Presenter Profiles

Communications Analyst

Ahira Foster is a Communications Analyst at Milltown Partners, where he leverages his strong communication skills to help clients craft effective strategic messaging.

He graduated from Santa Clara University in the spring of 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. Ahira has honed his expertise through his positions at industry leaders like LinkedIn, VMware, and Zoox. He plans to pursue a law degree specializing in tech law, particularly in the emerging field of AI development.

Aside from building his career, Ahira enjoys Boxing and Muay Thai training, playing golf, and spending time with his friends and family.

Basic Needs Coordinator in the Office of Student Life

Alexis Takagi

Alexis Takagi serves as the Basic Needs Coordinator in the Office of Student Life at Santa Clara University, connecting students to resources such as food, housing, and transportation, and assisting them in applying for programs like CalFresh to further support their basic needs. She works to develop partnerships on and off campus to advocate for the needs of students.

Alexis is a proud first-generation, community college transfer student, and alumna of Santa Clara University (2022). She is currently a doctoral candidate at Santa Clara University’s School of Education and Counseling Psychology studying Social Justice Leadership. 

In 2022, Alexis was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as a commission member for the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), which oversees $3.2 billion in financial aid, serving as the student representative for the independent non-profit sector. Subsequently, she was one of the first students to be appointed to serve on Cradle to Career’s (C2C) Community Engagement Advisory Board in 2023. 

Off Campus Area Coordinator

Amanda Chavez (She/Her/Ella) is the Off-Campus Area Coordinator for Santa Clara University, a role she has held since April 2019. In this capacity, she oversees off-campus student programs, supervises staff, collaborates with local officials, and assists students transitioning to off-campus housing. Amanda holds a Bachelor's in Biological Sciences from Dominican University of California and a Master's in Higher Education from the University of San Francisco. Currently, she is in her final year of pursuing her Doctorate in Social Justice Leadership at SCU. Amanda actively contributes to various university groups by chairing the Latiné/x Employee Resource Group, serving as a LEAD Seminar Instructor, acting as a DEI Partner for the Division of Student Life, and participating in the Campus Engagement Working Group, and previously serving as an elected Senator on the SCU Staff Senate. As a proud first-generation Latina in higher education, Amanda is deeply committed to supporting fellow first-generation and Latiné/x students, with a particular focus on enhancing their mental health and well-being.In her free time, she enjoys being with friends in the Bay Area, visiting family in Bakersfield, CA, and cherishing her role as a tia to her nephew, Miguelito.

Deputy Public Defender - Immigration Defender

Armando is a Deputy Public Defender–Immigration Defender at the Contra Costa Public Defender’s Office, where he handles complex removal defense litigation. He received his B.S. in Economics from Santa Clara University in 2018 and his J.D. from UC Davis School of Law in 2022. Armando served as Co-Chair of the Latinx Law Students Association at UC Davis and Co-Chair of the Latiné Student Union at SCU.

Manager of Social Enterprise Relations at Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship

Avery Rissling

Avery Rissling is a Manager of Social Enterprise Relations at Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship located at Santa Clara University, where she manages a suite of entrepreneur-centric programs, creates new resources for social entrepreneurs, and supports curriculum development of social enterprise training content. She holds a B.S. in Political Science, a B.A. in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Dance, and a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies, from Santa Clara University. Her passion for social entrepreneurship, gender equity, and climate activism inform her work. Outside of Miller Center, Avery enjoys performing with a professional modern dance company, as well as drawing and painting.

Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition

Cruz Medina is Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition in the English department at Santa Clara University, where he has taught courses on digital writing, the rhetoric of comics, and with the first-generation LEAD scholars program since 2013. He believes in experiential learning and has taken SCU students to participate in the Shakespeare workshop at San Quentin prison with incarcerated men. From 2017-2020, Prof. Medina was co-chair of the Latinx Caucus of the national conference of College Composition and Communication. He was a co-author for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) position statement on Media Education in English Language Arts, and his article on translingual student writing was included in the Best of the Journals in Rhetoric and Composition 2020. Since 2016, Professor Medina has taught graduate courses for Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English. Professor Medina's second book Sanctuary: Exclusion, Violence, and Indigenous Migrants in the East Bay comes out September 2024 and comes from three years of research while volunteering as an English teacher for recent migrants in the Bay Area.

