Diana Aguilar-Cruz

Student

California State University, Fullerton

Diana was born and raised in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14 to pursue her dream of education. She is currently a Master of Public Health student at CSUF, focusing on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Diana graduated in 2023 from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor’s in Biology and aims to attend medical school to become a neurosurgeon.

Her leadership experience includes being appointed by the Governor of California as a board member for the California State University system, the largest higher education system in the nation. Diana has conducted research on cardiovascular disease in housing-insecure populations, explored biomass-derived molecules as alternatives to petrochemicals, and studied Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, she is involved in breast cancer research.

Passionate about the transformative power of education, Diana founded a volunteer-based organization that supports high school students and their families on their paths to higher education and the workforce. She is also interning at the California Department of Public Health in the Office of Policy and Planning. In her free time, Diana serves as a motivational speaker, spreading the message that anything is possible if you are passionate and believe in yourself.