Presidential Award Recipients
The Presidential Award is presented to students who exemplify leadership, service and academic excellence. Learn more about these students by clicking on the button below.
2026 SET Presidential Award Winners
Monabelle Elbayeh
B.S. in Biology
Sarahi Fernandez Leon
B.S. in Exercise and Sport Science
Maria Fernanda Gamez
B.S. in Forensic Science
Laurene Robinson
B.S. in Computer Science
Briana Eloisa Saenz
B.S. in Biochemistry
Notable Alumni
Ravi Chaudhary, D.L.S. (M.S. ’99)
As director of Advanced Programs and Innovation in the Office of Commercial Space Transportation at the FAA, Chaudhary is responsible for looking into the future of commercial space transportation. And for Chaudhary, a man with a direct line to the president, not a day goes by during which the lessons he learned as an Industrial Engineering graduate student at St. Mary’s University aren’t on his mind.
“I was blessed to have (Professor of Industrial Engineering) Rafael Moras invest heavily in my development and guide me through a challenging graduate engineering degree. Over time, Moras became more than an academic adviser; he became a good friend and mentor.
Looking back, going to St. Mary’s was one of the best decisions I could’ve made.”
Giovanni Fazio (B.S., B.A. ’54) (1933-2026)
With an award-winning career that spanned more than half a century, Giovanni G. Fazio earned both a B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Chemistry from St. Mary’s in 1954. A renowned astrophysicist, Fazio helped pioneer NASA’s development of gamma-ray astronomy using balloon-borne and ground-based detectors. He was a senior physicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Erika Gonzalez-Reyes, M.D. (B.S. ’98)
Gonzalez-Reyes serves as the CEO and President of South Texas Allergy & Asthma Medical Professionals and STAAMP Clinical Research. As a student at St. Mary’s, Gonzalez-Reyes participated in the Health Careers Opportunity Program and the MARCU*STAR program before completing medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston on an Air Force scholarship.
As an alumna, Gonzalez-Reyes mentors pre-med students and allows them to rotate through her clinic. She also serves on the Advisory Council for the School of Science, Engineering and Technology and by sharing her story with women and minorities, she hopes to inspire them to realize, “That could be me one day.”
“The sense of community that St. Mary’s has, along with the faith-based mission, surrounds you with mentors and educators who are concerned with your success. It’s just as important to them as it is to you.”
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Interim Dean of the School of Science, Engineering and Technology