Note to editors and news directors:
For a group photo of the Early Entrance Program grads at Cal State L.A.,
please contact the CSULA Public Affairs office at (323) 343-3050.
24 early entrance grads in
CSULA’s Class of 2010
Dhanvanthari twins among EEP
grads
Los Angeles, CA
– With their sights set on careers in research, neurology, law,
medicine, teaching, psychology engineering and more,
24
Early Entrance Program (EEP) students—most
of them still teenagers—will receive their baccalaureate degrees at
Cal State L.A.’s two-day Commencement ceremonies Friday-Saturday, June
11 and 12.
EEP admits extraordinarily gifted youngsters, some as young as 11,
directly into Cal State L.A. and provides them with monitored
evaluation, counseling, and the opportunity to study with like-minded
peers.
Here is EEP’s Class of 2010, ranging from 17-20 years old:
• Jennifer Chen (Walnut), 19, biology major. Chen plans to
work in a UCLA research lab starting in June, before applying to medical
school to pursue an M.D. degree. A member of the Golden Key and Phi
Kappa Phi honor societies, she also served as secretary and social chair
of the Early Entrance Club; vice president of American Medical Student
Association; president, vice president and treasurer of the
Humanitarians on Campus; and vice president and webmaster of G.E. Honors
Club. She also volunteered at Kaiser Permanente-Baldwin Park and for the
American Red Cross.
• Shauna Cheung (Arcadia), 19, biochemistry major and art
minor.
Cheung, who would like to become a neurologist, will be heading to
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago this
coming August. A Dean’s List and G.E. Honors student, Cheng served as
webmaster and treasurer for the G.E. Honors Club, historian for the
American Medical Student Association, and secretary and president for
the Chemistry and Biochemistry Club. A recipient of the Organic Chemist
Award, she has study the effects of gastrulating on gene expression with
Biology Professor Robert Nissen and have conducted research in
Psychology Professor Alicia Izquierdo’s Laboratory of Cognitive
Neuroscience. She has volunteered at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
• Anita Dhanvanthari (Agoura Hills), 19, philosophy
(pre-law) major. Dhanvanthari hopes to find a job in a law firm after
Commencement before applying to graduate school and pursuing a career in
the law field. A Dean’s List student, she has received the University
Involvement Award and was named the G.E. Honors Club Member of the Year.
A member of the Philosophy Club and the Pre-law Society, she has served
as associate justice and chief justice for the Associated Student, Inc.;
external vice president and president for the G.E. Honors Club; freshman
class president for the Early Entrance Program. She is also a UCLA SCOPE
(Students for Community Outreach, Promotion and Education) volunteer.
• Sonya Dhanvanthari (Agoura Hills), 19, biochemistry
major and mathematics minor. With experience volunteering at the
Thousand Oaks Surgical Hospital, Dhanvanthari will be studying to become
a doctor at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School in the
fall. A Dean’s List student, she is also a recipient of the G.E. Honors
Scholarship and the Anthony J. Andreoli Scholarship in Biochemistry. She
served as president of the G.E. Honors Club, academic chair of the Early
Entrance Program Club, and secretary of the American medical Student
Association. Additionally, she was a member of the CSULA Wind Ensemble,
and a flutist for the Common Time Flute Quartet, which raises money for
nonprofit groups.
• Katherine Donahoe (Rowland Heights), 19, chemistry major
and political science minor. She will be heading to Washington State
University to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry this fall. With experience
working in research labs, she hopes to pursue a career in chemistry
research. An academic senator for the Associated Students, Inc., she was
also involved with the Chemistry and Biochemistry Club, Mock Trial Club,
and the Writing Tutorial Center. A Dean’s List student, she was a member
of the Pi Sigma Alpha and Golden Key honors societies. She also
participated in the Santiago Canyon College Citizenship Program.
• Bernardo Francisco Ferreiro Hernandez (West Covina), 19,
chemistry major and mathematics minor. Hernandez has been admitted this
fall to the Chemistry and Biochemistry Ph.D. Program at the University
of California, San Diego, with full tuition coverage and stipend. He
hopes to pursue a career in organic synthesis research. A Dean’s List
student, he is a recipient of the MARC-U*STAR Fellowship. He is also a
member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Amnesty International-CSULA
Chapter, and Humanitarians on Campus. He has conducted research in a
chemistry lab with Professor Alison McCurdy.
