Shelley Thurk. Photo by Lee Choo.

Shelley Thurk never thought she’d attend a four-year college. In high school, she had good grades but was more interested in working on cars.

“I just didn’t think I was interested in going to a four-year college,” said Thurk. The Minnesota native graduated from a technical institute with an associate’s degree and went to work in the service department at an automobile dealership in the San Fernando Valley. But after a year, Thurk said she wanted a more challenging job where she “used her brain” more.

On a tour of California State University, Northridge, Thurk’s interest was sparked when she saw a display of the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Formula SAE racing car.

“I had always loved cars and to build them,” Thurk said. “That’s what convinced me.”

Thurk enrolled at CSUN in 2009 majoring in mechanical engineering. She has made the dean’s list every semester. She is the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards, including the Presidential Scholarship and University Scholar award. She has worked two degree-related internships and briefly served as a tutor for the university. She is a member of the CSUN Formula SAE project (Matador Motorsports). She is also enrolled in the Honors Co-Op program in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

These are just some of the accomplishments that have earned Thurk distinction as this year’s Wolfson Scholar. The award is presented each year in memory of Cal State Northridge’s first vice president, Leo Wolfson. Not only must the student have an exceptional academic record, but he or she must also have made significant contributions to CSUN or to the community through co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. Thurk has a 4.0 GPA.

She will be among several students recognized during the university’s Honors Convocation ceremony at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 20. She is one of CSUN’s outstanding graduating seniors. She is currently employed as an engineering intern at Medtronic MiniMed, Inc., crafting concept designs for new products and fixtures related to diabetic treatment. Her career goals have changed. She now wants to work in biomedical engineering. She hopes to create new technologies to help the medical industry.

She has been accepted into several graduate programs but has decided to return home and attend the University of Minnesota, where she will pursue a master’s in mechanical engineering.

Thurk said her time at CSUN has sometimes been challenging, having to juggle work and being the only woman in many of her classes, but she took it all in stride.

“I would go to the library and work on math problems when I guess others were out having fun,” Thurk said. “I’ve had really good professors here (CSUN) that have made learning fun.”

2013 Outstanding Graduating Senior Award Honorees:

Tina Choi, of North Hills, is a theater major who has attained a GPA of 3.78 with a career goal of working in set design. Since transferring to CSUN from a community college in 2009, Choi has thrived both academically and creatively. She has embraced her Korean American heritage and worked to educate others about how her culture has influenced theater. She is proud to say she is the “only” Korean American member of CSUN’s Salsa Libre Performance Team, and a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. She has contributed to the Department of Theatre’s main stage production program as a leading actress, set designer, costume designer, hair and make-up artists and backstage crew. She is the first undergraduate to design sets for a main stage production. Choi has already begun to reach out to the next generation of actors, stage designers and costumers through her work as a staff member for CSUN’s Teenage Drama Workshop. She teaches students the basics of theatre and drama, applying the knowledge gained from her own courses to the realities of developing productions. She has also interned at Anthropologie, a clothing store chain, where she worked as an interior and window display designer. For her endeavors and accomplishments in the theatre department, Choi will be presented with the Dean’s Recognition Award from the Mick Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication.

“These awards and recognitions are the fruits of my labor,” Choi said. “I plan to use this award to further develop into the woman and designer I was created to be.”

Angel F. Hernandez, of Los Angeles, is a Chicana/o studies major with a minor in Pan African studies who has earned a 3.62 GPA. Hernandez, 23, has been accepted into a fully funded doctoral program in American Studies at New York University. He is a first-generation college student who came to the United States undocumented at the age of 8 and within three years was granted a temporary protection status. He grew up in working class neighborhoods in Los Angeles where he was exposed to violence and poverty. He has worked as a mentor with the Pacoima-based Young Warriors and L.A.’s BEST After School Program, helping youth avoid gang culture and encouraging academic excellence.

With the help and guidance of his peers and advisors in the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program, a program that prepares undergraduates for the rigors of graduate school, Hernandez has begun his dream to become a professor. He has presented his research at numerous academic gatherings including the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies, the National Council for Black Studies, and UC Berkley’s 19^th and 20^th Annual McNair Scholars Symposiums. He is involved with the Hip Hop Think Tank, a student organization that re-conceptualizes hip hop as an intellectual movement, and is a Supplemental Instruction Leader in the Department of Chicana/o Studies, providing extra instruction to students enrolled in basic English courses.

“CSUN has supported me in many ways,” Hernandez said. “The faculty here at CSUN’s Chicana/o and Pan African Studies departments are exceptional. They make genuine efforts at not only enlightening the students but also providing supplemental instruction beyond the classroom and office hours.”

Angela Lara Lomeli, of Northridge, is a child and adolescent development major who has earned a 3.63 GPA. She is a first-generation college student who emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. at 6-years-old. She has decided to attend CSUN’s master’s program in school counseling and her long time goal is to pursue a doctorate in educational psychology. The 21-year-old was admitted to CSUN through the Educational Opportunity Program and overcame financial hardships and a lack of support from her family to achieve success. She has received numerous awards, including a University Scholarship, a California Speaker of the Assembly Award and a CSU—Future Scholar Scholarship. On campus, she has worked as an academic mentor in housing; a peer mentor with the Department of Child and Adolescent Development; an EOP resident mentor for the Summer Bridge Transitional Program; a student coordinator for the EOP Parent-Guardian Initiative; and has volunteered with the Financial Aid and Scholarship Department. She also reaches out to the community through her work with local middle schools, coordinating workshops and tutoring.

Lomeli said she came to CSUN has “challenged me to engage in opportunities that will foster my success and has nourished my confidence to believe I could make a difference in this world.”

Ryan D. Witkosky, of Studio City, is majoring in geology with an emphasis in geophysics and has earned a 3.94 GPA. He has been accepted into a doctoral program in geology at the California Institute of Technology. His goal is to become a research professor. The 31-year-old credits his “rigorous” work ethic for his success. As a teenager, Witkosky dropped out of school to make money and started working as a truck driver. But he was never satisfied. He enrolled in community college, taking night classes to get his GED. While at CSUN, he has received several honors and awards, including some from the Department of Geology, the Coast Geological Society and a research grant to complete his senior thesis. He participated in the 2011 Summer Interdisciplinary Team Experience to design and build a seismometer; he was part of the 2012 American Association of Petroleum Geologists West Coast Exposition; and he plays music and dance with the African Music Ensemble on campus. He currently volunteers with Quest in Science, a company that provides science curriculum to elementary schools.

“CSUN has been very supportive (of me) by taking a gamble on me when I first returned to college,” he said. “CSUN has not only given me the chance to earn a college degree but has also given me an abundance of assistance in the form of financial aid and scholarships along the way.”

Honors Convocation, Wolfson Scholar