FIRST GRADUATE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Interim Director of Development
Alana is a passionate nonprofit professional with nearly twenty years of experience in fundraising, executive coaching, board development, and program and volunteer management. Alana currently serves as a Bay Area independent nonprofit consultant whose past clients include: National Alopecia Areata Foundation, Family Connections, Chanticleer, San Francisco Parks Alliance, and more. When Alana's not advocating for boards or developing new fundraising strategies, she loves creative writing, photography, travel, and spending time at home with her husband and their two amazing little boys.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the First Ever
Alex is a member of the first ever First Graduate® cohort. He received his BA in Latin American and Latino Studies at University of California Santa Cruz and he credits First Graduate® with providing the essential support he needed to become the first in his family to graduate from college. Today Alex works at the Bay School of San Francisco as a Teacher and Student Support Specialist. He works with 9th graders in the classroom teaching the 9th Grade Seminar and as a part of the Jump Start team within the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging.
Alex also teaches the 9th grade Immersive course Everyone Has a Story. Alex loves teaching because he has the opportunity to bring his interests and values to the classroom. While helping mold the next generation of young people, Alex enjoys the opportunity to pass along the lessons and support he received from the First Graduate® community.
Hello! My name is Alicia Lo and I am from San Bernardino, California. I am a kinesiology major at the University of San Francisco. When I am not working or studying, I enjoy photography, traveling, learning languages, and cooking. I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to serve as the development intern for this academic year.
Job Titles:
- First Graduate® Founder
- Philanthropist
Philanthropist Ann-Eve Hazen founded First Graduate® (formerly b.a.y. fund) in November 2001. Her vision was to seed the creation of a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving college access for low-income youth. She was soon joined by founding board member Anaflor Graham. Programming began in 2002 with 24 8th graders recruited from two middle schools. Our work is based on the premise that helping the first child of a family to graduate from college will result in exponential benefits for the family as a whole - both economically and by spawning a college-going tradition.
First Graduate® founder Ann-Eve Hazen was recognized with a Jefferson Award for Community Service for her outstanding work helping first-generation students make their dream of a college degree a reality. Read the KPIX article for more information.
I am from Los Angeles, California. I am a third year Psychology major at the University of San Francisco. My interests and hobbies include cooking, watching conspiracy theory documentaries, listening to music, and journaling.
My name is Charlynn Pulou and it is such a pleasure to meet you. I am a sophomore at the University of San Francisco and my major is Psychology. I enjoy listening to music and watching anime whenever I have time. I also love shopping at Bath and Body Works and I also have a cat named Butter who is my whole world.
Hello, my name is Crystal Perez! I am a first generation college student and I recently transferred into the nursing program at the University of San Francisco. I was born and raised in the Bay Area but one day I would like to be a travel nurse so I could explore different parts of the world and different cultures. My hobbies include walking/exercising, listening to music, and self-care. I'm thrilled to join First Graduate because I empathize with the challenges of navigating the education system, and I'm eager to share my personal experiences with others to hopefully inspire and make an impact on someone else's life.
This is Dionne's first year as a First Graduate® Board member. She has over 10 years' experience working with college bound students. Currently, Dionne is an Assistant Director with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UC Berkeley. She has a passion for assisting students with finding their pathway to higher education.
Dionne is a fierce advocate for first generation students and their families. When working with First-Generation students Dionne loves to enlighten and demystify the daunting task of applying to college. Dionne is a huge fan of the work being done at First Graduate® and looks forward to being a source of support for students and staff at First Graduate!
Job Titles:
- High School Program Coordinator
Hello, my name is Efe Umukoro! My parents immigrated to America from Nigeria, in hopes of giving me and my brother a better life. I grew up in Lancaster, California and moved to San Diego for college where I received my bachelor's degree with a major in Psychology and a minor in Leadership Development from San Diego State University! During my time in college, I joined a dance team, became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and founded my own high school mentorship program within the Afrikan Student Union at SDSU. Through developing my program, I discovered my love for working with high schoolers and helping close the opportunity divide for students from minority communities! I am so excited to join the First Graduate® team and serve as a positive resource in the lives of San Francisco students! In my free time, I enjoy binge watching tv shows, singing and working out!