Global Account Manager for Palo Alto Networks

Delfina Medina, a fellow SCU alum, has up to 24 years + of experience in the technology industry. She has held several leadership roles in both Sales & Alliances here in Silicon Valley. Currently, Delfina is at Palo Alto Networks where she and her team lead a strategic account and their cyber security objectives. Delfina resides in San Jose, CA, and has 2 teenage boys who are 14 &16. On weekends you'll normally find her on the soccer field cheering on her sons & enjoying time with family & friends.

Latinx Leadership Incubator III Scholar & Director of Multicultural Center

Denae Rivera is a senior Communications Major & Religious Studies Minor at Santa Clara University. This upcoming year they will be a Peer Educator for the incoming LEAD transfer students and they also serving at the Director of the Multicultural Center. Denae is excited to get to know you all and answers all your questions!

Director of MCC Youth Empowerment Program

Jacklyn Alonzo Heredia (she/her) is a junior at Santa Clara University, majoring in Ethnic Studies, Political Science, and History. This year, she serves as the director of the Multicultural Center's Youth Empowerment Program, and as a board officer for various organizations on campus centered on inclusivity and equity.

Latinx Leadership Incubator II Alum

Keanu Spindola graduated from SCU June 2024, becoming the first of his family to graduate university. As an undergraduate student he studied real estate, business and construction management and was also involved with Greek life, the LEAD scholars program and the Santa Clara Veterans Club. Prior to his time at Santa Clara University he served in the 4 years in the United States Marine Corps aboard Camp Pendleton where he gained invaluable leadership experience and the means to fund his college education. After transitioning out of the service he served as the business developer and later the CEO of the family business: Spindola Construction from June 2019-June 2024. He is now studying for the GMAT and seeking admissions into business schools while also doing stuff he likes to do such as cycling, rock climbing and salsa dancing.

Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Admission, Santa Clara University

Lorenzo is originally from a very small town with eight graduating seniors in his public high school class. Coming from a close-knit community, he is familiar with the assumptions and fears one may have when considering leaving town for college. Reflecting on his own journey of college, he aspires to clarify the daunting experience for other first-generation students that he once faced himself. Lorenzo has over ten years of experience in college advising and currently oversees new initiatives such as LLI.

Associate Director of Center for Student Involvement

Lori (she/her/hers) is the Associate Director and co-lead for the Campus Engagement Working Group where she enjoys connecting with campus partners and students.  She received her bachelor's in Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Management and her master's in Counselor Education from San Jose State University. She is currently working on her Educational Doctorate at SCU in Social Justice Leadership. She is excited to be a double Bronco and be the first cohort to graduate from the program.

Lori was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and raised in San Jose, California. She has one daughter, 3 dogs, 1 cat, 1 guinea pig, 1 fish, and 1 hamster (yes, a small farm!) She enjoys doing arts and crafts, visiting the animal shelter with her daughter, and going to the beach.

Assistant Director of Career Development

Myriam is an Assistant Director of Career Development serving the graduate students and alumni. She is passionate about inspiring students and alumni to realize their best selves by leveraging their strengths, unique value, and purpose so they can create internship and job search strategies and meet the needs of the community and industry.

Myriam is currently pursuing her MFT licensure in the Counseling Psychology Program at SCU with a specific interest in the Latino population. She joins the Career Center with extensive career transition and coaching experience with the largest providers of Global Career Placement Solutions and the Technology Industry. Myriam holds a coaching certification from the International Coaching Federation with an emphasis in Positive Psychology and an MBA from Golden Gate University.

Senior Technical Analyst

Rebecca Ryce has been the Senior Technical Analyst at Santa Clara University since December 2021. Prior to this position, she was an administrative assistant for the Finance Department in Leavey School of Business from September 2017 – December 2021. She is a first-generation college student that has made her way through college and enjoys helping students along their journey. She holds an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts with a Social and Behavioral Science Emphasis (2012) from De Anza College, Bachelor of Science in Sociology (2014) from Santa Clara University, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership (2022) from Santa Clara University. In addition to this, she speaks fluently in sports, music, and movie quotes.

