Valerie Salazar
Interim Director of Educational Partnerships & Programs (Promise)
Hablo Español
Valerie (she/her/ella) graduated from Azusa Pacific University with her MS in College Counseling & Student Development. She received her BS in Human Services& minor in Child and Adolescence Studies from Cal State Fullerton. Her goal is to foster a positive postsecondary experience to students at FC!
Cheyenne Mann
Administrative Assistant II
Cheyenne (she/her) attended both Orange Coast College and is a recent graduate from Fullerton College with her AA-IDS Degree. Her goal is to pursue a Bachelors Degree at Cal State Fullerton in the near future. Her role at Promise is to assist with all the behind the scenes paperwork and processes from hiring to event planning.
Cassandra Terrazes
Adjunct Counselor
Cassandra (she/her) graduated from the University of La Verne with her MS in Educational Counseling. She received her BS in Behavioral Science from Concordia University, Irvine and had transferred with an AA in Liberal Studies from Santa Ana College.
Promise and SDSI Students can meet with Cassandra!
Contact us for more info.
Ilinca Filimon
Adjunct Counselor
Ilinca (she/her) graduated from Cal State Long Beach with her MS in Counseling. She received her BA in Sociology from UCLA and had transferred with an AA in Economics from Santiago Canyon College.
Promise and SDSI Students can meet with Ilinca!
Contact us for more info.
Annika Shellenbarger
ashellenbarger@fullcoll.edu
Student Services Specialist
Annika (she/her) graduated from the University of La Verne with a Masters in Educational Counseling with the PPS Credential. She graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a BS in Human Services. Her goal is to build student’s confidence during their FC journey.
Kathryn Hinojos
khinojos@fullcoll.edu
Student Services Specialist
Kathryn (she/her) received a BA in Sociology with a concentration in Health and Social Welfare from CSUF. She has worked with Fullerton College since 2010, first for the Admissions and Records Office, then with the Outreach Team in 2019 and now with the Promise Team starting May 2024.
Brittney Vargas
bvargas@fullcoll.edu
Promise Coach
Brittney (she/her) will be attending Cal State Long Beach to earn her Masters in Counseling. She graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a BS in Human Services after transferring out of Fullerton College with an AA in Pre-Nursing
Ulises Pacheco
UPacheco@fullcoll.edu
Promise Coach
Hablo Español
Ulises (he/him) earned his Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from Cal State Fullerton. His goal is to either pursue a Masters in Higher Education or get his certification in personal training.
Dora Meraz
DMeraz@fullcoll.edu
Promise & GEARUP Coach
Hablo Español
Yvette Jurado
YJurado@fullcoll.edu
Promise & GEARUP Coach
Hablo Español
Yvette (she/her) recently graduated from Fullerton College withan AA-T degree in Sociology, she is now pursing her bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Irvine. Her goal is to keep working in higher education by obtaining a master’s degree in school counseling in the future.
Fatima Zaidi
Peer Mentor Lead
Fatima (she/her) graduated from UCI with her Bachelor’s in Psychological Science. She’s currently pursuing her Master’s in Social Work at USC to become a Social Worker.
Hoang Ho
Peer Mentor
Hoang (he/him) is pursuing his Political Science AA here at Fullerton. Going higher, he’s looking to transfer to a UC in Fall 2025 with a main focus on International Relations and Policies.
Julian Gutierrez
Peer Mentor
Bio coming soon!
Kenneth Isidro
Peer Mentor
Kenneth (he/him) is in his second year at Fullerton College getting his AD-T in Administration of Justice. He looks to transfer to a UC where he would want to major in Political Science.
Naydeline Parra
Peer Mentor
Naydeline (she/her) is in her second year at Fullerton College pursuing a Child & Adolescent Development and Sociology AA-T. She plans to transfer in Fall 2025 to a CSU or UC to work towards the goal of a career Education.
Promise Program Appointments
Promise Appointments have now moved to Starfish. Login to Starfish, click on “My Success Network” and
search for the Promise Center to view team profiles and schedule a 1-on-1 appointment.