Awards and Scholarships

ENS Field Upgrade

2019

As a part of the Aztec Recreation Center expansion and renovation, the ENS 700 Field is currently being upgraded to include LED sports lighting, enhanced landscaping, seat walls and synthetic turf. This project will help to meet the high demand for additional recreation space on campus.

Converting the natural turf to synthetic turf will eliminate several weeks of down time needed annually for the grass to recover from constant use. Synthetic surfaces can generally accommodate more than three times the amount of use than a grass field. Also, the addition of lights will expand the hours that the field will be available for student use. 

With year round and day and night access, the field will be available for drop-in play as well as many other programmed recreational activities. Aztec Recreation fitness classes, Intramural Sports leagues, Sport Clubs, ENS credit classes and campus events are just some of the activities that will take place on the renovated field.

The project is scheduled to be completed Fall semester 2019.

New Succulent Wall

Aztec Student Union

What started out as an idea sketched out on a piece of paper has turned into a reality with a living wall located on the third floor of the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union.

The idea for a living wall first came to light during the term of Vanessa Girard, the 2016-2017 Vice Commissioner of Operations for Associated Students’ Aztec Student Union Board (ASUB), who wanted to begin the process of beautifying the Student Union. The building’s walls were intentionally left blank for future students to leave their legacy. Throughout Girard’s term, members of the committee discussed plans for the wall, taking the year to brainstorm different concepts.

The push for a living wall on SDSU’s campus was then led by Catherine Krikorian, the 2017-2018 chair of the Union Beautification Committee and Vice Commissioner of ASUB Operations. Her simple sketch, inspired by a popular succulent wall in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, led other members of the student committee to get excited and prioritize the project.

“Associated Students, and SDSU as a whole, does a really good job being environmentally friendly and practicing sustainability,” Krikorian said. “All throughout the Student Union, there is already a theme of succulents as they are the go-to plant because they are so resilient and do really well in the Southern California climate. So, it just seemed like a perfect tribute when we thought about how to decorate the Union.”

What seemed like a simple task was far from the truth, as the student committee realized how much work was needed for the wall to be built.

“We thought we were just going to pick a nice spot and then call someone, have them build it and that would be the end of it.” Krikorian said. “But it ended up being so much more.”

Finding the right space for the succulent was a huge challenge that the committee had to face. The committee solicited advice from a succulent expert to determine which wall had the right amount of sunlight required for the plants to thrive. They also worked closely with the Aztec Student Union facilities team to identify a water source for the irrigation, as well as the drainage. The final location was chosen on the third floor of the Aztec Student Union.

After the 2017-2018 academic year, the project was passed on to the current Vice Commissioner of ASUB Operations, Gabby Budihas, who took the succulent wall to completion.

“This year, I knew the succulent wall was number one on the list of priorities to get done,” Budihas said. “In the fall semester, we worked on finalizing the design, the color scheme and the wood paneling. Then we figured out three vendors that were options for building the wall.”

During Budihas’ term, the committee selected a vendor through a bid process and finalized the design for the succulent wall, meeting with various student groups on campus to gather input. Though the original sketch had the succulents in individual pots, the committee decided on switching the succulents to a condensed succulent wall design, still beautiful, but requiring less upkeep.

After meeting with multiple vendors and discussing plans and the budget, the committee selected Greenleaf IPS, who, unknowingly, is owned by an SDSU alumnus, Sheldon Cohen.

Almost three years after the initial idea for a living wall was sketched on a piece of paper, the Associated Students’ succulent wall, located on the third floor of the Aztec Student Union next to the ARC Express, is over 120 square feet and filled with over 650 specimens of succulents.

The succulent wall is fully sustainable, promoting one of A.S.’ values of sustainability. The water used to irrigate the wall is completely recycled and only requires the succulents to be checked on once a month.

The ability to leave her legacy on SDSU’s campus through her hard work is something of which Kricorian is very proud.

“I am so excited with the final result,” Krikorian said. “It’s beautiful and more than I ever wanted it to be. I’m just so happy that I got to see the wall to completion.”

