Higher Ed Proves Transformational for Award Recipient

Oscar Loyola Torres never wanted to become a doctor until he saw a sheep's brain.  

Growing up, Loyola Torres was interested in filmmaking and acting. But he found himself gravitating toward the medical field after taking anatomy and a biomedical elective course at San Marcos High School (it was in the latter class that he saw the sheep’s brain).  

Loyola Torres, a molecular and cellular biology major at Cal State San Marcos, is the first person in his family to attend college. Elementary school teachers told him that there would be a spot for him at CSUSM when the time came, thanks to CSUSM's K-12 Alliance, which motivated him to work hard from an early age. 

Loyola Torres’ efforts paid off, as he was honored recently as CSUSM’s recipient of the 2025 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, California State University’s highest recognition of student accomplishment.  

The CSU recognizes 23 students every year – one from each campus – with the Trustees’ Award. Students are selected based on academic achievements, financial need, excellence in community service and personal hardship. Awardees have all demonstrated inspirational resolve along the path to college success, and many are the first in their families to attend college.  

“It's almost like imposter syndrome,” Loyola Torres said. “It was just an honor to receive the nomination.” 

Loyola Torres’ decision to attend CSUSM over other universities, including UC Riverside, was based on community and affordability. It was a place where he could be close to home while affording school, and his parents supported his decision.  

“My parents weren’t able to pursue higher education, so that motivated me,” Loyola Torres said. “I have the privilege of pursuing it, so I have always planned on it.” 

As a Pathmaker intern at Palomar Medical Center Escondido, Loyola Torres saw the language barriers that Spanish-speaking patients often experience in health care.  

“I have the privilege of speaking both English and Spanish,” he said. “A lot of the patients struggle with understanding what the doctors are saying. I'm going to be able to almost close that gap in the language barrier.” 

Loyola Torres also serves in CSUSM's COMPASS research internship, which recruits local high school students and trains them in stem cell science. Expanding hands-on learning opportunities through internships like this is one of the goals of CSUSM’s recently launched “Blueprint for the Future” fundraising campaign. Research and industry partnerships are a key part of how the university prepares students such as Loyola Torres to thrive in the workforce. 

Loyola Torres works in biology professor Carlos Luna Lopez’s lab, studying breast cancer cells. Along with a master’s student, Loyola Torres investigates cell culture and how breast cancer cells grow.  

This fall, Loyola Torres will serve as president of the campus’ MedLife club, which aims to combat health care shortages and help increase essential health care services to low-income communities in Latin America and Africa. He calls it one of his biggest accomplishments.  

Reflecting on his journey, Loyola Torres is proud of his growth. From entering his first year as a quiet student to working internships, serving as a club president and being nominated for an award, he is thankful for these opportunities.  

“My GEL professor freshman year told me I have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable,” Loyola Torres said. “I'm proud of myself, because I don't know what I would have been doing right now if I didn't open up or didn't receive that advice." 

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Eric Breier, Interim Assistant Director of Editorial and External Affairs

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