Daria Antonova was born into a low-income family of four. Stressing the importance of higher education, her father tirelessly worked two jobs to ensure Daria went to college.

Today, Daria is a senior at California State University, Long Beach majoring in civil engineering with an emphasis in geotechnical engineering. Daria has served as vice president of Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, she participates in beach cleanups, and is an officer of the Orange Coast College Food Riders Club where she delivers surplus food from the cafeteria to food banks. She also served as Associated Students, Incorporated Media Board Trustee-at-Large.

Daria is a research assistant for a graduate-level geotechnical engineering project conducted in collaboration with the University of California, Los Angeles. After completing her bachelor’s degree, Daria plans to continue with research and her education, pursuing a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering and eventually a Ph.D., so she can teach the next generation of engineers.