Celebrating Careers in Student Affairs
By Christine Byrd
October 20, 2025
October 20, 2025
From helping students choose courses to connecting them with campus resources, student affairs staff are at the heart of the student experience – in UC Irvine’s School of Education and across higher education.
October is Careers in Student Affairs Month, an initiative of the student affairs professional organization NASPA, that aims to celebrate and raise awareness of the field. School of Education student affairs professionals not only champion student success but also serve as mentors and role models for those exploring careers in counseling or student support. In honor of the month, we’re spotlighting a few of the many dedicated student affairs staff members who make a difference in the lives of Anteaters.
October is Careers in Student Affairs Month, an initiative of the student affairs professional organization NASPA, that aims to celebrate and raise awareness of the field. School of Education student affairs professionals not only champion student success but also serve as mentors and role models for those exploring careers in counseling or student support. In honor of the month, we’re spotlighting a few of the many dedicated student affairs staff members who make a difference in the lives of Anteaters.
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Jaycee Chu: Ensuring Education Undergraduates Thrive
"Creating a sense of community is really important, and we try to make sure the School of Education is a welcoming space within this really big university." As the School of Education’s Director of Student Affairs, Jaycee Chu oversees a team of three full-time staff and four peer academic advisors who serve 700 education sciences majors and about 115 Master of Arts in Teaching students.
“Creating a sense of community is really important, and we try to make sure the School of Education is a welcoming space within this really big university,” Chu says. “As a smaller school, we can help each student feel more connected.” Chu meets with students one-on-one, but her role as director requires her to spend time working with staff all across UC Irvine, including at the International Center, Office of the Registrar, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, and the Office of Campus Social Work. These collaborations ensure that Chu and her team can help students navigate university policies and connect with campus resources when needed. Chu credits her career pathway to a mentor who encouraged her to pursue student affairs while she was studying hotel and restaurant management as an undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She went on to earn a master’s of education in postsecondary administration and student affairs – and has been thriving in higher education for the last 20 years. Today, she mentors UC Irvine undergraduates considering careers in the field, too. Arely Ramirez ’24, is a full-time academic advisor in the School of Education, who worked with Chu as a peer academic advisor in the office while she was double majoring in education sciences and psychological science. “Jaycee has been an incredible mentor since my first day as a Peer Academic Advisor,” says Ramirez. “Her guidance and experience taught me effective advising techniques and reinforced the importance of compassionate, student-centered skills that have helped me shape my approach when it comes to advising.” Quick facts
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Claudia Campos: Helping Navigate the Ph.D. Student Experience
“It’s about peeling back the layers of the onion, demystifying the graduate process for them." As the School of Education’s Ph.D. Program Director, Claudia Campos supports graduate students from recruitment through their graduate hooding ceremony.
“It’s about peeling back the layers of the onion, demystifying the graduate process for them,” Campos says. Campos gets to know each Ph.D. student during their five years in the program. She answers questions during the application process, hosts orientation, helps them acclimate to graduate student life, makes sure they meet their course requirements, and ensures they secure funding each year – as graduate student researchers, teaching assistants or fellows, for example. Beyond helping them navigating program logistics, Campos tries to ensure students are happy and successful. “This is an intensive program, and I remind students to pace themselves,” Campos says. “There’s always another milestone to meet – another paper to get out or another presentation to deliver. But when you get caught up in self-inflicted pressure, that can be destructive. To submit your best work, you need to be at your best.” One of the 95 current Ph.D. students who have benefited from her guidance, Albert Li says, “Claudia has been an incredible support throughout my Ph.D. journey. She consistently helped me navigate challenges, big and small, and always made time to provide thoughtful guidance when I needed it most. I often thought of her as my ‘backup advisor,’ because I knew I could count on her steady support at every step.” As a UC Irvine alum, Campos is no stranger to the university’s supportive environment. She transferred to UC Irvine and earned a degree in sociology in 2015. Although she planned to pursue social work, a faculty mentor encouraged her to consider a different pathway, inviting her to apply for a graduate coordinator role. For the next 7 years, Campos grew in various student affairs positions before joining the School of Education in 2022. “My favorite thing about the UCI staff is that our community is very tight.” Campos says. “I really find myself at home here.” Quick facts
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Jocelyn Arroyo: Fostering Connections from Community Colleges to CalTeach
“I know not everyone I talk to will choose UCI or CalTeach, but I love showing them opportunities they might not have considered before.” Jocelyn Arroyo is usually the first person to tell a community college student about UC Irvine’s CalTeach program. As the program’s community college advisor, Arroyo visits local campuses to introduce students and counselors to UC Irvine’s unique pathways to becoming a STEM educator.
