Knowing someone really well has advantages. That’s been the experience of twins Angela and Mark Soghomonian. The two are both juniors, both biochemistry majors and both student leaders for the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning at Fresno State.

“Working together has always been fun,” Mark said, “and working with each other has also been very productive versus working with someone else that you’re not sure how they cooperate with …”

“… because we know each other so much,” Angela said, completing Mark’s sentence. “We know our weaknesses, we know our strengths. So when we’re doing something, like say when we take a lab together, we just automatically know who’s going to do what because we know each other so well. We know who does this task better. Should I take notes? Should you do the reaction? And it just worked that way all along.”

Now their older sister Olivia, a senior majoring in math and chemistry, is getting involved with the Richter Center as well.

The Soghomonians are part of a long-standing culture of service at Fresno State. Thanks to efforts by more than 12,690 students, faculty and staff, the University once again provided more than a million hours of service during the 2020-21 academic year. This is the 12th year in a row that Fresno State has provided more than 1 million hours of service.

“These 1 million hours of service during a global pandemic are a shining testament to our commitment to bettering our world," said President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. "Universities across the U.S. are looking at our Richter Center as the gold standard for how talented and dedicated faculty and students elevate the quality of life of a region. I’m so proud of our faculty and students who invest fully of themselves in a heartfelt commitment to our communities.”

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