El centro
Guadalupe Barragan (She/her/ella)
Lead Student Coordinator (Undergraduate)
First Generation Student
Guadalupe is from Los Angeles, California. She recently transferred from MPC and this is her first semester here at CSUMB. She is majoring in Social and Behavioral studies (SBS) with a concentration in Sociology. Guadalupe’s mother was born in Guatemala and her father is from Michoacan, Mexico. Some of Lupe’s hobbies include going to concerts, playing video games, skateboarding, and going for hikes. She has always been an advocate for social justice and equality for all. She is very passionate and proud to be a part of El Centro.
Lara Arias (She/Her/Ella)
Student Coordinator
Lara is a first-year student majoring in Marine Science (MSCI). She was born and raised in Panama, and this is her first time living in the U.S. Lara believes that being Latinx is much more than just your origins. She feels it is a sense of community and belonging. Lara enjoys listening to Spanish and English music and spending time with her friends.
Dr. Suzanne/Susana García (she/her/ella)
Director
Suzanne/Susana is a first-generation Mexican-American/Chicana college graduate who currently serves as an Associate Professor in the College of Education, Director of the Monterey Institute for English Learners (MIEL) and the Bilingual Authorization Coordinator at California State University-Monterey Bay. She has a BA in English Literature from the University of Texas-Austin, MA in Elementary Education from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and a Ph.D. in Bilingual and Bicultural Education from the University of Texas-Austin. She is raising proud bilingual (Spanish, Spanglish, English) Latinas and enjoys camping, hiking, yoga and traveling.