The PATHS Program operates within the Office of Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, receiving executive support and guidance from Vice Chancellor Becky Petitt and the EDI team in our collaborative pursuit of improved Inclusive Excellence at UC San Diego.
Dr. Gentry Patrick is a Professor in the Neurobiology Section of the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of California at San Diego. His lab studies the role of protein turnover in synaptic plasticity and neurodegenerative disease. He additionally is the Director of Mentorship and Diversity for the Division of Biological Sciences and is the Associate Director of the Neurosciences Graduate Program (NGP) at UC San Diego. Dr. Patrick was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles (where he attended King/Drew Medical Magnet high school in Watts, CA). Dr. Patrick received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1999 after working in the laboratory of Dr. Li-Huei Tsai. He was a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and a United Negro College Fund/Merck postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Erin Schuman at California Institute of Technology. Dr. Patrick joined the UCSD faculty in 2004.
Dr. Patrick is dedicated to driving the overall vision for the PATHS Program as a pilot program model for institutional transformation and improved success of underserved students in STEM.
Guadalupe “Lupe” Cruz joined the team as the new Director of the PATHS Scholars Program. Lupe is a first-generation college graduate and professional who overcame various obstacles growing up in a socioeconomically disadvantaged home in Los Angeles, CA. During her time in college, Lupe gained a passion for serving other first-generation students on the path to and through college.
Lupe completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and obtained her Master of Arts in Educational and Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Lupe has over 7 years of professional experience working in higher education, non-profit community based organizations, and in providing counseling support to college students. Prior to UC San Diego, Lupe worked at the KIPP Through College Program in Los Angeles where she supervised the College Success Team that supported over 1,000 first-generation college students on their journey to college completion. As Director of the PATHS Scholars Program, Lupe provides oversight, assessment, and supervision to all aspects of the PATHS Scholars Program including, program development, staff supervision, grant and budget management, partnership representation, and direct support to Scholars.
Daniel Cardenas (he/him/his) is honored to provide day-to-day support to the PATHS program, it’s scholars, their families, as well as campus and community partners. Through his role, Daniel provides programmatic and special event direction, budget and fiscal tracking, curriculum design, and management of the high-touch scholar support that makes our program unique.
Daniel completed his Master’s in Education at Oregon State University and also holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Kinesiology from Sonoma State University. He holds over 13 years Student Affairs experience including three years at UCSD’s Raza Resource Centro. In his free time Daniel is a writer and spoken word poet; he loves to push the limits of how expressive art forms, particularly hip-hop, can be used to not only enhance scholar’s understanding of STEM, but also affirm their identity and culture.
Anh Mai was born and raised in San Diego and is a first generation college graduate. As the Program Manager, Anh provides administrative and fiscal support, creates marketing and promotional materials, and coordinates event logistics. On her free time, she enjoys visiting national parks, cooking, and traveling.
Anh is an alumnus of UC San Diego and received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2015. Since then, she has worked for various departments on campus including the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization until joining the PATHS Program in early 2019.
Jasmin Siri Revanna, from Birmingham, AL, is a graduate student in the Biological Sciences Program at UCSD with a focus in neuroscience. She is studying the role of microglia in schizophrenia and hopes to contribute to this field by uncovering mechanisms driving schizophrenia. Her ultimate goal is to be a medical scientist where she will practice psychiatry, while conducting research in the realm of mental illnesses. As a PATHS Graduate Advocate, she plans to continue her passion of mentorship by providing resources to scholars such as CV workshops, finding research opportunities, or even just providing moral support. Beyond the PATHS Program, Jasmin is involved in several organizations at Salk Institute where she hopes to contribute by creating inclusive environments in the field of science. Jasmin’s hobbies include dancing (Bollywood fusion), eating at new restaurants, and taking her dog Enzo to parks.
