Meet our Bridge Student Staff

Christina Liu – Admin Intern

picture of a person with long black hair wearing a cardigan

Computer Science major

Christina (she/her) is a third-year majoring in Computer Science. She will be supporting the Summer Bridge and STEP programs as an administrative intern. This work is important to Christina because she is a first-generation/low-income student and hopes to empower her community. Outside of UCI, Christina volunteers for Second Harvest Food Bank at the Harvest Solutions Farm, here in Irvine, to support community members that are food/nutrition insecure. Additionally, she interns at Inari Medical as a Test Engineer, and previously as an Information Technology intern. In her free time, Christina enjoys watching Korean dramas with her sisters, going on walks, and reading a good book.

 

liuct5@uci.edu

Trish Ly – Admin Intern

woman with black hair leaning on a tree wearing a white sweater

Education Sciences & Psychological Sciences Double Major

Helllooo!! My name is Trish Ly, and I am a second year Education Sciences & Psychological Sciences double major! My pronouns are she/her! Being a first-generation/low-income student made me resonate and more passionate about the resources this program offers and supports students with their transition into college. Outside of Summer Bridge, some of my involvements include the Antleader Mentorship Program, CLAP, and SPOP. In my free time, I enjoy going on walks with my dog, watching anime/kdramas, exploring new places/new foods, and spending time with my friends and family! I hope to be able to support and reassure y’all through your journey in navigating at UCI. I hope to provide a space where y’all are comfortable in being yourselves and grow your confidence to pursue your passions and opportunities at UCI. I will always be rooting for y’all and please feel free to reach out to me for any questions, concerns, or just want someone to study/spend time with! Super excited to grow with y’all! 😀

 

trishcl@uci.edu

Kaye Regalado – Mentor

person at the beach with a hat and glasses

Literary Journalism & Film and Media Studies double major

Hi everyone! I’m Kaye Regalado (pronouns: she/her/hers), a third year double majoring in Literary Journalism and Film and Media Studies, and minoring in creative writing. I’ve been in both Summer Bridge and STEP, a discussion leader for Summer Edge/Bridge, and apparently, I couldn’t get enough, since I’m back again – now, as a mentor! I’m also a UCI Writing Center peer mentor, have been a part of UCI’s Art Club Collective, and through the years, I’ve gotten involved with humanities-related research. In my free time, I enjoy journaling, doodling, anime/animated stuff in general, and partaking in more sugary things than is probably healthy for any human being. As a mentor, I hope to support you in any way I possibly can! Everyone’s journey in college is so different, and there are times it’ll be confusing and difficult. But you’re never alone in your college journey – there’s always support and people around to help you out. I’m so excited to hear each of your stories up to this point, but I’m even more excited to see where the narrative of life takes you next! Feel free to reach out if you have questions of any kind!

 

kbregala@uci.edu

Mariana Ramirez – Mentor

person with long hair wearing a floral shirt

Education Sciences major

Hi everyone! My name is Mariana Ramirez (she/her/hers). I am a second-year Education Sciences major! I am a former Summer Bridge Scholar and formed part of CalTeach (before I switched my major) and Teachers of Tomorrow. My favorite things to do are going thrifting, baking something new, and reading (especially any book by Sarah Dessen I 10/10 would recommend). The best piece of advice that I can give from what I have learned so far is that asking for help is crucial for success. College brings a new level of independence, but you do not need to navigate it alone. There are so many people, myself included, who are here to help, and I will do my best to be a mentor, resource, and friend. Never forget that you were accepted to UCI for a reason so you deserve to be here! I look forward to meeting you all and being a familiar face on campus! If you have any questions about anything, do not hesitate to reach out to me. 

 

marianr9@uci.edu

Khanh An Vu – Mentor

person with long hair wearing a floral shirt

Biological Sciences & Psychology Double Major

Hi everyone! I am Khanh An Vu (she/her), a current 4th year double major in Biology and Psychology. I was part of the 2019 Summer Bridge cohort and now am very excited to be back as a Summer Bridge Mentor my last year here. This program made a big difference in my first year, connecting me with some of my closest friends and led me to who I am today. As a mentor, it is my wish to provide the space in which you feel comfortable to express yourself and to support you along your journey at UCI. It can be scary navigating the unknown and uncertainty, but some of the best memories are made when you least expect it. I look forward to meeting all of you and excited for what the years will bring. A little bit more about me, in addition to Summer Bridge, I am involved in PACT (Physician Assistant Coming Together) and am a financial coordinator in Global Medical Training. I love sports (mainly basketball and volleyball), outdoors activity, and am a sucker for finding viewpoints. In my free time, I love to spontaneously hit my friend up to hang at Newport and Laguna beach, grab food anywhere, drive to SD, read, or just vibe to music with friends. As a mentor, I hope to support you as best as I can, so please don’t hesitate to reach out! I am excited for the upcoming year with the 2022 Summer Bridge cohort and would love to meet you all soon.

