The Council

Our Mission
To support the development of a professional, scholastic and social community in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences. The SGSA is a student-governed association supporting post-baccalaureate students in the scholastic and social experiences at USD.

MEET THE 2009-2010 COUNCIL:

COUNCIL PRESIDENT Lauren Johnson ljohnson@sandiego.edu

Lauren grew up a mile from The Happiest Place on Earth and completed her undergraduate degree at California State University, Fullerton. Even though she earned her BA in Business Administration, her emphasis in Entertainment and Tourism ultimately lead towards pursuing a career in International Education. In her second year of the MA Higher Education Leadership program, Lauren has been fortunate to travel with the SOLES Global Center to Thailand, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. Currently working on-campus in the Student Leadership and Involvement Center as a Graduate Assistant, Lauren advises students who are involved in Associated Students and Greek Life. As a member of SGSA, Lauren strives towards building a close SOLES community and providing opportunities for new friendships! 

SPECIAL EVENTS DIRECTOR Kelli Dorey kellidorey-10@sandiego.edu

Kelli grew up in Northern California and completed her undergrad degree at UC Davis. She is now a second year student in the Masters Higher Education Leadership program, and hopes to continue to work with college students long after she graduates. Kelli is specifically passionate about graduate student issues and events, as she currently advises the Graduate Student Council at USD, and can often be found in the new Graduate and Law Student Commons in the Student Life Pavilion. In her free time, Kelli likes to run, bike, dance, and be with friends and family. This year Kelli is looking forward to implementing more collaborative events that would allow graduate students to network and build relationships, creating a strong community of graduate students across the USD campus. She asks that you get in touch with her if you would like to get involved in event planning!

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Kate Sheridan ksheridan@sandiego.edu

Kate is in her second year of the Masters program in Leadership Studies and is enjoying her experiences getting to know the field. She currently works full time as Dean Cordeiro’s assistant and has worked in SOLES for over 3 years.  A native of Pennsylvania, Kate attended Penn State University as an undergrad and received her Bachelors degree in English with a focus on creative writing.  Kate enjoys spending time with friends, seeing live music, traveling, doing yoga, and taking advantage of the gorgeous weather in our blissful city.  She looks forward to continuing her studies and plans to complete an internship in the fall.  As the Director of Finance, Kate will work to build stronger connections with her fellow graduate students and assist in bringing the SOLES student community together. Kate is very excited to be part of the SOLES Graduate Student Association and looks forward to meeting as many of her fellow students as possible. 

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Khalia Ii kii-10@sandiego.edu

Khalia is a second year graduate student in the Masters in Higher Education Leadership program. Earning  her degree specialization in Student Affairs, Khalia enjoys the opportunity to serve as the Graduate Assistant for Leadership in the Student Leadership and Involvement Center, known affectionately as "The SLIC," here at USD.  To that end, Khalia coordinates an introductory leadership course for freshmen students named Emerging Leaders as well as serves as an advisor to the Associated Students Leadership Team.  When she's not working and studying Khalia, a native Angeleno  enjoys rooting on her hometown Lakers basketball team and attending music events. As the Communications Director and second year  SGSA Council member, Khalia looks forward to continuing to serve the needs of the SOLES graduate student community.

GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE Arnette Dunn adunn-11@sandiego.edu

Arnette is a first year graduate student at the University of San Diego in the School Counseling program with an emphasis in Pupil Personnel Services Credential.  She graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Child Development and Family Studies.  In addition to being a graduate student Arnette is working in the Undergraduate Admissions office as a Graduate Assistant. Also, she is currently interning at the University of California San Diego as a Graduate Intern in the Career Services Center.  She is also involved in CS3, which is better known as the Center for Student Support Systems in the School Counseling Department.  Arnette is very excited to be the Graduate Student Council and is looking forward to a great opportunity to get to know graduate students in diverse programs. 

