The PATHS Program operates within the Office of Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, receiving executive support and guidance from Vice Chancellor Becky Petitt and the EDI team in our collaborative pursuit of improved Inclusive Excellence at UC San Diego.
Dr. Gentry Patrick is a Professor in the Neurobiology Section of the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of California at San Diego. His lab studies the role of protein turnover in synaptic plasticity and neurodegenerative disease. He additionally is the Director of Mentorship and Diversity for the Division of Biological Sciences and is the Associate Director of the Neurosciences Graduate Program (NGP) at UC San Diego. Dr. Patrick was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles (where he attended King/Drew Medical Magnet high school in Watts, CA). Dr. Patrick received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1999 after working in the laboratory of Dr. Li-Huei Tsai. He was a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and a United Negro College Fund/Merck postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Erin Schuman at California Institute of Technology. Dr. Patrick joined the UCSD faculty in 2004.
Dr. Patrick is dedicated to driving the overall vision for the PATHS Program as a pilot program model for institutional transformation and improved success of underserved students in STEM.
Guadalupe “Lupe” Cruz joined the team as the new Director of the PATHS Scholars Program. Lupe is a first-generation college graduate and professional who overcame various obstacles growing up in a socioeconomically disadvantaged home in Los Angeles, CA. During her time in college, Lupe gained a passion for serving other first-generation students on the path to and through college.
Lupe completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and obtained her Master of Arts in Educational and Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Lupe has over 7 years of professional experience working in higher education, non-profit community based organizations, and in providing counseling support to college students. Prior to UC San Diego, Lupe worked at the KIPP Through College Program in Los Angeles where she supervised the College Success Team that supported over 1,000 first-generation college students on their journey to college completion. As Director of the PATHS Scholars Program, Lupe provides oversight, assessment, and supervision to all aspects of the PATHS Scholars Program including, program development, staff supervision, grant and budget management, partnership representation, and direct support to Scholars.
Daniel Cardenas (he/him/his) is honored to provide day-to-day support to the PATHS program, it’s scholars, their families, as well as campus and community partners. Through his role, Daniel provides programmatic and special event direction, budget and fiscal tracking, curriculum design, and management of the high-touch scholar support that makes our program unique.
Daniel completed his Master’s in Education at Oregon State University and also holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology from Sonoma State University. He holds over 13 years Student Affairs experience including three years at UCSD’s Raza Resource Centro. In his free time Daniel is a writer and spoken word poet; he loves to push the limits of how expressive art forms, particularly hip-hop, can be used to not only enhance scholar’s understanding of STEM, but also affirm their identity and culture.
Anh Mai was born and raised in San Diego and is a first generation college graduate. As the Program Coordinator, Anh provides administrative and fiscal support, creates marketing and promotional materials, and coordinates event logistics. On her free time, she enjoys visiting national parks, cooking, and traveling.
Anh is an alumnus of UC San Diego and received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2015. Since then, she has worked for various departments on campus including the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization until joining the PATHS Program in early 2019.
Jasmin Siri Revanna, from Birmingham, AL, is a graduate student in the Biological Sciences Program at UCSD with a focus in neuroscience. She is studying the role of microglia in schizophrenia and hopes to contribute to this field by uncovering mechanisms driving schizophrenia. Her ultimate goal is to be a medical scientist where she will practice psychiatry, while conducting research in the realm of mental illnesses. As a PATHS Graduate Advocate, she plans to continue her passion of mentorship by providing resources to scholars such as CV workshops, finding research opportunities, or even just providing moral support. Beyond the PATHS Program, Jasmin is involved in several organizations at Salk Institute where she hopes to contribute by creating inclusive environments in the field of science. Jasmin’s hobbies include dancing (Bollywood fusion), eating at new restaurants, and taking her dog Enzo to parks.
Norah Al-Azzam is a San Diego local and a graduate student in the Neurosciences Ph.D program at UC San Diego. Norah is interested in studying treatment therapies and early-onset detection applications for neurodegenerative diseases. As a PATHS Graduate Advocate, Norah meets with scholars on a weekly basis to discuss their academic success and goals, provide moral support, and guide them to on/off campus resources. In addition, she provides them assistance with researching and applying to competitive research programs/internships and graduate school programs, and presenting at local and national research conferences. At UCSD, Norah is involved with several organizations on campus, including SACNAS where she mentors many SACNAS chapter members through professional development workshops on finding a research lab and undergraduate fellowship opportunities. Norah’s hobbies and interests include hiking,yoga, and painting.
Jada Wiggleton-Little is from Charlotte, NC and is a graduate student in the Philosophy Department at UC San Diego. Her research looks at the intersection of philosophy of mind, epistemology, and clinical ethics with respect to pain language. Jada is interested in what hearing someone's pain "calls us to do", especially in the clinical context. As a PATHS Graduate Advocate, Jada supports her scholars as full persons ---mentoring and connecting her scholars to resources that will support them academically, but also supporting their growth as physical, mental, spiritual, and social people as well. At UCSD, Jada is also involved with the Black Graduate & Professional Student Association (BGPSA). Outside of UCSD, Jada networks and collaborates with bioethicists around the nation as a Sadler Scholar with the Hastings Center and a Visiting Scholar with the John J. Lynch, MD Center of Ethics at the Medstar Washington Hospital. Her hobbies include going to the movies, dancing, and traveling.
Jasper Hsu is from Arcadia, CA and a graduate student in the Biological Sciences Program at UC San Diego. Jasper has personal ties to pancreatic cancer and is committed to studying this deadly disease. At the Salk Institute, he researches how pancreatic tumors modify the local microenvironment and alter immune responses. As a PATHS Graduate Advocate, Jasper is primarily focused on developing personal relationships with the scholars. He prioritizes personal growth and mental health and provides guidance to scholars’ academic and professional goals. In addition to supporting scholar applications for industry internships and research opportunities, Jasper understands the trials and tribulations scholars endure during college to find their calling. He is enthusiastic in emboldening scholars on their journey in STEM. On his free-time, Jasper’s hobbies include traveling the world to golf and taking his dog, Sadie, to the beach.
Hsichen Liang is a second-year Human Biology undergraduate student at Warren College. Hsichen is an academic coach that provides biology support to scholars in the PATHS Program. She loves all the different fields in Biology and her favorite topic is genetics. She plans to pursue a career in Veterinary Medicine.
Immanuel Tjahjadi is a third year undergraduate studying Pharmacological Chemistry and is an Academic Coach for chemistry, specifically, organic chemistry. Being an Indonesian born, first-generation college student, Immanuel enjoys helping others find their place and creating a community from interaction. Immanuel loves seeing students experience their “Eureka!” moment and facilitating academic discussions about the subject at hand. As a hobby, Immanuel enjoys eating delicious food as well as cook, and sometimes he even watches Korean dramas.
Anirudhya Yadav is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with minor in Chemistry. He supports students with lower-division chemistry courses as an Academic coach. He absolutely loves science and wishes to share his passion for the subject by teaching and helping others understand and appreciate the intricacies of the world of science. He believes learning should be for fun and shouldn't be a tedious task, and that knowledge is the key to happiness. Post-graduation, he hopes to pursue stem cell and gene research.
Leonard Bathke is a second-year transfer at UCSD coming from Santa Clarita, California. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at UC San Diego in hopes to work toward a more sustainable and equitable future with indigenous communities as his priority. Both in and out of school, Leonard loves engaging in meaningful conversations, whether it comes in the form of a book club, a deepening of a quote, or simply a 1:1 talk. He is always looking to learn and develop skills outside of his major. Leonard's creative outlets include painting/drawing and music production.
Nidya Preza is a fourth-year undergraduate student double majoring in Political Science and Latin American Studies. As a first-generation college student, raised in City Heights here in San Diego, Nidya is passionate about working with youth and with organizations that work with low-income communities. Her passion is to mentor and guide students with similar backgrounds as her and to provide them with both academic and other support systems at UC San Diego. As the undergraduate student assistant, Nidya provides a broad range of administrative support to the PATHS Scholars Program personnel.