By Cynthia Hubert

May 12, 2025

Moments before he begins each college exam, Jesus Osvaldo Meza Nava pulls out his phone and looks at a photo of himself and his parents. The image grounds him and sharpens his focus.

“It reminds me that I’m not alone,” said Nava, Sacramento State’s 2025 Dean’s Award winner in the College of Health and Human Services. “It reminds me of my mom’s and dad’s hardships, and the sacrifices that they made for me to be here today.”

The Deans’ Awards are given at Spring Commencement to the top graduate from each of Sac State’s seven academic colleges.

Nava’s humble beginnings as the son of immigrant parents from Mexico who struggled to support their family gave him resilience and determination. Although he was hardly a stellar student in high school, he began to soar once he discovered his passion and entered Sac State’s Kinesiology program.

“From day one at Sac State, I felt welcomed, that I belonged,” he said. “Everyone here saw more in me than I was able to see in myself.” -- Jesus Osvaldo Meza Nava, College of Health and Human Services Dean's Award recipient

His goal is to become a physical therapist, with a focus on helping underprivileged patients with financial, cultural and language barriers.

“For me, it’s all about what I can do for others,” Nava said.

Amanda Morris, an assistant professor of Kinesiology who wrote a letter supporting him for the Dean’s Award, called Nava “a highly dedicated student” who also supports his peers and his community.

“I have no doubt that Jesus will continue to make a positive impact on the lives of those around him,” Morris said.

Nava grew up in Napa, where his father, a painter, and his mother, a housekeeper, worked long hours and lacked health insurance. They received help to pay for rent, food and other basics to make ends meet.

“This is where I came from,” Nava said. “My dad would work 70 hours a week at times, and sometimes we would go to work with my mom just to spend time with her.

“But at the end of the day I was fed, I had a home, and I knew they loved me. They expressed that education was a way to change the cycle. They are my role models.”

Nava was the first in his family to attend college, and now his siblings are following suit.

His days are long, as he juggles classroom time, studying, a job in food management, volunteer work and an internship at a medical clinic.

The effort is worth it, he said, because he is working toward a goal “that is greater than myself.”

His work at a local physical therapy community clinic as a Spanish translator helped crystalize his desire to help underserved patients, he said.

“It’s very satisfying to see the appreciation and gratefulness in their eyes when I talk to them,” Nava said. “How can you get the best care when you can’t communicate with your caregiver?”

As he begins work on his graduate degree, Nava marvels at how far he has come with the help of both his biological family and his family at Sac State.

“From day one at Sac State, I felt welcomed, that I belonged,” he said. “Everyone here saw more in me than I was able to see in myself.”

Nava’s parents will be watching this month as he walks across the stage at Golden 1 Center to accept his diploma and his Dean’s Award.

“It has been hard at times not being able to see my family as much as I wanted,” he reflected. “But I never wanted to quit.

“I made a promise to my parents. I told them that I would come back to Napa an educated man. It’s heartwarming to know that I didn’t let them down.”

Read the inspiring stories of the other Deans' Awards recipients.