Student Employees have ITS Pride!

Meet Soma Badri, fourth-year UCSC Computer Science major, Assistive Technology Program Lead (since 2020):

As an Assistive Technology Program Lead, I work on matters regarding accessibility within ITS under the Chancellor's Undergraduate Internship Program.

To keep myself busy during these COVID times, I have delved into the world of houseplants.

Soma's TV show and music recommendations:

TV shows: New Girl, This is Us, Superman and Lois, Big Bang Theory

Music: The Weeknd, Khalid, The Lumineers, Jeremy Zucker

Meet Daniela Olano Guia, fifth-year UCSC Computer Science major, Zoom Corps Consultant (since October 2020):

As a Zoom Corps Consultant, I provide faculty and staff technical support during lectures and virtual events, as well as training with Zoom, YuJa and Canvas.

I lost my previous job on campus due to COVID and when I saw the Zoom Corps job posting I was drawn to apply because I really liked the idea of helping out faculty and staff navigate our new online life.

I've really enjoyed all my work pairings, whether it is with a professor or a staff member, I've gotten to get to know a lot of different people and it makes me feel close to UCSC. It's nice to have this connection because being back at home I really miss campus and Santa Cruz in general.

I really enjoy baking, and watching cooking shows on Netflix and YouTube. I also adopted 2 kittens during quarantine, so I've been spending most of my time taking care of them.

I just recently started listening to podcasts, and my favorite is Crime Junkie. I am a fan of true crime, and this podcast does a great job at storytelling.

Meet Jennifer Johnson, third-year Psychology and Education double major, Computer lab Consultant, now part of Zoom Corps (since January 2020):

My favorite project/part of working at ITS is having the opportunity to support conferences and events that I may not have attended or been aware were happening. For example, I was able to provide support on an event that focused on showing high school teachers the connection between teaching students about media and civic engagement, which tied in with my major and future career interests. The most rewarding part of being at Zoom Corps is the connections I have built with staff and faculty as I help them adapt their courses to online platforms.

One thing that brings me joy and has kept me sane during the pandemic is going to the beach and being able to see the beautiful sunsets with the ocean, luckily living in Santa Cruz makes this easy!

Meet Samantha Teo, fourth-year UCSC Technology and Information Management + Computer Science double major, Web Accessibility Specialist (since May 2020):

I've been involved with UCSC accessibility since I was a freshman, so working at ITS was the perfect opportunity to scale up the impact I could have in making our campus more accessible for all our students, staff, and faculty. As a Web Accessibility Specialist, I work on making UCSC's digital presence accessible, managing internal accessibility tools, and promoting universal design for all!

Samantha's podcast recommendations: 

-Worklife by Adam Grant, TED podcast with organizational psychologist Adam Grant exploring the science of making work not suck

-How I Built This with Guy Raz, stories behind entrepreneurs and the movements they built at some of the world's best-known companies

-99% Invisible with Roman Mars, talks about the unknown architecture and design that shapes our world

Meet Dylan Yeh, fourth-year UCSC Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology major, Student Technician at the ITS Support Center (since 2020):

We (student technicians) handle IT requests by performing basic troubleshooting and determining the appropriate path of escalation.

Other than studying and working, I've been working out and learning how to cook! I don't have a favorite hobby but I do enjoy spending time with friends!

Meet Belinda Yu, fourth-year UCSC Technology and Information Management, Web Applications Student Developer (since May 2020):

As a Web Applications Student Developer, I help support the operations of our WCMS sites, from tickets to application development.

My favorite project that I have worked on was using our web app to publish all of the WCMS sites in preparation for fall quarter; it was rewarding to be a part of that and I had fun working with my awesome team getting it ready to go.

Things that bring me joy include walking at sunset, Bookshop Santa Cruz, baking and volunteering.

Belinda's podcast, documentary, and music recommendations:

Podcasts: The Alex Wolf Podcast and Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain

Documentaries: Dominion and Cowspiracy

Music: The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and probably whatever is trending on TikTok

Meet Magdalena Ramirez, third-year UCSC Computer Science Major, Information Technology and Communications Assistant (since June 2020):

I work on a range of projects from managing ITS’s social media accounts, to writing articles and collaborating on security awareness campaigns. I was inspired to join ITS because of the potential growth and the ability to start working in IT before I graduated college. I love the flexibility in my position, which has allowed me to experiment and learn. I have enjoyed that it enables me to work and connect with other wonderful people in ITS.

To keep busy during the pandemic, I dabbled in many activities from, spending time outdoors, to reading and embarking on creative projects like cooking, baking, and art. Something that has brought me joy during COVID is finding creative ways to stay connected with friends and family, and playing with the three kittens my family adopted.

Magdalena’s Book Recommendations:

-Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

-The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

-Stamped by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds

-Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall

-An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield