Frederick Lisitsa and Elise Guerra were awarded Fresno State’s top academic honors for the class of 2025.
Chosen from a group of nine Undergraduate Deans’ Medalists and nine Graduate Deans’ Medalists, they were surprised with the honor during the President’s Recognition Reception on Thursday, May 15.
“Congratulations to Frederick and Elise for achieving such iconic levels of excellence,” said Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “Their lived experiences inspired them to pursue educational paths that uplift our communities. They are shining examples of how a Fresno State degree empowers our talented students to become visionary leaders.”
Lisitsa, of Los Angeles, was selected as the President’s Undergraduate Medalist, the university’s top honor for an undergraduate student. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in philosophy with a 3.8 GPA. He is a first-generation Ukrainian American and U.S. Navy veteran, executive vice president of Associated Students, Inc. and launched Campus Beautification Days that rallied volunteers to plant nearly 175 trees and restore campus green spaces.
Guerra, of El Nido, was selected as the President’s Graduate Medalist, Fresno State’s top honor for a graduate student. She earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology with a 4.0 GPA. Guerra’s lived experience with a severe traumatic brain injury inspired her to pursue a career as a speech-language pathologist focusing on children and adults with complex communication needs.
Frederick Mark Lisitsa, President’s Undergraduate Medalist
After serving as a sonar technician aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer — and receiving the Humanitarian Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal and Basic Training Honor Graduate Ribbon — Lisitsa was medically retired for PTSD and enrolled at Fresno State through the Veterans Education Program. He was elected executive vice president of Associated Students, Inc., where he helped create a $40,000 student research grant fund, authored key policy resolutions and launched Campus Beautification Days, an initiative that rallied volunteers to plant nearly 175 trees and restore campus green spaces. He served as president and vice president of the Student Veterans Organization, co-founded the university’s new ice hockey club and presented research on civic engagement, misinformation and artificial intelligence equity. A two-time President’s Service Award honoree and recipient of the division’s Achievement of Excellence Award, Lisitsa plans to attend law school and hopes to champion the long-term success of the California State University – the nation’s largest university system.
Elise Guerra, President’s Graduate Medalist
A Smittcamp Family Honors Scholar, Guerra gained clinical experience at the Fresno State-Scottish Rite Speech and Language Clinic and through the Clovis Unified School District where she supported functional communication in children with a wide range of diagnoses. Her final externship was at the Leon S. Peters Rehabilitation Center at Community Regional Medical Center, where she once received life-changing care. There, she was responsible for the assessment and treatment of adults with language, speech and cognitive-communication disorders and for educating family members on stroke and brain injury recovery. Her experience with patients using assistive technology inspired her to develop a novel treatment on executive functioning for an adolescent with autism, which became her thesis. She presented her work at the California Speech-Language-Hearing Association Convergence this year. Guerra held leadership positions through Associated Students, Inc., including college senator. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. and return to Fresno State as a professor.
