First-Gen, Online Student Earns Prestigious CSU Trustees’ Scholarship

Luz Gonzalez still remembers Alma, the volunteer crossing guard and guiding figure who watched over her every day as she walked to school.

Beginning in the first grade, she and her older brother got ready for school by themselves after their parents left for work at 5 a.m. In the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, they would leave home together and cross Soto Street. From there, Gonzalez would say goodbye to her brother, who turned and went to middle school. Alma, with an umbrella in hand on rainy days, escorted her across busy intersections, passing her from one crossing guard to the next until she arrived safely at Sheridan Street Elementary School a few blocks away.

This week, Gonzalez will need no escort when she walks into a reception at the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees meeting to receive the CSU Chancellor Mildred García Scholar award. The CSU Trustees’ Award, which comes with a $7,000 scholarship, is one of the most prestigious in the entire system. It is given each year to one student from each CSU campus who demonstrates superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service, and financial need.

Gonzalez is the Chico State recipient, even though she has never set foot on campus. She first heard of Chico State when she was researching online degree options in liberal studies that would enable her to reach her goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.

As an undocumented student, the path has never been easy. Gonzalez describes the experience as a cloud of stress that is always present. She’s faced uncertainty about financial aid and has been excluded from participating in an after-school program that would build her resume because of her status.

“Receiving this scholarship is recognition of my hard work, resilience, and dedication, despite the obstacles that come with my status,” said Gonzalez. “The scholarship isn’t just a financial lifeline, it’s a validation of my dreams and my right to pursue higher education, and it’s a boost of confidence regardless of the barriers I’ve faced. It reminds me that my story and my potential are seen and valued.”

Gonzalez’s potential was first seen at Sheridan Elementary, where her teachers created a welcoming and safe environment for all students in the low-income, predominantly Latinx neighborhood. It was those experiences that inspired her to want to pay it forward and teach at elementary schools so she can help students from historically underserved communities achieve their educational dreams. 

“I want to create the kind of classroom I was lucky enough to be in, where kids feel safe and supported,” she said.

Gonzalez continued walking herself to school, making her way through middle school and on to Theodore Roosevelt High School. She thrived academically and enrolled at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) after graduation, where she earned her associate degree.

Her success at ELAC, along with the friends she made and the support she received helped Gonzalez realize a bachelor’s degree and career path were in sight. She set out to find a program that fit her needs as an online student, balancing flexibility with her ambition to become a teacher.

Gonzalez enrolled in Chico State’s online liberal arts program, a top-ranked program with a tradition of preparing elementary school teachers, and made the Dean’s List in her first semester as a Wildcat. In the spring 2024 semester, she juggled six courses and earned all As and one B. She has since added a child development minor and is scheduled to graduate in May 2025.

“Luz is a driven and brave student who came into class willing to be open and engage in the pedagogy. Even as an online student, she was willing to ask questions when she needed help,” said Professor Kelly Candelaria, who taught Gonzalez in advanced composition for future teachers (ENGL 333) last semester. “As I got to know her, I learned she has overcome many obstacles to get to this point and it became clear she is empathetic, kind, and self-reflective, which will serve her well when she becomes a teacher.”

Gonzalez prefers to attend classes online because she can view lectures and study at night after spending her days at the Boys and Girls Club in her neighborhood, where she has volunteered full time for the past two years. She works the front desk in the morning and then tutors K-12 students from noon to 5 p.m.

“It gives me a breadth of experience because I get to work with elementary, middle, and high school students,” Gonzalez said. “I enjoy all of it, but I’ve found that elementary kids have my heart.”

After graduation, Gonzalez plans to obtain her teaching credential through Chico State. She will student-teach in the LA area and hopes to land a job at Sheridan Elementary, where she spent her formative years.

But before she steps into a classroom, Gonzalez has one more important walk to make: across the stage as the first in her family to earn a college degree.