctoral studies in Classics and Ancient History.