 

khanhav@uci.edu

Chloe Low – Mentor

person with long hair wearing a floral shirt

English major

Literary Journalism and Creative Writing minor

Hello hello hello, and welcome to Summer Bridge!! 😀 My name is Chloe Low (pronouns she/they) and I am a third year English major with minors in literary journalism and creative writing. At UCI, I was a Summer Bridge and STEP scholar and I am so excited to give back to these programs that are amazing, kind, and diverse. At UCI, I am involved in UTeach, Writing Center peer tutoring, and I work at Langson library! In my free time, I enjoy poetry, comic books and crafts like origami and knitting. As a mentor, I hope to cheer you on as you navigate through your amazing freshman year and be a support system and friend along the way. Please know that you belong at UCI and you are capable of so, so many wonderful things. And please don’t hesitate to reach out to chat about anything! I’m so excited to get to know you!!

 

cklow@uci.edu

Kevin Trang – Mentor

person with shirt hair wearing glasses and blue sweater

Mathematics major

Hey y’all! My name is Kevin Trang (pronouns: he/him/his), and I’m a 3rd-year majoring in Mathematics. Being a Summer Bridge scholar myself back in 2020, I’m excited to go full circle and come back working with SSI as a Peer Mentor this time! This program was a big eye-opener for me, opening the doors to many opportunities and resources and giving me the space to safely show others who I really am. Alongside Bridge, some of you might recognize me as one of the Peer Academic Advisors at UCI, particularly for the School of Physical Sciences. Other commitments include UCI CampMed, a counseling program dedicated to providing medical-related career and college support to inspired high school students of low socioeconomic status, UCI Math CEO, a mentorship program for middle school students in Santa Ana, and UCI CalTeach, a resource program for aspiring teachers and educators (like me!). I spent most of my free time with friends, new and old: going on hikes, bouldering, eating out, playing card/video games, and going on LA trips among other plans. I have a strong itch to get into crafts (specifically dream catchers) and music (I’ve been sitting on learning the piano for far too long…). I look forward to meeting all of y’all during this upcoming year! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have questions about anything (and I mean anything; I don’t bite I promise!). 😀

 

trangk3@uci.edu

Alejandro Vazquez Rodriguez – Mentor

person with shirt hair wearing glasses and blue sweater

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major

Hello everyone, I’m Alejandro (he/him) and I am a 3rd year Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major. I was both a Summer Bridge and STEP scholar, and have decided to come back for a third installment; this time, as a mentor! I enjoy reading, writing, photography, and also took great pleasure in gardening when I had the space. I also like consuming any media that has to do with nature or history (podcasts are especially convenient for doing chores). You may come to find me stalking a bird at Aldrich Park with my camera, or riding around campus on my scooter, or maybe even confronting my responsibilities at the Science Library. I have come to where I am through a series of fortunes and misfortunes, with some work and dedication mixed in, and I understand that life can be overwhelming. I am looking forward to helping y’all out as you navigate through this experience and hope that you will also come to love this community that has given me so much.

 

vazquea6@uci.edu

Maria Medina-Muniz – Mentor

person with long brown hair wearing a blue polo

Civil Engineering major

Hello! Hola! Welcome to Summer Bridge. I am Maria Medina Muniz (she/her/ella) and I am a 4th year Civil Engineering major. Some of my hobbies include listening to music (i really like listening to spanish music -reggaeton, banda, etc), going on walks at the beach, playing sports with friends, dancing, and painting.  I also enjoy doing water sports such as canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding. I would describe myself as an outgoing and friendly person, but I can be shy when I first meet new people. I enjoy traveling and trying new things such as restaurants, beaches, hiking trails, etc. This is my second year with Summer Bridge as a mentor so I hope to continue to help guide you all throughout your journey here at UCI. I have had several mentors from grade school to now,  where I have learned to value mentorships and wisdom I have learned from my mentors. I am excited to be a Summer Bridge mentor and be a resource for you so that we both can have a successful year at UCI!!

 

medinamu@uci.edu

Mai Vo – Mentor

person with medium length hair wearing a yellow jacket with plaid top

Psychological Science major

Hello everyone! My name is Mai (she/hers) and I am a 4th year Psychological Science major. As a first-gen/low-income student, Summer Bridge really helped me with transitioning into college, navigating college, and finding a community that supported and believed in me. I want to give back to the community that helped me and thus, am very excited to be a Peer Mentor. Outside of Summer Bridge, I am also involved in Circle K, a community service oriented organization, Social Ecology’s Advanced Field Study where I will be working with children with autism, the Culture, Relationships, and Health Lab (CRH) as a Research Assistant, and the English Conversation Program (ECP) as an English Facilitator. In my free time, I like to go on spontaneous late night adventures with my friends, whether it’s getting food/boba or taking a late night walk/drive, and listening to crime podcasts and documentaries! I also love surrounding myself with music and I do so by dancing (mostly hip hop), listening to music, or playing piano. When I’m feeling energetic, I also like playing tennis and badminton at the ARC. As a mentor, my goal is to help you adjust to college by supporting you academically and personally, referring you to campus resources, answering any questions you have, and much more. Basically, I am a resource and support system for you! I look forward to making memories throughout the year and getting to know you.

 

mtvo2@uci.edu