Career Services Staff

Michelle is responsible for leading the Soll Center for Student Opportunity, which houses Career Services, the Sponsored Internship Program, and the Scholar Communities, which includes the Robert Day Scholars Program. In this capacity, Michelle interacts with internal and external constituencies to connect students to the many resources and opportunities offered at CMC through programming and counseling. Previously, Michelle was an attorney with O'Melveny & Myers LLP, focused on structured finance and private equity. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California, a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration from Claremont Graduate University, and a Juris Doctor from Southwestern School of Law. She resides in Claremont and is active in her community, as a member of the Southwestern School of Law Board of Visitors and Mt. San Antonio Gardens Corporation Board. 

Ursula leads the Career Services team at Claremont McKenna College. She is passionate about helping students and alumni construct and navigate their own career paths. During the past 20+ years of her career, she has worked as a leader, administrator, and educator in the fields of higher education, healthcare, financial services, and consulting. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of London, a Master of Arts degree in Psychology and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Higher Education from New York University.

As the Director of the Robert Day Scholars Program and Scholar Communities, Amy oversees the day-to-day activities of the program, which include career services functions, curricular programming, and alumni relations. In her role, Amy works closely with current students to provide them with personal and professional development opportunities and connects them with resources to support their growth. Amy is originally from San Luis Obispo, California. She graduated from CMC in 2011 with a dual degree in history and international relations. After graduation, Amy joined Teach For America and moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. She taught kindergarten, coordinated intervention efforts school-wide, and finally served as the school’s Operations Manager. After moving back to California, she worked for Teach For America’s recruitment efforts at many Southern California colleges, including CMC. In her spare time, Amy loves to eat, cook, and be outside.

As the Assistant Director of External Relations to the Robert Day Scholars Program, Brooke provides individual career coaching for students within the Robert Day Scholars Program where she delivers professional development workshops to contribute to the personal and professional development of Robert Day Scholars. Brooke works collaboratively toward developing strong campus and external relationships designed to drive networking and placement opportunities for Scholars. She also facilitates and manages access to experiential funding. Brooke earned her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2019. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and playing with her two dogs.

Priscilla is the Assistant Director of First Year Programming. Her role at the Soll Center focuses on engaging with all first-year students at CMC to introduce them to the resources within Career Services, coach them on a successful transition to college, and guide them in their early career exploration. She is a first-generation Pitzer College alum and majored in Sociology and Spanish and minored in Chicanx/ Latinx Studies. After a short time working in start-ups Priscilla returned to Pitzer as a Residence Director and Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator. Before coming to CMC, she completed a Fulbright fellowship in Mexico, teaching English at a teacher's training college and engaging students in a wellness and self-development workshop. Priscilla is excited to work with first years at CMC and help students navigate their time in college. During her free time, Priscilla enjoys drinking tea, rewatching Grey's Anatomy, eating popcorn, traveling, and cuddling with her cats.

Freya (she/her/hers) works with students, employers, and alumni associated with the following interest clusters: Accounting & Financial Services; Government, Law & Public Policy; and Non-Profit & Social Enterprise. She also serves as the Pre-Law Advisor for students and alumni, provides guidance for those applying to MBA programs, and supports the Claremont Colleges students on the Washington Program. Prior to joining Career Services, she worked in data analytics and operational efficiency in the energy utility space. Freya graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a degree in Economics, Mathematics, and the Financial Economics Sequence, and she has her MBA from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Freya enjoys cooking and baking for others, traveling, playing strategic board games, solving puzzles, watching Broadway productions, and reading novels.

Garineh is the Associate Director for the Sponsored Internships and Experiences Program. She is a career development professional with a passion for counseling and empowering students so they can achieve their full potential academically and professionally. She has several years of experience working within Student Affairs in a Higher Education setting and continues to serve by being resourceful and guiding each individual in their career journey. Prior to joining CMC, she worked at UCLA and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as a career counselor and internship advisor working with students from undergraduate to Phd/Post-Doc levels. She received her BA in English Literature from UC Irvine and her MA in Guidance and Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. In her free time she enjoys cooking, listening to podcasts, cheering on the Lakers and spending time with her family. 

Adilene is the Coordinator of Scholar Community Programming for the Robert Day Scholars Program and Scholar Communities. Her role with the Robert Day Scholars Program focuses on supporting the facilitation of a co-curricular class that benefits scholars in their personal and professional development. Adilene's role within the Scholar Communities allows her to coordinate student support activities as well as assist the Director of Scholar Communities with the Sponsored Internships and Experiences Program. She studied at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Behavioral Sciences. Adilene has a strong devotion for assisting and uplifting those within her community. Prior to joining us, she volunteered and worked for numerous nonprofits throughout the Los Angeles area. As a proud first-generation college graduate, she plans to further her professional growth within higher education at CMC. In her free time, she enjoys attending music festivals with friends and reading.

Grace meets with students and alumni in the Creative & Entertainment and Technology & Entrepreneurship clusters and also supports the Silicon Valley Program. She has worked in higher education in career services since 2007. She has worked at UCLA, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, Mount Saint Mary’s University and taught a freshmen summer career development course at UCSB. She has worked with students ranging from freshmen to doctoral students in all majors from arts to science. Her work history spans a wide spectrum of experiences including television post-production, radio and college/campus recruitment at Disney and Shire (biotech). She received her BA in Film Studies from UCSB and her MSW from UC Berkeley and is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach.

Lyn is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature and International Studies. During her time at UCI, she was a peer advisor for the Study Abroad Center where she helped students navigate programs offered through UCEAP. Additionally, she was involved with UCI’s Asian American Studies department assisting in research to develop historical archives of the Vietnamese refugee community in Orange County. Upon graduation, Lyn took some time off to travel throughout Vietnam and when she returned, she taught a creative writing class as well as managed the academic enrichment program at an arts and music center based in Irvine. In her free time, she likes to hike, cook, and explore as many national parks as possible!

Gary works with students, employers, and alumni associated with the following interest clusters: Medicine, Biotech & Health Services; Consulting; and Science & Environment. Gary has extensive experience in higher education and leadership. Prior to joining CMC, Gary spent extended time with The Princeton Review, working his way from SAT instructor to Executive Director of the Los Angeles Office. He found his way to higher education with an admissions start up, Joined, Inc. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of California, San Diego.

Mia works with employers, alumni, and parents to coordinate recruitment activities and logistics. She also oversees the Experiential Funding process for conferences & networking events, research, and graduate school. Prior to starting at CMC, Mia worked in Professional Recruitment Services for roles within accounting and finance. She collaborated with job seekers ranging from new graduates to tenured professionals to revise resumes, prepare for interviews, and close employment offers. Mia is a first-generation graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of La Verne. While in college, she played on the Women’s Soccer team and served as a team captain. In her free time, she loves going to Disneyland, playing with dogs (especially corgis), and listening to Christmas music year-round.

Yolanda is the Administrative Associate for Career Services Center.  Prior to joining Career Services, she has worked for Center for Global Education, CMC Payroll, TCCS Payroll, International Place, and CMS Athletics. In Career Services, she assists with processing supplier invoices, experiential funding, reconciling expenses, and planning events.  Prior to joining the Claremont Colleges, she worked as a Purchasing Agent, Payroll Specialist and a Bookkeeper assistant. In her free time, she enjoys taking her granddaughters to movies & plays and assisting them with fun projects. She also likes making time to spend with extended family members around the holiday time.  And every Sunday during football season you can find her cheering for her favorite NFL teams, especially the Los Angeles Chargers.