Fresno State announced on May 1 the selection of its 2026 Undergraduate Deans’ Medalists, recognizing outstanding students from each of the university’s eight schools and colleges, as well as the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.
Each dean chose one undergraduate and one graduate medalist based on academic achievement, community involvement, and other accomplishments. The university said it will announce its Graduate Deans’ Medalists on May 4. Later in May, one student from this group will be named President’s Undergraduate Medalist, Fresno State’s highest academic honor for an undergraduate.
The honorees include Yulissa Camarillo-Vargas (social work), Emily Gonzalez (liberal studies), Isaac Ramos (mathematics), Jordan Rodriguez (business administration), Camalah Saleh (political science and communication), Mallory Sutherland (agricultural business), and Alessandro Toledo (civil engineering). Each student was recognized for their achievements both in academics and service to their communities. Notably, Saleh is the first Fresno State student to be named a deans’ medalist for two colleges as well as Student Affairs.
Camarillo-Vargas drew inspiration from her family’s experience with seasonal farm work to pursue social work focused on underserved communities. Gonzalez balanced academic excellence with volunteerism after losing her father to cancer during her first year at Fresno State. Ramos shifted his career goal from teaching high school math to training future educators after engaging in research on math education methods.
Rodriguez gained professional experience through internships in finance while volunteering locally; Sutherland combined leadership roles in agricultural organizations with research into food insecurity among college students; Toledo contributed research on water infrastructure systems while leading campus engineering groups. Saleh applied lessons learned from her immigrant background toward advocacy efforts both at Fresno State and beyond.
The recognition of these students highlights a range of personal stories that reflect dedication to scholarship, leadership, community engagement, and professional development.
