Student Bios

Ariana Hernandez is a third-year majoring in Psychology and minoring in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. She serves as the Director of Internal Affairs for Gates to Success where sh plans on helping create events and meetings every semester in order to enhance a social capital and strengthen the community of first-generation, low income students at SDSU striving towards success. Ariana also serves as the Vice President of the EOP Student Advisory Board and is an active EOP volunteer and former EOP SOAR mentor. Currently, Ariana is a research assistant in Dr. Thoman's Motivation and Social Identity Lab and an SDSU NIH IMSD Scholar (Initiative for Maximizing Student Development) program funded by the National Institute of Health. To further expand on her research interests, Ariana is participating in The Ohio State University's Summer Research Opportunity Program (SROP) this summer. She will have the opportunity to engage full-time in a research project as well as take a graduate-level research class to prepare for graduate school research. She is excited about this opportunity as her goal is to go to graduate school to attain her Ph.D. in Social Psychology after graduating with her B.A. from SDSU.

Francisco "Panchito" Martínez is the oldest child of parents that immigrated from México in search of a decent quality of life. Panchito is the Leadership Programs Specialist of an organization called Barrio Logan College Institute that helps students from underprivileged communities access higher education to change the world. As a student in the organization since the fourth grade, Panchito was accepted into San Diego State University with a $30,000 scholarship to study leadership development, and a city-wide award for work in the community with the help of BLCI. Panchito has been featured on newspapers and magazines, presented at fundraisers, and received several other awards. Panchito has a passion for helping others develop a sense of purpose in life, and hopes to impact the lives of many."

 

 

Julia Mobasser is a second-year undergraduate student at SDSU majoring in Accounting, and the first in her family to attend college. As a freshman, she began her involvement on campus by joining the hall council in her residence hall and holding the position of treasurer. Getting involved both on and off campus has greatly enhanced her college experience and has allowed her to meet so many amazing people. Getting involved is essential in terms of building community with those around you. This year, she is the secretary of Gates to Success, and an academic mentor on campus, involved in Student Accounting Society. Julia volunteers in the local VITA program, where she assists in preparing tax returns. In addition, she looks forward to studying abroad in Europe this summer and holding an internship for a payroll service department. Julia hopes that through Gates, she can demonstrate to other students the endless possibilities that are available to all students, no matter what background you come from. In her free time, she enjoys playing classical pieces on the piano and cello as well as, practicing yoga and meditation. She thinks that as college students, having an outlet for yourself and practicing self-care is key in order to successfully achieve your goals. As a first-generation college student, she hopes other students realize the importance of getting involved on campus and setting goals for yourself. In the future, she plans on earning her CPA and working for a public accounting firm.

Aubrey Schafer is a third-year senior, majoring in psychology and minoring in Interdisciplinary Studies and Counseling and Social Change at San Diego State University. On campus, she is the Chief of Finance for The Gates to Success Society, the Vice President of the Golden Key International Honour Society, and the Success Networking Team Coordinator for The National Society of Leadership and Success. In addition to this, she works as a research assistant in two developmental psychology labs, one that focuses on child language and communicative development, and another that deals with adolescent foster youth research. Aside from her participation in on-campus organizations and research, Aubrey also spent last summer studying cultural psychology in Italy and Switzerland in an effort to better understand the aspects of diversity and multiculturalism that influence societal norms. Furthermore, this upcoming summer she will be interning with Just in Time for Foster Youth and looking for opportunities to volunteer with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program. Each of these experiences and plans have shaped her interests and assist in her goal to utilize this background in order to lay the foundation for a career in either family law or juvenile dependency. On her spare time, Aubrey really enjoys searching for restaurants that serve delectable mac and cheese, taking long walks while listening to new music and reading fantasy books.

 

Beatriz Torres is a first generation fourth year student at SDSU. She is majoring in psychology and plans a minor in Statistics. Beatriz is interested in Social Psychology and Neuropsychology because of how predisposed biological factors can affect a person’s role in society. As a first generation student, Beatriz hopes to extend the resources Gates to Success offers to various types of students such as: first generation students, students with low income, DACA students and any other student interested in pursuing high impact practices. Beatriz plans to attend graduate school where she hopes to do research in the understanding behind the various underlying factors that cause mental illnesses among low socioeconomic Latino populations and what measures can be implemented to hinder these illnesses to develop. She hopes to one day work in a practice that can help institute those preventative measures for future Latino generations. Beatriz currently works with Girl Scouts San Diego where she teaches young girls skills that help them succeed and become strong voices for the future. Her passion for helping others is what fuels her need to have such ambitious goals in her future in which she hopes to make a positive influence in people’s lives.