Awards and Funding
UCSD CSE Graduate Award: Excellence in Contributions to Diversity, 2024
Recognizing meaningful efforts to advance equity, inclusion, and diversity within the department and broader STEM community. This award honors sustained contributions such as mentorship, outreach, advocacy, or leadership that foster a more inclusive and supportive environment in computer science and engineering.
NSF CISE Education and Workforce Award #2417787 ($300,000 | 2 years), 2024
- Project Title: Generation and Evaluation of Culturally Relevant Computing Resources for Latines in Introductory Programming
- Project Role: Lead PhD Student; Lead Writer
- Project Team: Ismael Villegas Molina (Lead PhD student), Audria Montalvo (PhD student), and Gerald Soosai Raj (PI)
- Funding Period: September 2024 - August 2026
Aiming to enhance computer science education to Latine students, create a culturally relevant textbook for introductory computing courses, and assess the textbook’s efficacy on Latine student engagement, learning, and retention compared to traditional textbooks.
Gates Millennium Scholar, 2015
- Funding Period: 10 years
Highly competitive, fully funded scholarship awarded to high-achieving, underrepresented minority students.
GEM Fellow (Master’s and Doctoral Awards), 2019 & 2021
- Funding Period: Full master’s degree; First year of doctoral degree
Highly competitive national initiative providing underrepresented students in STEM fields with graduate fellowships, professional development opportunities, and internships at leading companies and research institutions, supporting the pursuit of master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering and science.
Alfred P. Sloan Scholar Fellow, 2021
- Funding Period: 4 years
Distinguished program that supports graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in STEM fields, particularly those from underrepresented groups.
Hispanic Scholarship Fund, 2015
- Funding Period: 4 years (in collaboration with Gates Millenium Scholarship)
Highly regarded program providing financial support and resources to outstanding Hispanic students pursuing higher education.