Oakes & Rachel Carson Advising

Diana Sarabia Briseño

College Academic Advisor – Oakes
She/Her/Ella

Hello everyone! I’m a proud first-generation college student and DACA recipient. As a student, I was affiliated with Rachel Carson College. During my time at UCSC, I held a variety of campus roles like being a Peer Advisor and working in the Sustainability Office. I’m bilingual in English and Spanish, and I’m currently learning ASL and Japanese. I enjoy learning from others and believe that exploring different languages and cultures is a powerful way to break down communication barriers and build deeper connections.

I grew up in Los Angeles and I am of Mexican heritage, which has deeply shaped my commitment to environmental justice and community empowerment. I originally came to UCSC with the goal of giving back to my community through environmental advocacy, but it was through peer advising that I found another calling. Supporting fellow students…

Ramiro Flores

College Academic Advisor – Oakes
He/Him/Él

I am the first male-identified person in my family to attend and graduate from college. I am also the son of immigrants and a formerly undocumented immigrant myself who at 18 years old, in my first quarter of college, gained status. I understand the constant struggles students face and the barriers they must overcome to be successful in higher education. I am committed to working side by side with students and their families to identify and clarify their academic direction and educational goals and to help them develop meaningful plans with strategies for success.

My advising philosophy includes being an active listener, approaching each student holistically, and practicing trauma-informed care including affirmations to overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts, and providing a welcoming and brave space for students so that they can overcome barriers they face in college. Higher education has…

Hayden Ryan

College Academic Advisor – Rachel Carson
He/Him

I’m a 2015 UCSC Alumni (Kresge affiliate) of the History of Art & Visual Culture program.  I am here to build candid, respectful, and transparent advising relationships with UCSC students. I involve students as mutual owners of the advising relationship, while centering you, the student as an autonomous decision-maker and change-maker.  To achieve this, I aim to facilitate a collaborative and exploratory environment for students to reflect critically on their values, aptitudes, and potential.

Hobbies:
I enjoy wandering into the woods with my easel and landscape painting, hiking with my dog Ziggy, and mountain biking.

Education:
BA, History of Art & Visual Culture, University of California, Santa Cruz

Monica Baker

College Academic Advisor – Rachel Carson
She/Her

Hello 🙂 My story is that I was a non-traditional college student. I decided to return to college in my late twenties after having previously struggled in school. At the time, I was confused and unsure if school was the right path for me. Fortunately, I met with amazing advisors at both Cabrillo College and San José State who helped me clarify my educational goals and supported me in achieving them. I went from questioning whether I belonged in school to graduating with honors with both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

Because of my own journey, I have deep compassion for students who are struggling to figure out what major to pursue or what career they want to work toward. My goal is to provide personalized support to help students unlock their full potential. I believe every student deserves access to resources and guidance that foster…

Leydi Cortes

STEM Counselor – EOP
She/Her/Ella

Hello everyone! My name is Leydi Cortes, and I am one of the EOP STEM Counselors. I work closely with Baskin Engineering students and MEP. I am also the liaison between EOP and Oakes and Rachel Carson Colleges. I am a first-generation college student and was part of EOP as an undergraduate. EOP counselors work as specialists in identifying barriers to academic success and developing action plans in partnership with students to ensuring continued enrollment and degree completion. EOP counselors take a holistic approach and engage in academic and non-academic issues including (social, financial, cultural, family, sense of belonging, personal support and navigating university resources).

Contact:
Email: eop@ucsc.edu -OR- leacorte@ucsc.edu -OR- aqadir@ucsc.edu
Phone: (831) 459-2296

*Leydi joins us one day a week at the Oakes & Rachel Carson Advising Office

Danny Rodriguez

Assistant Director of Colleges Advising – Oakes & Rachel Carson
He/Him/Él

To put it simply, education has made all the difference in my life. It is where I have watched and participated in building the impossible. Authentic care for our students, their well-being, and their sense of self as people who can make a difference are all part of my personal advising philosophy. As a young, first-generation college graduate, I have been fortunate to be a part of profoundly transformative experiences for other low income, first-generation college students of color. I have been honored with the opportunity to hear the voices of the most marginalized and in the process they offered me counter stories to what it means to be ‘successful’ in college. They chose time and time again to want to give back to their communities and this is a drive that is central to my own humanity and work at Oakes and Rachel Carson Colleges.

I am often reminded that access to higher education was gained through a long and historical legacy of resistance, where resistance represented a courageous obligation by those who have and continue to be oppressed to fight…