Forest Hills resident receives Professional Contribution Award from BU
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Courtesy of Cesar Diaz
At an online Senior Awards Reception on May 15, Forest Hills resident Cesar Diaz was honored with the Professional Contribution Award from Boston University (BU) College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College.
An alumnus of Regis High School on the Upper East Side, Diaz is a dual degree graduate from BU, earning a Bachelor of Science in both neuroscience and behavior & health. The Professional Contribution Award is given to BU students who exhibit great potential professionally through scholarship, research, clinical experience, and promotion to the community.
“Cesar’s resume is packed with his accomplishments – academic, work and volunteer related. However, what qualifies him most for a senior award is the passion he has for learning and giving back to his BU & Sargent communities,” said Professor Nancy Lowenstein. “Cesar is the embodiment of a senior who has spent his four years at BU finding his niche, helping others find theirs, and supporting many communities both in and outside of BU.”
Throughout his time at BU, Diaz was a peer mentor for first generation college students and president of the BU Fight Against Multiple Sclerosis Club, where he was an ambassador to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He was a scientific research assistant for the Cruz-Martin Lab, research assistant for the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program through Boston Medical Center, and a volunteer at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Diaz was also a recipient of the Scarlet Key award, the highest BU service award given to deserving seniors.
“Having the opportunity to give back to a community that turned a shy high-schooler into an ambitious young man is something that I will take with me for the rest of my life,” said Diaz. “Admittedly, I still have much to learn. However, the one thing I can confidently say from my time serving the BU community is that we, as a whole, are more powerful when we empower each other.”
As for his next move, Diaz plans to work in research, studying neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders before applying to graduate school to pursue his MD/PhD.
