Advising Staff
Sarah Spear-Barrett - Dean of Academic Advising
Sarah, a Revelle College graduate with a degree in Sociology, began her career as an Orientation Leader and Intern at Revelle College. She worked at the ASUCSD, Revelle College and Muir College, and then continued from there all the way to Dean of Academic Advising here at ERC. Her favorite part about her work is mentoring the staff and implementing the advising mission of providing care and support for ERC students. One of her joys is seeing students graduate who needed a little extra support and help along the way. Watching them finish is the most gratifying experience. In her spare time, she loves to be with her husband and three young boys and enjoys the beach, friends, skiing, reading, and doing other crafts. Her advice to students is “make the most of every opportunity inside and outside of the classroom, UCSD is a great place.”
Clare Harrington - Assistant Dean of Advising
Clare received her B.A. in Political Science from UCSD and began her career in Academic Advising at Muir College. After earning her M.Ed. in Education and working at Northeastern University, Clare returned to her roots at Muir College as an Academic Advisor, eventually moving to ERC as the Assistant Dean of Academic Advising. Her favorite part about her position is helping students identify their interests as well as the support systems in place at UCSD to help them succeed. When not at ERC, Clare enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, reading, listening to music, hiking, and crocheting. Her advice for students: take classes for pure enjoyment while you have the opportunity!
Melissa Calderon - Senior Academic Counselor
Melissa graduated from UCSD with a B.A. in Communication. As a student, she worked for the Academic Internship Program and found that she liked working with students so much, she came back to work at UCSD and is currently one of ERC’s Senior Academic Counselors. After taking some time off school (highly recommended) and while working (a bit more challenging), she completed her M.A., in Higher Education Leadership at the University of San Diego. At ERC, she runs the SOAR workshop series, coordinates new freshmen enrollment, monitors the Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR), handles the Human Rights Minor, and works with EAP Reciprocity students. She finds helping students transition to UCSD to be very fulfilling and enjoys meeting with students on help desk and appointments. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.
Melanie Davidson - Senior Academic Counselor
Melanie earned her Associates Degree from Allan Hancock College in 2002 and transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she graduated with a B.S. in Psychology with a counseling emphasis. After graduation she worked at Allan Hancock College’s transfer and career services centers. Melanie then pursued Academic Advising in San Diego and became an Undergraduate Advisor at the Division of Biological Sciences. In 2007 she joined the ERC family as a Senior Academic Counselor. In her position, Melanie processes double majors, advises the International Migration Studies Minor, and works closely with transfer students. She finds her greatest joy in supporting transfer students by sharing her experiences of transitioning from a community college to a 4-year university and helping them with the shift to UCSD. In her spare time Melanie is completing an M.A. in Counseling and College Student Development at the University of San Diego, spending time with her husband, two cats, and toy poodle, jogging by the beach, finding new music and artists to listen to, and exploring San Diego. Her best advice to students is “find your passion in life (at least this time in your life) and run with it. You never know; it may lead you into your dream job someday.”
Gloria Aquino -Academic Counselor
Gloria began her Academic Advising career at UC Davis. After moving to San Diego in 1991, she joined ERC Academic Advising as Intake Counselor and later as an Academic Counselor. She is the coordinator of the Degree Audit and Graduation process, liaison to Veterans Affairs and the Oasis Learning Community, and coordinator of ERC’s Peer Advising. Gloria truly loves what she does stating “it’s all about the undergrads, I love working with them, laughing and crying with them, sharing the “aha” moments, seeing them mature, giving them hugs at commencement, hearing them say thank you, and knowing I was briefly part of their lives.” In her time away from ERC Gloria enjoys raising her four boys, cooking, playing piano, attending youth symphony concerts (her twins play the oboe and violin), road trips, the beach, books that make her cry, food network, reality shows, and family gossip!
Cindy Hsu - Academic Counselor
Cindy graduated from UCSD with B.A. degrees in Psychology and Language Studies (Spanish). Her undergraduate involvement opportunities included serving as a Thurgood Marshall College orientation leader for four years, helping incoming freshman and transfer students transition to the university. After working in research she joined ERC as an Assistant Academic Counselor and eventually became an Academic Counselor. In the Advising Office, her duties include meeting with students on Help Desk (walk-in advising) and appointments, handling the Virtual Advising Center (VAC), processing petitions for university exceptions, and maintaining the Regional Specialization and Fine Arts course lists. Her favorite part about working at ERC is helping students reach their goals and getting the most out of their UCSD experience. In her spare time Cindy enjoys photography, cooking and creating recipes, volunteering, hanging out with friends, and traveling. Her best advice to students is “be your own advocate; take the initiative!”
Mitzy Flores de Martinez - Assistant Academic Counselor
Mitzy provides overall direction of paper flow and student traffic for the front intake area of Academic Advising. She schedules appointments for students with counselors, provides administrative support and management of college programs including new student enrollment, enrollment advising, academic workshops, and assists with petition evaluations and monitoring of degree audits. She holds Office Manager and Administrative Assistant Certificates from MiraCosta College, an Associates Degree from Miramar College and is currently pursuing her BA in Business Management at the University of Redlands. When Mitzy is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family.
Cyril Nierva - Academic Advising Intern
Cyril earned her B.A. in Psychology and Teaching Credential from California State University, Northridge. She is currently working on a Master’s degree in Post-Secondary Educational Leadership in Student Affairs at San Diego State University and will be graduating in May 2010. Prior to graduate school, Cyril was an elementary teacher, served as a graduate assistant at SDSU, and interned abroad at the University of Western Sydney in Australia. She has also been involved within the UCSD community as a student affairs intern at Thurgood Marshall College and has recently joined the ERC team as the Academic Advising intern. Cyril assists students on Help Desk, responds to inquiries on the VAC, and participates in Advising-sponsored workshops. On top of school, she is an event coordinator for Bellz and Whistlez and enjoys planning weddings and special events. In her spare time, she loves laughing with her friends and family (especially with her baby nephew), jamming on the ukulele and drums, and trying out new foods.
