2011 Class Officers

Hi, I'm Hayley Ryan and I am excited to be starting my second year as the 2011 Cohort President. I finished earning my Bachelor's degrees at UCSB in 2011, where I majored in Accounting and Sociology. I became involved in Student Affairs as a student worker in the campus learning assistant center, where I fell in love with tutoring students and helping them find the academic support that best suited their needs. I chose the master's program at SDSU because it provides the opportunity to gain experience in the field while learning the theoretical foundations of the profession. I can not say enough good things about my experience in the program thus far.  The faculty and my fellow students have been extremely supportive! I have also enjoyed my assistantship experiences thus far.  Last year I was lucky to work at UCSD as the Assessment Graduate Assistant under the AVC of Student Life, and built a skill set that I look forward to carrying with me throughout my career.  This year I am enjoying two new opportunities as the UCSD Career Services Graduate Assistant, and the Assistant for the SDSU MA Student Affairs and MA Post Secondary Education programs. In my free time, I love to cook, read, watch jeopardy, bike ride, do yoga and play scrabble. 
 

Hi I’m Megan Kanofsky. I am the 2011 Cohort Board Vice President. I am extremely excited to be back in school and could not have picked a better location, San Diego. I also did my undergrad in San Diego at UCSD. After graduating with a BA in Communication, I moved back home to Orange County and worked as a Program Director for the Hillel Foundation of Orange County. During this job, I realized how much I enjoyed working with students and decided it was time to go back to school to pursue a Masters in student affairs. I love our program and could not be happier. On top of being a student, I work at an assistantship at UCSD Hillel and work at a local restaurant. I love being back in San Diego and frequent some of my favorites spots, Seal Beach in La Jolla, La Jolla Cove, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos and Pannikan coffee shop. I also love traveling and went to Israel and Greece this summer. I would love to study abroad during my Master’s program…We will see where I end up studying! 

Hey y'all! I am Francie Harvey and I serve as the Secretary for the 2011 Cohort. I did my undergrad at TCU where I was a Business Management major. At TCU, I was involved in Greek life, club sports, and lots of other things! I loved my undergrad and that is what lead me to Student Affairs here at SDSU. After I graduated from TCU, I spent a year hanging out in San Diego before I started grad school. I currently have an assistantship at UCSD working in Greek Life. In my free time I like to be at the beach! My favorite place in San Diego is Crystal Pier down at the water!

Hi I’m Gerardo! I am a recent graduate of California State University San Marcos, where I received a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. As an undergraduate I was involved in Associated Students, Inc. Board of Directors, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A), S tudent Life & Leadership, Social Justice initiatives, Multicultural Council, Alternative Spring Break, TRiO, the Women's Center, LGBTQ Pride Center, and the Cross Cultural Center. I currently hold an assistantship in the Residential Education Office as a Front Desk and Security Manager, overseeing Academic Initiatives. I found my passion in Student Affairs when I attend the National Conference of Race and Ethnicity (NCORE). I look forward to working with my colleagues, and bridging the gap between multicultural understanding and administration expectations. During my free time I enjoy hanging out with my family, especially my nieces and nephews, painting, photography, traveling, listening to music, and enjoys the wonderful city surroundings.
 

Hello! I’m Barbara Sandoval. I am the Social Chair for the 2011 Cohort, which means that I get to plan fun events to facilitate community building. I have a B.A. in Communications from the University of California, San Diego. I’ve worked in the areas of Residential Education, Career Services, and Student Life. I chose the Postsecondary Educational Leadership program because of its good reputation, great faculty and awesome location. In my free time I like to travel, hike and bake!

My name is Danielle Quiñones and I am from the Central Coast, specifically Santa Maria. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies, Education & Applied Psychology. I was exposed to the field of student affairs since I was a freshman and fell in love with the profession. My passion for service to students emerged early in my freshman year, but it is continually growing. This program, and this cohort, has provided me with that family feel I had at UCSB. I am eternally grateful to the faculty, staff, and my cohort for the continual support and guidance. I am a second year graduate assistant in the office of Student Life and Leadership as the Student Affairs Assistant for Greek Life. I have also been given the opportunity to serve as SDSU's NASPA Graduate Associate (GAP). The NASPA GAP provides leadership and outreach to campus regarding events, publications, and announcements. Primarily, I will be increasing awareness and involvement within NASPA by providing updated information to my fellow graduate students and other parties interested in learning more about NASPA. Also, if anyone is specifically interested in getting involved within the Latino/a Knowledge Community (LKC) I am serving as their NUFP Liaison through 2014. If you have any questions NASPA-related, please feel free to connect with me. Please visit http://daniellequinones.com/
 

