[Honoree] Stephanie Arechiga-Grijalva

A committed student, passionate about her studies for her entire Cal State Monterey Bay career, Stephanie Arechiga-Grijalva was with the Alumni Vision Award and a Service Award at the Honors Convocation for Spring 2011 graduates.

Arechiga-Grijalva was nominated by Dr. Rina Benmayor of the Humanities and Communication Department and by Dr. Deborah Burke, the Faculty Coordinator of Service Learning Leadership. The award is given to a first-generation college student who has employed CSUMB's vision statement into both their life and the lives of others. She was additionally honored with the Service Award for her commitment of service to the community as a Service Learning Student Leader and through her work in supporting a service learning course performing an oral history project recording the memories of Salinas' Chinatown.

In reaction to receiving the awards, Arechiga-Grijalva said, "It is awesome…I always think of my grandpa because that's why I'm here. I'm glad I could make the best of my experiences and honor him with my hard work."

Dr. Benmayor, in her nomination letter for the Alumni Vision Award, asserted Arechiga-Grijalva deserved the award for her participation with the Chinatown Oral History project because she organized numerous oral history interviews, led class discussions, aided videographer at recording sessions, and coordinated a public presentation of the class work. The final event showcased Arechiga Grijalva's commitment to the community, because, Dr. Benmayor asserted, "The fact that all the interviewees attended the event is testament to the quality of relationship that Stephanie established – one of collaboration and trust." In addition to attending the community presentation, one of Arechiga-Grijalva's interviewees attended the honors ceremony to support her because her family was unable to attend due to work.

Arechiga-Grijalva continues to work in Salinas with the annual Asian Festival and will be sharing interpretations of the narratives she gathered at this year's annual conference of the Oral History Association in Denver this October. Dr. Benmayor said, "While she gained great historical insight from this project, the project was the biggest beneficiary of Stephanie's heartfelt engagement with the community and enthusiasm for contributing to its historical legacy. The fruits of her service will be enjoyed by generations to come."

Receiving the awards, Arechiga-Grijalva said they will aid her in establishing her career because, "being in service, I feel like I don't do enough. Having different faculty saying I need or deserve the award, it gives a sense of validation."