2009 COSMOS RA Staff!

Cluster 1

I’m proud to say that I have just graduated from UCSC and now I’m ready to find my place in this brave new world! I was born and raised in San Rafael, CA and this will be my second year working as an RA for COSMOS. I’m excited to grow from this experience, change the lives of the people around me, and spend my last summer at UCSC working at this fantastic job! I hope that this year’s COSMOS cohort takes risks and makes efforts to meet one another, and allows themselves to change for the better through this experience!

Scott Ferreter

I will be going into my third year at UCSC as a Creative Writing major. I was born and raised in Sacramento. Now I live in Santa Cruz, where I spend my days writing stories and music, performing stand-up comedy, riding my bike, and surfing. College is a completely open book. I love that it only gives back what you put in. Life is so much more vivid when you bring curiosity and playfulness into everything you do. I am excited to see the COSMOS students brought to life by new and exciting information.

Cluster 2

I am a third generation Chinese from San Francisco, California. I currently still live in San Francisco with my parents and sister. I love playing basketball, reading novels, and hanging out with friends. I am a Psychology major and coming here to UC Santa Cruz is something that I will never regret. I made a lot of friends that I can keep in touch with for a long time, and gained experience in leadership through student organizations and internships. College opened my eyes to opportunities that I would not have gained elsewhere. Challenge yourself to learn new things because it will open new doors for you!

Timothy Anderson

I am a double major, literature and philosophy, and a legal studies minor on top of that. I hope to attend Cal State LA for a MS in criminal justice. I am a very active person; I enjoy being outdoors in any capacity. A major part of my life is physical fitness. One of my hopes for the 09-10 school year is to receive by personal trainer certification, which I intend to use to work primarily with disabled students and staff at UCSC. If I can give any advice to incoming COSMOS students it would be to encourage all of them to try something new this summer. College is supposed to be the place where you find what you love in life and often times that thing is the one thing you never expected. I look forward to working with all of the incoming students and to a great summer.

Cluster 3

I am originally from San Jose in the Bay Area. I have four siblings, three sisters and a brother. I am a fourth year Sociology major. I am a pretty active individual. In college, I have been involved with organizations such as the Asian American/ Pacific Islander Resource Center, Chinese and Vietnamese Student Association and intramural sports. I am a sports fanatic. When I am not busy with classes and organizations, I can be seen jogging around campus or playing several different kinds of sports, especially basketball. I love to go out and spend time with friends by eating and watching movies. My hobbies include cooking for friends, playing sports, gaming, hiking, sight-seeing and traveling. My favorite destination is Hawaii because I love the water. I am pretty outgoing and love meeting and talking to new people. Every person has an interesting story. Life is just too short to not make the most out of it. My advice is to find out what it is that excites you, and strive for it. It might seem difficult at times, but if there is a will there is a way. There are no limits to what you are capable of doing. As Dory from Finding Nemo would put it, “just keep swimming.”

Brianna Columb

My full name is Brianna Jeanette, but everyone calls me Breezy. I am the youngest of three from the bay area. I love Santa Cruz! It is a great place to wander around. There are excellent concerts, a lot of great shops to go to downtown, and, of course, the campus is beautiful. My favorite part of Santa Cruz and college in general, are diverse experiences available here. There are so many lectures, concerts, plays, and exhibitions that expose you to something new and let you learn from all the talent around you. My best advice to COSMOS students is to take advantage of the plethora of activities and opportunities this experience offers. Don’t turn down a chance to see something new!

Cluster 4

My name is Christine Sinclair and I am originally from Los Angeles. I have four older brothers and one younger sister. I will be graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts in History this June. Two of my favorite subjects are Chemistry and Ecology and some of my likes I would say are to watch movies, hang out with friends, and BBQ at the beach. My advice to the COSMOS students is to WORK HARD, HAVE FUN, AND REMEMBER LIFE IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE! YAYAY COSMOS!!!

Zane Griffin

I'm originally from Sacramento, CA. I enjoy the outdoors - backpacking, running, cycling, and bicycle touring. I play the guitar and music is a passion of mine. I love photography. I have been a COSMOS RA twice before! I would like to go on to work in public healthcare/nutrition and possibly medicine. This summer may be the best summer of your life. It's what you make out of it. Just have fun and do what's best for you and everyone around you at the same time.

Cluster 5

Hello! I am from Roseville, CA. I am the 6th out of 7 children—I have three brothers and three sisters. I am double majoring in Literature and Feminist Studies. This summer I have a few goals in mind: to learn to play my banjo and to learn Japanese! I really like foreign languages and I plan on brushing up on my French! I love talking to people, learning about them, or just being crazy with my friends. I also love to dance—any form of dancing elates me! I am good to have a spontaneous dance party at any time and place! I like creating stuff—writing, scrapbooks, and outfits, whatever! I really love coming to school in Santa Cruz because the campus is gorgeous! I feel inspired to learn surrounded by redwoods, deer and the ocean. I love that I can find unique and interesting classes here. UCSC definitely challenges you, and not just mentally, but it challenges what you believe, what you have been taught to accept, and I love that. Everyday at UCSC is an adventure, I feel like I’m at Hogwarts! My advice for the COSMOS students is to stay focused on school! Get your work done first, and then make time to play! However, do not bite off more than you can chew, life is here for you to enjoy, and Santa Cruz is too beautiful a place to stay locked inside studying!

