| ACADEMIC COUNSELORS | |
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Kimberly Ayala Senior Academic Counselor Director Primary reponsibility is to advise Undecided/Undeclared students, which includes management, administration, and programmatic aspects for this population. Works closely with the University Studies faculty advisor in the coordination and implementation of a two-quarter course for Undecided/Undeclared first year students. Works closely with the Associate Dean to evaluate and modify the overall program for Undecided/Undeclared freshmen. |
| Personal Biography Welcome to UCI! My name is Kimberly Ayala and I am the senior counselor for the Undecided/Undeclared students in the Division of Undergraduate Education. The favorite part of my job is getting to know our students and assisting them in developing their academic and career goals, and giving them strategies for academic success. Our team of advisors is available to mentor new students through the matriculation process and help them discover all that UCI has to offer. I encourage students to ask questions, study hard, attend all classes, be familiar with campus policies, get involved in campus activities, work or volunteer, study abroad, and enjoy university experience. |
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Norma Arevalo Academic Counselor Assistant Director Advises Undecided/Undeclared students on a quarterly basis regarding course selection, majors and breadth requirements. Works with student-athletes, the First-Year Excellence Program in Arroyo Vista, the Freshman Seminar Program, the Freshman Summer Start Program, Summer Bridge, and students on academic probation. |
| Personal Biography I grew up and spent most of my life in East Los Angeles until I went to college. I graduated from UCI with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. As a future goal, I would love to work in the emergency room of a hospital in Los Angeles as a physician's assistant or doctor. While working towards this goal, working in the Undecided/Undeclared Advising Office is perfect for me. I really enjoy working in this office. I like advising students on the phone and meeting our incoming freshmen is great. It is so wonderful to see them grow as the year goes by. Many come into our program shy and unsure about what they want. But when they leave, confident and assured, due to the knowledge and information that they have gained through our program and the resources available to them here at UCI. To see that transformation is what keeps me here each year. When I am not at work, I enjoy going to the movies with my husband, reading magazines (esp. Cosmo & People), working out, spending time with my family (esp. my little nephew, Albert, and niece, Stephanie) and my friends. I am looking forward to meeting and interacting with all of you this summer and next year! |
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Jerome Keh Academic Counselor Advises Undecided/Undeclared students on a quarterly basis regarding course selection, majors and breadth requirements. Works with the First-Year Excellence Program in Ondas, the Campus-wide Honors Program, and sophomore year students. Manages program websites, academic unit assignment, summer orientation, the Student Electronic Broadcast System for all Undecided/Undeclared students, and online advising. |
| Personal Biography From one Anteater to another, welcome to UCI! My name is Jerome Keh and I am an academic counselor of the Undecided/Undeclared Advising Program housed under the Division of Undergraduate Education. A Filipino-born Chinese, I moved to Los Angeles when I was five years old and have resided there ever since. In December of 2005, I graduated from UCI with Latin and academic honors with degrees in Economics and Political Science and a plethora of extracurricular experience under my belt. As an academic counselor, I now hope to share the wealth of those experiences to you as current undergraduate students. Outside of work, I enjoy the company of my peers, game shows, and Banana Republic sales, among many other things. I'm grateful to still be on campus and I look forward to meeting and helping each one of you! |
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Evan Gilstrap Academic Counselor Advises Undecided/Undeclared students on a quarterly basis regarding course selection, majors and breadth requirements. Works with the First-Year Excellence Program in Palo, student-athletes and students on unit probation. Administers and develops the curriculum of the University Studies 2, 190 and 192 courses. |
| Personal Biography Hello Anteaters! Welcome to UCI. My name is Evan Gilstrap and I'm an academic counselor in the Undecided/Undeclared Advising Program. I am a product of Chula Vista, which is located 10 minutes from the U.S. Mexico Border. I graduated from Eastlake High School in 1999 (you know last century…go Titans!). I started off my college career at Southwestern College (SWC). From there I transferred to San Diego State University (SDSU), where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. As an undergraduate I worked as a peer advisor for both SWC and the GEAR UP Project, which promotes higher education to students and their families from low socio-economic backgrounds. After taking a year off from school, I spent the next two years at the University of San Diego (USD), where I obtained a Master of Arts degree in Counseling. Outside of work I can be very reserved or very outgoing, it just depends on how I feel. I enjoy going to the movies, dancing, and music. I like to listen to all different types of music from Nat King Cole to Weezer. I'm a big sports fan. My teams include the A's, Chargers and Lakers. My favorite thing about working in the Undecided/Undeclared Advising Program is that we are a team with one goal in mind, and that's to see students succeed. Please feel free to come in and ask us any questions. I look forward to meeting you. |
