Pre-Admission Counseling Staff
Cal State East Bay's pre-admission counseling staff travel to high schools and community colleges to assist prospective students with admission information. Welcome Center staff is available to meet with students by appointment.
Director of Enrollment Development
Amanda Segura
Service Area: East Contra Costa County
Amanda has been working in education for 11 years, beginning as a student assistant at Hartnell College and later at CSU Fresno. She earned an M.A. in Educational Counseling, and tutored elementary and middle school students while earning her degree. She enjoys teaching students about the many options available to them in the CSU system. She recommends students talk with their parents/guardians about going to college to build positive support at home. She encourages students to interact with positive role models who have similar interests and goals, so that the goal of higher-education becomes second nature.
Amanda's favorite place on the Hayward campus is Redwood Grove. She enjoys exploring the many new hiking trails throughout the Bay Area, and kayaking in the reservoirs of East Contra Costa county during summer.
Enrollment Counselors
Ricardo Avitia
Service Area: Solano County, West Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County (including San Jose), and the Central Valley.
Ricardo enjoys assisting and encouraging students to pursue higher education. He understands how challenging admission to college can be, so he enjoys showing students the many services, resources, and opportunities available to them at Cal State East Bay. Ricardo earned his B.A. in English at UC Berkeley. He's worked in higher education for five years, first as a consultant and then as an Outreach Specialist at a community college, and Academic Advisor for Educational Talent Search (TRiO Program) and as a coordinator, mentor, and tutor.
Originally from Mendota, CA, Ricardo's favorite place on campus is in front of the Recreation and Wellness (RAW) Center to enjoy the view of the bay while meeting a friend. His advice to new students is to actively ask questions to find the assistance you need. He encourages you to get involved in a campus event, club, or organization to increase your network of friends and to build your confidence. In his free time, Ricardo loves collecting vinyl record music albums, and dining at the Pier in San Francisco.
Annie Chandler
Service Area: Community colleges in the Contra Costa area, including Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, Contra Costa College, Solano Community College, Napa Valley College, and Santa Rosa Junior College. Also visits high schools in the Concord and East Contra Costa county area, including Antioch and Brentwood.
Annie's actively involved with assisting Latino students via the Llegar a la Universidad Consortium, which includes Cal State, Mt. Diablo Unified, Diablo Valley College and Los Medanos College. The Consortium offers educational workshops in Spanish for students and families about the opportunities available in higher education.
Education is Annie's continuing passion. She earned her Bachelor and Master degrees at Cal State East Bay, and now serves as adjunct faculty at Diablo Valley College. She is proud of her three daughters who are pursuing graduate degrees. She believes that learning is a lifelong endeavor that brings its own reward.
Louise Martinez
Service Area: Hayward, Union City, Newark, and Fremont
Louise has worked for Cal State East Bay for 14 years, and as an enrollment counselor for more than four years. She attended Ohlone College, then transferred to CSU Hayward (now Cal State East Bay). She received her degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), inspired by her original major, Physical Therapy.
Louise's favorite place on campus is in the University Union, which is always buzzing with students.
By encouraging students to ask many questions, Louise enjoys demonstrating that attending college at Cal State East Bay is a real possibility for their educational and career goals.
Nancy Martinsen
Service Area: Mendocino, Lake, Sonoma, Marin, Sacramento, Napa, and Solano county
Originally from Ohio, Nancy studied at University of Colorado, then transferred to CSU Monterey Bay to earn her BA. She is now pursuing an MA in Education Counseling at SJSU, while working fulltime as a counselor. She previously worked at CSU Monterery Bay, and has worked with the Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound programs.
The all-weather track in the Pioneer Stadium is Nancy's favorite place on campus, where students and staff enjoy exercising with the beautiful view of the bay. The view itself is a great motivation to Nancy, who loves the Bay Area's diversity, ethnic foods, dancing, and the Oakland A's games. Nancy's advice to students is don't be shy! Make some phone calls; if you have a question, seek the answer.
Jean Paul Nguyen
Service Area: The Welcome Center at the Hayward Campus
Jean Paul joined Cal State East Bay as an enrollment counselor in 2007, after pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Biology at Cal State East Bay. He enjoys helping students get into the University and finds his career choice to be rewarding. He advises students to explore different courses, to choose a major that suits them best. He encourages students to live on campus at least the first two years, to enjoy the rewards of living on campus without commuting. With numerous programs offered through student life, and campus clubs and organizations, you are more inclined to have fun and meet people when you stick around after class.
Around the Bay Area, Jean Paul enjoys visiting Pier 39, Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz, Lombard Street, the Market and Castro neighborshoods, and Twin Peaks.
Jose A. Rocha
Service Area: San Lorenzo, San Leandro, Oakland, Emeryville, West Contra Costa county, and Antioch
Born and raised in Oakland, California, Jose has been a higher education counselor for more than seven years. He attended CSU Chico and majored in Social Sciences with an option in Psychology and Sociology. He enjoys adivising students to achieve their college goals, and encourages them to seek out the many resources available to them at Cal State East Bay.
Jose loves the Bay Area's weather and its profusion of diverse cultural activities, professional sports games, and wineries in the Silicon, Napa, and Livermore Valleys.
Ilana Samuels
Associate Director of Recruitment Initiatives
Service Area: East Contra Costa, and East Alameda County High Schools
Ilana is actively involved in education both as a volunteer for the last 12 years in her children's schools and in her career. She started out working in early childhood before moving to the field of higher education. For 10 years she was the instructor for parent participation classes in the City of Walnut Creek. She has a Master of Arts in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, which was completed as part of a concurrent teaching credential program. Before coming to Cal State East Bay, she coordinated a teacher preparation program, taking on a variety of roles including those of curriculum designer, course instructor, new teacher supervisor and senior recruiter. Ilana is excited to be at East Bay because of her passion for equal access and accessibility for all students. She encourages students to believe in themselves and make their dreams a reality. Ilana loves spending time with her family, 3 cats and her dog, and looks forward to helping her own children make the transition to college!
Marc Strong
Service Area: San Francisco and San Mateo counties, Alameda, and Oakland
Marc studied at San Francisco State University and received his BA in International Relations. With an MA in Political Science from Howard University, Marc has worked in education since March 2000. He began his career teaching in prestigious high school programs as an instructor for the National Young Leaders Conference and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. Marc enjoys advising students about admission, and helping them identify their career choice by highlighting CSUEB's many excellent major subject offerings. He advises students to find a mentor or internship to build real-world job skills prior to graduation, job search, or pursuing a graduate education.
The Dining Commons, with its view of the San Francisco Bay and quality all-you-can-eat buffet, is Marc's favorite spot on campus. He's a huge fan of all things San Franciscan, especially visiting Golden Gate Park, and frequenting vintage record shops in Berkeley.
