Fresno State Athletics
Photo by: CARY EDMONDSON - FRESNO STATE
Alyssa Nishikawa named Undergraduate Dean's Medalist for Lyles College
5/8/2019 11:37:00 AM | Women's Soccer
FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State senior soccer player Alyssa Nishikawa has earned the Dean's Medal for the Lyles College of Engineering, proclaiming her as the most outstanding student among all undergraduates in the college.
"I feel honored and extremely appreciative of this award," Nishikawa said. "Fresno State has so many talented and brilliant students in engineering. I feel that many students are deserving of recognition and it is unfortunate that they can only award one. For this reason, I felt so humbled to have been selected as the Dean's Medalist. I have big shoes to fill, in this regard, and I will continue representing LCOE with the utmost pride."Â
Fresno State's eight schools and colleges, along with the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, selected nine outstanding students to honor as its Undergraduate Deans' Medalists for the class of 2019.
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Each dean selected an undergraduate and graduate medalist based on academic excellence, community involvement and other achievements. Nishikawa is one of nine medalists that will be considered for the President's Medal, the University's top academic honor for an undergraduate student. The winner will be announced at commencement on May 18.
"Grit, tenacity, discipline, talent, success, confidence,  humility,  these are some of the words that come to mind to describe Alyssa Nishikawa, the undergraduate Dean's Medalist for the Lyles College of Engineering," said Ram Nunna, Dean of the Lyles College. "Alyssa's successes are a result of the combination of all of these traits. She is an outstanding young woman who is focused on doing the best she can, and making the people that invested in her proud! She says that she worked hard to be an outstanding team player, and always tried to be the best role model for her teammates. She is a proud Fresno State Bulldog and a shining example of excellence.  She will be an outstanding representative of our university."
Nishikawa, also a Smittcamp Family Honors student, will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and currently has a cumulative GPA of 3.96. She was recognized as a 2018 Google Cloud All-District First Team District 8 honoree, the only Mountain West soccer player to be recognized.
A Fresno native, Nishikawa is Bulldog Born and Bulldog Bred. She was a 2018 team captain of the Fresno State Women's Soccer Team, is a four-time Mountain West-All Academic selection and four-time MW Scholar-Athlete. This season, she started all 20 games for the Bulldogs and was second on the team in total minutes with 1,713. Nishikawa helped Fresno State advance to the 2018 MW Championship Tournament, marking the second consecutive season the Bulldogs have advanced to the postseason.
Head coach Brian Zwaschka said, "Alyssa is a shining example of what a top level NCAA Division 1 student-athlete can be. She focuses to be the best at all aspects of her life as an athlete, a student, a teammate, and a leader. To see her success be acknowledged beyond the field of play in the academic arena at the highest level is truly special. Alyssa is distinctly deserving of such an honor and our soccer program and entire athletic department are extremely proud of her as the highest of representatives of our student-athlete experience."
Both of Nishikawa's parents are civil engineers, inspiring her to pursue a career in the same profession.
"They influenced me to enjoy problem-solving; yet they never pressured me to follow in their career path," Nishikawa said. "Their interesting discussions about projects, funding challenges, professional interactions, and consideration of sustainability inspired me and solidified engineering as my career choice. I should also mention that my mother attended Fresno State and is proof that LCOE's ABET accreditation does ensure that a Fresno State engineering graduate is prepared to tackle the demands of this challenging profession."
With only approximately 13 percent of engineers being women, Nishikawa takes pride in closing the gender gap.
"My mom was one of only a couple of woman in her graduating class," Nishikawa explained. "But times are changing. Now, there is much more diversity in engineering and the gender gap will only improve as women continue to reach out and mentor females at a young age. Women belong and have a place in the engineering field. I see many bright and promising females in many of my courses; many of whom are top of the class. As a woman, I have not experienced any discrimination based on my gender. In my experience, I have earned the respect of my peers through my leadership and work ethic. I believe this will be carried with me in my professional career."
In addition to school and soccer, Nishikawa has been a transportation engineering intern at Mark Thomas – a statewide engineering firm for the past three years. She was also a supplemental instructor for a Civil Engineering  course at Fresno State for the 2017-18 academic year.
As a Fresno native, Nishikawa has devoted her free time to volunteering in the community. She has volunteered with Serving Fresno Day, MESA Day, East Rotary Fundraising Cioppino Dinner, Relay for Life, Poverello House, Fresno Bee Kids Day and as a facilitator at the National Women in Sports Day Seminar at Fresno State.
Her immediate goals following graduation include working at Mark Thomas, obtaining her Professional Engineering license, and possibly a master's degree.