Eric is a first generation college graduate. Over the last 11 years, Eric has supported Bay Area students realize their dreams of going to and graduating from college. His leadership at East Bay College Fund allowed the organization to scale exponentially and he is excited about joining the First Graduate® family to continue this work.
"The economic gap in our society continues to grow. As we move towards our future, I believe it's important that we all do our part to support our fellow human beings in this struggle. I'm happy to be a part of First Graduate® who is dedicated to each and every family we work with."
Eric also enjoys hiking, martial arts, gaming, and spending time with his loved ones.
Gopa Dasari was a volunteer with First Graduate® for seven years before joining the board. Over the past 10 years, he has worked in the Private Wealth Management industry, dealing primarily with high-net-worth families and institutions.
Prior to co-founding Hamilton Zanze in 2001, Mark Hamilton sponsored the acquisition, ownership, and development of nearly 40 properties in the Bay Area. Mark's main focus has always been locating value-add properties in changing urban neighborhoods and then re-working them into higher-quality buildings with higher incomes, improved tenant profiles, and higher resale values.
Mark has considerable experience in partnership formations and operations, project planning and implementation, asset management and management oversight, landlord-tenant and rent-control issues, risk management, and zoning and building department matters. Before forming his own commercial brokerage and investment business in 1994, Mark worked in the San Francisco office of Marcus & Millichap, subsequently co-founding Property Resource Group (real estate brokerage) and Quantum Land Company (development).
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Finance Committee
Hanish leads a global GTM organization driving strategy & operations for sales, marketing and success. Additionally, he leads deal desk, market intelligence, enablement and process & systems teams which are responsible for driving operational excellence. He has over 20 years of experience in the tech industry in functional roles spanning from product, investments, marketing, strategy and operations.
Prior to ZipRecruiter, Hanish led the GTM teams at ServiceTitan where he transformed the entire marketing pipeline architecture for scale, effectiveness and efficiency. He also built a high performing operations organization that has enabled the company to gain higher efficiencies. At Zendesk, he led the GTM Strategy & Analytics team to develop and execute growth / transformation initiatives that supported the growth from $400M to $1.2B+.
Outside of work, Hanish has been actively involved in higher education for over 20 years supporting students, building institutions and serving through various channels to advocate on behalf of students. Earlier, his grass roots efforts led to the house bill H.R. 3412 (Higher Education Affordability and Equity act) during the 108th congress. He has served on the boards of the Dashew International Center for Students and Scholars, Vanderbilt University Engineering School Advisory Council and UCLA Alumni Board of Directors.
Hanish attained an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters in Electrical Engineering from UCLA, and a Bachelors of Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- General Manager of Northern California for DoorDash
Jenina is the General Manager of Northern California for DoorDash, a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local businesses in more than 27 countries across the globe. She started her career in finance at Goldman Sachs in NYC and then pivoted into the tech industry after graduate school, working at Meta and the startup Apartment List. Her experience spans strategy, operations, marketing, partnerships, and finance, and she enjoys using data analytics and applying behavioral insights in her day-to-day.
Jenina is passionate about giving back to members of underserved communities, being a First Graduate® herself. She holds the position of Board Member and Partnerships & Development Chair of Harvard Alumni for Global Women's Empowerment, Member of the Harvard Kennedy School Fund Executive Council, Regional Board Member of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Chair of the Harvard Kennedy School Women's Network of the Bay Area, and Member of the Investment Committee of Alpha Delta Pi. Jenina also enjoys endurance sports and is a World Marathon Major finisher.
Jenina holds a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelors of Science from Boston University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President & Development Committee Chair
John served as a Financial Advisor in San Francisco with MorganStanley SmithBarney. Prior to that he was a Financial Advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors in NYC.. He made a career change into the financial services industry joining AG Edwards in NYC which was acquired by Wachovia Securities, which was then acquired by Wells Fargo Advisors.
