Honors and Awards


Teaching and Leadership

2024: Diversity Award
Cal Poly College of Liberal Arts

2024 Transformative Leadership Award
Cal Poly Social Sciences Department

2020: Honored Advisor
Engineers Without Borders, Cal Poly

2017: Terrance Harris Excellence in Mentorship
Distinguished Honoree

2015-2016: Outstanding Faculty Award
Cal Poly Honors Program

2015-2016: Outstanding Mentor
Cal Poly Engineers Without Borders, Nicaragua

2014-2015: Early Career Award in Teaching (Commendation)
College of Liberal Arts, Cal Poly

2012-2013: Distinguished Educator Award
California Faculty Association

2012-2013: Most Supportive Professor (Nominee)
Society for Women Engineers, Cal Poly

Academic and Service

2022: Cal Poly Learn by Doing Good Service Award For service to: the Sheriff’s UNITY committee, DEI efforts in SLO, Master Gardeners, to students as a club advisor, to people incarcerated

2020: Cal Poly Distinguished Scholarship Award (Nominee)

2016: Invited Participant: White House Water Summit
The White House

2015: Invited Lead Author-Policy Brief on California Drought
National Security Council, The White House

2013: Top 20 Under 40-San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo’s Tribune Newspaper

2010-2011: Engaged Scholarship Award
University of Minnesota Sociological Research Institute

2010-2011: Public Sociology Award (as a member of the Contexts editorial board)
University of Minnesota Sociological Research Institute

Cal Poly Community Service Award 2022 (Bradley Kyker, President Armstrong, Ryan Alaniz, Supervisor Debbie Arnold, Representative from Salud Carbajal’s office