Krystal Lopez is a second-year graduate student pursuing an advanced degree in occupational therapy (OT) at CSU Dominguez Hills. Her 2023 project for CSUDH Student Research Day, “Experiences of First Generation Latinx Individuals and Their Occupation of Health Management,” took first place in the Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences category. 

Krystal has worked as a student-support paraprofessional for the Santa Ana Unified School District and as a behavioral therapist at th​​​e Center for Autism and Related Disorders. A first-generation college student, she plans to bring her OT skills back to her community to help people who don’t have access to high-level health care.​