Service
I owe a lot of my success to good mentorship and support from diversity initiatives (e.g., SACNAS, McNair Scholars Program). I have first-hand experience on how important these are to breaking down barriers for BIPOC scholars and students. For that reason, I dedicate my time to these efforts.
SACNAS at UCI
President (2021 - 2022)
Vice President (2020 - 2021)
Secretary (2019 - 2020)
SACNAS at UCI is a chapter of the national organization (https://www.sacnas.org/). Our mission is to foster the success of minorities in STEM professional and advanced degrees. I served as President, Vice President, and Secretary over the years. I helped directed officers and organized general meetings. I planned social events and helped with marketing. I convened several professional development workshops (e.g., a workshop for undergraduate students on REU programs) and organized a seminar series (Nuestra Historia) highlighting BIPOC experiences in STEM.
SACNAS at UCI socials:
Fellowship Mentor
UCI Graduate Division
September 2020 - December 2020
I provide one-on-one consultations and peer reviews to graduate student applicants for the Ford and NSF GRFP fellowships. This position is hosted within the UCI Graduate Division.
Chican@/Latin@ Staff Association - Mentor
January 2020 - May 2022
I mentored and assisted an incoming Latinx undergraduate student in navigating UCI by meeting with mentees monthly and providing support and resources for their success.
Graduate InterConnect Program - Mentor
UCI Graduate Division
May 2019 - October 2021
I mentored and assisted incoming international graduate students transition to graduate studies and to the American culture by providing resources and organizing social events. I also wrote a post for incoming students about finding outdoor activities and exercise opportunities in Irvine.
DECADE - Student Representative
UCI Graduate Division
September 2019 - October 2021
I served as a liaison between the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology department, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and Graduate Division. I participated in discussions that inform initiative and programming that aim to improve retention of women and underrepresented minorities in graduate programs. We worked with our faculty mentor to plan and organize events to bring grad students and faculty together.
English as a Second Language (ESL) - Instructor
January 2019 - August 2020
I taught an ESL class for the Irvine community of immigrants. I created and delivered lessons for Level 3 students. I combined games (e.g. Jeopardy seen above) and interactive lectures to help students become proficient in the English language. I made friends and learned a lot about other cultures along the way.
LearnServe Student Action Summit 2020 - STEM Panelist
January 30, 2021
I served on a panel for the LearnServe Student Action Summit conference, where I talked about my work and how to bring about social change around climate change.
Competitive Edge -Peer Mentor
UCI Graduate Division
Summer 2020
I supported incoming doctoral students in the Competitive Edge Program (summer program for incoming doctoral students that aims to integrate graduate students into campus). As a peer mentor, I helped incoming graduate students acclimate to campus and their programs. I supported mentees in professional development, communication, and health and wellness.