Prior to Wells Fargo Advisors he was a VP & Senior Partner with Core Strategies, a market development consulting firm providing services to technology small businesses to help them dramatically grow their sales & profitability.
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, High School
Hello my name is Jonathan Aleman Castro, I am a first generation Latinx college student who graduated from Kalamazoo College in Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology. I was born and raised in San Francisco's Mission District and have loved every part of this community. I am excited to be working with first generation students hoping to inspire them to succeed and reach their goals. Some hobbies of mine are gaming, cooking, cheering for the SF Giants, and going on hikes with my two dogs
Hello, my name is Karla Garcia. I am a daughter of two Mexican parents born in Veracruz, Mexico. I was born and raised here in the Bay Area. Currently, I am a Nursing student at the University of San Francisco.
When I am not learning about the human body, I am at the beach watching the sunset, dancing, hiking, or baking. I am passionate about guiding young individuals to see them become the leaders of tomorrow.
Kelly was born and raised in San Francisco and went to ICA Cristo Rey High School. There she learned through the Corporate Work Study Program how to work in different fields and is currently a sophomore at University of San Francisco. Her major is in Psychology and a minor in neuroscience and is very excited and grateful to be part of First Graduate and help empower students to reach their full potential
Hi! My name is Madison Brown (they/she pronouns) and I am a first year nursing student at the
University of San Francisco. I'm from Santa Clarita, California (which is SoCal), but I love being in NorCal. Some things I like to do are journal, dance (even though I'm horrible), listen to all kinds of music, and be one with nature.
I'm excited to be a part of this program, get to know our students, and help them succeed in
their near futures. I am more than happy to share a bit about me, and I would love to also know more about you!
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator, Middle School
Maggie moved across the country to join the First Graduate® team, and is grateful to be a part of
its mission. She finds joy in meeting new people, exploring her surroundings during her regular
runs, and sampling MLB ballpark food. Raised in Rhode Island and Connecticut, Maggie earned
Job Titles:
- Director, Middle School Program
Born and raised here in the diverse city of San Francisco. I grew up wanting to always make an impact on my community. It all began during senior year of high school when I participated in a program at the De Young Museum through which we went to different elementary schools teaching students about West African Art. It eventually lead me on a journey where I ended up majoring and graduating with a BA in Political Science at San Jose State University. In my last semester of college I worked in a middle school after-school program and have been working with youth for the last 5 years. I am motivated to do the work that I do so students from similar backgrounds as myself have an opportunity to succeed and accomplish their dreams.
Prior to co-founding Hamilton Zanze in 2001, Mark Hamilton sponsored the acquisition, ownership, and development of nearly 40 properties in the Bay Area. Mark's main focus has always been locating value-add properties in changing urban neighborhoods and then re-working them into higher-quality buildings with higher incomes, improved tenant profiles, and higher resale values.
Mark has considerable experience in partnership formations and operations, project planning and implementation, asset management and management oversight, landlord-tenant and rent-control issues, risk management, and zoning and building department matters. Before forming his own commercial brokerage and investment business in 1994, Mark worked in the San Francisco office of Marcus & Millichap, subsequently co-founding Property Resource Group (real estate brokerage) and Quantum Land Company (development).
Mark earned a B.A. with High Honors in English Literature from San Francisco State University and an M.A. in English and American Literature from Brandeis University, which he attended as a University Scholar and Fellow.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Owner
- Principal
Marvell C. Allen is Owner and Principal, of Millennium Career Advantage, LLC, a professional leadership development and coaching practice, started in 2010. Current and past clients have included Twitter, LinkedIn, Contra Costa County, The Bureau of Indian Affairs (U.S. Department of the Interior), Marin County, UC Davis, Marriott International, City of Mountain View, Kaiser Permanente, SanDisk, Watermark, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and Genentech, to name a few.