• Millie Grimes (La Crescenta), 18, biology major. Grimes
will be applying to veterinary school after graduation. A Dean’s List
student, Grimes was named the 2006-07 EEP Freshman of the Year and the
2006-07 G.E. Honors Student of the Year. She served as associate justice
for the Associated Students, Inc., president of PACK (People for Animal
Care and Kindness), and president of the Early Entrance Program Club. As
part of Chemistry Professor Wayne Tikkanen’s research team, she worked
in synthesizing moisture sensitive compounds that are precursors to a
chiral Lewis acid catalyst, which is relevant to the pharmaceutical
industry.
• Alexandria Huynh (Torrance), 17, biology major.
17-year-old Alexandria Huynh was admitted to Harvard University’s Ph.D.
immunology program with full funding and an additional stipend. She
hopes to pursue a career in biomedical research with clinical
applications. As part of Edith Porter’s research team at Cal State L.A.,
Huynh focused on how intestinal cells in mice respond to Salmonella
enteric serovar Typhimurium, a bacterium that is a leading cause of
gastroenteritis in humans. She was also a member of the Golden Key Honor
Society and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Recipient of the Kinecta
Federal Credit Union Scholarship, she was recently named the winner of
Cal State L.A.’s Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Senior Award and presented
the Early Entrance Program Graduate of the Year scholarship. In
addition, she has volunteered at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
• Charissa Kim (Arcadia), 18, biology major. In the fall,
Kim will start graduate school at Cambridge University’s neuroscience
program in the U.K. She has been a member of Professor Alicia
Izquierdo’s psychology lab since the age of 15. Kim was one of 10
students selected to represent Cal State L.A. in the statewide 2010 CSU
Student Research Competition. Her award-winning presentation was titled
“Effects of Pretraining Lesions of the Amygdala on Effortful Behavior in
Rats.” She also won the Chemistry Departmental Award for Excellence in
general chemistry, conducting research in a chemistry lab as well as in
a psychology lab. She has received the Familia Unida Living with
Multiple Sclerosis award for her volunteer work. She is also vice
president of the Early Entrance Program Club and the Music Appreciation
Club.
• James Lee (Arcadia), 18, biology major.
Lee, who hopes to become a professor of genetics, will be working
Professor Hyunsook Park’s research lab before applying a Ph.D. program
in molecular genetics. He has currently conducted research on the
molecular genetics of the fungus Candida albicans using advanced
cellular biology and biochemical techniques.
A Dean’s List student, he is a recipient of the Howell Foundation and
CSUPERB Undergraduate Research Scholarship and G.E. Honors Award. He has
served as president, co-president and public relations chair of the
Music Appreciation Club; public relations chair for the American Medical
Student Association; and sophomore and junior class representative of
the Early Entrance Program Club. He has also volunteered as an EEP tutor
and mentor, and for the Sally Ride Science Festival at Cal State L.A.
• Rebecca Lee (North Hollywood), 20, electrical
engineering major. Cheng will be going to graduate school at USC in the
fall, in order to pursue her career goal of becoming a research and
development engineer for nanoelectronic devices. She has conducted
research in the CSULA Biomedical Engineering Research Lab, the NASA
SPACE Laboratory at Cal State L.A., and the Center for Nanoscale Systems
at Cornell University. She has served as secretary for the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers-CSULA Chapter, and is also actively
involved with the Biomedical Engineering Society, NeuroEngineering
Journal Club, and Chemistry and Biochemistry Club. A Dean’s List
student, she is a member of the Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society)
and Eta Kappa Nu (Electrical Engineering Honor Society). +
• Michael Letivin (Laguna Niguel), 17, business
administration-finance major and mathematics/economics minor. Letivin
will be going to The Robert Day School at Claremont McKenna College to
pursue a master’s degree in finance in the fall. He hopes to pursue a
career in investment management. He has served as treasurer of the
Financial Management Association, treasurer of the Mock Trial Club, and
academic chair of the Early Entrance Program Club. A Dean’s List
student, he is a member of the G.E. Honors Club and the Phi Kappa Phi
and Golden Key honor societies. An EEP mentor, he has volunteered for
the Sally Ride Festival and at Laguna Niguel Library.
• Sudipta Mohanty (Rancho Cucamonga), 20, biology major.
Mohanty, who has recently applied to graduate schools, hopes to apply
his volunteer experience at Pomona Valley Hospital and Central Avenue
Urgent Care in his future career in medicine. A Dean’s List student, he
is a recipient of the Golden Eagle Award of Excellence and the David
Cameron Fischer Memorial Fellowship. He served as president and vice
president of the Amnesty International and vice president and secretary
of the G.E. Honors Club. He is a member of Tri Beta, Golden Key and Phi
Kappa Phi honor societies. In the community, he has helped distribute
food to the homeless in downtown Los Angeles for the Sathya Sai
Organization, volunteered with the Ability First School for disabled
children, and assisted a Corona free medical camp that provides free
health screening to underprivileged children.
