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Meet the Team

Academic Counselor

Karina Avalos
Title: USS Academic Counselor
Pronouns : She/Her/Ella
Email : kaeavalo@ucsc.edu
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Bio

Karina (she/her/ella) was born in Guerrero, Mexico, and raised in San Jose, California. After earning her undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Cross-Cultural Studies from the National Hispanic University, she found herself intrigued by the work of student affairs professionals. Prior to joining the UCSC campus community, Karina served San Jose State University for almost 10 years. In the first half of her tenure, she worked as a Graduation Evaluator for the Office of the Registrar liasoning to the College of Health and Human Sciences. In the latter half, her experience culminated as a Counselor and Graduation Data Specialist for the College of Humanities & Arts, where she supported a range of initiatives to drive student retention, graduation, and success.

As a DACAmented counselor, Karina understands firsthand many of the challenges that undocumented students and their families can face in their everyday lives and in higher education. Once she discovered her passion for service in student affairs, she became unequivocally committed to advocating for underrepresented students in higher education.

As the USS Counselor, Karina will serve with heart and skills to elevate, support, and advocate for undocumented students on campus and beyond.

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and her dog, Gino, going to the beach, drawing, savoring her favorite ice-cream (sometimes tamarind, mostly nance fruit), and discovering new music.

Stop by the ARCenter to visit her in person on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays or catch her on Zoom.
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Program Consultant

Daniela Jiménez de Anda
Title: USS Program Consultant
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Email:daljimen@ucsc.edu
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Bio

Hi everyone! My name is Daniela Jiménez De Anda and I am the Program Consultant for Undocumented Student Services under the Educational Opportunity Programs at UC Santa Cruz. I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México and moved to Salinas, CA at the age of nine. I graduated as a first generation college student from UC Santa Barbara where I majored in Sociology and Chicana/o Studies. Within my role as the USS Program Consultant, I am excited to have the opportunity to support undocumented students through the programs and services that Undocumented Student Services provides at UCSC. Be sure to check out some of our events and programs throughout the year. A little bit about myself: in my free time I enjoy going on hikes and spending time with my family and friends.
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UC Santa Cruz Attorney

Ritu Goswamy
Title: UCSC Attorney
Pronouns: They/them
Email:ritu.ucimm@law.ucdavis.edu
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Bio

Ritu Goswamy (they/them) is a Staff Attorney with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center and serves UC Santa Cruz. They are graduates from Barnard College, Columbia University (B.A. Psychology, minor in English) and Boston College (Joint J.D./M.S.W. degrees). Prior to joining the Center, Ritu worked as a child welfare worker in Oakland, and as an attorney with the Legal Aid Society – Employment Law Center (now Legal Aid at Work) and Legal Advocates for Children & Youth (part of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley). Ritu Goswamy Equal Justice Works Fellow with Homeboy Industries, where they founded the legal services program serving formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people. Ritu then ran their own private immigration law practice for 15 years focused on complex family-based and naturalization cases, U visas, VAWA, asylum, and removal defense. Ritu is also a leadership and wellness coach and published author. They enjoy hiking, walking on the beach, farmers markets and ayurvedic wellness practices. Ritu is a second-generation immigrant, and proficient in Spanish and Hindi.
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Graduate Intern 2024-25

Juan Ruiz Cortes
Title: Graduate Fellow
Pronouns: He/él
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Bio
I believe in cultivating resources for undocumented students, theorizing about the undocumented lived experience, and respecting, valuing, and enjoying all forms of People of Color livingness. More concretely, I provide workshops on navigating graduate school when you are undocumented, launching a business venture, and researching theories of undocumentedness. I also enjoy watching good films, cooking tasty meals, playing soccer, and swimming or hiking when it rains.
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Undergrad Interns 2024-25

Sandra Siguachi Hernandez
Title: USS Administrative Intern
Pronouns:She/her/ella
Major: TIM
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Bio