Marvell is an expert at delivering executive, management, and staff development programs that support organizational objectives. Moreover, she has a solid track record as a training leader for dynamic organizations to resolve complex business issues. Marvell is known as a key strategic partner for senior executives and cross-functional teams to help achieve business imperatives.
Marvell has spent many years supporting strategic organizational/learning initiatives with topics including:
Emotional Intelligence
Change Management
Inclusive Leadership
Executive Presence
Mubeenah is a proud San Francisco native and grew up in the South of Market area. Mubeenah has always had a passion and dedication to work in her community. She attended San Francisco State University and graduated with a BS in Health Education. Mubeenah is a first-generation college graduate and looks forward to working with students and families on navigating the barriers and difficulties in higher education. I am passionate about social justice and educational access and equity. In her free time, you can find her cooking Indian food with her family, reading books, traveling, or exploring new restaurants.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Managing Director at Accenture
Neera is a Managing Director at Accenture, and like all of our students she is the first in her family to graduate from college.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, High School
Oscar is the proud son of immigrants from Jalisco, Mexico and is a first-generation college graduate. Oscar was born and raised in San Jose, California and attended De Anza College upon graduating high school and transferred to the University of California Berkeley GO BEARS! and received his bachelor's in Anthropology and minor in Chicanx studies. Before joining First Graduate® Oscar worked at a high school in San Jose as a College Adviser and enjoyed interacting with his students and creating meaningful relationships through things they had in common and supporting their sporting and extracurricular events. Oscar enjoys assisting and seeing his students thrive and achieve their educational goals.
During his free time Oscar enjoys attending sporting events and is a HUGE Cal Football, Chivas de Guadalajara, and (always Oakland) Las Vegas Raiders fan! And enjoys investigative journalism and documentaries as well as travelling to new places and visiting his family in Mexico.
Job Titles:
- Vice President & Governance Chair
Rosemary identified First Graduate as an organization that spoke to her on a deeply personal level. As a First Graduate® from a Hispanic immigrant family, Rosemary is passionate about providing opportunities for other students to also become the First Graduate® in their family. Rosemary is enthusiastic about using her time and professional skills to serve this organization, and is prepared to help First Graduate® leverage their resources to continue driving maximum impact.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- President of the Board
- Partner at Jump Associates
Ryan Baum is a Partner at Jump Associates. For the past 10 years he has acted as a partner and advisor to Fortune 500 executives setting the course for large-scale transformations and aggressive growth. That has included work ranging from helping a major airline clarify and roll-out a new corporate strategy, to partnering with an automotive company to recapture the Millennial market, to helping a technology giant break into the healthcare space by redefining the long-term care market.
Ryan is an active thought leader in business strategy and innovation. He teaches a course at Stanford University in which students draw upon methods from anthropology, design, and business strategy to discover insights about people and define new offerings. He has also written for publications such as FastCompany, spoken at conferences such as the Economist's Ideas Economy conference, and guest lectured at universities such as Wharton and Berkley.
Ryan holds a B.A. in Ethics, Politics and Economics from Yale University.artner
Job Titles:
- Special Projects Coordinator
I Graduated from Oregon State University with a degree is Business with a focus on management. I am passionate about finding solutions and resources to help underserved communities. I believe that education is the best solution to uplifting areas in need and I am happy to help First Graduate® assist in that process.
Shelly Vernick volunteered with First Graduate® for 7 years before enthusiastically joining the First Graduate® Board. Her lifelong passion is education, and firmly believes that every child deserves access to a high quality education. She studied Psychology and Italian at Stanford University, then crossed the bay to UC Berkeley to earn her Masters in Education and Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. She taught 4th and 5th graders in San Leandro Unified School District for four years before transitioning into Human Resources in the education non-profit sector for nearly a decade. Most recently, she works as a VP, People Business Partners at NextRoll, where she volunteers as a Board Member of NextRoll Gives Back, coordinating volunteer opportunities for her fellow colleagues with First Graduate® and other local non-profits.