2012 Cohort Officers

Hello there! My name is Starre Helm, and I am honored to be president for the 2012 Cohort board. I grew up on a farm in Townsend, Montana—a small farming community south of Helena and north of Bozeman. I love Montana’s blue sky and beautiful mountains. Despite that, I attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington for my undergrad where I graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts in English Writing. As a first year student, I wanted to be an RA more than anything. However, I wasn’t hired as an RA until my fourth year. In-between that time, I participated in Hall Council, worked as a Desk Assistant, and branched out on campus, working for the Development Office and the Women’s Center to name a few. Through these experiences, I discovered how much I loved working with students in different sections of the university, and therefore discovered my passion for student affairs. During my time with the NASPA Undergraduate Fellowship Program, I visited San Diego State when I came down for the Regional Conference in November. To put it simply, I fell in love. After coming for Interview Weekend, I knew that San Diego State was the place for me. Currently, I have an assistantship at San Diego State in the Residential Education Office, supervising with the Academic Mentors who live in the Residential Learning Communities. In my free time, I have been having fun exploring San Diego and Southern California. Coming to San Diego is the first time I have ever been to California. So far, I have had the most fun at the beach, running into waves. (Montana doesn’t have waves, and the water in Washington is rather cold.) However, I am looking forward to visiting Disneyland, because I have never been to Disneyland and always wanted to go as a child.

Hello everyone my name is Gricelda Ruiz previously (Lopez) I recently got married. I will be serving as the Cohort Board Secretary. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Media at the California State University of San Marcos. I am a first generation college student and I was very inspired by those that made a difference in my life. I became interested in student affairs while I was a student assistant for the academic advising office at CSUSM. I then decided to intern at the Educational Opportunity Office and it was very empowering to see the type of work that can be done in student affairs. I chose to apply to San Diego State after I had several conversations with many of my mentors they recommended the program to me. When I went to the orientation session at SDSU I realized that this was the place to pursue my future goal. I am originally from Oceanside, CA so I am a SOCAL lady all the way whoop whoop! Who wouldn’t want to live in the beautiful city of San Diego? I currently hold an assistantship at UCSD in Thurgood Marshall College and work advising three student organizations. I really enjoy my assistantship and it’s a great start to my career. I enjoy working out… I know right? It might seem crazy but I love it! I take boxing classes and recently started a membership at 24hourfitness and like to take Zumba dance class. I also love reading hopeless romantic books; I love fiction! My extra time I like to spend it with my husband because he is my biggest motivator/cheerleader. My favorite quote is by Thomas Jefferson: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude”
 

¡Hola! My name is Belinda Zamacona, and I am happy to serve as the GSA Liaison for the 2012 Cohort. I completed my undergraduate studies at San Diego State University. At SDSU I was involved in MEChA de SDSU, student retention, student government, and any major issues affecting campus and student life. I had a lot of Student Affairs staff that had a major influence in my undergraduate experience. After graduating I worked at a charter middle school for two years, and then found my way into Student Affairs at UC San Diego. I love being part of the student experience, and my experience as an undergraduate as well as my brief period in K-12 helped me to discover my passion for Student Affairs. Specifically, I am interested in issues of access, equity, retention, and helping families through the college experience! I work in the Office of the VC –Student Affairs at UC San Diego in Parent & Family Programs and Community Relations, and I love it! In my free time (ha!) I like to go to the movies, travel when I can, go to the beach, and spend time with my family.  

Hi! I am Sandy Kahn, representing the Post-Secondary Ed group in our cohort. This masters program is something I have planned for years, so I am very excited to finally be here. Now that my two daughters are grown and away at college (one, a graduate student at Cornell University, and the other an undergraduate in Amherst, MA), I have time to return to school. My hope is to complete this program, and then continue with the EdD. My background is in Computer Science (Bachelors, UCSD). I have worked for Price Waterhouse as a management consultant, as an independent consultant while raising my family, and now for the College of Education at SDSU. My special interest is data-driven decision making in higher education. In my personal life, I have been married for (lots of) years to my college sweetheart. We enjoy getting away to the Sierra wilderness for long distance hiking. Once, we hiked 220-miles, 3 weeks straight! Now that our girls are grown, we are eager to start traveling the world as well. My favorite spots in San Diego are Balboa Park and Ocean Beach dog beach. I never say no to an invitation to enjoy good wine and conversation with a friend.