Meet the Staff
Professional Staff
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Daniel Arturo Alfaro Arellano
Program Manager
Daniel Alfaro currently serves as Program Manager for Undocumented Student Services at UC San Diego. In this capacity, he oversees the student center, and the support services and programs provided through the department.
Before UC San Diego, Daniel served as the Program Manager for the Immigrant Integration Department at Alliance San Diego, a non-profit community empowerment organization that focuses on civic engagement, human rights, and tax and fiscal policy. While at Alliance San Diego, Daniel represented San Diego as Site Lead for the New Americans Campaign and Ready CA, two coalitions composed of organizations developing innovative and effective practices for providing high-capacity, low-cost legal services. As a former undocumented student, Daniel relates to his students through his personal experience navigating U.S. culture and education system.
What I love about the center is the community of students who regularly visit our space. These students give me purpose and motivation to do what I do every day when I come to work. I am honored to have their trust. There is just no better feeling in this industry than the one you get when you make a difference in a student's life.
My primary role as program manager is to oversee all of our operations, but I am also available to meet with students to discuss topics that range from enrollment and financial aid, to life after college, personal development, and travel.
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Christian Abigail Gonzalez
Assistant Coordinator
I love the students and sense of community at the center. On most days, the center is filled with students studying, having conversations with their peers or simply relaxing from a long week. We have a beautiful patio space which has an excellent view of Price Center and other structures, but also serves as a great gathering space for BBQs and other fun events. Even though UCSD is a large campus, places like Undocumented Student Services make this campus feel like home.
As the assistant coordinator, I provide one-on-one advising and general support to the center. I also oversee professional development initiatives such as programming and the Dream Fellowship Program.
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Andres Lemons
Immigration Attorney
Andrés Lemons is a Staff Attorney at the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center. He has been a practicing immigration attorney since 2008. Andrés obtained a law degree at the University of Arizona. He has worked at the City University of New York’s Citizenship Now program, where he provided free immigration services to the people of New York. As a new member of the Undocumented Student Services Center, Andrés is happy to meet students for a one-on-one consultation and provide legal assistance with adjustment of status applications, DACA renewals, and general immigration screenings.
Make an appointment with Andres -
Maria Zuniga-Bel
Program Specialist
What I love about the center is that it is such a vibrant space. Everyone makes you feel welcome. The center has so much to offer in terms of social, academic, and in-center support services. It is always a positive experience to see students occupying the space and using the resources.
As the Program Specialist I provide administrative and programming support for the center.
Student Staff
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Allan Lam
Greetings! My name is Allan and I am your legal intern at the undocumented student service center. Working as a family, we are dedicated to help students achieve mental, physical, and academic wellness and guarantee equality for everyone we served. I really like the unity and the atmosphere of the center where everyone trust each other and together fight hard for the same goal. Here at the center you will feel being included in a home away from home. Don’t hesitate to come to the center and make connections, we will always be here for you! s
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Alma Renero
I love USS because it feels like a home. Staff, interns, and students are friendly and helpful. I am a transfer student and coming from a small community of students I was overwhelmed with how big UCSD is. I found USS to be a small community and a very similar environment to what I was used to at my community college. I love that there are plenty of workshops to improve student success. It is a great place to study on campus.
I am the administrative assistant. I am currently working on a workshop about loans and repayment. In the past I worked on a financial workshop to help students fill out the CA Dream Act application and a resume workshop. -
Alondra Gonzalez Arias
I am a third-year global health student at Muir College. In addition to this, I am one of the two professional development interns at the center. As a professional development intern, I am focused on creating a variety of events that will prepare students for a successful career. Through seminars, workshops and digital resources, I hope students will find the information they need to improve their technical skills. In addition to this the information necessary to plan for post-graduation academic and non-academic programs.
Although I am only starting to involve myself in the center, I have found a strong and supportive community. A community filled with genuine people who want to help and see others succeed. I hope to continue my involvement with the center in the future.
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Ana Robles Montano
I’m a fourth year transfer student and I love being at the center because everyone always makes me feel welcomed and it feels like a little home away from home. I know I can always go there with questions and concerns and receive the help I need. It can be as simple as a hot cup of coffee before class or receiving legal services from their immigration attorney. The center is a safe space on campus where you can be yourself and know you will succeed.