• Lara Roizen (Los Angeles), 19, English major. Roizen
will be heading to Dartmouth University to pursue a M.A. in comparative
literature, specifically focusing on French and Russian. A Dean’s List
student, she was a debate finalist in the Pacific Southwest Collegiate
Forensics Association. A member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and G.E.
Honors Club, she served as public relations chair and as a competitor
for the CSULA Debate Team. She also received honorable mention for
Rachmaninoff’s 3rd concerto at the Music Teachers National Association’s
Concerto Competition, was a finalist in the Southern California Bach
Festival, awarded $500 from the Westside Philharmonic Scholarship
Auditions, and state finalist in the California Certificate of Merit
Exams, a state program testing music theory and piano performance. She
has volunteered at the piano recitals at Nazareth Retirement Center and
for the Overland Elementary School chorus.
• David Segall (Beverly Hills), 19, economics and finance
major; math minor. Segall will take classes at the London School of
Economics this summer, before studying for the GRE and applying for an
economics doctoral program. He hopes to become a university professor.
In addition to working part-time as a tutor at the University Tutorial
Center, he has also served as treasurer of the Mock Trial Club,
treasurer of People for Animal Care and Kindness (PACK), secretary for
Financial Manager’s Association, and treasurer and vice president for
the Early Entrance Program Club. A Dean’s List student, he is a member
of the Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key honor societies. He is also involved
with Association of Computing Machinery, G.E. Honors Club, and Economics
and Business Society.
• Jennifer Shitanishi (North Hollywood), 20, physics
major. Shitanishi will be heading to USC Graduate School to pursue a
Ph.D. in physics in the fall. She has served as president and treasurer
of the Physics and Astronomy Club, treasurer of the American Medical
Student Association, and newsletter editor of the G.E. Honors Club. A
Dean’s List student, she is a recipient of the Ted C. Bradbury Award in
Theoretical Physics and John Spielman Award in Freshman Chemistry. She
has conducted research for the CSULA Consortium for Undergraduate
Research Experience (CURE), Scientific Visualization Lab (SciV!i) at Cal
State L.A., and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at
Charlottesville, VA. She has volunteered for the Saint Joseph Medical
Center and as a tutor for the Physics and Astronomy Club.
• Haley Stepp (Pasadena), 17, psychology major and English
minor. Stepp will take a year off to conduct research, and then apply to
graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Having served as
treasurer of Psi Chi (International Honor Society in Psychology), she is
also a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, Music Appreciation Club,
Early Entrance Program Club, and G.E. Honors Club. A Dean’s List
student, she has conducted research in Psychology Professor Alicia
Izquierdo’s Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and was a teacher’s
assistant for Psychology Professor Henry Schlinger’s PSY 421 class. In
the community, she has volunteered to play harp at a retirement home and
assisted with the Norma Coombs Alternative School’s Library in Pasadena.
• Claire Weinan (Torrance), 20, electrical engineering
major; mathematics minor. Weinan, interned at the Aerospace Corporation
for a summer, is now heading to Stanford University to pursue a master’s
degree in electrical engineering. She organized a blood drive with SoCal
Blood Services at Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church and
volunteered for Free Arts for Abused Children at the Edmund D. Edelman
Children’s Court. She served as president of the Engineering, Computer
Science, Technology Student Council; internal vice president and
recording secretary of G.E. Honors Club; vice president of Eta Kappa Nu
Honor Society; and activities coordinator for the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers. She was a member of Cal State
L.A.’s Cross Country and Track and Field team, having garnered the All-CCAA
Academic Award, CSULA Athletics Department Academic Achievement Award,
the CSULA Cross Country and Track Outstanding GPA honor, CSULA Golden
Eagle Award of Excellence, and James M. Rosser Endowed Scholarship.
***Details on David Ballardo, Julian Bouzanquet, Fiona
Cochran, Matthew Goldin, Jake Pacheco, and Aditya
Mohanty were unavailable at press time.
# # #
Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 210,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six
Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12.
Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu
ranging from 17-20 years old
June 11, 2010
CONTACTS:
Margie Low
Public Affairs Specialist
(323) 343-3047
or
Sean Kearns
Media Relations Director
(323) 343-3050
Cal State L.A.
Office of Public Affairs
(323) 343-3050
Fax: (323) 343-6405