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Christina Luiz Academic Counselor Advises Undecided/Undeclared students on a quarterly basis regarding course selection, majors and breadth requirements. Works with the First-Year Excellence Program in Arroyo Vista, Road Rules for Commuter Success, United Undecided/Undeclared, and transfer students. |
| Personal Biography Hello and welcome to UCI! My name is Christina Luiz and I am an academic counselor for the Undecided/Undeclared Advising Office. I grew up in Modesto (in the Central Valley) and graduated from Central Catholic High School there in 2002. I moved down to Irvine in September 2002 to start my college career, and have been in love with Southern California ever since. I graduated from UCI with a B.A. in Drama and a Minor in Education in June 2006. A few highlights from my time as a student at UCI were participating in and working for the Campuswide Honors Program, co-founding and working on a UCI Alternative Media Publication, Cellador, designing costumes and properties for a few UCI theatrical productions, and working in the Middle Earth Housing Office for two years. When I am not at work, I enjoy cooking, reading, playing with my puppy, spending time with friends and family, taking community college classes, shopping, watching TV, and making crafts. Working for the Division of Undergraduate Education is my way of giving back to UCI. The counseling team here is top notch. I love working with students and make it my goal to help at least one student solve a problem each day. Come on in and see me - I am here for you! |
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| PEER ACADEMIC ADVISORS | |
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Danielle Mesrobian Peer Academic Advisor Major(s): Literary Journalism Extracurricular activities: Hobbies: Drawing, sketching, reading, writing, listening to music, going to concerts, baking, traveling, exploring new places. |
| Why I love UCI: There are so many ways to be involved and meet new people. The campus is really beautiful and so close to the beach!
What I recommend doing: Get involved in something that interests you, don't be afraid to meet new people and have fun. |
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Harry Nguyen Peer Academic Advisor Major(s): Biological Sciences; Criminology, Law and Society Extracurricular activities: UCI Jumpstart ('06-'08), University Studies 2 Discussion Leader ('08-'09), UCI Mock Trial ('06-'07), SPOP Staff (Summer '07). Hobbies: Eating, sleeping, ARC-ing, phoning, sleeping, studying, relaxing, playing, enjoying. |
| Why I love UCI: The building, the trees, the weather, and, most importantly, the people. What I recommend doing: Find a nice sunny spot in the park and take a nap. The four (or five) years spent here will go by fast, but there's no reason you can't relax a little. |
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Matthew "Matty" Espino Peer Academic Advisor Major(s): English Extracurricular activities: Resident Adviser for Mesa Court, Student-Parent Orientation Program Staffer, University Studies 2 Discussion Leader, LGBTRC's Workshop Coordinator '07-'08, LGBTRC's Speakers Bureau Representative, Irvine Queers. Hobbies: Long distance running, eating lots of food, and having good times with my best friends from home! |
| Why I love UCI: I love UCI because of the richness of diversity on this campus. There are plenty of opportunities for students to impact one another in positive ways and I love that we have the possibility of doing that. What I recommend doing: Get involved! Your best experiences on campus are based off what you choose to get involved with. It can turn an average college experience to an amazing one and that's speaking from personal experience. Make the most out of your short time here and have no regrets! Do it! |
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Michelle Nguyen Peer Academic Advisor Major(s): Business Economics Extracurricular activities: University Studies Discussion Leader, Accounting Association Social Committee member, Colleges Against Cancer, working at the UCI Accounting Offices. Hobbies: Playing basketball, going to Corona Del Mar, making mix CDs, watching movies, shopping, hanging out with friends, especially when food is involved. |
| Why I love UCI: I first fell in love with UCI after walking through Aldrich Park. It is insanely beautiful and a great place to relax in-between stressful classes. I also love all the amazing people and the infinite amount of opportunities that are offered. What I recommend doing: Apply for anything and everything that you might be interested in doing, may it be an internship or program on campus. Getting involved is so important in getting the best college experience possible, so do not let anything slide by! |
