Professional Staff

 

Program Coordinator

Angel Salazar
Program Coordinator

 

Peer Consultants


 

 

Cassie Nguyen

Cassie Nguyen

Cassie Nguyen is a fourth year student who is majoring in Sociology and minoring in Public Health at the University of California, Irvine. She is a first-generation transfer student from OCC where she completed her Associate’s in Sociology. In addition to being a Peer Consultant at the SSARC Center, she’s also involved in the Student Health and Wellness commission under ASUCI, where she coordinates events for the student body to raise awareness for sexual, nutritional, mental, and physical health. Drawing on her overlapping interests in societal influence, community, and mental health, Cassie aims to become a mental health technician. Outside of work and school, Cassie enjoys reading, playing instruments, attending concerts, and playing video games with her friends.

 


 

 

Pamela Cabotaje

Pamela Cabotaje

Pammy Cabotaje (she/her) is a 4th year, first-generation college student from the Bay Area studying Psychology. If you have any interest in on-campus leadership, working in student housing, or research, Pammy can provide quality insight on each of these opportunities! She currently serves as the President of the Filipino-American club, Kababayan at UCI. She also works as a Community Assistant at Vista del Campo Norte. Prior to her current involvements, Pammy worked as a Resident Advisor at Mesa Court and participated in Dr. Jeanett Castellanos’s Dream Keepers Research Lab. During her free time, she enjoys grabbing an iced matcha latte from Starbucks, listening to R&B music, and sharing meals with her friends.

 


 

 

Nicholas Meshcheryakov

Nicholas Meshcheryakov

Nick Meshcheryakov is a 3rd year Political Science and Economics double major from the Bay Area. Students looking for help with internships, graduate school, research opportunities, and interviews are always welcome to reach out to Nick. He is a research intern with the Political Violence Lab and hopes to go to graduate school to pursue research of his own. Nick also plays for the UCI Ice Hockey club, and loves hockey. In his free time, Nick enjoys reading and his favorite genre is historical fiction.

 


 

 

Tulika Basu

Tulika Basu

Tulika Basu is a third-year undergraduate student from the Bay/East Bay Area, majoring in Cognitive Sciences with a minor in Informatics at UCI. She's dedicated to assisting students in achieving their academic goals by sharing her insights from her experiences in research, internships, and the wealth of resources available on campus. Having once been a shy student herself, Tulika understands the challenges of seeking help and planning for the future. However, she's here to provide unwavering support every step of the way. Outside of her academic pursuits, Tulika has actively participated in hackathons, engaged in various club activities, and conducted STEM research at UCI’s LaLALab. In her leisure time, she enjoys indulging in arts and crafts, watching sitcoms, cuddling with her dogs and working out at the ARC. Don't hesitate to reach out to Tulika; she's excited to guide you on your path to success!

 


 

 

Ximena Velazquez

Ximena Velazquez

Ximena Velazquez is a first-generation, 4th year Cognitive Science major at University of California, Irvine. During her time at UCI, she has been involved in research in a number of ways. She was part of SAEP’s 2022 cohort, where she conducted her own independent quantitative research about the digital gap in the Latinx community. Ximena has also been a research assistant for a Social Science lab on campus and has participated as a research subject in various experiments! Outside of her academics, she enjoys reading memoirs, walking to the park, and exploring nature. As a SSARC Peer Consultant, Ximena provides students with personalized help in getting involved with research, looking for internship opportunities, and graduate school applications.

 


 

 

Mira Beshay

Mira Beshay

Mira Beshay is a fourth-year, first-generation Psychology major and Sociology minor at UCI. She understands how intimidating it can be to navigate post-baccalaureate goals and wants to help alleviate that process for her fellow peers. Mira comes from a place of empathy, compassion, and patience and wants all students to feel embraced. She works as a Research Assistant for the Adolescent and Childhood Experience Lab, where she conducts interviews with adolescents about their personal experiences. She also works as a C.O.A.C.H. at UCI’s Counseling Center, where she assists students in accomplishing their academic, social, and personal goals. Additionally, she is a Crisis Counselor volunteer at Crisis Text Line. During her free time, she enjoys trying out new recipes, shopping at Trader Joes, playing with her cat, and listening to podcasts. Mira looks forward to providing personalized, student-based academic assistance and consultation services to help you navigate life at UCI and beyond.

 

Social Science Ambassadors


 

 

Zeynep Karatas

Zeynep Karatas

Zeynep Karatas is a second-year International Studies and Political Science double major. At UCI, she is involved with the school government (ASUCI), works as an Undergraduate SAL TA at UCI Law where she mentors 9th graders, and is an Undergraduate Learning Assistant for the class Nuclear Environments with Professor Whiteley. She’s passionate about human rights issues and hopes to become an international human rights lawyer in the future, being especially interested in freedom of speech, women’s rights, immigrant rights, and conflict resolution issues. At SSARC, she’s one of the Social Sciences Ambassadors and is responsible for designing and conducting various events catered to the needs and interests of Social Sciences students.

 


 

 

Brittney Truong

Brittney Truong

Brittney Truong (she/hers) is a third-year transfer and first-generation student majoring in psychological science and minoring in management. She grew up in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States in 2016. Before studying psychology, she studied nursing, which ignited her passion for helping others succeed. She advocates for mental health by destigmatizing it at WISE PAC, an on-campus organization. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring coffee shops, and baking.

 


 

 

Melinda Aguilar

Melinda Aguilar

Melinda Aguilar (she/her/hers) is a second-year student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Education. Her passion for mental health gravitated her to pursuing a career as a Psychiatrist. Her long-term goal is to go to medical school and to continue the growth of Latinos in the healthcare profession. She currently volunteers at White Memorial Hospital and works with the School of Education as part of the EAOP team. Her current plan is to spread awareness to students in high schools on applying to college as well as mental health. She participated with the Red Cross in High School and continued her work here at UCI. She enjoys a nice book or movie alongside an iced mocha coffee. You can find her playing Pickle-Ball outside of school at the nearest park.

 


 

 

Chloe Talbert

Chloe Talbert

Chloe Talbert, originally from Arizona, is a third-year student who is majoring in Political Science with a plan to double major in Economics. Chloe’s long-term goal is to go to law school and earn her J.D. by the time she’s 25. She recently interned in the intellectual property department at a national law firm and hopes to continue exploring different fields of law. She is currently the Secretary of the Women in Law Association (WILA), which is an on campus organization that aims to help young women to grow professionally and academically. In her free time, you can find her spending time with friends and family, clothes shopping, going to the beach, or reading a book. She looks forward to assisting you on your path to success!

 


 

 

Natashya Gani

Natashya Gani

Natashya Gani is a fifth-year international student from Jakarta, Indonesia, currently majoring in Psychology. While she is in charge of the marketing team of the SSARC, she can provide advice to students towards internship, research opportunities, and graduation school towards students in need of help. Prior to becoming a Peer Consultant, she used to volunteer for the International Student Center, helping other students to organize events to aid both international and domestic students connect with one another. After graduation, she is seeking to get a future career related to the combination of psychology and gaming industry due to ehr enjoyable experience interning in a startup gaming company. She can be seen playing multiple video games or drawing in her free time.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

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