FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton infielder Mikaela Francis received a prestigious honor from the BOLD Women's Leadership Network, as she's been selected to serve as one of their BOLD Scholars, the program announced on Monday. 

"I'm so thankful to have been chosen to be a part of the BOLD Women's Leadership Network," Francis said. "Through this program, I will have the opportunity to work with strong female leaders from this campus, as well as across the country, to positively impact social change and foster campus environments focused on inclusivity. The experience I have gained through my leadership within Titan Athletics and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has prepared me to represent Cal State Fullerton on a national level. I'm honored that my Life Skills Advisor Pam Newton and head coach Kelly Ford saw me as deserving of this award and nominated me."

The BOLD Women's Leadership Network is an intergenerational initiative across four institutions of higher education led by female presidents that have demonstrated their commitment to collaboration, innovation, diversity and inclusion. In order to be named a BOLD Scholar, one must be a junior (as of Fall 2016), a full-time student, have good academic standing, exceptional leadership abilities, strong critical thinking skills, have demonstrated passion for social equality and have demonstrated ability to work well in groups.

Francis is currently in her second term as the President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) after being voted in by her peers as a sophomore. The Titan infielder has been highly involved in advocating for student-athletes within Titan Athletics, the Big West Conference and as the SAAC President to the NCAA.

"I'm so proud of Mikaela," Ford said. "I know she is very humble about receiving this award, but I'm not surprised about it one bit. She's incredibly articulate and full of passion. This high-character young lady possesses fierce leadership qualities. Get ready because the sky is the limit for her. She has completely taken advantage of all that Cal State Fullerton has to offer."

Last year, she was a member of the Diversity & Equity Inclusion Committee and has been a representative for student-athletes on the Student Advisory Fee Committee the past two years.

As a softball player, Francis has appeared in 36 games so far in her career and has made a positive impact on the field by posting a .320 on-base percentage last season. She performed strong in the classroom as well, which helped her earn NFCA Scholar Athlete All-American honors.

Newton, who nominated Francis for the BOLD Scholar program, is Francis' mentor and couldn't be more thrilled about the committee's selection.

"I'm so proud the first cohort of the Cal State Fullerton Bold Program Scholars will include our reigning President of the SAAC and a member of our Titan Athletic Department," Newton said. "As Mikaela's advisor/mentor, I salute the BOLD committee for their selection of Mikaela Francis. She will be an outstanding representative of the BOLD Women's Leadership Network."

Francis' first action as a BOLD Scholar will be to take part in a retreat to Middlebury College in Burlington, Vermont, on Jan. 12-15, 2017. She will be joined by other BOLD Scholars from Rutgers University Newark, Smith College and Middlebury College. 

For more information on the BOLD Women's Leadership Network, click here.

Follow the Titans!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own Twitter (@CSUFSoftball), Facebook (Cal State Fullerton Titan Softball) and Instagram accounts (@CSUFSoftball).