As graduation approaches, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES) proudly honors eight outstanding undergraduates for their academic excellence, remarkable leadership and impactful contributions to their communities. Below are the recipients of this year’s CA&ES commencement awards, which are the College Medal for scholastic excellence, the Mary Regan Meyer Prize for serving humanity, the Charles Hess Community Service Award for outstanding public or community service, and the Dean’s Circle Award for outstanding academics and community service.

College Medal

Ryann Su, who is earning a degree in animal biology with a minor in anthropology, is the recipient of the College Medal. This fall, she’ll start her Ph.D. in ecology and evolution at the University of Montana. She’ll be studying songbirds in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, specifically how heavy metals from historic mining might affect their physiology and behavior. During her time at UC Davis, she has been involved in research on animals’ responses to environmental stressors, including studying the behavioral adjustments of dark-eyed junco birds in post-fire habitats. Su, who was awarded the Provost's Undergraduate Research Fellowship, led a research project examining the dietary sources of birds from archaeological records. She also spent three years as a transit driver and supervisor for Unitrans.

Charles Hess Community Service Award

Anjolie Doan, who is earning a degree in global disease biology with a minor in psychology, is a recipient of the Charles Hess Community Service Award. She’s an aspiring physician and has been dedicated to helping others through various advocacy and community-driven efforts, including working with VN CARES, a student-run clinic focused on providing free cancer screenings. She serves as co-education lead for the UC Davis chapter of the American Cancer Society and is a founding board member of the campus chapter of the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative. Her senior practicum research focused on how a certain protein plays a role in lung cancer progression, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic biomarkers. She tutors both elementary school students who are learning STEM-related topics, and adult English language learners, helping build foundational math and English skills to support workforce readiness.

Alex Hernandez is earning a degree in community and regional development with a minor in education. He plans to continue his studies with a master’s degree through the Community Development Graduate Group at UC Davis, followed by a Ph.D. in education policy or public policy. As an undergraduate, Alex was part of a research team examining the impact of technology on the workforce, rural capital and agricultural industries. This included fieldwork in California and Washington, focusing on the adoption of agricultural technologies and their broader implications. For the past two years, he has worked with Wonderful Education to support students from California’s Central Valley. He also volunteers locally, helping high school seniors navigate the college application process and gives tours to students from the Central Valley who are interested in UC Davis.

Mary Regan Meyer Prize

Priya Sehdev, who is earning a degree in biotechnology, is a recipient of the Mary Regan Meyer Prize. This fall, she will begin a master's degree in biomedical engineering at UC Davis. For the past three years, she’s been part of Professor Karen Shapiro’s lab, studying how certain protozoan pathogens spread and survive – important work that supports improvements in food safety and public health. She also interned at Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, contributing to various stages of medical device development for antimicrobial testing. One of her most meaningful experiences has been helping create summer programs for local foster youth through Cal Aggie Camp.

Caden Williams earned dual bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and management and geology and is working on her master’s degree in earth and planetary sciences. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in microbial ecology. As an undergraduate, she worked on a wide range of research projects – from surveying trees in the southern Sierra Nevada to assess the effects of pine beetles and disease, to using 3D models and virtual reality to study the structure and behavior of microbial communities that thrive in extreme environments like Antarctic lakes. She also served as a peer advisor for the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, and was co-president of the student Geology Club, where she helped organize field trips, campus events and outreach visits to local schools.

Dean's Circle Award

Cameron Schmitt, who is earning a degree in atmospheric science, is a recipient of the Dean’s Circle Award. This fall, he’ll start a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering at UC Irvine, where he plans to work on wildfire model development and study the intersection of wildfire processes and small-scale atmospheric flows. He spent two years as an algorithm developer for the California Air Resources Board, where he created a planetary boundary layer height detection algorithm and conducted research to explore the impact of atmospheric flows on air pollution episodes in the Central Valley. He also spent time at Caltech’s Climate Modeling Alliance, where he contributed to atmospheric model development and tested its response to warming temperatures.

Melissa Vinding, who is earning dual degrees in managerial economics and international relations, has a full-time job lined up as a financial services risk consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers inBoston. During her time at UC Davis, she’s been an active member of several campus groups, including Aggie Studios and Davis Women in Business. Through the UC Davis Bradshaw Scholar program, she interned with the nonprofit National Sobering Collaborative that promotes compassionate, community-based addiction support. She has served as a board member of Imani Legal Clinic and volunteered for the American Civil Liberties Union. Last year, she joined the Student Conference on US Affairs at West Point, collaborating with students nationwide on key foreign affairs issues. One of her favorite experiences has been fostering kittens through the UC Davis Veterinary School's Orphan Kitten Project.

Rowan Webster, who is earning a degree in human development with a minor in psychology, will complete the Child Life Practicum at UC Davis Health Children's Hospital this summer and plans to continue coursework to pursue certification as a Child Life Specialist to help children cope with medical experiences through play and emotional support. She’s a member of the University Honors Program and was a previous first place winner of the Norma J. Lang Prize in Science, Engineering and Math. As an undergraduate research assistant in Professor Simona Ghetti's Memory and Development Lab, she contributed to studies on children's memory and completed an honors thesis on the role of parent cognition in early childhood development. She also interned at the Early Childhood Lab School and is a member of the Latter-Day Saint Student Association.