Zaida Rodriguez was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She is a first-generation college student with a bachelor’s in Microbiology from CSULB. During undergrad, she was accepted into the RISE program which provided her guidance and support in preparation for grad school. She is a second year PhD student in the Biological Sciences Program at UCSD and works in Dr. Elizabeth Villa’s laboratory. Her focus is investigating the early stages of infection of jumbo bacteriophages. Her journey in higher academia has reinforced her desire to see more diversity in STEM. As a PATHS scholar, she plans to use her previous challenges and knowledge to mentor scholars not only in their academic journeys but also provide essential moral support. Outside of science, Zaida enjoys hiking, reading, the beach, crocheting, and socializing with friends and family.
Lennice Castro, from Norwalk, CA, is a graduate student in the Biological Sciences Program at UCSD with a focus in molecular biology. She is studying how the immune system has evolved "tripwire" defense systems that can sense viral infections by detecting the activity of viral proteases, and how viruses have evolved to counteract these systems. She hopes to contribute to this field by uncovering mechanisms involved in the host-virus evolutionary arms-race. Her ultimate goal is to continue as a scientist conducting research in the realm of host-pathogen interactions and infectious disease. As a PATHS Graduate Advocate, she plans to continue her passion for mentoring the next generation of diverse scientists by providing resources to sch, finding research opportunities, and providing moral support. Beyond the PATHS Program, Lennice is a host on the Triplicates Podcast, along with two other first-generation, women of color in STEM, where she hopes to demystify the STEM PhD and share how fun science can be. Lennice’s hobbies include vibing to music (usually R&B and reggaetón), eating at new restaurants, and enjoying the sunny SD beaches.
Victor Arango-Quiroga is a graduate student in the Master of Science in Computer Science program at UCSD. Victor immigrated to the U.S. in 2014 from Cali Colombia. During his undergrad at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Victor completed two research internships at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in NY and at the Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia. Both research projects were in the field of autonomous driving where he worked hands-on with robots and computer vision algorithms. He has participated in the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers (SHPE) and the Ford Hispanic Network (FHN) where he has helped to forge connections between local industries and undergraduate students. He also has 4+ years of professional experience as a Software Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, and Tech Lead. Now, his academic goal is to gain expertise in the field of Machine Learning. One of his personal goals is to reduce the underrepresented communities gap in STEM by contributing with his experience working in diverse, low-income communities as well as teaching math and coding to young scholars. His hobbies include soccer, hiking, camping, exploring new restaurants and socializing with friends and family.
Anirudhya Yadav is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with minor in Chemistry. He supports students with lower-division chemistry courses as an Academic coach. He absolutely loves science and wishes to share his passion for the subject by teaching and helping others understand and appreciate the intricacies of the world of science. He believes learning should be for fun and shouldn't be a tedious task, and that knowledge is the key to happiness. Post-graduation, he hopes to pursue stem cell and gene research.
Leonard Bathke is a second-year transfer at UCSD coming from Santa Clarita, California. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at UC San Diego in hopes to work toward a more sustainable and equitable future with indigenous communities as his priority. Both in and out of school, Leonard loves engaging in meaningful conversations, whether it comes in the form of a book club, a deepening of a quote, or simply a 1:1 talk. He is always looking to learn and develop skills outside of his major. Leonard's creative outlets include painting/drawing and music production.
Bethany Yuan is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Bioengineering: Bioinformatics and General Physics. She supports students with lower-division math, physics, and CS courses as an Academic coach. She sometimes finds science laws fascinating and loves to share her findings with other students. Outside of school, Bethany enjoys reading, traveling, and watching physics professor Susskind eating scones while lecturing on YouTube.
Lauren Murai is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UCSD majoring in Mathematics. As a math academic coach she provides support to students in lower-division mathematics courses. Lauren is passionate about helping others and enjoys being able to connect with students to help them reach their goals. Math is a very challenging subject, but she believes that through proper guidance from the academic resources available, math can become an approachable subject for any student.
Megan Hsu is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in International Studies - International Business with a minor in Supply Chain. As a PATHS Student Assistant, she performs a range of administrative tasks, including scheduling meetings, creating marketing materials, and maintaining expense sheets, to support the functions of the PATHS Scholars Program. Through this job, she hopes to indirectly assist scholars in pursuit of their STEM goals and professions. After graduation, she hopes to work in international trade and help businesses expand their products and services globally.