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

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising- Natural Sciences (Last Names: W-Z) & Social Sciences (Last Names: H-K)

E-mail: courtnbb@usc.edu

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- Social Sciences (Last Names A-G)

E-mail: conferid@usc.edu

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- Humanities

E-mail: ajwroble@usc.edu

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.

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising- Natural Sciences (Last Names: H-M)

E-mail:texlucas@usc.edu

Hometown:  Military brat, but home is Long Beach, CA

Education:  B.S. Child, Adult, and Family Services, Iowa State University; M.Ed. Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC; Ed.D. Organizational Change and Leadership (Dec. 23), USC

Why I love Dornsife: I love Dornsife because it’s a college that really focuses on the student experience and allows students to explore a variety of areas as they journey through their academic program(s).

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Ask for help and build community! USC and Dornsife have many support systems in place for you, and you’ll build a community throughout the year as well. Let folx help you through this journey.

Fun Fact: I love to travel! I’ve been to 46 states and 12 countries and hope to visit dozens more.

Sr. Assistant Director, Language & Culture

E-mail: jkanoski@usc.edu

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- Natural Sciences (Last Names: N-V)

E-mail: aclaufer@usc.edu

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- Natural Sciences (Last Names: A-G)

E-mail: slittlej@usc.edu

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- Social Sciences (Last Names: R-Z)

E-mail: lisaperk@usc.edu

Hometown: Santa Monica, CA

Education: B.A. Psychology, Minor in Educational Studies, UC Santa Barbara; M.Ed. Educational Counseling, USC

Why I love Dornsife: Dornsife is great for students who have multiple interests  – you don’t have to choose just one! 

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: Be brave when exploring, whether it be a course, a job, or a person to network with (personally or professionally).

Fun Fact: I have visited 14 other countries, 17 if you count Liechtenstein, Monaco, and Vatican City.

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising- Social Sciences (Last Names: L-Q)

E-mail: srednick@usc.edu 

Hometown: Boca Raton, FL

Education: B.S. Exercise Science and Psychology, Flordia 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.

Senior Advisor, First-Year Advising- Spring Admits,  Undecided Humanities, Undecided Natural Sciences, & Undecided Social Sciences

E-mail: jyu74310@usc.edu 

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: 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!

ISIS GALENO

USC email: igaleno@usc.edu

ERNESTINA GARCIA

USC email: esg@usc.edu

SIDNEY LIM

USC email: sidneyli@usc.edu

CIENA VALENZUELA-PETERSON

USC email: cnvalenz@usc.edu