Four Cal State Long Beach undergraduate students were recognized this month for their efforts outside the classroom by way of bring the first to receive the Douglas W. Robinson Student Success Scholarship.
The recipients—David Stephens (4th in picture), Roozbeh Ghasemian (1st in picture), Lauren Golem (2nd in picture) and Taylor Ortega (3rd in picture)—were selected from a pool of more than 75 applicants and were each rewarded a $500 scholarship, said CSULB spokesman Rick Gloady. Each applicant had to submit an essay on their lives outside the classroom while being full-time students with at least a 3.0 grade point average.
Stephens was recognized for his efforts in assisting his blind daughter, including coaching a youth baseball team for special needs children.
“Coaching this team [has] changed my life forever,” said Stephens, a junior communication studies major, in a statement. “Coaching kids [who] are blind, paralyzed, have Down Syndrome, deaf and more showed me that perfection comes in many shapes and sizes.”
After graduation, Stephens said he plans to form special needs leagues in other sports like bowling and soccer.
Ghasemian, a senior mechanical engineering major, submitted an essay on his immigrating to the United States with his family at the age of 13 and holding off on college immediately following high school to work full time to support his family.
Golem, a sophomore majoring in criminal justice, wrote about her involvement with sports and the life lessons she learned from participating in them.
Taylor, a senior communications studies major, was recognized for serving as the president of Gamma Phi Beta, a sorority at the university.