Submitted By: Olivia Li, A.S. Student Marketing Assistant

15 Questions

Sophie Levi & Alison Rosenstock

1. What is your name, job title and major?
   Sophie Levi, Food Pantry Lead, Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences major, Spanish minorAlison Rosenstock, Food Pantry Lead, M.S. in Nutritional Sciences, graduate student
2. Which A.S. department do you work in? Sophie: My position for A.S. falls under the Government Affairs department. As a Food Pantry Lead, I am responsible for supervising the on-campus food pantry, essentially managing and coordinating with volunteers, and overseeing the distribution of food resources!
   Alison: Government Affairs. I train and lead student volunteers, manage volunteer communications and database, and educate the SDSU community about food insecurity resources both on and off campus.
3. How long have you worked for A.S.? Sophie: I have worked for A.S. for just over 6 months.Alison: 6 months
4. Who is your favorite singer / musician / musical group? Sophie: It’s difficult for me to pick a single favorite artist or musician, but I really love ODESZA. I saw them live at Coachella last year and their performance was one I will never forget!Alison: Tom Petty. He’s an incredible storyteller and his songs fit in so many situations. RIP.
5. What is your favorite book?Sophie: “The Alchemist” is a book I can re-read a million times over and never get sick of it. I love the philosophy that the universe will conspire to help you fulfill your wildest dreams!
   Alison: I loved the “Wayside School” series by Louis Sachar growing up. The humor was so witty and engaging.
6. What do you want to be when you grow up?Sophie: When I grow up, I want to be a Speech Pathologist. I’ve always been fascinated by language and I am passionate about the idea of helping others develop theirs.Alison: Rock superstar. Live large. Big house. Five cars. Just kidding.
7. Do you like to cook and what is your specialty?Sophie: I don’t like to cook and I’m not very good at it, but I’m really talented at picking out the tastiest items from the Trader Joe’s freezer aisle. Reach out to me if you need any tips.Alison: Being in nutrition, cooking is part of the lifestyle! I’ve gotten several compliments on my lentil soup.
8. What three things are always in your refrigerator?Sophie: My refrigerator ALWAYS has apples, cream cheese and leftovers. Apples are one of my favorite late-night snacks and I put cream cheese on almost everything. Leftovers are a staple because I eat out a lot and like to take my extras to go.Alison: Garlic, guacamole and chocolate soy milk. The first two make things taste better, and the third is a more adult version of chocolate milk.
9. If you could go back or forward in time, where would you go?Sophie: If I could go forward in time, I would love to visit myself at age 30. I feel like that’s when I’ll reach peak greatness and I am curious to see what my life looks like!Alison: It would have been really cool to have gone to the original Woodstock.
10. When you visit the Zoo, which animal do you make sure you see?Sophie: When I go to the zoo, I always love to see the giraffes. I think they are really silly animals and watching them eat never fails to make me laugh.Alison: The penguins. They always bring me joy.
11. Who is your favorite actor or actress?Sophie: Considering how obsessed I’ve been with "Game of Thrones," I am going to go with Maisie Williams! If I could be half as cool as Arya Stark, I would die a happy woman.Alison: Reese Witherspoon. She does both comedy and drama very well.
12. If you could have a superhero power, what would it be?Sophie: Sometimes I have dreams where I can fly — so I’m going to have to go with that. Plus, I love to travel and being able to fly would help me save a lot of money on flights.Alison: The ability to teleport. It would just make life easier, you know?
13. What is one of your favorite things to do on the SDSU campus?Sophie: I truly cherish being an SDSU Ambassador and giving campus tours. Interacting with potential students and showing them San Diego State University is always a highlight of my week.Alison: Aztec Lanes! I’m not a good bowler, but I really enjoy it.
14. What is your favorite part of working for A.S.?Sophie: I love the energy and passion that everyone has for what they do in A.S.! There is such a culture of selflessness and compassion, and that makes working for A.S. super enjoyable.Alison: The work environment and the people. Everyone is so supportive, hardworking and fun.
15. Which A.S. staff member has inspired/supported you the most?Sophie: Quick shout out to Janice Dils for being an absolute gem! But truly, I couldn’t do my job without the wonderful Alison Rosenstock. She inspires me with her unwavering kindness and incredible work ethic. I feel so lucky to work with her!Alison: Janice Dils. She’s an incredible boss and mentor to me as well as the other A.S. employees. She’s made sure that I feel supported and confident in my role at the Food Pantry and encourages forward-thing to recruit and maintain volunteers and help the community get the resources they need.