Outside of work, Shelly can be found hiking in the Marin Headlands, playing with her nephews, dabbling with a new recipe in the kitchen, or planning her next trip to Italy.
Susan Knowles has been a volunteer with First Graduate® for four years, and she enjoys working with students on resumes, school applications and math homework. Susan manages four clinical genetic labs and supports the implementation of cutting-edge genomics methods for precision medicine. Susan spent 10 years in the life sciences industry developing DNA-sequence based applications in the fields of reproductive health, infectious disease, and metagenomics.
Susan has a BS degree from The George Washington Universityand an MBA from the University of Chicago. Susan lives in San Francisco and in her spare time enjoys cooking and just about anything outdoors.
Terri joined First Graduate® in 2011 with better than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience as a development director, award-winning marketing communications and advertising director, consultant, and board member. During Terri's tenure, contributions and support from individuals, foundations, and corporations have increased significantly, helping First Graduate® grow from coaching 185 students to more than 300. Terri has deepened the fundraising and communications capacity of First Graduate® by thinking forward, leading from the heart, and building and mentoring a staff team that partners closely with Board members, thought leaders, and donors.
I was born in San Francisco but raised in upstate New York. I use he/they pronouns. I am a third year Psychology major and Theology minor at the University of San Francisco. I love working with kids and seeing their personalities and interests develop. I hope to be either a school psychologist or a private practice therapist with a specific speciality in children and adolescents. I enjoy baking, cooking, crocheting and am an amateur photographer! I am also a part of queer communities on my campus.
Tucker is a 12-year resident of San Francisco and lives just a short walk from the First Graduate® office. His career has focused on advising large enterprises on growth and operating model strategy. In that time, he has worked for a number of companies in the Bay Area, including Yahoo! and McKinsey & Company.
Tucker is a graduate of Yale University where he studied Economics and History, which remain favorite hobbies.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor, College and Career Program
Tuka was born and raised in Sunnyvale, California. Being the daughter of two Iraqi refugees taught her the importance of hard work and perseverance from a very young age. Tuka has received both her bachelor's and master's degrees from San Jose State University with a focus in Child and Adolescent Development. She is a first-generation college graduate who is passionate about serving underrepresented minority students and helping ensure educational equity for all. She looks forward to continuing her work advising college students, promoting their success, and building meaningful relationships. You can find her exploring the outdoors, hiking, watching basketball, or spending time with her family and friends in her free time.
Hi, my name is Uyen Le, but you can call me Len. My pronouns are she/hers. I like to draw and discover new hobbies, but currently, I am learning guitar. I grew up in San Jose, but my next four years will be in San Francisco since I am currently attending University of San Francisco as a Psychology major.
Hola! My name is Victoria Alvarado (She/Her/Ella pronouns), I am a Business Analytics student at the University of San Francisco. I was born and raised in the Bay Area by two Salvadoran parents. I am the first in my family to attend a four-year university and I am passionate about helping others be the first in their family to attend college and guiding young individuals to follow and accomplish their dreams! I hope to be part of the impact of having more first-generation students in four-year institutions!
Job Titles:
- Director of the San Francisco Chapter of Techqueria
- Manager, Community Engagement
Originally from Vargas, Venezuela. Yoselin is passionate about helping people to help themselves. She brings more than 11 years of experience leading social impact initiatives for under-represented communities in areas such as education, health, and college access. Before joining First Graduate, she worked with several nonprofit organizations managing volunteers, developing marketing strategies, and facilitating collaborations between corporate partners and nonprofits organizations. Additionally, she facilitated educational programs in the form of panel discussions, technical-talks and webinars, for organizations such as The San Francisco Giving Tree, Expat Women, and AIESEC.
Yoselin currently serves as a Director of the San Francisco Chapter of Techqueria, a nonprofit organization for Latinx in tech. She is the first in her family to immigrate to another country and further her education, loves dancing salsa, and also speaks Spanish and English.