The Mentoring Podcast
By UCLA AAP Mentoring
The Mentoring PodcastAug 23, 2022
S2E4: Undergraduate On-Campus Opportunities – Cassi Colangelo
In today’s episode, we hear from Cassi Colangelo, a former Educators for Tomorrow (EFT) scholar who is pursuing their Masters of Student Affairs in the School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. She obtained her B.A. in Education and Social Transformation and a minor in Community Engagement and Social Change. In addition, Cassi has been involved in various campus initiatives, such as a Bruin Ambassador for UCLA’s admission office and a youth coach for Los Angeles foster youth through UCLA’s Bruin Guardian’s Scholar Program.
Check out our guest’s LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassi-colangelo-b7365a79/!
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can get involved with on-campus organizations and research opportunities, tune in.
Credit to Ghostrifter Official for our Intro and Outro tracks, "Morning Routine" and "Back Home."
S2E3: Funding/Finances for Graduate School – Dr. Lorena Camargo Gonzalez (Part Two)
Please Note: Due to the length of this interview we had to split it into two separate episodes so make sure to listen to the first half before this one for the full experience, thanks!
Today we hear from Dr. Lorena Camargo Gonzalez, a first-generation Latina academic who obtained her Ph.D. from the School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. She is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Cal State University Sacramento in the College of Education. Dr. Camargo Gonzalez’s research interests include race, racism, and microaggressions in education, issues concerning access and equity for Students of Color in higher education, and representations of People of Color in children’s books and young adult literature.
Check out our guest’s LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorena-camargo-gonzalez-36513289/!
We invite you to tune into this conversation if you’re wondering about the different ways you can fund your graduate school experience.
Credit to Ghostrifter Official for our Intro and Outro tracks, "Morning Routine" and "Back Home."
S2E3: Funding/Finances for Graduate School – Dr. Lorena Camargo Gonzalez (Part One)
Please Note: Due to the length of this interview we had to split it into two separate episodes so make sure to listen to the second half after this one for the full experience, thanks!
Today we hear from Dr. Lorena Camargo Gonzalez, a first-generation Latina academic who obtained her Ph.D. from the School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. She is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Cal State University Sacramento in the College of Education. Dr. Camargo Gonzalez’s research interests include race, racism, and microaggressions in education, issues concerning access and equity for Students of Color in higher education, and representations of People of Color in children’s books and young adult literature.
Check out our guest’s LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorena-camargo-gonzalez-36513289/!
We invite you to tune into this conversation if you’re wondering about the different ways you can fund your graduate school experience.
Credit to Ghostrifter Official for our Intro and Outro tracks, "Morning Routine" and "Back Home."
S2E2: Gap Years: Applying and Transitioning Back to School – Daphne Sajor
Today we meet with Daphne Sajor, an incoming graduate student pursuing her Masters of Public Health (MPH) in the Community Health Sciences Department at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health. She received her B.A. in Spanish Language & Literature and B.A. in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. Daphne worked as a Bilingual Youth Services & Community Health Educator at Mission Neighborhood Health Center in the Mission District of San Francisco, then at Planned Parenthood California Central Coast in her hometown of Oxnard. She is dedicated and passionate about collaborating with communities to provide inclusive and accessible bilingual services, and empowering youth to help them thrive and build healthier communities. Check out our guest’s LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphne-sajor/!
If you’re in the process of applying to grad school or still on the fence about it, we invite you to listen in on how this guest speaker navigated her gap years and made the decision.
Credit to Ghostrifter Official for our Intro and Outro tracks, "Morning Routine" and "Back Home."
S2E1: Alternative Routes to Graduate School/Professional School – Edwin Rivera
Today we meet with Edwin Rivera, a first-generation scholar who graduated with his B.A. in Sociology from UCLA in 2019. He will be arriving at UC Riverside this fall as an incoming doctoral student in the School of Education. Edwin has previously supported the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools, a research center dedicated to partnering with the education ecosystem to bring about systems change through humanizing research, validating practices, and transforming policies with key stakeholders to support equitable educational outcomes for historically underserved students.
Check out our guest’s LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwin-leonidas-rivera-castellanos-453334232/!
We invite you to listen to this episode if you’re considering the various professional and academic possibilities before applying to graduate or professional school.
Credit to Ghostrifter Official for our Intro and Outro tracks, "Morning Routine" and "Back Home."
