Business Student Breana Lewis Receives CSU Trustee Emeritus Peter Taylor Scholarship
- BY Cal State East Bay
- September 14, 2022
Breana Lewis, an undergraduate student in business management, was one of 23 scholars to receive the 2022 during the September 13 CSU Trustees meeting. She is the only recipient from Cal State East Bay and received the Trustee Emeritus Peter Taylor Scholarship.
“I wasn’t going to have a way to pay for school this year and I would have had to take out a loan,” Lewis said. “I’ve worked really hard to not take out loans. I want to get through college debt-free so I don’t have student loan payments on top of other living expenses after I graduate. This scholarship really means a lot to me because I’m able to take the time to experience school and learn. ”
The first in her family to attend college, Lewis chose Cal State East Bay because of its smaller size, affordability and proximity to her hometown in Oakley. She transferred from Los Medanos College and commutes to the Hayward campus for classes. She anticipates a May 2024 graduation and hopes to work in project management.
In addition to her studies, Lewis is an active volunteer with several organizations, including the Foundation for Suicide Prevention, where for the last six years she has applied her project management skills on the planning committee for its annual walk. She says her mother inspired her from a young age to volunteer in various areas throughout her community.
“Breana is very motivated about her education and has begun building toward her future career goals,” wrote Academic Life Planning Counselor Taryn Vicente in her nomination letter. “Her self-motivation extends to her academics at Cal State East Bay with the hours she puts into her classes and the assertiveness she has in prioritizing and reaching out to instructors and peers when she wants clarification to fully understand an assignment or project for class.”
The CSU Trustees' Award is the university's highest recognition of student achievement. Each award provides a donor-funded scholarship to students who demonstrate superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and inspirational goals for the future. The awardees have demonstrated a deep commitment to making a positive impact on their generation, as well as those who come after them.
“These 23 remarkable scholars wonderfully exemplify the ideals of the California State University," said CSU Interim Chancellor Jolene Koester. “Their inspirational stories are connected by a common thread of intelligence, perseverance, resilience and the transformative power of higher education. Our communities, state and nation—indeed, our world—will long reap the benefits of their academic, professional and personal achievement."
More than 420 students have been honored with the Trustees' Award since the scholarship program was established in 1984 by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. In 1999, the Hearst Foundation partnered with the CSU Board of Trustees to supplement the endowment with contributions from CSU Trustees, CSU Foundation board members and private donors. The 23 scholarships awarded this year will total more than $180,000 in scholarship funds. Each student scholarship bears the name of a donor.