“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” – Margaret Mead

President’s Scholars Program Newsletter

The President’s Scholars Program is much more than a monetary scholarship that is given to its students. Rather, it provides a supportive, close-knit environment that aims to enrich the scholars’ overall experience at California State University, Fullerton. Besides requiring the students to achieve academic excellence during their undergraduate years, the program also encourages its scholars to give back to their school and community through leadership and service events.

Fall 2014 California State University, Fullerton

More inside!

Introduction………………...........1 Service Event Timeline..………….2 Concert Under the Stars……….....3 Together We Rise Event…...........3 The Amazing Race……..…….…..4 A Dinner and A Show……....……4 Incoming Class Q&A.........……5-7

In This Issue Fal l 2014- The President Scholar ’ s

Program has had an exciting semester

f il led with fun community and social

events. From the annual Concert

Under the Stars to our holiday partie s,

i t has been a wonderful f irs t-half of

the school year .

Welcome to the family!

A little about our program…

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Boys & Girls Club

Auction

Concert Under the Stars

Huntington Beach Cleanup

Together We Rise Event

St. Jude’s A Walk Among the Stars

Bat Night at Tucker Wildlife

Fullerton Arboretum Adventure

Fullerton All the Arts Auction

Boys & Girls Club Thanksgiving Event

Boys & Girls Club Christmas Event

August 24

September 13

September 27

October 4

October 12

October 18

October 25

November 8

November 20

December 12

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Scholars Serving

The Community

The President’s Scholars Spend A Night

Under the Stars On September 13, 2014, almost all

of the scholars came out to volunteer at the annual CSUF

Concert Under the Stars. A senior scholar, Victoria Gould,

stated that it was truly “an honor to volunteer at [it] as this

event always showcases the talent and passion that exists at

[the school].” From escorting the guests to their tables to

assisting others at the food station, the students spent the

night working hard to make sure the event ran as smoothly

and efficiently as possible.

Not only was the event a chance for the scholars to give

back to CSUF, but also a fun social affair.

As a first-timer to the event,

freshman Ally Weir said that it

was “really fun” and that she

“hadn't expected it to be as big of

a deal.” The students had a great

night spending time with one

another as they sat together on the

grass enjoying the beautiful jazz music and the fantastic

fireworks.

Concert Under

the Stars

Rising Together to Decorate Duffel Bags for Foster Youth By Isabel Serrano, guest writer

Together We Rise is an organization that aims to help foster youth. Before we began our tasks, we were informed that

many foster children are simply given trash bags to carry their belongings when moving from different foster homes. This

event aimed to create these touches of support and love for the children who find themselves moving to a new home in the

form of duffel bags. We were in charge of decorating bags with kid-friendly images and inspirational quotes. Along with

the decorations we stuffed the bags with a hygiene kit and comforting items, such as a blanket and teddy bear. We learned,

in the words of the organization’s founder, “that there are more ways to help the foster youth apart from becoming a foster

parent.”

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Partying with the PSSA! Students Fight to the Finish in Amazing Race Event Endurance. Teamwork. Creativity. These are

the three main qualities that were required of each student in order for them to finish the Amazing Race event. The social,

created by veteran scholar Tabatha Maddox and assisted by scholar Khulood Faruqui, pushed the President’s Scholars

physically and mentally. Throughout the day, the students sprinted around campus trying to complete the puzzle, trivia,

art, and physical strength stations as quickly as possible. Below is an interview with Tabatha and Khulood about the

extremely exciting occasion.

Interviewer: Why did you want to organize an Amazing

Race event rather than just a normal party?

Tabatha: I wanted to do something a little different. We've

had parties in the past, and those are great, but I wanted to

"spice things up" a little differently and change the pace of

our regular events.

Interviewer: What was your biggest fear about doing the

Amazing Race?

Tabatha: I was really worried that the stations would be too

easy and that people wouldn't really have fun.

Khulood: My biggest fear about the event was that people wouldn't enjoy it or immerse themselves in it.

Interviewer: What was your favorite part about the event?

Tabatha: My favorite part was seeing how the teams looked when they came to the end. I liked seeing how different

people reacted to the event and were able to lift others up while waiting on the results.

Khulood: My favorite part about the event was watching encouragement and good vibes spread throughout each team.

And the food-that was amazing. Scholars Bring the House Down with

Improv Comedy Show Funny doesn’t begin

to describe Jeremy Wilson, Wyatt Walsh, Tyler

Siedentopp, and James Shade, the four scholars who

put on the first annual Whose Line Is It Anyway:

Scholar’s Edition. Their fast-paced wit, charming

honesty, and natural talent won the entire crowd over

with veteran scholar Armando Robles saying he was

“definitely impressed by the level of talent.” In

addition, junior scholar Mandy Nguyen stated that she

hasn’t “laughed so hard in ages.” The entire show was

a major success and left the audience begging for more.

