“我是第一”的教职员工简介

I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley and luckily enough when I was in high school I participated in the HMC Upward Bound program. Upward Bound is a federally -funded program for first generation, low income college bound students. The goal is to help students develop the skills and motivation necessary to success in a four-year university and beyond. Upward Bound really introduced me to opportunities in education and institutions that I wasn’t aware were available to me. With their guidance I applied and was accepted to Georgetown University. 西海岸，第一代.当时他正前往东海岸! Transition was not always easy but I was constantly encouraged by what I learned in Upward Bound, encouraged by my family and community and I knew that my success was at times bigger than me.

I grew up in a small town in rural Alabama and attended the university in my hometown, 特洛伊大学. There, I majored in print journalism with a contract in public relations. 我很小的时候就知道我想上大学, 但在当时, I was convinced I was going to be a reporter for The New York Times. 虽然我父母都很想让我上大学, 因为他们俩都没上过四年制的大学, it was really difficult for me to get any of my questions answered about the process, 会发生什么, etc. 他们在整个过程中都非常支持我, and their belief in me and my abilities was one of the main reasons I pushed myself to pursue my bachelor’s degree.

当我上大学的时候, my first quarter (we were on the quarter system instead of semesters) was absolutely horrible, 有一段时间, 我以为我赶不上了. I didn’t feel like I fit there, and at times, I really questioned whether I belonged. I was always shy and was terrified of asking people for advice or help. 这是一场真正的斗争. After the first winter break, I came back and was determined to find a place where I would fit in. I took my first journalism class and was encouraged to work for the student newspaper. Getting involved in that outside-the-classroom activity gave me a support system of friends and taught me incredibly valuable skills that I still use in my career today. My work there eventually opened the door to a chance to work in the university’s Office of University Relations, 通过这项工作, 我找到了我未来的职业道路. 今天，我负责哈维·马德的传播和营销.

有趣的是, for a kid growing up in the middle-of-nowhere Alabama who hated his first quarter at college, I have become someone who has devoted his career to helping colleges and universities tell their stories. 这是一段奇妙的旅程!

My Dad was a primary school teacher and taught all of his eight children for at least three years each. 当他在爱尔兰接受教师培训时, it was two years of preparation and did not involve a university degree. He was a big believer in education and wanted me to go to College, as did my mother. 我本不想去，但最后还是去了. Support systems were practically non-existent at Trinity in the 80s and they were pretty limited when I arrived at UCLA in 1985 to do graduate work (after my first ever plane flight from Dublin to Los Angeles!

I grew up in Las Vegas and began living independently while still in high school, 在餐馆洗碗付房租. I pretty much expected to have a career in cooking (I eventually became a kitchen supervisor), but one of my high school teachers convinced me to speak to an admissions counselor at the University of Nevada, 拉斯维加斯(UNLV). 我被录取了，开始学习数学和工程课程. 我成为了麦克奈尔太阳2平台, and eventually earned three degrees: BS Mathematics and BA/MS 计算机科学. My master’s program advisors strongly encouraged me to apply to PhD programs. 现在我是一名教授! I joined the HMC 计算机科学 Department faculty in 2018 after finishing a PhD at the University of California, 圣芭芭拉分校, 在那里我研究自动定量程序分析, 我目前的主要研究领域.

I was born in South Korea and despite not having had much opportunities, 我的父母克服重重困难，于1984年移民到美国. 从那时起，我们就把大洛杉矶地区作为我们的家. 也许是因为他们从未有过我们所拥有的机会, my parents were always very supportive of my sisters’ and my education in every way–the people they wanted us to emulate the most were all well-educated scientists and leaders. 特别是, I had one particular uncle who managed to make it through university on his own, 通过奖学金, 他绝对是我家人最大的灵感来源. 我的两个姐姐都比我先上大学, 我尽我所能跟随他们的脚步. 我最终进入加州理工学院攻读本科学位, and the school was amazingly generous due to my low-income and first-generation statuses. Of course, I also had my family supporting and cheering for me every step of the way.

纳贝尔·维拉法纳(Nabel说Villafana)在加利福尼亚州奇诺(Chino)长大，并获得了B.A. 加州大学通讯学硕士, San Diego in 2012 and her MBA at the University of La Verne in 2016. She decided to pursue higher education because of her passion for learning and continuous growth. The biggest influences in her life are her two parents who immigrated from Mexico and have taught her the value of working hard and helping others. 她在大学里最大的支持者, 除了她的家人和朋友, was the inspiring staff and faculty at UCSD and ULV who were willing to not only help answer questions, but who also provided support when she felt she was not good/smart enough to push through the roadblocks she encountered. Helping underrepresented and first-generation college students complete their college education is of great importance to her, 除了作为导师, Nabel has also been involved with various community initiatives to provide students with the skills and support needed to succeed in the higher education setting.