By Meghan Alfano
Daily Titan Asst. News Editor

Cal State Fullerton’s President’s Scholars Association will be sending care packages to a troop of 16 Marines in Afghanistan this fall semester as one of their volunteer projects.

One of the troops’ members, 25-year-old Joe Gazmen, is an alumnus from CSUF and a member of President’s Scholars.

President's Scholars Corinne Sandhoefner and Laurent Punzalan pack candy, cards and other items into care packages for Alumnus Joe Gazmen and his fellow Marines in Afghanistan. Photo by Maureen Fox/Daily Titan Staff Writer

President’s Scholars is a group of students on campus whose focus is to do various volunteer projects throughout the school year. To become a member of the group, students must apply before the beginning of their freshman year on campus.

“Based solely on merit, the President’s Scholar Program recognizes the outstanding achievements of incoming freshman who have demonstrated excellence in academic work, leadership ability and community service,” states the organization’s Web site.

Students applying for President’s Scholars must have obtained at least a 3.75 GPA during their sophomore and junior years in high school and provide proof of involvement in academic and leadership programs.

The program grants students with scholarship benefits for four years, so long as the scholars maintain their program eligibility. The scholarship benefits, which are allfunded by private donors, include full payment of Cal State University enrollment fees, $750 for books and supplies through the Titan Shops, priority registration for classes, automatic admittance to the University Honor’s Program and opportunities of up to 20 hours of on-campus work per week.

“The best part of being a scholar exists on a much more profound level than the monetary and tangible benefits,” said Stacy Lombiado, 21, a health science major and vice president of President’s Scholars. “I have never been so proud to be a part of such a bright and promising group of colleagues. They are what distinguishes this scholarship from any other scholarship given.”

Gazmen attended CSUF from 2002 to 2006, and graduated with a degree in physics and business.

Aside from being an active member of President’s Scholars, Gazmen also held office as vice president of the University Honor’s Society, was a founding member of Future Business Leaders of America Phi Beta Lamda CSUF chapter and was a national parliamentarian for the organization.

He became the first ever recipient of the Dan Black Scholar award as well.

Gazmen has always been very patriotic and was moved to join the services after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

“The idea of giving back was always something he cherished,” said former president of President’s Scholars Dianne Ramos, 25, Gazmen’s girlfriend of six years whom he met his first year at CSUF through President’s Scholars.

Ramos, who graduated with a degree in international business with an emphasis on French, said Gazmen told her that as a child, saying the National Anthem in class often brought him to tears.

Upon graduating, Gazmen was able to go straight into the officer training program for the Marines and became a lieutenant.

In April of this year, Gazmen was promoted to first lieutenant, and in May, he was sent on his first assignment to Afghanistan, where he is currently located.

Gazmen and Ramos are still active alumni members of the organization and give back to the group by presenting the Vern Wagner Passion Award to graduating scholars who “show an outstanding level of involvement with President’s Scholars,” Ramos said. She said they started it with hopes of encouraging scholars to maintain activism in the program beyond their years at CSUF.

Carol Kresse, current president of the President’s Scholars, approached Ramos last May to send care packages to Gazmen and his fellow troops.

“We wanted to give back to Joe because he still does a lot for President’s Scholars” said Kresse, 22, a business finance and political science major.

Ramos helped act as a communicator between the organization and Gazmen, figuring out what the troops were in need of and making sure they could send what they were donating.

Ramos added that her communication with Gazmen is good; they e-mail regularly, and she has been able to talk to him via the phone ten times since his deployment.

“Thanks to technology, we get to talk a lot. I don’t think I would have survived it having to communicate through snail mail,” she said.

All donations were received from present members of the organization, as well as alumni President’s Scholars members.

The group has put together 16 personalized boxes for each of the Marines, which include necessities such as socks, sunscreen, snacks and other items such as magazines, movies, candy and letters written to the troops. The overflow of donated items received will also be sent in separate boxes, for a total of 25 care boxes to be sent to the troops.

“The event was a huge success, more amazing than I could ever imagine,” said Kresse. “I hope we’ll consider doing it again in the future.”

She also added that she felt that the project was special to the organization because of Gazmen and his connection with President’s Scholars.

“The scholars are doing an outstanding job; they are going above and beyond what they have to do,” Gazmen said. “I am truly humbled that they have gone out of their way to send us care packages.”

Ramos added that she was awestruck when Kesse approached her about the care packages.

“Joe and I were very honored and proud that they came up with the idea,” she said. “It’s not only for their own but for the troops as a whole.”