JULY 21, 2025 — The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Graduate Research Fellowships to four UTSA students and recent graduates.
The students include Seth Fremin ’25, Joshua Lazaro ’23, Angelica Ramos ’25 and Athena Santi ’24.
The fellowships from the federal agency provide valuable support as the students advance their graduate research education.
Fremin is a biochemistry major who transferred to UTSA in fall 2022 after earning an associate’s degree in chemistry from Lone Star Community College of Harris County, Texas.
At UTSA, Fremin joined the Medicinal Chemistry Lab led by Oleg Larionov, a chemistry professor and Robert A. Welch Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry. This fall, Fremin will start work on his PhD at the University of Pittsburgh.
Lazaro is a first-generation college student who earned his bachelor’s degree from UTSA in statistics and data science with a concentration in biology. He is currently a doctoral candidate in biomedical data science at Stanford University.
Ramos studied psychology and neuroscience at UTSA, working in the labs of Assistant Professor Anthony Burgos-Robles and Associate Professor Matthew Wanat, both in the neuroscience, developmental and generative biology department. Ramos has been admitted to a PhD program in pharmaceutical sciences with a concentration in molecular mechanisms and therapeutics at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Santi earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from UTSA and continues her studies here. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in biomedical engineering while working as a graduate research assistant in a lab overseen by Klesse Endowed Professor Gabriela Romero Uribe, associate professor, Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering.
Lazaro, Ramos and Santi are UTSA Honors College students.
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited institutions in the United States.
This year, the agency selected 1,000 students nationwide for the highly competitive award. The fellowships provide students with a three-year annual stipend of $37,000, an education allowance of $16,000, and access to opportunities for professional development.
The NSF also presented honorable mention awards to 10 UTSA students and alumni, including Jessica Alvarez ’23, Jacqueline Avila ’24, Abigail Bush ’19, Joseph Nieto Carrion ’23, Samuel Greco ’22, Creehan Healy ’25, Luree McCann ’23, M.S. ‘25, Matthew Messick ’24, Luis Santillan ’23, M.S. ’25, and Ana Aviles Vargas ’24.
Joshua Proehl, who is studying genetics at UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, also received honorable mention.
In all, 82 UTSA students have received NSF Graduate Research Fellowship awards.
Students and recent graduates who are interested in applying for the NSF award should contact the UTSA Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, which helps students from across the university prepare and apply for dozens of national awards and scholarships that help fund study abroad, research, service learning and graduate education.