PROGRAM REPRESENTATIVES

COUNSELING REPRESENTATIVE Megan Grady mgrady@sandiego.edu

Megan Grady is a second year graduate student pursuing her Masters in Counseling with a specialization in School Counseling at the University of San Diego. She graduated from Saint Mary's College of California in 2008 with a Bachelors Degree in Integral Liberal Arts. In addition to being a graduate student, Megan is in her second year of working for Residential Life as the Assistant Community Director in the Alcala Vista Apartments. She is also involved in Chi Sigma and CS3. When she has spare time, she loves to go to Disneyland! Megan is very excited to be the Counseling Program Representative for SOLES GSA because it will give her an opportunity to get to know all of the students in the Counseling programs!

DOCTORAL REPRESENTATIVE Holly Hoffman hgilbertson@sandiego.edu

Holly is a first year doctoral student in the Leadership Studies program.  She has an undergraduate business degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University.  Holly’s areas of interest in the doctoral program are nonprofit leadership and organizational consulting and she would like to someday become a researcher for the nonprofit or education sector.  She has worked and volunteered with various organizations in the community including those in environmental education, service learning and volunteerism and currently serves as the co-chair of the communications committee for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.  She is looking forward to creating learning and networking opportunities for SOLES graduate students.

LEADERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE Elizabeth Castillo ecastillo-10@sandiego.edu

Elizabeth is a third-year student in the Nonprofit Leadership Management program. Her research
interests include learning organizations, pattern formations in nature, and cybernetic processes.
She graduated from USD as an undergrad in 1985. Since then she has devoted the past 15 years of her professional life to the nonprofit sector. Elizabeth is an avid hiker and enjoys nature photography. She lives in Rancho Bernardo with her two teenage sons.

MARITAL & FAMILY THERAPY REPRESENTATIVE Laura Sudano lsudano-08@sandiego.edu

Laura is in her second year of the Marital and Family Therapy program. Born and raised in East Setauket, New York, Laura received her BA in Psychology at St. Mary's University (STMU) at San Antonio, Texas. At STMU, Laura was involved in the Learning and Teaching Center, helping the growth and academic development of the undergraduate students. She was a member of the women's collegiate volleyball team and also held the position as vice president for Psi Chi honors society. This year, Laura is completing her practicum at UCSD Family Medicine at La Jolla and is a student member of the American Association of Marital and Family Therapists (AAMFT). Laura is honored to be representing the MFT program and is eager to begin her work in the USD community.

Stacy grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, CA and completed her undergraduate degree in History at Cal State San Marcos. She is now a first year student in the Masters of Education and Education Specialist Credential programs in Special Education, and hopes to work at the High School level. Stacy is particularly interested in helping students learn the skills they need to work in the realworld during their transitions from high school. In her free time Stacy enjoys doing yoga, dancing, participating in volunteer work within her community and working out. She also loves to spend time with her family and friends and she and her husband are currently expecting a new addition to their family. This year Stacy is looking forward to being a part of SGSA  as the Learning and Teaching Representative and helping create a strong community and networking relationship with SOLES students. She is currently working on the social justice issues committee with the women’s center at USD and a member of Phi Delta Kappa! Stacy is looking forward to serving SGSA and the community around her here at USD.

FIRST YEAR REPRESENTATIVE Jacqueline Che sldavis@sandiego.edu

Jacqueline was born and raised in the tropical island paradise of Saipan, capital of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. She recently graduated from the University of San Diego this past May and earned her B.A. in History and Anthropology, with a minor in Asian Studies. USD has cultivated in her a special impetus in leadership and social change and that, among other things, is why she is back here again to pursue her M.A. in Higher Education Leadership. In her free time, she loves to catch up on movies, bake, and sleep like there's no tomorrow! As this year's first-year representative, she will be working towards representing the interests and concerns of 1st year students with a special effort to inform and involve them with SSGA events. Jacqueline strives to bring more awareness of SSGA to the university community and hopes to provide a Grad-to-Grad mentoring program that will build stronger and genuine connections b/w grad students and help them feel comfortable navigating USD!