Carli Lovell

Camarillo, CA - Carli Lovell, a sophomore nursing student, is the 2011-2012 CSU Channel Islands (CI) recipient of the prestigious William Randolph Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. The $3,000 award, given to one student at each of CSU’s 23 campuses, recognizes students with financial need who have overcome significant hardships to excel in academics, community service and personal achievements.

Lovell, a 19-year-old from West Covina, set her sights on becoming a nurse at an early age. When diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 15, she was afraid her dream would no longer be possible. “My diagnosis taught me to look at life differently,” she said. “Before, I saw my life as a straight path. Now I know I have to take a different route and push even harder to accomplish my dreams.”

Despite suffering attacks that impaired her mobility and vision, Lovell became captain of her high school color guard team and graduated ranked second in her high school class. Lovell chose CI because of its strong nursing program and the opportunity to earn her bachelor’s degree along with an RN. She is entering her second year with a 3.43 GPA.

Lovell has devoted more than 250 hours as a volunteer at Downey Regional Medical Center. In addition, she spent three hours a week for the past seven years working with a neighbor child who has cerebral palsy. She currently works part-time in the Student Health Services office on the CI campus. Lovell hopes to go into neonatal nursing, earn a master’s degree and, one day, specialize in helping children and teenagers with multiple sclerosis. “I want to show by example that people can cope with medical challenges and still lead a happy and fulfilling life,” she said.

Lovell and the 22 other Hearst/CSU Trustees’ Award winners were honored at a ceremony on Sept. 20, at the CSU Office of the Chancellor in Long Beach. For more information on the award and this year’s winners, visit http://calstate.edu/foundation/hearst.

About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands (CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research.