Isabel Annalia Villegas-Glang Named Outstanding PSFA Student for 2024 and also Outstanding Student in the School of Communication

Isabel Annalia Villegas-Glang’s resilience, dedication, creativity, and tenacity have seen her named not only the 2024 Outstanding Student in the School of Communication but also the Outstanding Student for the entire College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts. Earning this designation brings with it the honor of speaking on behalf of all PSFA students at the commencement ceremonies. 

During her time at San Diego State University, Villegas-Glang earned three different scholarships, held multiple research positions, and presented at the Western States Communication Association Undergraduate Student Research Conference. She also served as treasurer of SDSU’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter and was a volunteer at the Women’s Research Center.

Villegas-Glang earned the Cotton Metzger Scholarship in Honor of LGBT Students, the David W. and Edna B. Heiser Family Endowed Scholarship in Communication, and the Tom and Donna Bergelis Golich Endowed Scholarship in Communication.

“My scholarships have lifted financial burdens off my family, allowing them to continue to support my educational journey,” Villegas-Glang said.

Villegas-Glang discovered her passion for health communication research after taking Dr. Rebecca de Souza’s course on the subject. Through SDSU’s Research Apprenticeship, Villegas-Glang and Dr. de Souza worked on multiple health communication-oriented manuscripts.

“Dr. de Souza has been a mentor to me, and has guided me through qualitative research, assisting my writing and analytical skills greatly,” Villegas-Gland said. “By allowing me to work with her, I was able to discover my passion for qualitative interview research, and my passion for health communication research.”

Villegas-Glang’s communications abilities set her up to intern at the Oregon Health and Sciences University as a research assistant, present her paper at the Western States Communication Association Undergraduate Student Research Conference, and participate in this spring’s SDSU Student Research Symposium, S3.

Villegas-Glang believes that post-pandemic, this graduating class will be especially successful in the future.

“I am confident that this graduating class is resilient and will adapt to emerging challenges, changes, and conflicts,” she said. “I believe we all have the power to positively change the world and will embrace the value of interconnectedness that flows through our world.”