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Grad Rebel Advantage ProgramCongratulations to our incoming 2021-2022 MentorsGRADUATECOLLEGEGRAD REBELADVANTAGETHE GRAD ACADEMY.,

BRIANNA RIVERAAcademic BioBrianna is a graduate student working onearning her Masters in Public Health with aconcentration in Epidemiology andBiostatistics. Her interests are in infectiousdiseases and injury prevention. She has 1published manuscript and 3 manuscripts inthe process of publication from her researchwork in the past two years. She is currentlyworking on her thesis on Vector-bornediseases and is helping with the currentCOVID-19 pandemic as a manager on theUNLV Contact Tracing Team.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Masters Student,School of Public Health –Epidemiology &BiostatisticsAdviser: Dr. Brian LabusI want to be a Grad Rebel Advantage mentorbecause I was part of the program as anundergraduate student, and it helped meprepare for graduate school. I want to beable to share my experience and helpundergraduate students get a betterunderstanding of graduate school that willhelp them decide if they want to pursue agraduate degree and prepare for their nextsteps.

CHRISTIE RAAcademic BioChristie Ra is in her second year of graduateschool in the Criminal Justice program.She graduated with her B.A. in CriminalJustice at UNLV as well. The focus of Christie’sresearch is on human trafficking of childrenand the possible risk factors children facewhen being exploited. She chose UNLV GradSchool because of the amazing professors andstaff members in the CRJ program!Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?M.A. Student,Department of CriminalJusticeAdvisor: Dr. MargaretKennedyChristie chose to be a Grad Rebel AdvantageMentor because of the impact other mentorshad on her during her undergrad career. Shereceived the help when she most needed itand want others to feel the same enthusiasm.Christie wants to help her mentees identityskills, gain new knowledge, and develop goalsin their academic and personnel lives. She’sexcited to be a part of this program and createnew relationships!

CHRISTINA BERKEAcademic BioChristina Berke is a teacher and a writer.She is currently working on anintergenerational memoir about her Chileanheritage, including the 1973 military coup,through the lens of body image,interpersonal violence, and self worth.Research methods include interviews,archives, and close readings of nonfictionbooks. She holds a BA from UC Berkeley andan M. Ed. from UCLA.MFA student, CreativeWritingWhy did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Advisor:Maile ChapmanUniversities can be lonely places andstudents can often feel overlooked.Mentorship is important in order to fosterrelationships and help them feel like they cansucceed not just as a student but as people.

CLAUDIA CHIANGLOPEZAcademic BioClaudia is a lecturer for Interdisciplinary,Gender, and Ethnic Studies and for the Collegeof Liberal Arts First-Year Experience program.They are an Institute for Teachers of ColorFellow and a CARE Advocate on campus. Theirresearch focuses on QPOC in education andpushed-out student experiences.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Ph.D. student, Culturalstudies, InternationalEducation, andMulticultural EducationDepartmentAdvisor: Dr. Tonya Walls,Dr. Chris ClarkAs a first-generation immigrant and student,Claudia knows how important it is for studentsto have mentors who can share resources andinformation. As a 2-time graduate of UNLV(Communication, M.A., ’19, MultidisciplinaryStudies, BA, ‘17), they are very familiar withUNLV resources, supports, and opportunitiesand are excited to share that knowledge withstudents.

DANIEL PEREZAcademic BioDaniel is a sixth-year anthropology doctoralcandidate, emphasizing in archaeology. Hisresearch focuses on anthropologicalapproaches to understanding identitythrough prehistoric ceramics in the NorthAmerican Southwest. Daniel chose UNLVbecause of the strong research emphasis theDepartment of Anthropology has placed inthe prehistory of the Grand Canyon.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Ph.D. candidate,Department ofAnthropologyAdvisor: Dr. Karen HarryDaniel chose to be a Grad Rebel AdvantageMentor to provide guidance to students whohave been provided an opportunitypreviously unavailable to himself.Furthermore, he is interested in providingundergraduate students the insights he hasgained in preparing for and succeeding ingraduate school.

ERIC FRIESAcademic BioEric studies the archaeology of ancient Mayasettlement patterns to understand howcommunities change over long periods of time.His work focuses on western Belize, whereMaya people had to adapt to deal withpowerful neighbors. He chose UNLV because ofthe university's commitment to supportinggraduate research.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Ph.D. student,Department ofAnthropologyAdvisor: Dr. Arlen ChaseEric chose to become a Grad Rebel AdvantageMentor in order to share his experience gainedacross three graduate programs, and pass onsome of the mentoring he received himself. Hehopes to help his mentees find programs thatwill give them strong and consistent supportthroughout their graduate careers.

GODSON EBENEZERADJOVUPh.D. student,Department of Civil andEnvironmentalEngineering andConstructionAdvisor: Dr. SajjadAhmadGodson Ebenezer Adjovu is a Ph.D. studentin the Department of Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering and Construction.He received his bachelor’s and master’sdegree in Civil Engineering. His researchfocuses on remote sensing applications inwater quality monitoring. He is the currentTreasurer of the Graduate and ProfessionalStudent Association (GPSA) here in UNLV.He chose to have his education in UNLVbecause of the many prospect in the field ofwater resources engineering in Las Vegascoupled with the valuable research, teachingand professional experience he hopes to earnas a Graduate Assistant in UNLV.He chose to be a Grad Rebel AdvantageMentor to guide undergraduate students byproviding them needed mentorship based onhis experience as graduate student to aidthem in future graduate studies. He hopes tohelp undergraduate students navigate theirway into graduate school.

