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Adilene De La Torre
Cal State LA
she/her
Adilene is a 2020 graduate of Marshall Fundamental. She is currently attending Cal State LA as a senior majoring in sociology. Through her passions, she hopes to gain experience working with youth and aspires for a career in high school advising. Adilene has been part of CAP since her sophomore year of high school and has always been supported by the CAP team in every way. She is very excited to continue her journey as a Student Advisory Council member and excited to show incoming college students what CAP can offer for college support. She hopes to share advice and her experiences to help students feel confident and ready for challenging yet incredible college life experiences.
Alyna Guangga
UCLA
she/her
Alyna graduated from Blair High School in 2022. She is now a sophomore attending UCLA and is working towards a double major in Psychology and Education. Currently, she participates in I Heart College activities, is a peer mentor for Students Rising Above where she mentors first-year college students, and has gained experience in a remote research lab over the summer. Alyna is passionate in mentorship for the educational retention of low-income and first-generation students and wishes to progress in this area in the future. Her experience as a first-generation college student has shaped her perspective of education overall. In the beginning of her senior year of high school, she found the college application process a major challenge because of the lack of guidance and turned to CAP for additional assistance. At CAP, she met wonderful advisors who assisted her with personal essays and helped expand her college list. As a CAP Student Advisory Council Member, Alyna looks forward to sharing her new experiences in support of prospective students transitioning into college.
Ariadna Galeana
Cal State LA
she/her
Ariadna is a 2020 graduate of Blair High School. She first attended CAP’s SAT prep course and eventually became a regular at CAP’s after-school program where CAP provided her with accessible resources and support throughout the college application process. CAP’s support remained constant during the pandemic. Ariadna received her associate’s degree in psychology from Pasadena City College in the spring of 2023 and successfully transferred to Cal State LA. Continuing as a psychology major, Ariadna hopes to one day become a clinical rehabilitation therapist, focusing on providing more accessible resources and counseling to disabled children.
Brianna Pacheco
San Francisco State University
she/her
Brianna graduated from Blair High School in 2019 and attended Pasadena City College before transferring to San Francisco State University in the spring of 2023. Brianna is currently in her senior year, majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Marketing. As a first generation college student, she first became involved with CAP during her senior year of high school when she was anxious about applying for college and filling out applications. CAP provided crucial support to help Brianna navigate the transition to higher education and has continued to offer valuable advice and mentorship throughout her years in college.
Brianna is actively involved in various clubs at her university, holding the position of Events Coordinator for the Marketing Association and also serving as a writer for HerCampus, an online magazine club. Additionally, Brianna works for Residential Life as a desk assistant for the dorms. She has created many friends and amazing connections while living on campus. Brianna is excited about graduating and aspires to work in social media marketing for brands that she can connect with and is passionate about. As a Student Advisory Council member, she is eager to share her advice about college and provide helpful mentorship to future students.
Chloe Kojakafayan
Pasadena City College
she/her
Chloe graduated from Pasadena High School in 2023. Throughout high school, Chloe often visited CAP’s drop-in service, as well as workshops provided by CAP throughout the school year. Chloe is currently a first-year student at Pasadena City College and also took PCC dual enrollment courses while in high school. Though undecided at the moment, she is considering double-majoring in two different disciplines. She plans on transferring to a 4-year university after two years at PCC to receive her bachelor’s degree, and then go on to a master’s program. At PCC, Chloe is a part of the Honors Program, Armenian Student Association, and is a Pasadena Community Foundation Scholar. She is extremely involved in her school’s community and is always looking for ways to help others and gain different experiences. Chloe’s goals for being on the CAP Student Advisory Council are to assist seniors in high school with a smooth transition to college and offer advice on how to utilize resources for students of all ages.
Christian Dimayuga
Pasadena City College
he/him
Christian has been with CAP since early 2022 right before he graduated from CIS and started at Pasadena City College. He is now a sophomore majoring in biotechnology as part of the Keck Biotechnology Program. At PCC, he is an active member of Mathematics, Engineering, & Science Achievement, an honors student, and a Pasadena Community Foundation Scholar. After transferring, he would like to continue studying bioengineering with a particular focus in evolutionary and systems biology. Christian has always been curious about studying life’s fundamental mechanisms and is passionate about conducting scientific research. He plans to eventually get his Ph.D. and is excited about making new discoveries. In addition to school, Christian has also been working as a research intern at Caltech since December of 2022. In June of 2023, he was invited to live on Caltech’s campus for 10 weeks and conduct research as a CEMI-WAVE fellow where he studied the link between the gut microbiome and limb regeneration. He now works part-time in the same lab and continues to work on his research. He is dedicated to helping CAP fulfill their mission of college success for all students. This is Christian’s second year as a student advisor, and he is excited to continue working more closely with the CAP team.
Diego Huizar
University of California, Berkeley
he/him
Diego graduated from John Muir High School in 2022 and is currently a second-year Pre-Med student attending the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Molecular Cell Biology. He first joined CAP in his sophomore year of high school and has taken advantage of their SAT prep course, college admission workshops, and guidance they have offered. At Berkeley, he is a part of the Biology Scholars Program, the Club Baseball team as the team’s Health and Safety officer. He is happy to be a part of the CAP Student Advisory Council and is hoping to share his current knowledge about college and life experiences thus far in his academic journey. He hopes to provide support and mentorship to whomever may benefit just as he was supported throughout his high school and first year in college.
Jade Williams
University of California, Berkeley
she/her
Jade is a second-year at the University of California, Berkeley studying psychology and plans to minor in early childhood development. She hopes to become a child psychologist, working with underserved communities. Jade is a 2022 graduate of John Muir High School and has been involved with CAP since she was in middle school. Jade is currently an intern in the Educational Opportunity Program assisting marginalized students with utilizing resources created for them. She is passionate about becoming a resource for her community, especially in the sector of mental health for disadvantaged communities of color. The various CAP workshops hosted during the college admission process had an immeasurable impact on her essay drafting process. The CAP community has also assisted Jade not only through the admissions process but also by explaining where to find resources once she arrived on campus. By working on the CAP Student Advisory Council, Jade hopes to be a resource to other students who are in the same position to navigate higher education.
Jonathan Ong
University of Southern California
he/him
Jonathan graduated from Blair High School with an IB Diploma in 2022. He is currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California majoring in computer engineering and computer science with a minor in mathematics. At USC he plays the flute in the Trojan Marching Band and is involved with research looking into the effectiveness of using large language models to administer cognitive behavioral therapy exercises. He is also a curriculum lead for the student branch in USC’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society where he is excited to teach a cohort of students about A.I. Jonathan first became involved with CAP as a middle school student at Blair, where CAP helped him explore career and college options. During the college application process, CAP helped him with financial aid applications and essays, providing support at every step of the way. As a part of the CAP Student Advisory Council, Jonathan looks forward to giving back to CAP and helping others with the college application process.
Stephanie Barcenas
Wellesley College
she/her
Stephanie graduated from Marshall Fundamental in 2023 and is currently a first-year at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She hopes to declare a major in Cinema and Media Studies in her sophomore year and is excited to explore the rest of her campus’s opportunities, such as becoming a DJ and hosting her own show at her school’s radio station, WZLY. In high school, she regularly attended CAP’s drop in hours and made the most of the safe space it provided. Being a FGLI (First-Gen, Low-Income) student and the daughter of an immigrant mother, she understands what it’s like navigating the college process on one’s own and hopes that by being on the Student Advisory Council, she’s able to help students feel less alone in their higher ed journey.
