Staff

Melanie Ly

Program Manager
CCTS
TAP

Melanie Ly is a first-generation Hmong American from Sacramento and is the oldest of 5. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2021 with a BA in Psychology and minored in education. She is transitioning from a former Destination College Advising Corps College Adviser Fellow from 2021-2023 to her new role as the Program Manager with the Transfer Alliance Project. Because Melanie experienced the existing barriers and struggles to pursue her higher education, she is passionate about helping underserved and underrepresented students reach their full...

Melinda Martinez

High School Teacher Training Coordinator
Puente

Melinda Martinez identifies as a Chicana and grew up roller skating in the LA suburbs. She has her BA in English from UCLA where she fell in love with Latinx writers who reflected experiences and cultures similar to her own. This fired up her passion to teach literature, which began her 20 year journey as a high school English teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District. She feels privileged in her role working with amazing teachers across the state to support underrepresented students as the High School Teacher Coordinator for the Puente Project. She loves...

Melva Alvarez

STEM Community College Coordinator
Puente

Monica Montenegro

Executive Director
EBSCC
CEP Leadership

Mónica has dedicated her professional career to advocating on behalf of low- income students and broadening their access to higher education. She has served as Executive Director of the East Bay Consortium since the year 2000 and serves as Director of the East Bay and Solano County Consortium, a Cal-SOAP Project. Mónica started working at EBC while she was a student at Cal. She was hired full time when she graduated from Cal.

Mónica came from Chile with her parents and three of her five siblings when she was 16. She graduated from Richmond...

Monica Velazquez

Program Assistant
Puente

Nastaran Qassemi

Talent Search College Advisor
Pre-College TRiO
ETS

Nikko Roxas

Co-Director
EAOP
DCAC
CEP Leadership

Nohemy Chavez

Community College Counseling Coordinator
Puente

Nyla Jamison

College Advisor
Pre-College TRiO
ETS

Paula Silva

Director of Professional Development
Puente

Paula Silva is the Director of Professional Development for the Puente Project statewide office where she imagines, plans and implements culturally responsive professional development for community college faculty with the intent of creating more humane and equitable educational spaces for underrepresented students. Prior to joining the Puente team, she taught English in California Community Colleges for 13 years, including serving as a Puente instructor and co-coordinator. Paula is a first-generation college student, queer Chicana who found her own voice in a community college...