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Current SMP Student Staff

 

 

Luis Guevara

lguevara10@ucmerced.edu

Title: Student Assistant & Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 4th Year, Psychology 

Career Aspiration: I want to earn my PhD in Clinical Psychology and later pursue Psychiatry or Industrial Organizational Psychology.

Mentoring Specialties: Mental health, time management, commuting, making friends, studying tips, fun things to do around campus/Merced, interviews and resume prep, job search experience, volunteer work, campus resources

Identities: First generation, Chicanx/Latinx, LGBTQ+

Interests and Favorite Things: I love going to the gym, listening to music, taking walks, hanging out with friends, trying new foods, and mindlessly shopping. I love collecting plants and CDs. I have a really big collection of CDs and I want it to grow larger. I like to spend some of my time watching movies at home or in theaters. I am very adventurous so I'm always up for new and fun experiences.

 

Isabella Lui

ilui@ucmerced.edu

Title: Student Assistant

Year and Major: 4th Year, Psychology & Management and Business Economics

Career Aspiration: Marketing, Industrial-Organizational, or Human Resources

Mentoring Specialties: Time Management, Clubs, Research, Campus Resources, Interview and Resume Prep

Identities: Same Major, Year in School, and AAPI

Interests and Favorite Things: My hobbies include baking, drawing, photography, watching movies/shows, and playing video games! I love trying new coffee shops, going on walks, and watching the sunset with my friends. Mint chocolate chip ice cream is the best, and no one can convince me otherwise!

Alaa Khabaza

akhabaza@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 3rd Year, Human Biology with a minor in Public Health

Career Aspiration: My career aspiration is to become a surgical doctor. After graduation, I plan to attend medical school to further my education and achieve this goal.

Mentoring Specialties: Time Management, Internships, Campus Resources, Volunteer Work, Job Search Experiences, Interviews and Resume Prep, Graduate School Applications, and Mental Health

Identities: First Generation, Middle Eastern

Interests and Favorite Things:  I am passionate about mentoring and empowering others to reach their full potential through volunteering, mentoring, and contributing at the clinic as a Medical Assistant. My interests are diverse and adventurous—traveling the world, staying active at the gym, pushing boundaries in track car racing, exploring various aspects of biology and public health, embarking on exciting backpacking trips with friends, swimming, playing soccer and basketball, spending quality time with family, creating memorable experiences with friends, and, of course, my love for trying new foods.

Christian Boyd

Cboyd6@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 3rd Year, Political Science

Career Aspiration: Corporate Lawyer and own his own Law Firm

Mentoring Specialties: time management, campus resources, internships, interviews and resume prep, job search experience, mental health, general life advice

Interests and Favorite Things: My interests are finding new music, drawing and creating new works of art. I love the outdoors and anything to do with nature, I love meeting & talking with new people. I watch a lot of documentaries, cartoons and comedies. I am an avid sports fan and love to watch & participate in sports such as Basketball, soccer and boxing.

Sebastian Garcia

sgarcia300@ucmerced.edu

 

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 4th Year, Management and Business Economics, w/ a Minor in Political Science

Career Aspiration: Either something in Finance or Consulting

Mentoring Specialties: Interviews and resume prep, Greek Life, time management

Identities: First Generation, Chicanx/Latinx

Interests and Favorite Things: Soccer (Real Madrid/Man United), Spanish music (both older and new music), going out to eat, and traveling.

Emerald Sunset Nash

enash3@ucmerced.edu

 

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 5th Year, Computer Science and Engineering

Career Aspiration: A.I Engineer

Mentoring Specialties: Internships, Interviews and Resume Prep, Job Search Experience, Campus Resources, Startups, Research, Mental Health, and Graduate School Application

Identities: Transfer Student, Black or African American, and First Generation

Interests and Favorite Things: Gaming, Gym, Anime, Fiancé, Coding, Food, Netflix, Nature, A bit of traveling.

Narciso Martinez Solorio

nmartinezsolorio@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 3rd Year, Human Biology, Biochemistry. Minor(s): Spanish, Political Science

Career Aspiration: My goal is to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry and become a professor, then attend medical school to become a heart surgeon after a few years of teaching.

Mentoring Specialties: Campus resources, time management, volunteer work, course planning

Identities: Chicanx/Latinx, 1st Generation

Interests and Favorite Things: I enjoy learning new piano songs, nature photography, woodworking, volunteering, and mentoring.

Steven Umbarger

sumbarger@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 4th Year, Physics with an emphasis in astrophysics

Career Aspiration: I plan on going to grad school to get my PhD and hopefully continue in academia to become a professor.

Mentoring Specialties: Time management, research, graduate school applications, internships

Identities: LGBTQ+

Interests and Favorite Things: I love going on walks and looking up at the stars. I enjoy spontaneous trips with friends and am always up for a new adventure. I love listening to music, reading, and building legos in my free time.

