Saint Mary's College Of California

Monica Mendez (San Diego, CA) is a junior pursuing a major in psychology. As a member of the St. Mary’s Cheer Team, she brings the SMC spirit alive at both men and women’s basketball games. Monica loves Saint Mary’s unique traditions such as walking up to the cross and painting the SMC with friends during the Weekend of Welcome. “After my orientation day, I left assured that St. Mary’s was a perfect fit for me because the people were very welcoming!” This is her second year on the Orientation staff and she is excited to meet all new members of the St. Mary’s community!

Gianna Pascale (San Diego, CA) is a junior majoring in liberal and civic studies. Gianna has participated in numerous service projects though CILSA (Catholic Institute for Lasallian Social Action) as well as helping out in the Mission and Ministry Center. This is Gianna’s second year as a member of the orientation team. “I remember meeting my best friend at Orientation when we were in the same group and discovered that we were both from San Diego,” she says. Gianna would love to make every freshman’s Orientation experience as memorable as hers.

Amanda Zentner (Pleasanton, CA) is a sophomore Kinesiology major. She is looking forward to traveling out of the country this year during January Term so she can learn about new cultures. In Amanda's free time she loves to play sports, dance, watch movies, sleep, and eat! On campus she is involved in different activities including Kinesiology Club and intramural sports. Being an Orientation Leader gives her a chance to make new friends and to challenge herself.

Ashley Kerner (Sunnyvale, CA) is a sophomore in the Integral Program. She plans on pursuing a minor in music and looks forward to a future career in politics. "I am excited to be a part of the Orientation team and can't wait to help the incoming freshmen discover all that Saint Mary's has to offer."

Barakah Marie Amaral (Turlock, CA) is a junior and a Philosophy Major. This past academic year she was the president of the Sophomore Class and was able to travel to the Dominican Republic on a service trip during January Term. This is Barakah's second year as an Orientation Leader. She is excited to be able to work with the incoming class and hopes that the new students will love Saint Mary's as much as she does!

Charise Johnson (Monrovia, CA) is a sophomore majoring in Political Science with a minor in Communication. Charise loves sports and works on campus for Recreational Sports as the Indoor Soccer Coordinator and encourages everyone to get involved in Recreational Sports."I met so many amazing people while participating in Rec sports. They are free and fun; I think everyone should get involved!" Charise is excited to study abroad in Ireland during the spring semester and finds Saint Mary’s College's travel opportunities extraordinary. In her free time she likes to read, listen to music and go to the basketball games with her friends. "The energy in the student section during basketball games is unlike any other. It is exhilarating and contagious. Attending basketball games is definitely one of the most memorable moments of my time here at Saint Mary's."

Danny Rodriguez (Yorba Linda, CA) is a senior majoring in Psychology, but hopes to eventually become a doctor. Currently he serves the student body as a Vice President for his class. Whenever he has free time, Danny enjoys cooking and baking, all the while coming up with new methods for his recipes. He loves being a part of the Saint Mary’s because “Saint Mary’s is a part of me!”

George Emmons (San Ramon, CA) is a sophomore and is part of the Integral Program, which is a undergraduate degree at Saint Mary’s. Integral is a liberal arts education where all classes are seminar based and student’s work together in order to gain a better understanding of various areas of learning (ie. math, science, language, etc.). George is also a member of the Speech and Debate team and has a passion for debate and public speaking. George also gives campus tours at Saint Mary’s and has periodically gone back to his high school to promote the college that he considers his home.

Gina Van Loon (Dublin, CA) is a senior majoring Business Marketing and minoring in Communication. She traveled abroad during this past January Term to Rome, Italy and would recommend the experience to all students. In her free time she loves to watch sports, especially the Golden State Warriors, go shopping, and hang out with her friends. She loves being a Gael and is excited to welcome all those who are joining the Saint Mary’s community.

Joe Brown (Antioch, CA) is a sophomore and is considering a Bio-Chemistry major with either a Spanish or Music minor. He loves to play basketball in his spare time as well as listen to music. He also plays piano and enjoys hanging with friends.

John Dixon is a senior and a theater major.  This is his second year as an Orientation Leader and, regrettably his last.  He is looking forward to helping the incoming students of Saint Mary’s just as previous Orientation Leaders helped him.  John has performed in a number of school plays and has been on technical crew for many others.   He hopes to become a professional play actor, director, and technician by gaining a position at American Conservatory Theatre or Curran Theatre.  He has been studying American Sign Language for the past five years and hopes to become an interpreter for the deaf community.  Approaching his last year at Saint Mary’s, he still says “I don’t regret coming here. I remember how much this school has helped me socially, academically, and spiritually”.

Jordan Joshua (San Diego, CA) is a sophomore majoring in Psychology. She is an active member of the Black Student Union (BSU) club. Jordan likes to stay active, enjoys watching and participating in sports and has a passion for helping others. She loves her newly acquired second home of St Marys College, and is excited to introduce all the incoming students to the many different aspects of Gael life that SMC has to offer.

Karina Flores (East Palo Alto, CA) is a junior, Spanish and Women Studies double major. Her goal is to be a high school teacher, and one day work for the Department of Education. She is currently Co-President of Hermanas Unidas, an Admissions Ambassador and High Potential Peer Mentor. She hopes to travel abroad for a year to Spain and Mexico. In her free time Karina enjoys listening to music, watching movies, and going on adventures with her friends!

Lindsay Whitney (Petaluma, California) is a junior Communication major. She plans on studying abroad in Rome this coming spring semester. She is constantly fascinated by all the resources Saint Mary’s has to offer, and loves being a Gael. In Lindsay’s free time she likes to hang out with friends and work out at the gym.

Linsey Atis (Vallejo, CA) is a sophomore majoring in Kinesiology Human and Health Performance. What she enjoys the most is being part of the Saint Mary’s Community. You can catch her in the student section during basketball games, or just walking to get to class with a great smile on her face. Linsey chose Saint Mary’s College, because of the small classes it offered, the student-to-teacher ratio, and its great central location. In her free time, Linsey enjoys reading good books, shopping, cooking and finding a way to go to the beach.

Matthew Fontan (Los Angeles, CA) is a junior majoring in History and with a minor in Religious Studies. Matthew is involved in the Mission and Ministry center, and living  in a residential community on campus known as Santiago community  that focuses on  living out the Lasallian core principles upon which the college is founded upon. In his free time, Matthew enjoys listening to music, reading, keeping himself updated on the current events, and playing video games with his best friends. He chose Saint Mary’s because of its intellectual Collegiate Seminar program and its small environment that provides a sense of campus community.

Wayne Doyle (St. Helena, CA) is a junior and has loved Saint Mary’s ever since his first visit when he drove down the tree-lined entrance. He now considers Saint Mary’s to be his home. Wayne is a Health Science major and a pre-med student as well as an Honors Program Commissioner. Wayne can’t wait to help the incoming freshman get situated and start their journey to loving SMC as much as he does.