As a retention intern our goal is to provide students the best opportunities to be involved in the center and thrive academically and in all other aspects of life. By staying involved and interacting with other students we hope to build a community of support and provide a wholesome experience in their time here at UCSD. -
Crystal Romero
My name is Crystal Romero and a little bit of myself is that I am a second year transfer student from East Los Angeles Community College. I am majoring in Communication. The reason I enjoy USS is because of its welcoming and warm environment. I say this because as a student amongst thousands of other students it can feel overwhelming and at times difficult to find a safe space. However, USS does this alongside many more things.
As a member of the Student Retention Team, my duties are to ensure and support students on their path to graduation. With that being said, some of the tasks the Retention Team will be in charge of this year are planning 3 destressor events, one per quarter. The reason for these events is so students can take time to recharge before exam time. Hope to see you all at our events!
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Dajanett Tsang
I currently work as a policy and advocacy intern. I am working on the Legislative Advocacy Program which allows students to take leadership roles and promote social justice and equality in their community. I hope to inspire others to voice their concerns and take a stand.
I love the Undocumented Student Center because of the sense of community that I was able to find here. The support and guidance has helped me through my academic journey at UCSD. I have been able to see the impact that the professional staff have made on our fellow students through the different types of resources and aid that they provide.
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Daniela Hernandez Oaxaca
What I love about the center is all of the support that it provides to students. There are so many resources that USS makes available to students such as school supplies, a study space, legal services, food pantry, and so much more. The center makes sure that students’ needs are met while at the same time making this a space where students feel comfortable and safe.
As an Early Outreach Intern we plan events for high school students and college transfer students. Our goal is to outreach to students early on in order to plant a seed of making the transfer to a university a possibility. We provide information and -
Diana Nguyen
I love the community that this center is able to facilitate. The discussions, inside jokes, and the support we all give one another is something that I always look forward to. I’ve met some of the nicest people I know here!! As a broke college student, I also love that it provides me my breakfast.Here at the center, I am the Media and Marketing Intern!
I am in charge of creating new visual designs and maintaining the social media accounts. My work here varies from new button and sticker designs for the center to fulfilling a Jason Momoa graphic request. My previous project was to update our website, but now I’m leading the way for the center’s annual booklet. -
Faustina Ngo
I am currently a third year working at the Undocumented Student Services Center as a Retention Intern. I’m in Eleanor Roosevelt College, and I’m studying Public Health with a minor in Ethnic Studies. I’m from Oakland, and still love the town even when I’m here in San Diego during the school year. In my spare time, I like to sing, grab food with friends, and explore the city. I’m also trying to learn “Lemonade” by Jeremy Passion on the ukelele as of now! You can also catch me working at the Writing Hub on campus as well.
This year, I would like to collaborate with the rest of the Retention team in producing some community-building and inspiring events for students who are undocumented. Look out for our events as there will be a fun destressor every quarter and some of us are planning personal projects! -
Marco-Landon Siu
Hi everyone! My name is Marco-Landon and I am one of the Early Outreach interns! What I love about the Undocu Center is the autonomy to initiate student-led projects that positively impact the community. We have supportive professional staff and incredible student interns that truly care about the undocumented community. My role as an Early Outreach intern is to establish a pipeline for undocumented students to matriculate into higher education. Undocumented students are often left out of the larger conversation in educational equity; honing in on my passion and previous work with youth, I am confident in being a support pillar for the undocumented community.
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Paulina Becerra
USS is a safe place for undocumented students. If you are an undocumented student feeling afraid or confused about your future, this is a great place to visit. They offer a variety of valuable resources including scholarships, legal services, and emotional support. What I love most about the center is that we all share a passion to cultivate an environment of success for the undocumented community.
I am on the Personal Development team and my role here at USS is to coordinate events that will aid undocumented students in their career readiness. We will be creating a large array of resources that will give students various networking and learning opportunities; such as seminars and professional development workshops throughout the year. We hope you can join us!
To make an appointment, visit our online booking system and select an appointment type that best meets your needs. This appointment system is only for enrolled students, including incoming students. Non-enrolled prospective students and community members must email undoc@ucsd.edu for assistance.