Hello everyone! My name is Sandra Siguachi, and I use she/her/ella pronouns. I was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States five years ago with my dad. I have lived in the Bay Area since moving to the US. I am a third-year Technology Information Management major. My ultimate goal is to become a software engineer, advocate for students with similar backgrounds, and empower women in STEM. I love spending time with my family. I enjoy listening to music, watching movies and shows (currently rewatching Gilmore Girls), and going to the beach. I look forward to meeting you all. I am so excited to be working with Undocumented Student Services and supporting students with similar backgrounds as me.
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Caishu Tian
Title: USS Marketing Intern
Pronouns: Any
Major: Art
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Bio
Hi! I'm Caishu, the Marketing Intern for USS this year. This will be my second year in this role at USS so super excited to keep supporting my community. My primary focus at USS is to work on graphics and compile the newsletter. I am a 3rd year Art major and enjoy printmaking, listening to music, and hanging out with rats in my free time.
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Carolina Gutierrez Martinez
Title: CUIP Digital Engagement Intern
Pronouns: she/her/ella
Major: Business Management Economics
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Bio
Hi slugs! My name is Carolina Gutierrez Martinez. I am a second year majoring in Business Management Economics with a concentration in Accounting. I am from Los Angeles and some of my hobbies are running and cooking. I will be supporting USS as the CUIP Digital Engagement Intern as part of the Marketing team. Check out our instagram for some of my work and I hope to meet many of you throughout the year!
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Melissa Morales Murueta
Title: Community Events Intern
Pronouns: She/her/ella
Major: Psychology major and LALS minor
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Bio
Hi, I’m Melissa, a third year psychology major with a passion for mental health, community building, and social justice. My background in the mental health field has strengthened my commitment to supporting others in need. As a first year programming intern, I am dedicated to fostering inclusive environments and advocating for student wellness by creating meaningful events.
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Brayan Ceron Padilla
Title: Financial Literacy Advocate
Pronouns: He/him
Major: Business Management and Economics
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Bio
Hello everyone my name is Brayan Ceron. I'm a second year and I'm a Business Management and Economics major. I'm from Napa Valley and am the oldest of 3. I'm super excited to be a part of USS and am here to help anyone to the best of my abilities.
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Mayte Flores Ortega
Title: Wellness Advocate
Pronouns: She/her/They
Major: Intensive Literature with a Creative Writing Concentration
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Bio
I was born and raised in Hidalgo, Mexico. I moved to the U.S. at 15 and attended high school in the Bay Area, where I learned English. I always dreamed of attending college; as an immigrant and a non-native English speaker, it has been a rough path, but the journey has been meaningful in many ways. I attended Diablo Valley College for three years before transferring to UCSC. I love helping and connecting with other other undocumented and first-gen students.
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Veronica Angulo Zavala
Title: UndocuSlug Connections Intern
Pronouns: She/Her/They
Major: Earth and Planetary Science
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Bio
I love camping and hiking near the ocean. Im involved in Oakes Senate as a Co-Chair and my favorite spot on campus is the top of the bike trail.
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Dana Alvarez
Title: USS UCIMM Legal Intern
Pronouns: She/her/hers
Major: Psychology and Anthropology
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Bio
Hello! My name is Dana and I am the USS/UCIMM Legal Intern for this academic year. I work closely with Ritu, our campus Immigration attorney. I am a fourth year double majoring in Psychology and Anthropology. I am originally from Mexico but reside in Pismo Beach with my parents and sisters. A couple of things I enjoy doing are puzzles, going on walks, and spending time at local cafes. I am looking forward to connecting with you all this year!
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Kei Gallegos Estrada
Title: Cultural & Intersectional Engagement Intern
Pronouns:They/them/ella
Major: Global Community Health and Psychology
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Bio
Hello! I’m a queer undocu student in my third year at UCSC I’m excited to work with our undocu community this year!
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Meet the Team

Academic Counselor

Karina Avalos

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Program Consultant

Daniela Jiménez de Anda

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UC Santa Cruz Attorney

Ritu Goswamy

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Graduate Intern 2024-25

Juan Ruiz Cortes

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Undergrad Interns 2024-25

Sandra Siguachi Hernandez

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Caishu Tian

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Carolina Gutierrez Martinez

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Melissa Morales Murueta

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Brayan Ceron Padilla

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Mayte Flores Ortega

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Veronica Angulo Zavala

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Dana Alvarez

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Kei Gallegos Estrada

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