Operations Team
Monica Demcho
EOPS & CalWORKs Coordinator
A little bit about me...
During COVID I took up boogie boarding and bike riding. Since the beach and bike rides were a safe form of entertainment, I found myself boogie boarding two to three times a week during the summer. I started bike riding to the beach. I eventually purchased an electric bike and now I try to ride 3 – 5 times a week. I love to travel, especially internationally. Learning about new cultures, sight-seeing, trying new foods – I love it all. My favorite destination so far has been Vietnam.
Damaris Garduno
Special Populations Student Services Technician
A little bit about me...
I love nature, the great outdoors, the holidays and travel. A new tradition for me combining it all is collecting ornaments at all the National Parks me and my husband visit. Our goal is to camp or hike all 63 U.S. National Parks! Any Disney Lovers? Encanto is my favorite movie. The Hispanic influence, the brilliant music, and the messages of family, service, and unconditional love from others and for yourself have me re-watching this movie over and over again.
Alicia Lopez
Student Services Technician
A little bit about me...
I decided to go into a career in education, so I can empower students to reach their educational and career goals. Navigating college can be challenging but all is achievable with determination. I thrived when I had mentors who supported me as a first-generation college student. Now, my purpose is to help students. Some of my hobbies include traveling, reading fiction, and being in nature.
Sam Shooshtary
Student Assistance Technician
A little bit about me...
I love working with our students who inspire me with all of their aspirations and goals. I am a product of community college system and a former student of Continuing Education. I come from the perspective of being a bi-cultural immigrant, 1st generation, low income, disabled, college student, who identifies with many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. This allows me to build rapport and connect with students coming from underrepresented populations.
Zabiullah (Z) Popal
EOPS Project Analyst
A little bit about me...
I play video games/board games with friends, rock climbing, hiking. The main thing I've been doing for fun lately is playing D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) with my friends. We've been doing this for the past 8 months and it's been so much fun, I can go on and on about the campaign we're playing but I'll spare you. It's also just been a great activity to stay in touch with my friends that I play with because none of them are in the city anymore.
Lora Anastasia
EOPS/CARE & CalWORKs Ambassador
A little bit about me...
I am the single mother of a beautiful 6-year-old girl. School has been a task for me but thankfully through EOPS, CARE, and CalWORKs I found a community full of support. My goal is to use my life experiences and barriers as tools to help and motivate others. I am Disney obsessed and love fantasy, sci-fi, and horror shows and movies!
Azalia Ocampo
EOPS/NextUp Project Assistant
A little bit about me...
As far as I remember I had a good educational experience but through friends, family members and other sources I realized that this wasn't the case for everyone. Since then I knew that I wanted to help students advocate for their education and show them that there was people who believed in them. I was lucky enough to have counselors who advocated for me to pursue my higher education and didn't give up on me. I want to show students the same experience I had.
Vanessa Montano
NextUp Project Assistant
A little bit about me...
I chose a career in education because it is where I personally felt the most empowered! During my time at community college, I was blessed to have really great counselors who encouraged me to pursue my Bachelor’s degree, which changed my life. Because of this, I understand the impact that higher education professionals can have on students. I was also heavily involved on campus, and during this time I became passionate about empowering other students myself.
Naghmeh Ilbegi Teymouri
EOPS & CalWORKs Ambassador
A little bit about me...
I am a single mom of two human boys and two puppies, as much as I love my human boys I love my puppies too. I’m a Miramar college full time student and CalWORKs ambassador at EOPs. My family and I arrived in U.S. 2016 and I have been working hard to improve my English skills as well as my career. I love dancing, every other weekend a friend of mine and I go to the live music to dance.
Mansoora Ameri
EOPS Ambassador
A little bit about me...
I chose a career in education due to personal experiences I had in the past. In my country, girls are not allowed to go to school to achieve their career goals. Here I have this opportunity to pursue my education so I can help others. I like to play basketball, watch movies, and read books. I also enjoy spending time with my family/friends.
Momtaza Sayd
EOPS Project Assistant
A little bit about me...
Being the first in my family to pursue higher education was very difficult for me to navigate through the journey. I, wholeheartedly, believe that seeing individuals of similar backgrounds encourages a person to pursue their interest and go above and beyond. I had many teachers/mentors encouraging me to keep going and I want to do the same. I enjoy spending time with my family. I love exploring new and different cafes, trails, and amusement parks.
EOPS Counselors
Ali Gonzalez
EOPS Counselor
A little bit about me...
I’m a first-generation college student who can often be found walking my dog at Balboa Park, being out and about with family and friends, or drinking coffee at home while jamming to 90s R&B, salsa, or many other genres of music. I’m an aspiring camper, rock climber, traveler and I believe in the power of education to change lives. I enjoy learning about new cultures, and becoming more fearless in my food exploration. Final tidbits- Gryffindor is the best HP house, the X-Men are the top superhero team, and Mariah Carey is the greatest artist of all time!
Marcella Osuna
NextUp/EOPS Counselor
A little bit about me...
I chose a career in education because I am a proud first-generation college student and former community college student and I know what it is like navigating the college system. I wanted to be a counselor to be able to guide my students in meeting their personal, academic, and career goals. On my free time, you can find me trying new restaurants or coffee shops, being outside at the beach or on hikes, and spending time with my dog Bilbo.
Jenny King
NextUp/EOPS Adjunct Counselor
A little bit about me...
I was a first-generation college student who attended Community College and I felt that navigating the college culture and environment was not easy/friendly. I wanted to be able to be part of that change for future incoming students. I enjoy nature walks, hikes and camping with my husband who I have been with for 22 years, as well as my 3 daughters who are 9, 11 and 13. I also enjoy my 2 fur babies Kali and Archie.
Judy Patacsil
Special Populations Personal Counselor
A little bit about me...
I chose a career in education because I see education as a tool of empowerment. For fun, I love to travel & even though I go as often as I can, I love going to Hawaii because of the “Aloha” spirit that I experience there.
Theron Page
EOPS Adjunct Counselor
A little bit about me...
I am an obsessive Los Angeles Lakers fan, and I like to think I can throw down in the kitchen. My favorite movie is Lion King, but the cartoon version. The real version isn't my cup of tea, but we can debate about it. I like watching documentaries, playing sports, and playing with my Pitbull Blue!
Rabia Khan
EOPS Adjunct Counselor
A little bit about me...
I wholeheartedly believe in the transformative power of education! As a first-generation college student, I can attest to both the obstacles and to the successes in navigating higher education and am passionate about helping guide students with overcoming their challenges, while supporting them with achieving their unique academic and career goals. For fun, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, travelling and exploring new places, being in nature, sipping tea, practicing yoga, and consuming all things Conan O’Brien and Seinfeld related.
Sasha Verastegui
CARE Adjunct Counselor
I'm a first-generation college student as well as a first generation to be born in the United States as my family came from Peru, South America. I am also a San Diego Mesa Community College alumnus. I was a Mesa College student Ambassador and I was honored to mentor high school students in achieving their goals for college. It was during that time that I decided to become a counselor. I was also part of the EOPS program, the Puente Project and was a member of the MeCha club. I then transferred to San Diego State where I earned my B.S. in Psychology and a M.S. in Counseling. In my role as an EOPS/CARE & CalWORKs counselor I look forward to providing support to community college students like myself. I'm passionate about empowering students to reach their full potential. In my free time, you can find me traveling and hanging out with family and friends. There is no perfect quote about me, so I say to you, come as you are because I value all of you..