Assistant Director of Financial Aid

Stefani Blanco is the Assistant Director of the Financial Aid Office at Santa Clara University, where she has been a dedicated team member for 9 years. Passionate about making education accessible, Stefani takes an empathetic approach to understanding and supporting each student’s unique financial needs.

A proud San Jose native, Stefani earned her BS in Business from San Jose State University and an MA in Educational Leadership from Santa Clara University.

Chicano Artist, Designer, Director

Rubén Darío Villa, a pioneering first-generation Chicano multimedia artist and designer, was born to Mexican immigrants in San Jose, CA. A graduate of Santa Clara University, he embarked on an unexpected journey, securing a role at Apple as a "Photoshop Expert" despite lacking proficiency in the software. After leaving a lucrative tech career due to burnout, Villa founded Fúchila Fresheners, an internationally recognized pop-culture-inspired car freshener company. Currently serving as a Visual Designer and Global Brand Lead at Google, he also established a creative studio in Gilroy, CA, dedicated to exploring "Chicanostalgia" and broader Chicano identity themes. Villa's multifaceted roles as a designer, brand strategist, artist, speaker, and writer are complemented by his active community engagement in the South Bay Area, where he dedicates substantial effort to empowering minority and women-owned businesses and Latinx youth aspiring to enter Silicon Valley. Villa's impact extends through his involvement on the board of Digital NEST, a nonprofit fostering tech careers for Latinx youth in rural areas, as well as his role as a commissioner on the City of Gilroy Arts and Culture Commission and advisor on the City of San Jose’s Public Art Advisory Committee. In the heart of the Garlic Capital of the World, he resides with his wife, Veronica, and their endearingly adorable children, Luna de Aztlan and Teocalli.

Director, One-Stop Enrollment Center

Trista has worked at Santa Clara University since October, 2000. She worked in the Financial Aid Office for 12 years and became the Director of the SCU One Stop in 2012. Prior to her time at Santa Clara, she was a Branch Manager at a financial institution. She received her AA degree from Cabrillo College in Aptos, CA and transferred to San Jose State to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Finance. 

Talent Acquisition Manager

Vanessa was born and raised in San Jose. Vanessa is the proud daughter of an immigrant father and a mother who was the first in her family to graduate from college. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication with a Minor in Spanish Studies from Santa Clara University in 2008 as a Gates Millennium Scholar, supported by a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant. Vanessa began her career in local government with the City of San José and has since gained experience in the sports and tech industries. She is the Manager of Talent Acquisition Operations at Alation, a data catalog start-up. Vanessa loves traveling with her husband and two kids in her free time.

Campus Minister, Community Justice Formation

Victor Lemus

Victor Lemus currently serves as the Campus Minister for Community Justice Formation at SCU. Originally from Guatemala, though mostly raised in Los Angeles, Victor received his undergraduate studies in Studio Arts from Loyola Marymount University. Thereafter, he spent time in commercial real estate development, brokerage and the non-profit sector. Victor's time in the non-profit sector, particularly serving within the organization Homeboy Industries (a gang intervention program based in Los Angeles), led him towards his graduate work in SCU's Pastoral Ministry program, and ultimately, his current vocational endeavors in university ministry. 

Latinx Leadership Incubator II Alum

Yajaira Orozco is a proud first-generation transfer student who recently graduated with the Class of 2024. Yajaira holds a B.A. in Environmental Science, with minors in Sustainability and Ethnic Studies. During their time at Santa Clara University, Yajaira focused on work aligned with environmental justice, equity, and social justice. Yajaira was actively involved in the Lead Scholars program, serving as a Peer Mentor for transfer students, and participated in the Ignatian Center’s immersion program in Costa Rica with LEAD. Additionally, Yajaira had the opportunity to conduct fieldwork for their ENVS 144 lab on the Natural History of Baja California in Baja, Mexico. For their senior capstone project, they undertook a project rooted in environmental justice, addressing the CV-Salts Program to ensure that families in the Central Valley had access to nitrate-free water. In the future, Yajaira hope to continue pursuing work in the environmental field abroad.