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Zareen Choudhury Peer Academic Advisor Major(s): Public Health Sciences, Business Economics Extracurricular activities: Hobbies: |
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| FACULTY AND STAFF | |
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Rudi Berkelhamer Associate Dean, Division of Undergraduate Education Works together with the Dean and Assistant Dean to develop, manage and provide a host of academic support services to the entire UCI campus community. Particular responsibilities include supervising and working with the managers of the Undecided/Undeclared Advising Program, the Freshman Seminar Program, the Student Recommended Faculty Program, the Learning and Academic Resources Center, the Testing Center, and the Transfer Services Counseling Program. Other responsibilities include contributing to the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, the Center for International Education, and the Scholarship Opportunities Program. |
| Personal Biography Welcome to UCI, from the member of our team who has been here the longest! I came to UCI in 1974 while I was still a graduate student studying for my Ph.D. in Zoology and began teaching here part-time in 1979. So, I've seen UCI undergo lots of changes as it moved from a student population of about 8,000 to our current number of over 24,000. Before I came to UCI I studied zoology first as an undergraduate and then for a Master's degree at the University of Michigan. My doctoral degree is from UC Berkeley. My Ph.D. dissertation research concerned the evolution of social behavior in ants and I continue to have a strong interest in insect ecology, behavior and evolutionary biology. I have an academic appointment at UCI as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology where my major teaching responsibility is to teach the Biological Sciences 100LW course: Introduction to Experimental Biology. During my time at UCI, I have also taught many other introductory biology courses, especially for non-majors. When I'm not at UCI (which is rare since I live on campus!), I enjoy spending time with my family and traveling. I especially like traveling to other parts of the world and learning about other cultures as well as the local plants and animals. My youngest daughter is about to head off to the Peace Corps in Samoa which will provide lots of new travel and cross-cultural opportunities for all of us. |
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Debra Klarich Traylor Administrative Assistant Offers general administrative and office support. Maintains paper and electronic file databases, coordinates supply acquisitions, manages in-person and telephone office traffic, provides information on various programs and services available through the Division of Undergraduate Education, and makes referrals to appropriate campus resources. |
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TBA Administrative Intern (First Year Excellence Program Arroyo Vista) Major(s): Extracurricular activities: Hobbies: |
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TBA Administrative Intern (First Year Excellence Program Mesa Court) Major(s): Extracurricular activities: Hobbies: |
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TBA Administrative Intern (University Studies) Major(s): Extracurricular activities: Hobbies: |
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Nathan Cardoso Peer Academic Advising Program Coordinator Major(s): Studio Art Extracurricular activities: University Studies Discussion Leader, Notetaker for Disability Services Center, Vista del Campo Community Assistant, volunteer, office assistant. Hobbies: Painting, talking, traveling, listening to music. |
| Why I love UCI: Because there are so many opportunities to meet people, get involved, and have fun. What I recommend doing: Get involved in something that interests you. Follow your passions! |
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Jennifer Halpert House Assistant (FYEP Arroyo Vista) Major(s): Psychology and Social Behavior Extracurricular activities: ASUCI, Department of Education Peer Academic Advisor, University Studies Discussion Leader. Hobbies: Hanging out with friends. |
| Why I love UCI: The people here are so friendly and outgoing. It's a great atmosphere to be surrounded by! There are also so many great clubs to get involved with and gain leadership skills. I love UCI, zot zot zot! What I recommend doing: Don't put off studying until the last minute. |
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Max Ninthara House Assistant (FYEP Arroyo Vista) Major(s): Extracurricular activities: Hobbies: |
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Bryan Katz Resident Advisor (FYEP Ondas) Major(s): Extracurricular activities: Hobbies: |
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Walter Chu Resident Advisor (FYEP Palo) Major(s): Extracurricular activities: Hobbies: |
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| Undecided/Undeclared Advising Program 256 Aldrich Hall Irvine, CA 92697-5675 Phone (949) 824-6987 Fax (949) 824-3469 A Division of Undergraduate Education Program © 2006-2008 The Regents of the University of California All Rights Reserved |
