Geography and Environmental Resources Student Kevin Steele Earns CSU Trustees’ Award for Outst...

When Stan State senior Kevin Steele returned to college, a bachelor's degree became the next step in an educational journey that had already earned him several diplomas. It also gave him a chance to discover what he was capable of and to build a future around something he has long loved.

Trees.

"I am a dendrophile through and through," Steele said. "I love trees. They fascinate me."

That passion, paired with academic achievement, perseverance and a commitment to serving others, has earned Steele the 2026 California State University Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement, the CSU system's highest recognition of student accomplishment. Steele was named the CSU Trustee Julia I. Lopez and Ann E. O'Rielly Scholar and is one of 22 students across the CSU selected for the honor this year.

The annual Trustees' Award recognizes students who demonstrate superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and financial need. Since the program began in 1984, more than 500 CSU students have received the distinction.

Steele and his fellow scholars were recognized during a special ceremony at the CSU Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday, Sept. 22.

"It is with tremendous pride that I celebrate the outstanding academic achievements and remarkable perseverance of this year's Trustees' Award scholars," CSU Chancellor Mildred García said. "Thanks to the visionary generosity of our donors, the CSU is able to recognize these exceptional scholars who have overcome significant challenges in pursuit of a college degree that will not only transform their lives but will also elevate their families and strengthen their communities across California."

"Forests and trees are my passion, followed closely by teaching others. I am driven to succeed by my children. Everything I do is for them, to make their lives better."

- Kevin Steele, Geography and Environmental Resources Major

Steele's path to Stan State has been anything but conventional.

A first-generation college student from Jamestown and graduate of Sonora High School, Steele returned to higher education as a nontraditional student while raising his autistic son and helping care for two grandchildren. He began at Columbia College, where he studied forestry and natural resources and earned five associate degrees with honors and distinction.

The experience showed Steele that he could succeed in higher education and inspired him to transfer to a four-year university.

At Stan State, he found a natural continuation of his interests in the geography and environmental resources program. Now a senior with a 3.89 GPA, Steele is also a member of the University Honors Program and is two semesters away from completing his bachelor's degree.

"Stan State has fast become my new home," Steele said. "I enjoy the many perspectives of the professors in my program. I have met with success here, and I couldn't be more thankful."

His experience in the Honors Program has challenged him in unexpected ways. During his first semester, Steele said, he was pushed to examine his own experiences, motivations and place in the world more deeply.

"I had never turned a lens so hard on myself," he said. "It enabled me to see my role in this life more clearly."

That sense of purpose extends well beyond the classroom.

While pursuing his degree, Steele works as a notary public and loan signing agent and volunteers with Special Olympics, environmental restoration projects, trail restoration efforts and invasive species removal initiatives. His service reflects a broader commitment to protecting California's natural resources through hands-on, community-based conservation.

"Forests and trees are my passion, followed closely by teaching others," he said. "I am driven to succeed by my children. Everything I do is for them to make their life better."

His journey also reflects the transformative role public higher education can play for students whose paths to a bachelor's degree do not follow a traditional timeline. As the CSU works to expand opportunity for transfer students, working adults and students balancing family responsibilities, Steele represents the possibilities created when students can build on their experiences and continue moving toward their goals.

After graduating from Stan State, Steele plans to continue that momentum. He is applying to graduate programs with the goal of moving directly into a master's degree program and eventually conducting research focused on California's forests and environmental conservation.

Ultimately, he hopes to turn his education into a career spent protecting the landscapes that first captured his imagination.

"I hope to find a position where I can learn from and collaborate with others on large-scale forest restoration projects," Steele said. "Trees are so cool to me. I hope to work the rest of my days in the field restoring forest ecosystems."