Isaac Lopez remembers visiting Cal Poly as a K-12 student from Shandon, a rural town of about 1,200 in northeastern San Luis Obispo County.

“I always thought Cal Poly was a place that I saw myself,” he said. “As a high school sophomore, I attended a conference titled ‘26 Hours in Science and Technology in Agriculture.’ The student organizers from the Latinos In Agriculture club impacted me and pushed Cal Poly to the top of my choices. I knew I’d get to immerse myself in agriculture and have a community here to support me through higher education.”

The agricultural science student and future educator was one of the leaders of 2023’s 26 Hours showcase of agricultural innovation, which attracted students from 15 California high schools.

Lopez, who was valedictorian of Shandon High School, continued his academic success at Cal Poly and was named 10 times to the Dean’s List, with a near-4.0 grade point average.

“My career interests include agriculture education, leadership and production agriculture,” he said.

At Cal Poly, plunged into a variety of activities and extracurricular opportunities developing leadership skills along the way. He organized four college conferences and served as the college’s student government representative, while pursuing several internships from San Luis Obispo to Washington, D.C.

He also worked at City Farm SLO, a not-for-profit 19-acre urban farm that has taught regenerative farming practices to over 3,000 residents and held a youth education program that served 33 county students in 2023. Last summer as the farm’s Youth Empowerment Program facilitator, Lopez helped the ninth- to 12th-graders develop leadership and work skills..

“It was a privilege supporting students through eight career-and college-readiness sessions and learning about their passions,” he said.

He took great pride working with even younger kids as part of the California Wheat Commission’s Wheat2School program. As its student coordinator, he worked at four schools in Shandon and San Miguel, in San Luis Obispo County, to provide K-8 pupils with whole-grain foods education.

“This is the first farm-to-school program to help schools include hands-on learning experiences of growing wheat on-site, harvesting and milling,” he said. “This was a true test of Learn by Doing to create curriculum, help maintain the wheat plots and visit the schools to lead ag lessons.

“Many times, the teachers would start my visit with, ‘We have a student from Cal Poly visiting today.’ It felt rewarding to represent the university and pour my passion for learning into the students.”

Financing his higher education looked to be a challenge — but as a high school junior, he received the inaugural $20,000 James W. Brabeck Youth Legacy Scholarship in 2019, which was split over four years. Then, just months before starting his first-year classes, he received Community Foundation awards worth $4,500.

“I was fortunate to be a part of the Cal Poly Scholars program,” Lopez said. “I worked part time during my undergraduate studies. Having understanding, flexible bosses helped me balance work, studies and extracurriculars. I defeated the financial challenges through the support of my community.”

He has more schoolwork ahead before he can begin his career teaching agriculture. This fall, he’ll return to Cal Poly for a master’s program in agricultural education while completing the coursework for a single-subject teaching credential.

Lopez is grateful for every time he made a commitment to a new endeavor. By joining the Latinos in Agriculture club, he grew as a leader and helped him find a community on campus. Serving in student government opened his eyes to the possibilities of making a difference for classmates and San Luis Obispo residents. And as a participant in the Leadership and American Presidency program, he learned the value of networking and connections, as well as an appreciation for differing experiences.

“At Cal Poly, I realized that by saying ‘yes’ to opportunities,” he said. “You open so many more avenues to learn, grow and impact others.”

Read about the other members of Cal Poly’s Class of 2024, representing a graduating class of more than 6,700 here.