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Torero Urban Scholars

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Meet the Team

photo of Rosie Ainza

Graduate Assistant

Rosie Ainza

Rosie earned her undergraduate degree in English and Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Southeast in her hometown of Juneau, Alaska. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Peace and Justice program at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at USD.

rainza@sandiego.edu

TUS Co-Founder

Austin Galy

Former United States Air Force leader now turned educator at the University of San Diego, Austin Galy, M.A. works across multiple disciplines to include: public affairs and government relations, local economic development and strategic partnership management in accordance with the University's strategic plan. As an educator and consultant both inside the classroom and on the ground, Austin specializes in leadership and organizational development, conflict resolution as well as theory of change models centered around equity and justice. Austin has been with the University of San Diego since 2014 where he currently serves as the Director for Neighborhood and Community Partnerships.

From 2009 - 2014, Austin served as a member of the United States Air Force, working to support the U.S. and other joint coalition task force efforts during wartime. After separating from active duty in 2014, Austin made the decision to shift careers in pursuit of more sustainable community models and preventative methods for peace and ultimately, transformative justice.

Educationally, Austin received his B.A. in Sociology before going on to obtain his M.A. in Peace and Justice Studies from the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. Collectively, his experiences have led him to a passionate career as a leader, educator and ultimately, a bridge builder working toward creating a more just and equitable world.

austingaly@sandiego.edu

TUS Co-Founder

Janelle Brown-Peters

Janelle is a USD alum and San Diego native who worked her way through earning her education first by earning her Associate’s Degree at Cuyamaca College, followed by her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Hospitality Management at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She has served in the military and worked in hospitality roughly 13 years before transitioning into higher education where she has had the opportunity to work at a few different higher education institutions. Janelle is currently the Assistant Director of Admissions at California Western School of Law.

Janelle is a graduate of the Masters of Arts in Higher Education Leadership program at USD’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences. She has always had a passion for working with underrepresented and marginalized communities. Over the years she has worked with those who are justice-impacted, food and housing insecure, former foster youth, and those from communities of color and/or low socio-economic backgrounds. With that, she centered her Master’s Action Research on support services for formerly incarcerated students in higher education. Her aim was to improve and/or create support services for formerly incarcerated students at the University of San Diego by comparing what neighboring institutions were doing to support formerly incarcerated students.

During her time at USD, Janelle worked in the Career Development Center as a Graduate Assistant and later, the Law School Admissions and Financial Aid Office as the Assistant Director of Admissions. Her experiences at USD and beyond have contributed to her development as leader, educator, connector and advocate.
janbrownpeters@sandiego.edu