La Sierra University College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office

08/20/2026

✨ Academic Excellence, Celebrated! ✨

Congratulations to our 222 students named to the Dean’s List for Spring 2026! 🎓💛
And a special congratulations to the 62 students who achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA! 🏆

Your dedication, hard work, and commitment to excellence deserve to be celebrated. We are so proud of your achievements! 🌟

Join us in congratulating our outstanding students! 🎉

06/12/2026

2026 Distinguished Professor

The special rank of “Distinguished Professor” is rarely bestowed and defined as “one who has made distinguished contributions in teaching, research, publication, or creative work.”  Dr. Grismer’s qualifications in the arena of publication are documented in his 75-page curriculum vita, which lists Dr. Grismer’s more than 560 articles and 5 single-authored books, as well as other forms of dissemination and publication acumen, such as peer reviewing and editing. All those publication activities are the result of the continuous research he has conducted since his early years as a student at Palomar College in the 1970s, up through his doctoral studies at Loma Linda University to the mid-1990s, and throughout his career as a member of the La Sierra University faculty from 1994 to the present day. Dr. Grismer’s productivity is simply legendary.

Dr. Grismer’s work has proven to be very influential in his field. A paper published in 2002 used the R statistical language to remove the biases in morphological measurements. His code is now very widely used in the systematics field. In 2025 he single-authored a paper in a prestigious journal introducing a new universal statistical analysis never before used in taxonomy for diagnosing species.
This analysis methodology is spreading rapidly throughout the systematics community, from research on coral reef fish in Bolivia to people studying avocados in India. La Sierra University is proud to have Dr. Lee Grismer as a member of our faculty, providing our students with exceptional learning through extraordinary research. Congratulations, Dr. Grismer, Distinguished Professor of Biology.

06/12/2026

2026 Iris M. Landa Academic Advising Award

Ms. Miranda’s special gifts for the multi-faceted work of advising have been summarized as her stellar ability to uphold policy and people with equal care. Those who know her work best say that in many cases Ms. Miranda made the difference between a student graduating or not, through her attention to their unique needs, her collaboration with all the relevant administrative offices, and her thorough knowledge of academic policy. In fact, she is legendary for her vast institutional and policy knowledge. While still early in her career, when the COVID pandemic hit, Ms. Miranda used every avenue possible to maintain connection and strong advising for students, in the process helping to support the entire Criminal Justice program’s response to those trying circumstances. Another element that makes her deserving of this distinction is that she actually enjoys advising the students with the most complicated cases, such as transfer students, and does it with excellence. As one observer put it, “Jennifer Miranda is a role model for other advisors.”  It is with great pleasure that we are able to recognize the mission-critical work of all of our professional staff advisors by celebrating Jennifer Miranda’s amazing record of service by the bestowal of this award. Congratulations, Jennifer.

06/11/2026

06/11/2026

2026 Alumni award

We heard a little about this student’s academic and research achievements a few moments ago. Building on that, Ms. Taylor’s commitment to research is matched by her dedication to the learning of others. She serves concurrently as a Teaching Assistant in Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Audiology II. Her supervising faculty member, Dr. Kim, describes her as “one of the most responsible TAs I have had for the last many years — punctual, thorough, and dependable.” Her service to the department as President of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology, has transformed the chapter into an active presence on campus. Beyond the university, Taylor volunteers at the Second Harvest Food Bank, has served in multiple church outreach programs, and has fostered rescue puppies for several years. She has also held positions at an Audiology Clinic and the Records Office. Taylor plans for a career as a researcher in critical mixed-race studies and hopes to attend graduate school in social psychology as a next step on that path. Given Taylor’s excellent academic and research work and broad support for her communities, we are so pleased to recognize her with the 2026 Alumni award.

