Meet the Civic and Community Engagement Staff

As director of community engagement, Gabriela fosters new and current relationships with community organizations, coordinates student engagement and participation in community based learning activities and provides support for the development, implementation and assessment of service learning courses. Gabriela is a graduate of Pomona College and received her master’s in education from the Claremont Graduate University.

• Civic Learning Programs (programming of civic year-round efforts, such as book clubs, Power of Your Voice, etc.)
• Community Engagement Opportunities
• Liaison to and for community partners
• Academic affairs-related efforts (service learning, CE fellowship fund, internal and external professional development opportunities)
• Signature community/civic engagement models such as Inside Out Program and the Napier Initiative
• Assessment, data, and budget for CE efforts
• Collaboration on planning and writing for grants

As Assistant Director of Civic and Community Engagement, Ayah is dedicated to supporting students in bridging what they learn in the classroom with how they engage in the world. Through coordinating civic engagement opportunities, providing pathways for students to collaborate with community partners, and supporting reflective practice, she helps students consider how their knowledge, values, and lived experiences shape their roles in community contexts. Ayah will also work alongside student-led organizations, and ensure students at HMC have the support and resources to create meaningful, community-centered programming. She is excited to support student development and further the OCCE’s commitment to fostering student-led and community-based initiatives on and off campus. Ayah is a double UCLA bruin, and received her Master’s of Public Policy from UCLA. 

• Oversee and maintain current MOU’s and service agreements between community partners and HMC

• Tutoring programs (America Reads/Counts)

• Summer Funding Opportunities (Summer Internship Fund)

• Voices of Engagement (from logistics to registration)

• Voter Engagement Programs (efforts across campus and at 7C)

• Mentorship to student organizations with community engagement opportunities

As Graduate Assistant for Civic and Community Engagement, Yvette supports the office’s efforts to connect Harvey Mudd students with the wider community. She coordinates student led initiatives, such as Crochet for a Cause and Community Conversations, while collaborating with campus partners and local organizations to advance student leadership and equity minded practices. She also contributes to programming, assessment, and outreach that foster meaningful student engagement.

Yvette will graduate this December with a Master of Science in Applied Psychology from USC, with an emphasis in organizational psychology and qualitative research methods. As a first-generation college student passionate about higher education, she is dedicated to creating spaces where students can connect their academic knowledge with impactful community engagement.