2019 - 2020 STAFF COHORT

AARON GALLARDO

Senior Researcher, Broadcast Music, Inc.

Aaron (He/Him/Hid) currently works as a Senior Researcher at Broadcast Music, Inc. He received his BA in Music with an emphasis in Industry Studies from Cal Poly Pomona where he was heavily involved in the Filipinx cultural club Barkada. Aaron has worked for the Association for the Advancement of Filipino-American Arts and Culture (FilAm ARTS), volunteered with the Filipino Cultural School (FCS) as a music teacher, and served as Co-Director of Mentees and the Positionality Pillar Coordinator for Lakas. His hobbies include cooking, traveling, and dancing to 90’s and 2000’s R&B slow jams.

AARON GALLARDO

Executive Director

B.A. Music, Cal Poly Pomona

KRYSTIENNE DELAROSA

Associate Media Strategist (advertising)

Krystienne (She/Her/Hers) spent the majority of her college career exploring her Filipinx identity, fostering community, and developing leaders within the FilAm collegiate community at UC Davis (s/o to Mga Kapatid). Since Undergrad, she has worked with Lakas as a previous mentor and now, Director of Mentors in the hopes to help high-school youth feel more connected to a Filipino-based community, as well as to help mentors develop professionally. In her free time, Krystienne enjoys doing escape rooms, listening to podcasts during her commute on the 405, and traveling whenever she can!

KRYSTIENNE DELAROSA

Director of Mentors

B.S. Managerial Economics with a Minor in Communication, UC Davis

KENNETH HUYNH

Junior Chemist, Bocchi Laboratories

When I am not making lotions and shampoos, on my free time I love doing handlettering and snatching ankles in the basketball courts. I am also a huge support of Chipotle. A special talent of mine is that I can finish 4 double doubles and fries from In N Out.

KENNETH HUYNH

Co-Director of Mentees

B.S. Biopsychology, UC Santa Barbara

RAPHAEL NATIVIDAD

As a soon to be double Anteater pursuing his Masters in Public Health at UCI, Raphael (He/Him/His) hopes to pursue a career that will allow him to combine his interests in public health, social justice, and education. During his undergraduate years at UCI, Raphael gained a deep appreciation for his Filipino-American culture through his leadership experiences with Kababayan at UCI. Through his time in the Lakas Mentorship Program he has further deepened this passion for service and learning through the many interactions he’s had with mentees, mentors, and fellow staff. Raphael currently provides technical support at an e-learning company in Newport Beach.

RAPHAEL NATIVIDAD

Pillar Coordinator: Self-Awareness

B.A. Public Health Policy and Education Sciences, MPH Candidate, UC Irvine

ARIANNA DELA ROSA

Arianna Dela Rosa (she/her/hers) is a first-generation college graduate, a proud Los Angeles native, and an advocate for educational equity. After graduating from UC Davis with a B.S. in Managerial Economics and working as a part-time community organizer in her university, Arianna knew she wanted to make an impact with students of color. As the College Preparation Pillar Coordinator, Arianna aspires for students to think deeply about their aspirations and how they want to create an impact in the world. In her free time, she enjoys having jam sessions, exploring LA, and chilling at coffee shops!

ARIANNA DELA ROSA

Pillar Coordinator: College Prep

B.S. Managerial Economics, UC Davis

KELSIE DONATO

Sales Associate and Brand Ambassador, Coach

A.A. Liberal Arts: Humanities and Fine Arts, San Bernardino Valley College

Kelsie Donato (She/Her/Hers) recently received her B.A. in Art with a double minor in Art History and Digital Arts from the University of California, Irvine (ZOT ZOT ZOT GO ANTEATERSSS!). After transferring to UC Irvine from community college, she joined Kababayan at UCI to learn more about her Filipino heritage and meet other people in the Fil-Am community, where she later became an intern for Alyansa Ng Mga Kababayan at UCI. Kelsie is currently a Brand Ambassador for Coach Outlet and aspires to become an art director in the future while also expanding her interests towards business and education. Through Lakas Mentorship, she hopes to bring more awareness amongst those who have also experienced similar upbringings and struggles within in the Fil-Am community and that they may use the program as a resource into their daily lives. In her spare time, she likes to go on food adventures (follow if you like foodie tings @kfoodi.e), hikes, travel, practice her art and graphic design skills, watch movies on Disney+, documentaries, or mukbangs, play Sims 3, and spending time with friends and family.