06/11/2026

2026 Performer of the Year

Nathalia Boeira is a Brazilian flutist and passionate music educator, currently based in California. Known for her lyrical tone and expressive musicality, Nathália began her flute studies in 2009. Her performance experience spans chamber music, solo repertoire, and orchestral settings. She has been featured in numerous music festivals throughout Brazil and was a finalist in the 2021 Aldo Parisot Competition. Nathalia has collaborated with a wide range of instrumentalists and vocalists, and she was a member of the UFRGS Academic Orchestra from 2020 to 2021.  In 2025, she performed at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the CSUN Youth Orchestra.  She also serves as a flute instructor at the Vienna Music Institute (Irvine, CA) and teaches and conducts at the Riverside Arts Academy. She recently completed a PC at La Sierra under the mentorship of Dr. Martin Glicklich. In 2024, she began formal conducting studies under Dr. Giovanni Santos and she is currently pursuing a Performance Certificate in Wind Conducting under Dr. Christine Lundahl-Fritz.

06/11/2026

Outstanding Seniors of 2026
Department of Honors Program

Julia Ko is a very bright and diligent Biology student who brings insight and thoughtfulness to her work in the classroom and the Honors community. She has been presenting and publishing her research work since she was a freshman, with 10 presentations and posters at conferences across the country, including at the Stanford Research Conference (2025), Harvard-Amgen Scholars Program at Harvard University in 2024, and Western Regional Honors Conference California State University Long Beach (2024). Julia has demonstrated a commitment to service through over 200 hours of hospital volunteer work at Loma Linda University Medical Center, and as a Biology and Pre-med Subjects Learning Assistant in the Collaborative Learning Center here on our La Sierra University as well as other tutoring, volunteering, and mission work. These are but a few of the highlights of Julia’s achievements while she was here. She will begin her studies at the Carver College of Medicine MD/PhD program at University of Iowa in June.

06/10/2026

Outstanding Seniors of 2026
Department of Evening Adult Degree Program

Yvonne Wilson is a resilient, strong, and compassionate student whose journey reflects courage, perseverance, and commitment to serving others. A devoted mother and intentional, relational classmate, Yvonne has balanced the demands of work, family, and academics with remarkable strength and grace. During her time at La Sierra University, she has distinguished herself as a dedicated and thoughtful student who is consistently engaged, asking meaningful questions, and creating hands-on learning experiences that uplift her peers. Coming from a military family, she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2000 and was deployed following 9/11. After experiencing profound loss, she made the courageous decision to heal and rebuild her life. Now interning at Loma Linda Adult Day Center, she helped secure an $180,000 grant to improve transportation access. Yvonne plans to pursue an MSW and serve veterans and Military Sexual Trauma survivors.

06/10/2026

Outstanding Seniors of 2026
Department of Social Work

Gabriella Del Vecchio is a compassionate, driven, and exceptional student whose journey into social work began in high school, where she discovered her passion for therapy and its potential for positive impact. Over the past four years, she has been a straight-A student, demonstrating academic excellence alongside a deep commitment to serving others. Known for her genuine kindness, empathy, and warmth, Gabriella has a remarkable ability to connect with people from all walks of life. She currently interns with the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health in forensic services, supporting individuals transitioning from incarceration and facilitating group therapy through the CSAR program. Her macro project reflects her commitment to community engagement, organizing a Mental Health Month art gallery to reduce stigma and foster dialogue. Gabriella will continue her education at Loma Linda University, pursuing a dual Master of Social Work and Master of Criminal Justice degree program.

06/10/2026

Outstanding Seniors of 2026
Department of Psychology

A Psychology major with a minor in Marketing, Shaiana has achieved a 3.83 GPA while maintaining an extraordinary record of research, teaching, and community leadership.  As a research assistant to Dr. In-Kyeong Kim in the Department of Psychology, Taylor has contributed to data collection and analysis, assisted in study design, and helped fabricate experimental stimuli, all while mentoring junior researchers in the lab. She is a named co-author on two papers presented at the 105th Annual Convention of the Western Psychological Association, and she will appear as coauthor on is co-authoring a paper accepted by the Psychonomic Society, one of the most prestigious venues in cognitive psychology. In addition, she will be presenting original work on mixed-race identity development at next week’s Research Emphasis Week here at La Sierra and attending the Critical Mixed Race Studies Association conference later in 2026.  Stay tuned for more about Ms. Taylor a little later in the program.