PTSP EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

2023-2024

Get to know a little bit more about this year's current board members!

CHAIRPERSON

Casey Carandang

Pronouns: he/him
Major/Minor: Public Affairs/Digital Humanities
Hometown: San Ramon, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

Coming into SEND 2022, I felt agitated on not being able to find my own village. But being a part of PTSP, I am able to flourish within my own self and be with a community that creates holistic impacts for Pilipinx transfers.

VICE CHAIRPERSON

Kaitlyn Barnett

Pronouns: she/they
Major/Minor: Comparative Literature/Music Industry
Hometown: Lakewood, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

PTSP was the deciding factor into SIRing to UCLA. Because of this fact, it lead to me wanting to give back to the community that helped foster my growth and gave me so much joy. I knew I wanted to be on board because it's the behind the scenes of the events and I wanted to step into a role as a leader and help create that same feeling of community to newly admits.

ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR

Milan del Rosario

Pronouns: she/her
Major/Minor: Biology/Evolutionary Medicine
Hometown: Brentwood, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

I wanted to give back to a community that really helped me get comfortable here at UCLA when I was a first year transfer. Being a part of PTSP allows me to share the support and guidance I received during my transition, ensuring that transfer students have a smooth and welcoming experience as well. It's a way for me to pay it forward and make sure that they feel just as supported as I did when I first arrived!

FINANCIAL COORDINATOR

Angela Marie Medina

Pronouns: she/her
Major/Minor: Asian American Studies/Education
Hometown: Chino Hills, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

I wanted to have some agency within the community I am a part of. I wasn’t super involved with PTSP but I wanted to do more to help out the organization. I wanted to connect with people who shared my culture! I love being a Pilipina American woman and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

EXTERNAL ACADEMICS AND RETENTION COORDINATOR

Nikki Calub

Pronouns: she/her
Major/Minor: Psychology
Hometown: Los Alamitos, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

PTSP is the first place I found community at UCLA. Last year, I learned a lot about what it means to be Pilipinx in higher education institutions--shout out STEP and SPACE hehe-- and realized how special it is to have a space for specifically Pilipinx transfers. I really want to advocate for transfer visibility and support so that we can thrive at UCLA and beyond.

INTERNAL ACADEMICS AND RETENTION COORDINATOR

Han Herrera

Pronouns: they/them
Major/Minor: Biology
Hometown: Antioch, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

Honestly, I wouldn't have survived my first quarter at UCLA if it wasn't for the help of our previous PTSP ARC pointing me in the direction of spear and making me feel valid in my transfer experience. There were a lot of new experiences I had thanks to PTSP, and I wouldn't have been able to find my comfort in my community without them. Hopefully I can do the same for the incoming transfers :D

SOCIAL AND RECRUITMENT COORDINATOR

Aris Corpus

Pronouns: he/him
Major/Minor: Psychology/Digital Humanities
Hometown: Hercules, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

PTSP welcomed me with open arms and made me feel comfortable in the hustle and bustle of UCLA. As a transfer from the Bay Area, transitioning to LA was daunting, but PTSP created an environment that embraced being Filipino, a transfer, and a UCLA student. The transfer experience is something I want to make enjoyable for others, just as past PTSP board did for me!

HISTORIAN

Nathania Pakingan

Pronouns: she/her
Major/Minor: English/Digital Humanities
Hometown: Vallejo, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

PTSP provided so much for me during my first year at UCLA! With the help of many people within the organization, I feel like I was able to grow so much as a person in such a short amount of time. I wanted to take a bigger role within the community so that I could give back what I had gained by providing a welcoming and comforting space for transfers :)

EXTERNAL BAYANIHAN PROJECT CO-COORDINATOR

Izabella Saltiban

Pronouns: she/her
Major/Minor: Political Science
Hometown: Sacramento, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

PTSP became my first and main support system at UCLA. Because of PTSP, I was able to meet some of my best friends, rediscover my Pilipinx identity, and transition in a safe community. As External BPC I want to help advocate for transfer students and underrepresented communities and narratives.

INTERNAL BAYANIHAN PROJECT CO-COORDINATOR

Mika Villavert

Pronouns: she/her
Major/Minor: Political Science
Hometown: Walnut, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

I took SPACE internship in spring quarter and realized how important it is to advocate for community college and transfer students! There is still a lot of stigma around the community college/transfer experience and I want students to feel proud of their journeys to higher education. Through my position, I plan to build upon the research and data that was collected last year to address barriers at the community college level and foster transfer empowerment!

BAYANIHAN INVESTMENT COORDINATOR

Stephanie Flores

Pronouns: she/her
Major/Minor: Psychology
Hometown: Temecula, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

I wanted to join PTSP board to find and support a community that provides a platform to empower and promote Pilipinx transfer students. It was important to me to give back to a community that has helped me rediscover my own identity, grow in my skills as a leader, and find lifelong connections. I'm looking forward to facilitating space internship and cultivating a safe space for students with similar narratives as mine. I can't wait to learn and grow with you all!:)

STUDENT EMPOWERMENT NETWORKING DAY (SEND) COORDINATOR

Alyana Samson

Pronouns: she/her
Major/Minor: Psychobiology/Asian American Studies
Hometown: Riverside, CA

Why did you want to be part of PTSP board?

PTSP welcomed me into a safe community that allowed me to feel inclusive on and off campus while being comfortable with my Pilipinx identity. With my position as SEND coordinator, this event as an incoming transfer truly gave me long-lasting friendships and eased my transition onto a large campus. I desire to provide other transfers with the same opportunity by showing them the abundance of resources and organizations catered to the Pilipinx community.