KELSIE DONATO

Co-Social Media Coordinator

B.A. Art (Studio) with Minors in Art History and Digital Arts, UC Irvine

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ABBY SAAVEDRA

Graduate Assistant, CSU Fullerton

Abby Saavedra (She/Her/Hers) is a third year Master’s student in the Clinical Psychology program at California State University, Fullerton. She hails from Tracy, CA (shoutout to the 209!) and received her Bachelor of Science degrees in Psychology (Biology emphasis) and Human Development. An aspiring lifelong learner, she aims to become a Professor of Psychology, with a research emphasis in the positive and critical psychology of ethnic/racial identity development and an applied emphasis in educational interventions. When she’s not training to be an academic, she is training her dog Luna to be the goodest girl and searching for the best bites to eat around Southern California.

ABBY SAAVEDRA

Administrator

B.S. Psychology (Biology Emphasis) and Human Development, UC Davis

PAMELA SANTOS

Client Advocate, Southland Data Processing
Pamela Santos (She/hers) is a recent graduate from University of California, Santa Barbara whose BA is in Communication and Professional Writing. Throughout college, she committed to UCSB’s Fil-Am community by serving as Public Relations Officer, Co-Chairperson, and Pilipino Graduation Executive Coordinator. From these positions, Pamela has found her passion in serving her community and continues to do so by fulfilling the role of Support Staff for the Director of Mentors as well as Co-Social Media and Marketing Coordinator. Her perfect day consists of watching movies, writing creative stories, and water coloring.

PAMELA SANTOS

Support Staff to Director of Mentors, Co-Social Media Coordinator

B.A. Communication and Professional Writing, UC Santa Barbara

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DR. DUSTIN DOMINGO

Director of Credential Services, Brandman University

B.A. Sociology, University of California, Riverside

M.A. Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dr. Dustin Domingo (He/Him/His) has been working in education for more than 10 years with experiences engaging students from K-12 to undergraduate and graduate levels. Professionally, Dustin is the Director of Credential Services for Brandman University’s School of Education, providing administrative support to California’s future teachers and school districts. Dustin’s research interests are in the experiences of Asian American students in higher education as well as cultural competence education. He leverages his professional and academic expertise to advocate for lifelong learning and leadership development within minority populations.

DR. DUSTIN DOMINGO

Director of Curriculum

Ed.D. Organizational Leadership, Brandman University

WARJAY NAIGAN

Warjay (He/Him/His) is a child of immigrants and a recent graduate from Cal Poly Pomona. He currently works as a civil engineer for a water distribution company. Beyond work, he is a community organizer with Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB) in the Historic Filipinotown area. His passion is to uplift marginalized communities by providing access to safe & clean water as well as advocating for & addressing the needs of the community. In his free time, Warjay enjoys playing video games, watching anime, and playing with his pet cats.

WARJAY NAIGAN

Pillar Coordinator: Fil-Am Studies

B.S. Civil Engineering with a Minor in Asian-American Studies, Cal Poly Pomona

ELIZABETH (LIZ) GUZMAN

Elizabeth, or Liz, (She/Her/Hers), joined Lakas to serve the Filipinx community through education and culture. She received her B.S. in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning at UC Davis (go ags!). Liz’s passion for the Filipinx community blossomed during her time as a mentor for UC Davis’ Pilipinx Youth Conference, a high school youth conference dedicated to the preservation of Pilipinx cultures and hxstory. Coupled with her passion for mental health and environmental justice, Liz hopes to pursue a Masters in Asian American Studies on the impact of environmental racism in lower-income communities of color. Liz resides in the San Gabriel Valley and enjoys baking, spotting dogs, and painting.