“I love the fact that I don’t have to sit behind a desk all day. I get to go out and be the first touchpoint students have with CalTeach,” she says. “I know not everyone I talk to will choose UCI or CalTeach, but I love showing them opportunities they might not have considered before.” Arroyo graduated in 2023 with a degree in public affairs from UCLA, where she enjoyed supporting student programs and working as peer advisor. Soon after, she stepped into a newly created position in CalTeach, focused on recruitment and outreach to seven local community colleges. She organizes and hosts recruitment events for community college counselors and students, including workshops about financial aid, the application process, and pathways to teaching. One of the transfer students Arroyo has supported is Chelsea Velasquez, who is majoring in mathematics with a concentration in secondary teaching, “Jocelyn has been a huge part of my educational journey, especially through the CalTeach program. She guided me through the entire transfer process from Saddleback College to UCI and encouraged me to take on opportunities that built my confidence in the classroom,” says Velasquez. “Thanks to her support, I gained valuable experience and clarity about my passion for teaching math.” Among the resources Arroyo created to ease the transfer process is a set of documents that clearly spells out which community college courses transfer to UCI and count toward the majors that CalTeach supports — biology/education, chemistry, Earth system science, math and physics. “I know the barriers transfer students face, and I love to shine a light on UCs in general and how UC can be a viable and successful path for students,” Arroyo says. “I tell students all the time not to think that because your path to school has been nontraditional that there isn’t a place for you at UC. Don’t count yourself out of opportunities.” Quick facts
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Isaac Membreno: Supporting CalTeach’s Aspiring STEM Teachers
"Advising can be like a revolving door, but with CalTeach we’re able to form personalized connections to offer our students holistic advising and care." Once students enter UC Irvine’s CalTeach program, whether as first-year or transfer students, Isaac Membreno provides comprehensive support to ensure their success. As CalTeach’s student services coordinator, advisor & credential analyst, Membreno meets one-on-one with students to provide support and makes sure they meet the testing and certification requirements before he officially recommends them for their teaching credential. In addition, he manages all administrative aspects of the program such as data reporting, finances and purchasing.
With about 100 students in the CalTeach program, Membreno is able to get to know each one personally, helping them navigate their rigorous course requirements and connecting them to tutoring and resources to help them persist through the most challenging math and science classes – while also meeting CalTeach's teaching and course expectations. Additionally, Membreno supervises CalTeach’s affinity spaces, which include Queer Talk: Educators Enabling Action, Women of Color in Education, and Senior Only Space, as well as the CalTeach Student Advisory Board. “I come into work excited about who I’m working with,” Membreno says. “Advising can be like a revolving door, but with CalTeach we’re able to form personalized connections to offer our students holistic advising and care. Feeling that connection is the best part of my job.” Membreno transferred from community college to UCLA to earn a bachelor’s in psychobiology before coming to UC Irvine. As an undergraduate, he thrived in roles as a peer counselor and academic advisor, which ultimately drew him to his current role. As Whitney Noh enters the final year of her CalTeach experience, she says she can look back and fully appreciate the value of Membreno’s support. “He does a great job really talking out all the options to students and relieving a lot of stress when it comes to trying to balance and figure out how you are going to manage courses and graduate on time,” says Noh, a math major with a concentration in secondary education. “Isaac is kind, and really takes the time to listen and give helpful advice. You can tell he is present in every conversation and has words of wisdom and encouragement when you need it, especially for all of us who are STEM majors.” Quick facts
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Student affairs professionals support student success and shape the School of Education community every day. So this month – and every month – we celebrate their dedication to helping students thrive at UC Irvine and beyond.