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FAST & FUN QUESTIONS WITH

THE PROGRAM’S NEWEST MEMBERS

“Memory! It would work wonders for school & fun facts! I’d be known as the walking encyclopedia.” – Alejandra Gutierrez, freshman

“Unlimited storage? My first answer was puppies…but cherry pie is also good.” – Ally Weir, freshman

“If I could have an unlimited storage of one thing it would be books, because I’d never get bored and would always have new things to learn and adventures to take.” –Arielle Garcia, freshman

“I would have Leonardo Dicaprio play me in a film because he is a tremendous actor. This role is almost guaranteed to finally win [him] an Oscar.” – Rene Arevalo, freshman

“Brad Pitt because we’re pretty much twins.” – Ryan Smith, veteran

Who would play you if Hollywood made a movie about your life?

If you could have an unlimited storage of one thing, what would it be?

“If Hollywood made a movie about my life, I would request to play myself, because even though my acting experience dates back to 8th grade, no one knows my life like I know my life.” –Cassidy Foelsch, freshman

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“I’d be a cat. I really like the idea of being able to remain in the shadows and observe without being noticed. I also like how they can run pretty fast.” –Charmaine Lim, freshman

“I would be a puppy. Sometimes I’m hyper and want to meet new people and explore new places, while other times I’m totally exhausted. I like to be part of everything and know I have a lot left to learn.” –Natalie Jansen, freshman

“Sloth/cricket/cheetah/dolphin hybrid.” – Daniel Duccini, veteran

“A flannel because [it’s made up of] a random set of lines that don’t quite know where they’re going (Also, I like to where flannels…)” –Trevor Casby, freshman

“I'm like an emergency pair of underwear. When you need me, I'll be there.” –Antonio Carrera, freshman

“Sunshine dress!” -Laura Fong, freshman

If you could be any animal, what animal would you be?

If you were to name one piece of clothing that describes you, what would you say?

FAST & FUN QUESTIONS WITH

THE PROGRAM’S NEWEST MEMBERS

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“If I could have one superpower, it’d be the power to change the hearts of everyone for good.” – Jordan Bean, freshman

“I’d want to be Harry Potter because I’d get to have wizard powers, go to Hogwarts, and play quidditch.” – Michelle Neu, freshman

“Winnie the Pooh. He has great friends, a happy life, and a lot of what he loves most-honey.” –Tim Hendricks, veteran

“Snorlax because sleep is precious.” – Alina Nguyen, freshman

“I would like to have the ability to read and control minds like Professor X while having super strength like Superman. That way, I could have both brains and brawn” – Andrew Nguyen, freshman

“[I would want to be able to] change shape to become other people/animals/objects.” – Gabrielle Szczeblowksi, freshman

If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

If you could be a superhero, what superpowers would you want to have?

(Jason Boggs and Armando Robles not included in questionnaire)

FAST & FUN QUESTIONS WITH

THE PROGRAM’S NEWEST MEMBERS

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Keep Updated on the President’s Scholars Program

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Follow us on Instagram @CSUFPS2014 Visit our website http://fullerton.edu/scholars/

Contact Us

Phone: (657) 278- 7458 Fax: (657) 278- 1509

Office: Pollak Library South 194 - Center for Scholars and Scholarships

A Message from the PSSA President Hi my name is Nikki Knapp and I am the current President of the

President’s Scholars Student Association. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our program. On behalf of the President’s Scholars I want to thank

you for your involvement in our program in whatever capacity you happen to serve. We could not accomplish the things we are currently doing without the continuous support and guidance of the people within our Titan community.

This semester has been full of unique changes to our program. The President’s Scholars Program was given an incredible opportunity to merge with other scholarship programs and the University Honors Program into the Center

for Scholars and Scholarships. This center is designed to bring students together to foster scholastic and extra-curricular collaboration and support. This student-centered space has really helped promote the Titan Experience within our

scholarship community. Furthermore, we have been fortunate to be asked to serve in many different capacities this semester.

Our continued partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Fullerton remains an integral component of our

community service experience this year including the Boys and Girls Club Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as a toy drive. In conjunction with our President’s Veteran Scholars we also packaged 20 care packages to honor our military service members this holiday season. This semester we were also able to facilitate a new

partnership with the Fullerton Arboretum and foster a partnership with the St. Jude Medical Center. This is just a few of the community service projects we were given the opportunity to work with this fall semester. I am so excited to see what 2015 has in store for the President’s Scholars Program. It is an honor to serve as

President of such an incredible and motivated group of students. Have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! Nikki Knapp