Off to Yale at 16 — 22 Other Teens Get BA Degrees

 While most of her peers are attending high school...

   While most of her peers are attending high school, biochemistry major Danielle Krasner — at 16 the youngest graduating senior at Cal State L.A.— will be heading to Yale University this fall to pursue her goal of becoming a research scientist. Admitted to Yale Ph.D. program in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, she was also accepted to Ph.D. programs at University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California and University of California, Davis.
   With the advantage of starting college early, Krasner was admitted to Cal State L.A. at the age of 13 through the University’s Early Entrance Program (EEP).
   Krasner, a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key Honor Societies, was also involved with the American Medical Student Association, Chemistry & Biochemistry Club and EEP Club. Despite her busy schedule, she enjoys dancing, scuba diving, swimming, tennis, and playing piano and violin.
   Cal State L.A.’s EEP admits extraordinarily gifted youngsters—some as young as 11—directly into college, providing the early entrants with monitored evaluation, regular counseling sessions, and the opportunity to study with like-minded peers. Krasner, who marched in last Saturday’s Commencement, was joined by more than 20 other EEP graduates receiving their baccalaureate degrees.
  With a giving spirit, Bronzcey Sulton (Long Beach resident) has donated many hours to helping others despite his busy school load. Currently volunteering at the Alhambra Retirement Community, Sultan has also volunteered at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, Union Rescue Mission and St. Francis Center. He is currently a student service learning coordinator for Cal State L.A.’s Educational Participation in Communities (EPIC), a program that promotes community service by creating opportunities for university students to implement classroom theory in real-life situations. Sulton has been involved in EPIC’s Community Service Learning Component, Summer Youth Employment & Training Program, and the EPIC Toy and Food Drive. Sulton was also a member of the CSULA Forensics Squad and Partnership for Academic Learning and Success (PALS) Club.
   On Saturday, Sulton was to  become the first in his family to complete a bachelor’s degree. His will be in communication studies. Although his ultimate goal is a career in public relations, he plans to keep giving back to the community. He said, “When you volunteer to help others, you really learn a lot about yourself and those you are providing services to.” 
   Anh Hong, EPIC Community Service Learning Coordinator at Cal State L.A., calls him “a person whose intellect, pleasant character, and dedication to service become evident to anyone who has the fortune of meeting him… He serves as a catalyst to make positive, value-added change happen in the program.”
  Graduate student Alvina Rosales (Pasadena resident) has conducted award-winning research into the psychological aspects of HIV. One of the first in her family to attend college, Rosales has already been admitted to the Georgia State University Ph.D. program in clinical psychology. As she pursues her doctorate, she hopes to encourage young Latinas that an advanced college degree is attainable. 
   Rosales worked extensively in Professor Ramani Durva-sula’s research lab as part of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) scholars program at Cal State L.A. Rosales’s master’s thesis examined neuropsychiatric data collected from HIV positive men and women at UCLA.
   Described by Professor Durvasula as “an amazing and hard-working young woman,” Rosales received the 2007 Western Psychological Asso-ciation Travel Award and the Sally Casanova Predoctoral Fellowship. After placing second in last year's CSULA Symposium on Research and Creative Activity, she went on to win first place in this year's campus event as well as at the statewide research competition at CSU East Bay. Rosales will be marching in the Saturday Commencement.
   Graduating with the distinction of being a Cal State L.A. President’s Scholar, Lister Yu  received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Yu, selected as a President’s Scholar based on his excellent high school records, received a four-year $20,000 scholarship upon entrance to Cal State L.A. An active member of the University’s Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology Student Council, Yu has served as chair and activities coordinator for the CSULA student chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. After marching in the Friday Commencement, Yu plans to conduct a summer research project at NASA’s Langley Research Center and then pursue his master’s degree at USC. He looks forward to working in the space-exploration industry and furthering research in the field of artificial intelligence. Yu, who attended Mark Keppel High School, is a Monterey Park resident.
   Other CSULA President’s Scholars graduating this year include the following:Candie Bautista (Monrovia), biochemistry; Morgan Chew (Highland Park), geography; Angelica Garcia (Maywood), social work; Raci Ignacio (Los Angeles), history; Gloria Lam (Monterey Park), nursing;
Christine Schroth (Los Angeles), nursing; Ashley Soto (Pasadena), liberal studies
    Faye Carter and Mihyun Grace Cho will be conferred CSULA/UCLA joint Ph.D.s in special education. The doctoral hooding ceremony was held last Friday.

Carter’s dissertation is titled “Exploration of Sibling Explanatory Models of Autism.” She holds a B.A. in education from University of Delaware and an M.A. in special education from CSU Fullerton.

Cho’s dissertation is titled “Emotional Understanding and Social Interaction of Caregivers and their Children with Autism, Down Syndrome, or Children without Disabilities.” She holds a B.A. in special education from Taegu University in Korea and an M.A. in special education from Vanderbilt University.

The joint doctoral program, offered by Cal State L.A. and UCLA, prepares graduates for teacher education or leadership positions in special education.

 

Cal State L.A.’s EEP admits extraordinarily gifted youngsters—some as young as 11—directly into college, providing the early entrants with monitored evaluation, regular counseling sessions, and the opportunity to study with like-minded peers. Krasner, who marched in last Saturday’s Commencement, was joined other EEP graduates receiving their baccalaureate degrees.