Meet the FYA Team

Director, First-Year Advising & Operations

E-mail: vhawkins@usc.edu

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Education: B.A. History, UCLA; M.Ed. Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC; Ed.D. Educational Leadership, USC

Sr. Assistant Director, First-Year Advising

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Covina, CA

Education: B.A. Human Biology USC; M.Ed. Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC

Why I love Dornsife: There are so many unique opportunities (majors, minors, clubs and organizations, programming)- no two students who graduate have the exact same experience.

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. USC and Dornsife provide so many free resources to help you be successful.

Fun Fact:I am a certified scuba diver and I love to bake!

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Downey, CA

Education: B.A English Literature, La Sierra University; M.A. English, La Sierra University; M.S. Academic Advising, Kansas State University

Why I love Dornsife: Dornsife offers unique opportunities to both explore subjects in depth and gain a broad range of knowledge.

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: In addition to your First Year Advisor, the AskUSC database of frequently asked questions is a very helpful resource. (It helped me during my first year working at USC!)

Fun Fact: I’m trying to visit one U.S. national park in every state of the union. It will take a while, but I’ll get there!

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown:  Milpitas, CA

Education:  BA, International Relations Global Business, USC;  MS, Project Management; USC

Why I love Dornsife: There is always something new to learn around every corner.

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Make sure to go to office hours. It is never too early to start building a relationship with your professors and teaching assistants, and they can help you find new and exciting opportunities.

Fun Fact: I have completed over 400 hikes and backpacking trips! My favorite is a backcountry trail in Death Valley.

Sr. Assistant Director, Language & Culture

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Waterloo, Belgium

Education: B.S. Finance, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; M.A. Linguistics, Purdue University; Ph.D. Linguistics, Purdue University

Fun Fact: I will only buy cars that are stick shift.

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Danville, CA

Education: B.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering, USC; M.Ed. Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC

Why I love Dornsife: There’s a real commitment to exploration. Dornsife students are encouraged to explore majors, minors, and career paths from the moment they arrive at USC.

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Remember that you are not required to have everything (major, career goals, etc.) figured out when you first arrive at USC and that every student’s transition to college is unique. This is a time for exploration and growth, and that process will look different for each student.

Fun Fact: I spent a month walking the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile pilgrimage route across Spain.

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising 

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA (Boyle Heights)

Education: B.S. Chemistry, Brown University; M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, Stanford University

Why I love Dornsife: I love working with Dornsife students because they’re so passionate about what they’re studying. It’s always fun to hear about the new topic that piqued their interest.

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Use your resources early and often. It’s never too early to ask for help!

Fun Fact: I love puzzles.

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Boca Raton, FL

Education: B.S. Exercise Science and Psychology, Florida State University; M.Ed. Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC

Why I love Dornsife: Dornsife’s interdisciplinary approach allows for so many opportunities to pursue your interests and gain new perspectives.

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Don’t be afraid to explore and take advantage of a course or opportunity outside of your comfort zone, you never know where it might lead.

Fun Fact: I worked in London, England for six months after undergrad.

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Long Beach, CA

Education: B.A. Sociology, USC; M.A. Education, CSULB

Why I love Dornsife: Dornsife provides students with many opportunities to excel inside and outside the classroom. Students are provided with a great amount of support from faculty and staff to ensure their educational goals are met.

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Focus on good academic habits, social skills, and balancing priorities.

Fun Fact: I played on the USC Women’s Basketball team.

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Education: B.A. Psychology, UCLA; M.Ed.Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC

Why I love Dornsife: As the largest college at USC, Dornsife offers anything you can possibly imagine fueling your creativity and goals to achieve your highest potential. I love how the interdisciplinary of Dornsife allows you opportunities beyond just academics, like research, internships, service learning, and more!

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Keep an open mind and always give everything a second chance! You do not need to always have everything figured out and it is okay to change your mind/aspirations even beyond your first year (I did!) For those that are still exploring, be open to opportunities that are outside of your comfort zone. You will be surprised to find your interests and passion in the most unexpected experiences.

Fun Fact: During tax season, I help people do taxes for free!

Senior Advisor, First-Year Advising

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab in Advise USC.*

Hometown: Welisara, Sri Lanka

Education: B.A. Business Administration, UC Irvine; M.A. Educational Studies – Higher Education Administration, University of Cincinnati

Why I love Dornsife: The people, the robust support available to students, and all the different paths and unique interests that make up the Dornsife community!

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Be open to new experiences, no matter how scary they might seem at first. Take time to build your confidence so you feel brave enough to try something you’ve never thought to before! It’ll open new worlds, new interests, and lots of growth opportunities 🙂

Fun Fact: I love to shop at Lovisa, an earring store, which my wallet may not always appreciate but my closet always does!