作者：辛西娅·休伯特

2025年9月8日

一个紧紧拥抱。 衷心感谢您。 在多年的听力损失后，患者第一次能够听到鸟叫，他们脸上洋溢着喜悦。

比安卡·埃斯帕萨（Bianca Esparza）在博彩平台（萨克拉门托 State）攻读听力学博士期间经历的那些虽小但却充满力量的时刻提醒着她，尽管面临着巨大的障碍，她为什么从未放弃自己的学术目标。

Her persistence, along with her success in the classroom, recently caught the eye of the CSU, which is honoring her with a Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. The award honors one student from each of the CSU’s 22 campuses who demonstrates superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service, and financial need.

作为科罗拉多州立大学米尔德里德·加西亚校长奖学金的获得者，埃斯帕萨将获得7,000美元的奖学金。 

“It’s kind of surreal,” Esparza said of the award. “It’s overwhelming. This is going to make every difference in the world for me.”

埃斯帕萨在费尔菲尔德的艰难环境中长大，她的父母在那里与毒瘾作斗争，她和她的五个兄弟姐妹在寄养中心度过了一段时间。 机会对他们不利，但他们决心开辟一条新路。

“I am serving real people and making a difference. When you are doing something that you really love, it makes the studying and everything else a little easier.” ——比安卡·埃斯帕萨

比安卡的姐姐德斯特妮拥有加州大学戴维斯分校的博士学位，她鼓励比安卡接受高等教育。 Bianca earned undergraduate degrees in Communications from Humboldt State University and in Communication Sciences and Disorders through 囊状态’s College of Continuing Education. Then she enrolled in 囊状态’s Audiology program, where she discovered a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. 

“My sister has always had a stutter, and a speech therapist helped her overcome that,” Esparza said. “I wanted to be someone who could transform lives that way.”

The road has been challenging, with Esparza and her husband Richard raising a daughter, Sofia, while Esparza attends classes, studies and works as a graduate assistant in the University’s Audiology clinic.

尽管课业繁重，但埃斯帕萨在学业上取得了非凡的成功，在同龄人中名列前5%。 She has presented her research at symposiums and conferences, and in her spare time volunteers at her daughter’s school.

Esparza’s patients in the Audiology clinic have impressed and inspired her. 

“When patients make progress and they express their gratitude, I know that I have made the perfect choice,” she said. “I am serving real people and making a difference. When you are doing something that you really love, it makes the studying and everything else a little easier.”

在2028年春季获得博士学位后，埃斯帕萨想在私人诊所工作，帮助患者解决听力、平衡和沟通障碍问题。 她还打算与非营利组织合作，帮助那些没有保险或收入较低的人获得必要的护理。 

“I want to do great things,” Esparza said. “I want to help make changes in the system to give patients better access to hearing healthcare services.”

她说，最终，她为获得研究生学位所做的所有牺牲都会为她的家人和未来的病人带来回报。

“Being in graduate school can feel a little selfish at times, when I’m wondering who can watch my daughter, or whether we’ll be OK financially,” Esparza said. “But we always find a way to get things done.

“I really enjoy helping people, and at the end of every single day, I come home to love. I feel very blessed.”