HOWARD K. KEMPLE JR.Academic BioHoward has a diverse work and school history.He worked retail, janitorial, IT, and military inprivate, government, union, and contractorpositions. Currently, he is completing aMaster of Science in Management InformationSystems and holds a UNLV B.S. in BusinessManagement to combine intricacies oftechnology, business, and people.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Master’s in ManagementInformation SystemsStudent, Department ofManagement,Entrepreneurship, andTechnologyAdvisors: Dr. Han-Fen Huand Dr. Greg MoodyMy desire to be a Grad Rebel AdvantageMentor is because I’ve been there. Droppingout of UNLV after my freshman year and goingback after establishing family and workexperience affords me a different perspectiveto help undergrad students navigate and avoidthe pitfalls I experienced. It is a learningexperience to balance family, career, school,and military requirements. My experience anddegree work hand in hand in multiple workand school environments. I want to helptraditional and non-traditional undergraduatesunderstand the process and mentor them asthey work toward their own future goals.

JENNIFER FLETCHERAcademic BioJennifer is a second year Ph.D. student, who isalso a Graduate Research Assistant in theOffice of Learning Analytics. Jennifer iscurrently working on research projects in theareas of Juvenile Justice and Education. ForJennifer’s thesis she plans to focus on JuvenileJustice and Literature learning.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Ph.D. Student,Department ofEducational Psychologyand Higher Education.Learning SciencesProgram.Advisor: Dr. RebeccaNathansonJennifer wants to help students who wish toattend graduate school get into the programof their dreams. The process of applying andstarting graduate school can be stressful andintimidating. Jennifer wishes to help studentsnavigate the pathway to graduate school andhopefully eliminate some of the stress alongthe way.

KYLE CRUZAcademic BioHe is a 2nd-year master’s student in theKinesiology program. His current researchfocus is validating metabolic equipment andcollecting sample data for his thesis entitled“Sight Deprivation and Metabolic Effects WhilePerforming YMCA Bench Press Test.” UNLV’stier-one research will prepare his ambitiousroute to be accepted into a Ph.D. program.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Kinesiology w/ emphasisin Exercise Physiologystudent, Department ofKinesiology and NutritionSciencesAdvisor: Dr. JamesNavaltaHe chose to be a mentor because he believesin leading by example. His military service,research at UNLV, and help from fellow peersunderstand that you do not need to doeverything independently. He hopes you willask questions and form your own opinions tohelp you achieve your academic and personalgoals.

MONICA CASUSOAcademic BioMonica is a recent graduate with a Bachelor’sof Science in Human Services from theUniversity of Nevada Las Vegas. Starting Fall2021, she will be continuing her educationaland professional career as a student in theMasters of Social Work program at the Schoolof Social Work. Monica would like to focus thenext few years in her degree program tosharpen her skills and develop effectivetechniques in the areas of student retention,students success, and student well-being.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Master’s student,Department of SocialWorkAdvisor: KeishmerCardosoMonica chose to be a mentor because shebelieves that having a support system is avaluable resource for students at any level oftheir educational career. With the assistanceof a mentor, Monica navigated and overcamevarious obstacles in her journey to applying toGraduate School. Monica would like to use herexperience to assist other students in theirjourney to achieving their educational goals asher mentor assisted her.

MONICA CHAIREZAcademic BioMonica Chairez earned the Kenny GuinnMillennium Scholarship to attend UNLV. She isa graduate of the Greenspun College of UrbanAffairs with a degree in Journalism and MediaStudies. After eleven years as a journalistMonica enrolled into the Executive MBAprogram in the Lee Business School toadvance her study of communication’s role inbusiness.Why did you choose to be a GradRebel Advantage Mentor?Executive Masters inBusiness Administration,Department of ExecutiveEducationAdvisor: Nikkole LiesseGood mentors are an integral part ofleadership development. According to a GallupPoll 70% of team engagement is directlyrelated to the quality of the manager or teamleader. Mentorship gives a first-handexperience of what leadership should look like.It is a multi-functional role that helps in theoverall development of a person. And thosepeople are our future leaders.

MORGAN STARNESMBA Candidate, LeeBusiness SchoolAdvisor: Dr. Lisa DavisMorgan Starnes is in her second year of theLee Business School’s MBA program. Shegraduated with her BS in BusinessAdministration from the University of Oregonin 2016. Upon deciding to further hereducation, UNLV’s network of alumni andcommunity members is one of the reasons shedecided to become a Grad Rebel.As a Grad Rebel Advantage Mentor, she looksforward to the opportunity to serve as amentor to current UNLV undergraduatesweighing their next steps by advocating forcontinuing education and the multitude ofprograms offered by the UNLV GraduateCollege.She understands the weight of the decision topursue a higher education and looks to serveas a resource to prospective students withinher role as a Grad Rebel Advantage Mentor.With a cohort of undergraduate students, shehope to be a source of guidance, encouragingfellow Rebels to strive for more while sharingthe importance of continuing education at ahigher level at the UNLV Graduate College.