Three public health students awarded Master’s Research Scholarship
This year, three students in San Diego State University’s School of Public Health were awarded Master’s Research Scholarships. The recipients, Troy Tektonopoulos (epidemiology), Kendy Arana (environmental health, liberal arts and sciences), and Alicia Agas (environmental health) will each receive $10,000 over the 2026-2027 school year.
The scholarships are awarded by SDSU’s College of Graduate Studies based on a review of academic achievement and “evidence of research, scholarship, and creative activities accomplishments and potential,” according to SDSU. The scholarship is considered highly competitive.
For Tektonopoulos, the scholarship provides greater flexibility and enables him to put more focus into his research and academics. He currently serves as a research assistant in public health professor Noe Crespo’s lab, where he works on projects related to physical activity, health behavior, and chronic disease prevention.
“Receiving the Master’s Research Scholarship is incredibly meaningful to me because it affirms the value of the research I am pursuing and the work I hope to contribute to the field of public health,” Tektonopoulos said. “As a first-generation college student, this support is especially meaningful because it helps me continue building the skills and experience needed to pursue a long-term career in research.”
His current research focuses on chronic metabolic disease risk among truck drivers. One manuscript he’s developing examines GPS-derived indicators of mobility and whether they’re associated with cognitive function among hispanic adults.
Arana, another scholarship recipient, currently works at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, where he conducts stem cell research through cell culture and developmental biology models. His thesis is in the early stages and will cover salmonella contamination in urban surface waters like rivers, lakes, and streams. After receiving the scholarship, he will have more time to further develop both his research and his thesis, he said.
“As a first-generation student from a low-income immigrant background, I have faced many financial and personal challenges throughout higher education,” he said. “This scholarship is not only financial support, but also recognition of the work and persistence that brought me to this point. It motivates me to continue pursuing research and public health work that can positively impact communities.”
Outside of his research, Arana works with communities in San Diego to fight food insecurity and to provide equitable access to resources. He hopes that through environmental health, he can promote health equity and support underserved communities.
Each school year, nominations for the scholarship are submitted by respective graduate program advisors. The final recipients are then selected by the graduate dean and dispersed prior to the upcoming school year.