ELIZABETH (LIZ) GUZMAN

Staff Counselor

B.S. Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning with an Emphasis in Conservation Management, UC Davis

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TERRENCE JAMES DIAZ

Software Engineer II, Laserfiche

A software engineer by trade, Terrence (He/Him/His) learned to recognize that technology has a social responsibility that cannot be ignored and uses his STEM background as one of many ways to approach community and activist spaces. This mindset drove him to get his B.S. in Computer Science from Harvey Mudd College, switching from a Concentration of Economics to one of Asian American Studies. After being deeply involved in volunteer and Filipino orgs at a predominately white college, Terrence became inspired to uplift the presence of Filipinos and Filipinx-Americans in everyday society, but especially in STEM. Now, as a support staff member on the Lakas team, he loves the empowerment him and his fellow staff members provide for Filipino youth in Los Angeles county, where he grew up most of his life. In his free time, you can catch Terrence perfecting his pass in volleyball, reading a visual novel, escaping real life through video games, figuring out why his code won’t work, or bragging about the fact that he’s from LA. Did we mention he’s from LA?

TERRENCE JAMES DIAZ

Website Administrator & Co-Social Media Coordinator

B.S. Computer Science with a Concentration in Asian American Studies, Harvey Mudd College

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BRANDON PHAM

Brandon (He/Him/His) is a graduate from California Polytechnic University, Pomona with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. After graduating, he continued his education, pursuing a Multiple Subject Credential. He plans to become a teacher in the upcoming future. He believes that working with youth is the most rewarding thing anyone can be apart of, with young people, there’s always something new to learn. Aside from his passion with working with students. In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies, being involved, and spontaneous adventures to Target.

BRANDON PHAM

Administrator

B.A. Liberal Arts, Cal Poly Pomona

JENSEN REYES

Interdisciplinary Artist

Certificate of Completion, Chinese Language Division of National Taiwan University

Jensen Reyes (He/They/She) received their BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Social Behavioral Science from Soka University of America, as well as a Certificate from National Taiwan University’s Chinese Language Division in Taipei, Taiwan (R.O.C.). An interdisciplinary artist, Jensen uses their experiences as a Filipinx American to inform their writing, their music, and their poetry. You can find them practicing their latte art, harmonizing with themselves in the studio, or finding the best Koreatown hole-in-the-walls.

JENSEN REYES

Co-Director of Mentees

B.A. Liberal Arts with Concentration in Social Behavioral Science, Soka University of America

JOSEPH NAVALES

Joseph Navales (He/Him/His) is the Lakas Leadership Pillar Coordinator for 2019-2020. He attended UC Riverside and majored in Political Science International Relations. Today he works as an immigration attorney in the Orange County area. He enjoys traveling, sports, and good food.

JOSEPH NAVALES

Pillar Coordinator: Leadership

B.S. Political Science International Relations, UC Riverside

SARAH LYNN MIRALLES

Asian American Advisory Board Program Coordinator, Pomona College

B.A. Ethnic Studies, University of San Diego

Sarah Lynn (She/her/hers) is the daughter of Pilipinx immigrants, born and raised in Las Vegas, NV. She is a first generation Pinay educator and lifelong student. Sarah Lynn joined the Lakas curriculum team in 2015. Before Lakas, Sarah Lynn was involved with Pin@y Educational Partnerships in the Bay Area, and the Kuya/Ate Mentorship Program in San Diego. Outside of education and social justice advocacy, Sarah Lynn continues her mission to find the best ube desserts in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

SARAH LYNN MIRALLES

Pillar Coordinator: Positionality

M.A. Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University

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TORI ARNAU

Tori Arnau (She/Her/Hers) is a Filipina born & raised in LA proper. She is a National Seeding Change Fellow, Liberty Hill Foundation for Community Service Recipient, and a staff member at Pilipino Workers Center on the Resource Development Team. She holds a double major in Biology and Asian American Studies from Pitzer College. During her time as an undergraduate student, she was the Founder & President of the First-Generation/Low-Income Students Organization, inaugural Board Member of Student Senate’s Identity Board, Social Committee Chair of the Filipinx/Filipinx-American Student Organization, and an Elementary School Teaching Assistant in Upland, CA. She loves to sing karaoke, read YA fiction, and attend concerts.

TORI ARNAU

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B.S Biology & B.A. Asian-American Studies, Pitzer College