Sac State & CSU Grad Slam Competition

Congratulations to our top three 2026 presenters!

First Place: Kimberly Cervantes $400 (Presented: What Predicts Rapid Weight Gain (RWG) in Rural WIC Infants?)
Second Place: Monzerath Ramos Gonzalez $250 (Presented: Exploring the Impact of Family Legal Status on CalFresh Use and Food Insecurity Among College Students)
Third Place: Megan Smith-Fajardo $100 (Presented: Continual contestation of power: The case of the California State Auditor and California Department of Education)

CSU Grad Slam: Virtual 6th Annual CSU Grad Slam competition

What is Grad Slam?

Grad Slam is an academic research communication competition that challenges graduate students to present a compelling speech about their research and its significance to non-academic persons in just three minutes using only one presentation image. The goal is to not only support our students but also to raise the profile of graduate education in the CSU system. The winner of the Sac State Grad Slam competition will go on to represent the campus at the CSU Grad Slam competition. Here's a video from 2024’s competition: https://csus.zoom.us/rec/play/7v59LPMSF8yrTGIZNvUnvqv33QS5MbhsQvJyVmdqs2sfENreUtispfdrAa8GYLQ-tZIykpv8-QhsDkCu.FCYvrJK4W7-0Bd9s?autoplay=true&startTime=1711495931000

Eligibility: All active master's and doctoral students who are conducting independent research or projects, including independent research projects done for a graduate-level class, are eligible to participate in Grad Slam competitions at all levels. Entrants must be current graduate students at the time of the competition.

This opportunity is open and available to all who are interested in applying and/or participating, regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
Group projects or group research is not eligible for submission and/or presentation in Grad Slam competitions. All projects and/or research must be conducted independently by the student applicant.

Additional Resources: need a place to hone your presentation? Check out these University Library practice spaces!

Want more information? Register for a Virtual Information Session!

More information coming soon!

Sac State Grad Slam 2026 Competition Planning Committee


Members	College	Email
Scott Thompson, Chair	College of Health & Human Services	irwin.thompson@csus.edu
Stephanie Storms, Interim Dean	Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies	s.storms@csus.edu
Sharon Fertak, Associate Dean	Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies	furtak@csus.edu
Pooria Assadi	College of Business	pooria.assadi@csus.edu
Yanira Madrigal-Garcia	College of Education	y.madrigal-garcia@csus.edu
Alessandra McMorris	College of Continuing Education	mcmorrisa@csus.edu
Sarah Brown Blake	College of Health & Human Services	sarah.brownblake@csus.edu
Laura Cravens-Ray	College of Health & Human Services	l.cravens-ray@csus.edu
Ali Grandjean	College of Health & Human Services	aligrandjean@csus.edu
Rachel Hill	College of Health & Human Services	r.hill@csus.edu
Carel Mountain	College of Health & Human Services	carel.mountain@csus.edu
Megan Ngo	College of Health & Human Services	megan.ngo@csus.edu
Bridget Parsh	College of Health & Human Services	parshb@csus.edu
Matthew Krauel	College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics	krauel@csus.edu
Mical Shilts	College of Social Sciences & Interdisciplinary Studies	shiltsm@csus.edu
Melissa Cardenas-Dow	University Library	cardenas-dow@csus.edu
Emily Merrifield	University Library	emily.merrifield@csus.edu
Staff: Chris Yoakum	Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies	c.yoakum@csus.edu