Two students at the top of the 2022 graduating class at California State University Bakersfield were recognized by University President Dr. Lynnette Zelezny Tuesday on campus.

Ricco Reynolds, a graduate student and undergrad student Jane Lopez, of Palmdale, were awarded the 2022 President's Medal.

Ricco is graduating from CSUB's Family Nurse Practitioner Program. He worked through the COVID-19 pandemic as an emergency department registered nurse at Kern Medical.

He led a research project with colleagues titled, "Comparing Stress and Anxiety of Parents and Non-Parents during COVID-19.” The project won first place in the 2022 CSUB Student Research Competition in the Health, Nutrition and Clinical Sciences category and was selected for inclusion at the Western Institute of Nursing’s 2022 Annual Conference. Ricco was awarded Nurse of the Year in 2019.

Jane is a leader of many organizations, serving as president as both of the Psychology Club and the International Honor Society in Psychology. She will graduate this weekend as a part of the School of Social Sciences and Education class.

She is a standout research scholar at CSUB, working with Dr. Sumaya and Dr. Susa on a number of projects, including creating unbiased survey questions for potential jurors and perspectives of the reliability of memory. Jane will continue her education at a grad school in the Pacific Northwest.

Jane intends to continue her studies at graduate school and eventually break the stigma associated with mental health care, according to a news release.

Commencement ceremonies begin Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Soccer Field.