S1E7: Urban and Regional Planning - Michelle Rolon
Today we are hearing from Michelle Rolon, this year’s Carter Huggins Community Development and Social Justice cohort’s Graduate Mentor. Michelle received her Bachelor's Degree with a double major in Spanish and Chicanx Studies with an emphasis in Education. She is currently completing her Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and shares her thoughts and advice regarding graduate school and careers in Urban Affairs.
We invite you to listen to this episode when you are able and open to conversations about graduate school. We understand this is a very difficult time and there’s no expectation to give it attention before you are ready. It’s here for you whenever you need.
S1E6: The Journey to the Ph.D - Pow Camacho-Lemus
Today we meet with Pow Camacho-Lemus. Pow is our Humanities Graduate Mentor and today they are here tomac talk about the Doctoral Degree otherwise known as a Ph.D.
Pow received their Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies & Asian Studies from Cornell. They are currently completing their MA in East Asian Studies from UCLA. Pow will continue at UCLA towards their Ph.D. in Asian Languages & Cultures, with an emphasis in Buddhist Studies. Pow’s research centers on Disasters and Religion. They are studying the influence of religion when communities are faced with natural disasters such as those in recent years in Japan.
Pow shares their experience learning about, preparing, and now starting a Ph.D. at UCLA. The Doctoral Degree is largely misunderstood especially for first-generation college students who have little to no experience with the degree, what it entails, and the lifestyle this kind of training evokes.
Pow describes this and much more for us today.
So if you are interested or have ever thought, “Man it would be cool to have a Ph.D.”, please tune in
S1E5: The Transfer Student Experience - Jendi Samai
Today we meet with Jendi Samai, a first-generation student who transferred to UCLA in the Summer of 2015. Jendi has earned both a Bachelor's Degree in English with Honors and an African American Studies Minor. She is completing her Master's Degree in African American studies and is now navigating her process into law school. Jendi serves as the Graduate Mentoring and Research Program Liaison to the Center for Community college Partnerships as our Transfer Student Graduate mentor.
She speaks with us today on the strong, yet often sadly discredited journey of the transfer student experience and then offer advice on what transfer students can do on their route to graduate school.
S1E4: The Law School Experience - Ryann Garcia
On today's episode, we meet with Ryann Garcia--a returning guest to our show. Last time she was with us, we discussed the kinds of programs available and whether Professional school or Graduate school is the best fit for you.
But on this episode, we focus on one of the professional schools available to you, Law School. We have developed an idea of what Law School is like through the movies and shows we watch and enjoy. But that is highly fictionalized and not an accurate account of the Law School experience. Ryann, a GMRP Law School Graduate Mentor, talks to us today through what to expect from Law School and most importantly answer whether or not we can Legally Blonde our way into Harvard Law.
S1E3: Undergraduate STEM Research- Sonia Bustos Barocio
On today’s episode, we welcome Sonia Bustos Barocio, a fourth-year molecular, cellular, developmental biology Major who is also a McNair scholar studying and researching retinal degeneration
She speaks with us today about the experience as a transfer student in STEM and more importantly finding Undergraduate Research opportunities and strategies for success during your time at UCLA.
S1E2: Graduate or Professional School? - Ryann Garcia
On today’s episode, we meet with Ryann Garcia, a second-year law graduate student specializing in critical race studies and international and comparative law. She works closely with the Latinx and Native American Law Students Associations and is also the GMRP Law School Graduate Mentor. Ryann is the perfect guest for today's podcast where we differentiate between graduate and professional school. She’s sharing her journey from undergrad to graduate school and now law school.
So if you’re interested in graduate school but unsure what kinds of programs are best for you or are contemplating which programs will lead you into your life’s work, tune in.
S1E1: Nuts and Bolts of Graduate School - Natalie Santizo
On today’s episode, we have Natalie Santizo, one of our veteran graduate mentors who has helped dozens if not close to hundreds of AAP students who are interested in applying to graduate school. Natalie is a first-generation college student who received her BA from USC in Psychology and Sociology, and then a Masters Degree in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. She is currently a Ph.D. Student in Chicana/Chicano Studies here at UCLA where her research focuses on mapping early 20th C Latinx foodways San Gabriel Valley.
Natalie is here today to talk about her mentoring and give a brief overview of things to think about when applying to graduate school.
Welcome to The Mentoring Podcast
We get it, applying for grad school is scary. But as I always tell students, remember where you were 5 years ago, and now imagine where you can be in another 5 years.
Hi, I’m Dr. Carolina San Juan and this is the UCLA AAP Graduate Mentoring and Research Programs podcast that we created to normalize the graduate school application process.