{"id":263,"date":"2023-02-03T18:45:21","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T18:45:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/?page_id=263"},"modified":"2025-12-16T18:41:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T18:41:46","slug":"meet-the-fya-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the FYA Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n \n
\n \n \n
\n\n \n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Starting college is exciting, and our First-Year Advising (FYA) team is here to guide you every step of the way. Below, you can learn more about the Assistant Director who will be supporting you this year. Not sure who your advisor is? Just log in to Advise USC <\/strong><\/a>to <\/span>find out.<\/p>\n

SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Viannda Hawkins, Ed.D. \n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Director, First-Year Advising & Operations<\/strong><\/p>\n

E-mail:<\/strong>\u00a0vhawkins@usc.edu<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/span><\/strong> Los Angeles, CA<\/span><\/p>\n

Education:<\/strong> B.A. History, UCLA; M.Ed. <\/span><\/strong><\/span>Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC; Ed.D. Educational Leadership, USC<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Courtney Bushman\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Sr. Assistant Director, First-Year Advising<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Advise USC.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Covina, CA
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.A. Human Biology USC; M.Ed. Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Why I love Dornsife:<\/strong>\u00a0There are so many unique opportunities (majors, minors, clubs and organizations, programming)- no two students who graduate have the exact same experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Don\u2019t be afraid to ask for help. USC and Dornsife provide so many free resources to help you be successful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun Fact<\/span>:<\/span><\/strong>I am a certified scuba diver and I love to bake!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Alex Eloriaga \n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Advise USC.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Hometown:\u00a0 <\/strong>Milpitas, CA<\/p>\n

Education:\u00a0 <\/strong>BA, International Relations Global Business, USC;\u00a0 MS, Project Management; USC<\/p>\n

Why I love Dornsife: <\/strong>There is always something new to learn around every corner.<\/p>\n

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC:\u00a0<\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

Fun Fact: <\/strong>I have completed over 400 hikes and backpacking trips! My favorite is a backcountry trail in Death Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Annelise Laufer\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Advise USC.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/span><\/strong> Danville, CA
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/span>B.S. Industrial & Systems Engineering, USC; M.Ed. Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC<\/p>\n

Why I love Dornsife: <\/strong><\/span>There\u2019s a real commitment to exploration. Dornsife students are encouraged to explore majors, minors, and career paths from the moment they arrive at USC.<\/p>\n

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: <\/span><\/strong>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\u2019s transition to college is unique. This is a time for exploration and growth, and that process will look different for each student.<\/p>\n

Fun Fact:<\/span><\/strong> I spent a month walking the Camino de Santiago, <\/span>a 500-mile pilgrimage route across Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Siobhan Littlejohn, Ed.D.\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Advise USC.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Los Angeles, CA (Boyle Heights)
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.S. Chemistry, Brown University; M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, Stanford University
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Why I love Dornsife:\u00a0<\/strong>I love working with Dornsife students because they\u2019re so passionate about what they\u2019re studying. It\u2019s always fun to hear about the new topic that piqued their interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Use your resources early and often. It\u2019s never too early to ask for help!<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun Fact:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>I love puzzles.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Nicole Srednick\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Advise USC.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Boca Raton, FL
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Education:<\/strong> B.S. Exercise Science and Psychology, Florida State University; M.Ed. Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Why I love Dornsife:<\/strong>\u00a0Dornsife’s interdisciplinary approach allows for so many opportunities to pursue your interests and gain new perspectives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun Fact<\/span>: <\/span><\/strong>I worked in London, England for six months after undergrad.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Thaddesia Southall\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Advise USC.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/span><\/strong> Long Beach<\/span>, CA
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Education:<\/strong> B.A. Sociology, USC; M.A. Education, CSULB
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Why I love Dornsife: <\/strong>Dornsife provides students with many opportunities\u00a0to excel inside and outside the classroom. Students are\u00a0provided with a great amount of support from faculty and staff to ensure their educational\u00a0goals are met.<\/span><\/p>\n

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: <\/span><\/strong>Focus on good academic habits, social skills, and balancing priorities.<\/p>\n

Fun Fact<\/span>: <\/span><\/strong>I played on the USC Women’s Basketball team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Jessica Yu\n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Assistant Director, First-Year Advising<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Advise USC.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/span><\/strong> Los Angeles<\/span>, CA
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Education:<\/strong> B.A. Psychology, UCLA; M.Ed.Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs, USC
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Why I love Dornsife: <\/strong><\/span>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!<\/p>\n

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: <\/span><\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

Fun Fact<\/span>: <\/span><\/strong>During tax season, I help people do taxes for free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n\n
\n\n \n
\n\n \n

\n Devanga Fonseka \n <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
\n\n \n

Senior Advisor, First-Year Advising<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to connect with me is by submitting a support case in the Advisor Connect tab<\/a><\/u>\u00a0in Advise USC.*<\/em><\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/span><\/strong> Welisara, Sri Lanka<\/span>
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Education: <\/strong>B.A. Business Administration, UC Irvine; M.A. Educational Studies – Higher Education Administration, University of Cincinnati
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Why I love Dornsife: <\/strong><\/span>The people, the robust support available to students, and all the different paths and unique interests that make up the Dornsife community!<\/p>\n

Helpful tip for navigating your first year at USC: <\/span><\/strong>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 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Fun Fact<\/span>: <\/span><\/strong>I love to shop at Lovisa, an earring store, which my wallet may not always appreciate but my closet always does!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n \n \n \n

\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/div>\n \n\n <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":189,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-content-detail.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-263","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the FYA Team - Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the FYA Team - Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-16T18:41:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/\",\"name\":\"Meet the FYA Team - Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/advising\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-03T18:45:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-16T18:41:46+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Meet the FYA Team\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/advising\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/advising\/\",\"name\":\"Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising\",\"description\":\"USC Dornsife Advising\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/advising\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meet the FYA Team - Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Meet the FYA Team - Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising","og_url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/","og_site_name":"Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising","article_modified_time":"2025-12-16T18:41:46+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/","name":"Meet the FYA Team - Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/advising\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-02-03T18:45:21+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-16T18:41:46+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/meet-the-fya-team\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Meet the FYA Team"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/advising\/#website","url":"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/advising\/","name":"Dornsife Undergraduate Academic Advising","description":"USC Dornsife Advising","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/live-usc-dornsife.pantheonsite.io\/advising\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/189"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263"}],"version-history":[{"count":164,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4912,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/263\/revisions\/4912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/advising\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}