Fresno State student recognized with one of highest academic honors in state

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno State graduate student Samantha Navarro says growing up, college was never in the cards.

"The plan for my parents, they would have liked me to graduate high school and just go on to working, helping them out pay bills," she said.

A guidance counselor at her school changed the game and encouraged her to pursue higher education.

"People giving me that advice, I was like, 'Maybe I should take the additional steps and pursue higher education.'"

Navarro started at Modesto Junior College before transferring to UC Merced, where she graduated with a degree in psychology.

"I kind of struggled at the beginning since my parents didn't go to college," she said. "But with my parents' help and my mentor, they were always willing to help me in any way possible and give me advice."

Navarro kept going, setting her sights on grad school at Fresno State.

"It's been great to work with her one on one," says Psychology professor Paul Price. "It's like working with a colleague rather than a student."

Now a second-year graduate student majoring in experimental psychology, Navarro was recently honored with one of the highest honors in the state -- the 2022 CSU Trustees Award for Outstanding Achievement.

"I'm shocked -- I didn't think I was going to get it just because there's a lot of students here that are doing so much," she said.

Navarro was one of 23 students and the only one from Fresno State to receive the award.

She will graduate next Spring and has plans to pursue her Ph.D.

"I want to come back to the Valley and give back and continue on," she said. "Like what my mentor did, I want to mentor graduate students, undergraduate students, like have some sort of lab and expand on cognitive science."