Alyssa Maldonado

amaldonado64@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 2nd Year, Biology, Emphasis on Human Biology

Career Aspiration: I want to go to medical school and earn my MD to become a physician.

Mentoring Specialties: Time management, Pre-Med or Pre-Health Opportunities/Advise, campus resources, volunteer work, job search experience

Identities: 1st Year Navigation, Chicanx/Latinx

Interests and Favorite Things: I love to read romance, fantasy, and historical novels. My current favorite shows are JJBA, Bridgerton, and MasterChef. I also like to try new recipes, play video games, and travel to new places.

Carolyn Soto

Csoto36@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor

Year and Major: 3rd Year, Sociology and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies

Career Aspiration: I hope to earn my masters in social work and after become a social worker where I will be able to make an impact on children.

Mentoring Specialties: Time management, volunteer work, campus resources, greek life, mental health, MyDegreePathway

Identities: 1st Generation, Chinanx/Latinx

Interests and Favorite Things:  Some of the things I enjoy doing are puzzles, diamond paintings, watching sunsets, and going on spontaneous adventures. Also I am an avid pink shopper and major foodie.

Ashley Martinez-Silva

amartinez-silva@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 3rd year, Psychology, Biology, and Sociology

Career Aspiration: After graduation, I hope to take a little vacation to Wyoming, to visit Yellowstone National Park, and to visit Oregon. After that, I hope to start a program that fall, to become a Physical Therapist Assistant, and try to work as a behavior technician on the side.

Mentoring Specialties: Time management, campus resources, volunteer work, job search experience, mental health

Identities: Chinanx/Lantinx

Interests and Favorite Things: Some of my favorite things I love to do include exploring new music, collecting vinyls and cds. I also love to travel, hike, and occasionally, I will travel out of town to do some runs outside of my hometown. I also enjoy working out, making bracelets, scrapbooking, and reading. I also really love to try new coffee shops around town. As well as, binge watching movies and anything marvel related.

Jennifer Valladares Guerra

jennifervalladares@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: First-Year Transfer Student, Mechanical Engineering

Career Aspiration: After graduation, I want to work in aerospace engineering, focusing on cool projects like space exploration and robotics. I’d love to be part of a team designing technology that helps with space travel or makes things more efficient for astronauts. Eventually, I’d like to attend grad school to complete my thesis. I’m also interested in doing something entrepreneurial, like starting my own company or working on innovative ideas.

Mentoring Specialties: Mental Health, Time Management, Interviews & Resume Prep, Internships, and Greek Life

Identities: Transfer Student, LGBTQ+, First Generation

Interests and Favorite Things: I have a passion for drawing and painting, finding joy in creating vibrant images and expressive art. Music is another love of mine, particularly the soundtracks from movies and video games that transport me to different worlds. Regarding films, I am an avid fan of A24 productions, enjoying their unique storytelling and compelling visuals. In addition, I enjoy the outdoors, running, and walking, as they allow me to clear my mind and connect with nature.

Marlen De Jesus

Mdejesus9@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 4th year, Physics

Career Aspiration: I would like to work at Griffith Observatory in Southern California demonstrating how to work one of their telescopes or work in optics. :)

Mentoring Specialties: Campus resources, time management, mental health, volunteer work, internships, graduate school applications, job search experience

Identities: 1st Generation, Transfer student, Chicanx/Latinx

Interests and Favorite Things: I like to lift weights, and solve puzzles while listening to scary stories.

Jonathan Meza Marquez

jmezamarquez@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 4th Year, Natural Sciences with an Emphasis in Human Biology

Career Aspiration: Optometry School

Mentoring Specialties: Medical School, Graduate school applications, internships, time management, job search experience, campus resources, mental health

Identities: 1st Generation

Interests and Favorite Things: Weight Lifting, Cooking, Pokemon, Hatsune Miku, and anything and everything Medical.

Andrea Quiroz Rivera

aquirozrivera@ucmerced.edu

Title: Peer Mentor 

Year and Major: 2nd Year Psychology

Career Aspiration: I hope to earn a Master's in Social Work and become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Mentoring Specialties: 1st year navigation, mental health, time management, interviews and resume prep, job search experience, volunteer work, campus resources

Identities: First generation, Chicanx/Latinx

Interests and Favorite Things: One of my favorite things to do whenever I have an opportunity is to travel to national parks and go for hikes, runs, and overall just be out in nature! I always buy a sticker and a pressed penny from every new national park I visit. I also love the beach and anything ocean themed! I absolutely love exploring small hidden gems and trying new foods from different cultures and restaurants! I also enjoy journaling, painting, making jewelry, cooking, reading, and shopping. My favorite movies are the Avatar franchise and my favorite TV show is Modern Family!