Julian Brackett

Hey, I’m a third year student at UCSC. Currently I will be going into my junior year and I am a Community Studies Major. I’m from Los Angeles CA, and the younger of two siblings. I enjoy everything from outdoor activities to playing video games, but I’m fairly open-minded to new experiences and activities. The aspect of college I enjoy most is meeting new people, as I feel it is important to know those around you in any new setting or environment. On that note everyone has something in common, so don’t be afraid to mingle!

Cluster 6

Born in San Francisco, raised in Daly City…Bay Area is my home with family roots in Nicaragua. I’m the youngest child out of three; my mom is the strongest woman I know. I like the arts in general-self expression is a must. Graduating with a Feminist Studies major and I liked how Porter College stood out on its own. Advice that I would give is to really believe in yourself. Treat yourself well physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally and don’t allow others to affect you in a negative way. You are in control of yourself. Only you can strive to be the change you want to see in the world. Really brief, but I am a shy person, believe it or not. Talk to me, because I love hearing people’s stories.

Zackary Forcum

I am the fourth of six children, raised by my single parent father. I originally come from Richmond, California, (the bay area) and have just finished my second year at UC Santa Cruz, as a Theatre Arts major—concentration in dance. Along with the performing arts, I enjoy reading, biking riding, cooking, and a myriad of other activities. I am a Neighborhood Assistant at my residential college of Oakes: I love the diversity of people here, the strength of spirit that the college’s students possess, and the feeling of home and community that Oakes inspires. I encourage COSMOS students to have fun and let their courses and time here at UCSC inspire them to see the possibilities that higher education can give them, if they only reach for it. Let’s have a wonderful summer!

Cluster 7

I was born in Mexico but raised in Napa California. I have a sister who is a junior here at UCSC and a 10 year old brother. I like to learn, draw, drive, spend time with friends and just enjoy life. College has been an amazing experience. I have learned so much in and outside the classroom. The friendships I have built here will last me forever. The best advice I can give to COSMOS students is to continue working hard during high school and know that at the end of the day all the hard work will truly pay off.

Roopa Krishna

I’m a third year UCSC Student from Cowell College, double majoring in Anthropology and Politics. I was born in Indiana but have also lived in both Maryland and more recently, California. I am the youngest in the family, with one older sister but have a huge family back in India that I’m extremely close to. I love talking about politics, reading and occasionally playing video games. I love being at Santa Cruz because the campus and weather are beautiful and I’m looking forward to spending the summer with the COSMOS program!

Cluster 8

Hi! I’m Teji, I’m from a city in Southern California, named Etiwanda/Rancho Cucamonga. It is about 45 minutes north-east of Los Angeles. My family consists of two parents and one older brother that I am very close to. He is 6 years older than I am. My home-life was very fun; I enjoyed hanging out with my family and friends. I really like to longboard skateboard, and surf, work on cars, and play music instruments. I have been a musician for 16 years, and taught it back home. I enjoy working with people in group settings. At UCSC I also enjoy being an RA for Crown College, and am signed on to be one next year as well. My major is Linguistics and I hope to become a speech therapist when I get older. I love the freedom from my parents while I live up here, but I also love the responsibility. When you move away from your family for the first time you get to experience things you never did before, but you also have to pick up many other responsibilities. But it’s worth it! Along with that, I’d like to tell the COSMOS students that they are very lucky to be able to be part of a program, and to make sure they enjoy it to the fullest extent, but not get too carried away while they’re away from home.

Kashima Samuels

Hello my name is Kashima and I am originally from Long Beach, California. I am the youngest of two older brothers. I love to sing, read dramatic novels, sleep, watch television, buy items off Amazon.com, write and put on makeup! I am a talkative person and easy to get along with. One thing I dislike most in this world is soft toilet seats!!! I enjoy the random little things that make life memorable. My major is psychology and my minor is education. The one thing that I value and love about my college experience is that I got chance to learn more about myself. College is a great place to simultaneously have fun and face multiple challenges that will only force you to grow! I am excited to meet each and every one of you. I hope that your experience here at UC Santa Cruz will leave a long lasting impression on the person you are and the person you plan to be in the future! See you Soon! :)

Cluster 9

I was raised by a single mother in the San Fernando Valley. I am currently a Psychology major with a minor in Education from Oakes College. I want to eventually become a teacher, school counselor and/or a tattooist. I like tattoos, dogs, arte, mi cultura, zombie movies, old school cartoons, cars, and video games. I dislike closed-minds, hateful speech and actions, procrastinating, and cats. As far as advice, don’t get lazy after high school, get into the habit of being organized, and do your work now rather than later.

Rachael Rogers

I’m a UCSC graduate as of June 13th 2009! I received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology (and graduated with honors from my college and in my major as well). The last four years flew by faster than I could’ve ever imagined, so I’m not sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed that it’s over! For three years, I served as a Resident Assistant at Cowell College, which was one of the most positive aspects of my entire undergraduate experience! I worked with wonderful people, and had the opportunity to make a positive impact in my community. Living in beautiful Santa Cruz has been such a dream, but I’m looking forward to moving on to new things, and hopefully returning to the Bay Area sometime in the future! For now, I’ll be returning to the Central Valley (where I grew up) and then heading to Southern California for law school next year. As much as I’ll miss UCSC and the biology department here, I couldn’t be more excited to start a new chapter in my life!