My Life at CSUMB: Goldwater Scholar appreciates support

By Mark Muckenfuss

From beginning her college career as an insecure freshman to winning one of the nation’s most prestigious scholarships, Reina Yorba-Rico’s journey as a Cal State Monterey Bay student has been impressive. 

Out of 440 students named as Barry Goldwater Scholarship winners last spring, Yorba-Rico, who is a senior, was one of only nine psychology majors to receive the award. Previously, she received both the Sally Cassanova and McNair scholarships, both of which are also very competitive awards. 

The Huntington Beach native said part of her strategy for success is to say yes to opportunity.

“I put my name in a bunch of hats and that’s how I got where I am today,” Yorba-Rico said. “The more you apply, the more chances you have.”

It also helps to do the work. 

Yorba-Rico involved herself in several research projects, most of which have been centered on how the brains of bilingual individuals work differently from those of monolingual individuals, and how being bilingual influences memory.

It’s not what she initially envisioned herself doing when she arrived as a freshman in 2021. The first in her family to attend college, she came to CSUMB shy and anxious, never having seen the campus. 

“It was pretty scary,” she said. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”

But she wasn’t afraid to ask for direction.

“I said, ‘I need at least one person to help me.’” she said. “I joined TRIO. They provided so much support and really helped me navigate the beginning of my college career.” 

The program also provided her with a personal mentor who became her friend. It was the first of many people she would connect with and an inspiration for eventually becoming a TRIO mentor herself.

“I’m really grateful to CSUMB for the absolutely wonderful relationships I’ve had here,” she said. “Even through the hardest days of projects of finals, I felt OK navigating through them with my people. That’s probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned at CSUMB.”

Initially, Yorba-Rico set herself on a trajectory to become a kindergarten teacher, with the long-term goal of moving into a policy-making role where she could focus on bringing more equity to the education system. A mentor showed her she could take a shorter path to her ultimate goal by pursuing a doctorate in psychology after graduation. She also got into doing research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center. She was surprised by how much experience she was able to get.

Last summer, she traveled to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to participate in a research program that drew students from throughout the country. 

“Some of my peers came from schools from the Big 10 and the Ivy League,” she said. “I had so much more research under my belt than they did. I thought that was bizarre. It made me so grateful for UROC.”

That element of her education also helped when she applied for scholarships. Still, she was stunned when she learned about her Goldwater award.

“I cried when I found out,” she said. “Tears were streaming down my face. It felt very surreal.”

Because the award is so well known in academic circles, Yorba-Rico said it has already opened doors for her and created new opportunities to network beyond CSUMB. And the $7,500 she received has helped as well. 

“It allows me time to really focus on my research and really focus on applying to grad school,” she said, “rather than having to stretch myself super thin and just worry about surviving.”

Looking back, she said the trajectory of her career at CSUMB is mirrored a bit by her first week on campus. A Southern California beach kid, used to surfing warmer waters, she arrived unprepared.

“I came in shorts at the end of August, and it was cold,” she said with a laugh. “But, the following week, the sun came out, and I was so happy. I felt like I’d made the right choice.”