Lead Mentors and Program Staff

In keeping with the student-led focus of the Grad Peer Mentor Program, we’ve constructed a star-studded cast of Lead Mentors. With the support of program staff, Lead Mentors act as divisional liaisons to advertise and support the review of funding applications, provide consultations with divisions/departments who are interested in launching new programs, and offer centralized peer mentor workshops for all peer mentor programs.

Arts

Arya Tavallaei 
Music Ph.D. Student 

Arya, originally from Iran, is a first-year PhD student in Cross-Cultural Musicology. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Iranian Classical Music and a Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology from the University of Tehran, Iran. His current research focuses on the folk and popular music of Iran, with a special emphasis on identity reclamation and cultural resistance among marginalized minority ethnic groups through music.  As a Lead Mentor, Arya is dedicated to supporting graduate students, particularly international students, in navigating their personal and professional lives during their graduate studies and assisting them in adapting to new environments.  He loves cooking and board games and has an interest in International Student and Scholar Services/Global Programming.

Contact Arya.

 

Engineering

Ethan Mulle
Applied Mathematics Ph.D. Student

Ethan is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Applied Mathematics department. He received his B.S. in Physics and Applied Mathematics from Stony Brook University in New York. Ethan is currently researching methods for high precision and more explainable machine learning models.  As a lead mentor, Ethan wants to share his knowledge and experience with both new and continuing graduate students. He hopes to build a community focused on peer mentoring across all graduate divisions and programs at UCSC. With this, he believes that graduate students will be able to face any challenges in their way and be focused on growing and succeeding.  Ethan’s hobbies include baking, reading books, playing video games.

Contact Ethan

Humanities

Caitlin Flaws
Literature Ph.D. Student

Caitlin is from Sacramento, California. She went to UC Davis for undergrad and studied Literature and Women’s Studies. After graduating she worked at NorCal Mental Health America as a Youth Advocate and Planned Parenthood as a Teen Parent Support Advocate in Sacramento. While loving working in her community, she realized after some time that she wanted to pursue graduate school and earned an MA in Literature from Washington State University in 2021. She is now a 4th year PhD student in the Literature department here at UCSC. After graduating she hopes to pursue teaching writing at the community college level. She values disability justice and advocacy in both her research and her work as an instructor.

As someone who as both mentored and been a mentee, she understands that there are questions that seem like you SHOULD know the answer – but don’t. She values questions like this so that we can spread knowledge that is implied (but not explicit) aka the hidden curriculum. She also values disability visibility and welcomes any and all discussions about being disabled at UCSC.

Caitlin sews her own clothes! She has a chihuahua named Gromit. He loves long walks on the beach.

 

 

Physical and Biological Sciences

Jack Clancy
Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology (MCD)

Jack is a fourth-year Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. He has a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin — Madison. His research focuses on apical extracellular matrix remodeling and assembly in the model organism C. elegans to provide insight into human dermal physiology.

The aspect of the Lead Mentor position that interests him the most is the opportunity to develop peer mentoring programs and workshops tailored to the evolving needs of graduate students. Graduate school is a challenging experience, not only academically but also in terms of navigating new professional relationships, understanding available resources, and building and feeling a sense of community. By creating structured mentoring programs, he hopes to provide a space where graduate students can share their experiences and insights, helping each other grow both personally and professionally. He loves puzzles and cooking.

Social Sciences

Monica Shandal Lead Mentor Picture

 Monica Shandal 
Economics International Student

Monica is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate specializing in development economics who attended the University of Alberta in Canada and holds an MSc in agriculture and resource economics. Monica worked in Malawi, India, and Australia as an impact evaluation practitioner, evaluating various interventions aimed at reducing inequities. Monica is currently researching the impacts of waste trading in Indonesia and the spillover health and labor effects. As a lead mentor, Monica is interested in improving students’ transitions to a new environment and ensuring that all individuals feel confident in their ability to succeed!

Contact Monica

Division of Graduate Studies

Monica Shandal Lead Mentor Picture

 Vacant
Director of Graduate Student Life

Future Bio Content Here

Contact

Student Affairs and Success

Photo ofAngel Dominguez

 Angel Dominguez
GANAS Graduate Program Director | HSI Initiatives

Angel Dominguez is a Queer, First-Generation, Latinx UCSC alumni dedicated to supporting our Latinx, POC, first-gen, and low-income background students during their time here in the redwoods as the Director of GANAS Graduate Programs for UCSC. Angel holds an MFA in writing and poetics from Naropa University and is the author of several books of poetry and prose. Having worked for UCSC for nearly a decade, they are dedicated to serving our historically underserved communities on campus with an emphasis on graduate student education and support.

Contact Angel