To see all of the Undergraduate Dean's Medalists, click here.
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Rebecca Wass, Lyles College of Engineering and Eddie Hughes, University Communications, contributed to this report
 "Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
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"I feel honored and extremely appreciative of this award," Nishikawa said. "Fresno State has so many talented and brilliant students in engineering. I feel that many students are deserving of recognition and it is unfortunate that they can only award one. For this reason, I felt so humbled to have been selected as the Dean's Medalist. I have big shoes to fill, in this regard, and I will continue representing LCOE with the utmost pride."Â
Fresno State's eight schools and colleges, along with the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, selected nine outstanding students to honor as its Undergraduate Deans' Medalists for the class of 2019.
Â
Each dean selected an undergraduate and graduate medalist based on academic excellence, community involvement and other achievements. Nishikawa is one of nine medalists that will be considered for the President's Medal, the University's top academic honor for an undergraduate student. The winner will be announced at commencement on May 18.
"Grit, tenacity, discipline, talent, success, confidence,  humility,  these are some of the words that come to mind to describe Alyssa Nishikawa, the undergraduate Dean's Medalist for the Lyles College of Engineering," said Ram Nunna, Dean of the Lyles College. "Alyssa's successes are a result of the combination of all of these traits. She is an outstanding young woman who is focused on doing the best she can, and making the people that invested in her proud! She says that she worked hard to be an outstanding team player, and always tried to be the best role model for her teammates. She is a proud Fresno State Bulldog and a shining example of excellence.  She will be an outstanding representative of our university."
Nishikawa, also a Smittcamp Family Honors student, will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering and currently has a cumulative GPA of 3.96. She was recognized as a 2018 Google Cloud All-District First Team District 8 honoree, the only Mountain West soccer player to be recognized.
A Fresno native, Nishikawa is Bulldog Born and Bulldog Bred. She was a 2018 team captain of the Fresno State Women's Soccer Team, is a four-time Mountain West-All Academic selection and four-time MW Scholar-Athlete. This season, she started all 20 games for the Bulldogs and was second on the team in total minutes with 1,713. Nishikawa helped Fresno State advance to the 2018 MW Championship Tournament, marking the second consecutive season the Bulldogs have advanced to the postseason.
Head coach Brian Zwaschka said, "Alyssa is a shining example of what a top level NCAA Division 1 student-athlete can be. She focuses to be the best at all aspects of her life as an athlete, a student, a teammate, and a leader. To see her success be acknowledged beyond the field of play in the academic arena at the highest level is truly special. Alyssa is distinctly deserving of such an honor and our soccer program and entire athletic department are extremely proud of her as the highest of representatives of our student-athlete experience."
Both of Nishikawa's parents are civil engineers, inspiring her to pursue a career in the same profession.
"They influenced me to enjoy problem-solving; yet they never pressured me to follow in their career path," Nishikawa said. "Their interesting discussions about projects, funding challenges, professional interactions, and consideration of sustainability inspired me and solidified engineering as my career choice. I should also mention that my mother attended Fresno State and is proof that LCOE's ABET accreditation does ensure that a Fresno State engineering graduate is prepared to tackle the demands of this challenging profession."
With only approximately 13 percent of engineers being women, Nishikawa takes pride in closing the gender gap.
"My mom was one of only a couple of woman in her graduating class," Nishikawa explained. "But times are changing. Now, there is much more diversity in engineering and the gender gap will only improve as women continue to reach out and mentor females at a young age. Women belong and have a place in the engineering field. I see many bright and promising females in many of my courses; many of whom are top of the class. As a woman, I have not experienced any discrimination based on my gender. In my experience, I have earned the respect of my peers through my leadership and work ethic. I believe this will be carried with me in my professional career."
In addition to school and soccer, Nishikawa has been a transportation engineering intern at Mark Thomas – a statewide engineering firm for the past three years. She was also a supplemental instructor for a Civil Engineering  course at Fresno State for the 2017-18 academic year.
As a Fresno native, Nishikawa has devoted her free time to volunteering in the community. She has volunteered with Serving Fresno Day, MESA Day, East Rotary Fundraising Cioppino Dinner, Relay for Life, Poverello House, Fresno Bee Kids Day and as a facilitator at the National Women in Sports Day Seminar at Fresno State.
Her immediate goals following graduation include working at Mark Thomas, obtaining her Professional Engineering license, and possibly a master's degree.
To see all of the Undergraduate Dean's Medalists, click here.
Â
Rebecca Wass, Lyles College of Engineering and Eddie Hughes, University Communications, contributed to this report
 "Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.
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Players Mentioned
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