Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Diana Aguilar-Cruz to the California State University Board of Trustees on June 1, 2022.
Aguilar-Cruz, 20, is a resident of Baldwin Park and is a third-year student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona majoring in biology with a career goal of obtaining an MD in pediatric neurosurgery and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. She has served as the officer of academic affairs for Associated Students Inc., Cal Poly Pomona, and as a member of the CPP Pre-Medical Student Association, the Mexican-American Student Association and Delta Epsilon Mu, and was a participant in the Cal Poly Pomona Achieve Scholars Program. She is currently conducting research on gestational diabetes in underrepresented communities, as well as Alzheimer's disease.
A first-generation college student, Aguilar-Cruz was born and raised in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States in 2015 as a non-English speaker. She is the co-founder of Nezahualcoyotl, a volunteer-based organization, has served as a recruitment and social media coordinator for the COPE Health Scholars program, and as a student advisor for Hermanas Unidas Inc.
“As a future physician, I want to save minds and hearts one patient at a time, and the same applies for our students," Aguilar-Cruz said. “I hope that every student has the privilege to hear their first and last name as they walk in their graduation ceremony, and to tell their loved ones, 'We did it! Sí se pudo!'"
Beginning on July 1, 2022, Aguilar-Cruz will serve a two-year term on the CSU Board of Trustees – the 25-member board that adopts regulations and policies governing the CSU system. As a student trustee, she will represent the CSU's 477,000 students.