Tasha Aboufadel is currently an R&D Engineer at Medtronic Neurovascular in Irvine. Tasha supports the commercialization of stroke treatment products and is the R&D owner for neurovascular aspiration catheters. Additionally, she is a co-leader and founding member of the Medtronic Young Professionals group in Irvine, where she co-founded a unique site-specific mentorship program. Prior to joining Medtronic, Tasha earned her Masters in Applied Bioengineering with an emphasis in Global Medical Innovation at Rice University and her B.S. in Biochemistry at UCLA. She is passionate about the intersection of healthcare and design and hopes to create collaborative opportunities across Orange County that foster innovation and growth in the MedTech field. Tasha grew up in San Diego with her parents and younger brother and sister. In her free time, Tasha loves being outdoors and staying active through climbing, hiking, backpacking, biking, and yoga with a healthy balance of traveling and exploring new restaurants.

William Agnew is a Senior R&D Engineer with Johnson and Johnson, based in Irvine, CA. Will has led in the development of 2 novel diagnostic catheters within Biosense Webster and aims to continue to excel in design and leadership skills. Will grew up in Temecula CA, with his parents and two younger brothers, until moving to UC Irvine to study biomedical engineering (BS). Will graduated at the top of his class, summa cum laude, and went on to pursue his master’s degree in biomedical engineering (MS). Will hopes to use his skills to lead the teams that will develop lifesaving medical devices.

Kyle Alderman is a young, ambitious professional working as an SAP Consultant at Ingram Micro. He is currently in training to become an SAP Certified Applications Associate. Kyle’s responsibilities include creating functional designs and specifications while supporting the development of Ingram Micro’s SAP systems. In 2019, Kyle moved from his hometown of Santa Cruz, California to pursue higher education at California State University, Long Beach. Upon graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems, Kyle moved to Orange County and began a career in IT. In his free time, Kyle plays in a men’s box lacrosse league and enjoys Djing.

Bianca Aleman is a recent graduate with her B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Cal Poly SLO. She currently works at Edwards Lifesciences as a Quality Engineer supporting their Critical Care products. Bianca was born and raised on the Central Coast, in the small town of Santa Maria. She enjoys watching sunsets on the beach anytime she can, playing with her new puppy Lola, and horseback riding. Her passions lie with patient care and bridging the gap between medicine and underserved communities and with outreach to Hispanic youth to promote higher education.

Kristofer Amparo is a Sr. Financial Analyst for Ingram Micro. The youngest of three children, he was raised in Chino Hills, CA and attended high school in Fullerton, CA. He graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Business Economics and began his career with Ingram Micro shortly after. Kris’s area of work focuses on corporate financial planning, data analysis, and driving business growth. In his free time, Kris enjoys spending time with family, golfing, and rooting for his favorite sports teams (Lakers, Angels, Colts).

As a values-centered and growth-oriented professional, Imah Aslam is a Corporate Human Capital Management Analyst at Golden State Foods. Her core responsibilities include Compensation, Human Resource Systems, and Talent Analytics. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Analytics from California State University, Fullerton and remains actively involved with the Leadership Scholars Program as an alum. Imah enjoys spending intentional time with her family and friends, taking long drives along the Pacific Coast Highway, and is an avid reader. One of her favorite books is Give and Take by Adam Grant. An Orange County native, Imah is part of the inaugural class of the Orange Fellowship and currently resides in Laguna Hills.

Nicole is a project manager at City of Hope Orange County. In this role, she serves as a strategic thought partner to assigned internal customers to assist them and their teams in developing and executing integrated project/program plans for the successful go-live of the OC Comprehensive Cancer Center and Specialty Hospital by 2025. She grew up in southern California and received a B.S. in Public Health Science from Santa Clara University. In her spare time, she loves to travel, spend time with her family, and try new food places.

Nolan is an associate at HighPoint Associates, a management consulting firm that works with clients in various industries, ranging from technology to retail. Before this, Nolan studied political science at the University of California, Irvine, and interned in venture capital, financial services, technology, consulting, and law. While at the University of California, Irvine, Nolan founded the anteater crypto association, which was the largest cryptocurrency club on campus, hosting speakers such as Jason Les, CEO of Riot Blockchain. In addition, Nolan was the head of fundraising at the University of California, Irvine Real Estate Association. He co-founded a clean technology company that completed a 120,000-square foot commercial solar deal in Garden Grove. Nolan lives in Irvine, California, and can be found lifting weights while listening to a podcast on geopolitics.

Michelle is currently an Actuarial Analyst at the Institutional Division of Pacific Life. She works on the pricing team for Pension Risk Transfer as well as Defined Contribution Lifetime Income. Michelle is passionate about personal finance and is grateful that through her work she can help provide financial security to others. Michelle graduated with honors from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2020 with a B.S. in Actuarial Science. She grew up in Irvine with her younger sister and lots of pets. In her free time, she loves weightlifting, skiing, traveling, playing board games and trying new restaurants! Michelle is excited to join a community of career-oriented individuals from across Orange County.

Sydney Cheek is a recent graduate with her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering degree from UNC Chapel Hill. Go Heels! She currently works at Edwards Lifesciences, Inc. as an associate in the Clinical & Regulatory Development Program. Sydney was born and raised in Greensboro, NC, but has called Irvine home for almost 2 years. She thoroughly enjoys escaping the winter and being able to exercise at the beach year-round. Her passions lie with patient care and women’s health and has recently earned her Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician License.

Neil began his life and career in Irvine, California as the youngest of four boys. He works as a recruiter for Oracle Corporation, having covered everything from enterprise sales to cloud engineering hiring at the professional level. In addition to his role as a recruiter, Neil has pioneered LGBTQIA+ advocacy at his company. One of his most notable feats was producing and organizing a gender pronouns training alongside Jan Ackerman, the SVP of Global Talent at Oracle. This training has been delivered to over 2,000+ employees globally, and has received praise from Oracle's Chief Diversity Officer. Outside of the HR department, you can find Neil on the rock wall or pickle-ball court in his spare time!

Kelsey Dalton is the media relations specialist for City of Hope Orange County. In this role, she helps build awareness and preference for the world-renowned cancer research and treatment organization as it prepares to open a comprehensive cancer center in Irvine. She works closely with physicians, patients and executives. Kelsey served as City of Hope Orange County’s first marketing and communications intern before joining the team in a full-time role in 2020; she is honored to be part of the team working to bring advanced cancer care to her community. Kelsey graduated from Chapman University with honors and received her Bachelor of Arts in strategic and corporate communication. Throughout her time at Chapman, she was a member of National Honors Society and National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She currently serves on the Young Professional Committee for OC PRSA and enjoys working with likeminded individuals that are looking to make a difference in Orange County and beyond. Among a few of Kelsey’s favorite things are reading a good book, taking her dog to the beach, eating good food and spending time with her friends and family.

Salonee Darbari graduated from UC Irvine in June 2020 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. She currently works at Edwards Lifesciences as an NPD Engineer, supporting various product lines. Salonee was born in India and raised in the US, with three younger sisters. Salonee is really passionate about fostering a sense of community in any setting, personal or professional, and strives to contribute in any way possible. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new restaurants, going to the gym and drawing. She is also known for her frequent puns.

Becky is a Clinical Account Specialist at Biosense Webster, a Johnson & Johnson company. In this role, she works closely with Cardiologists to create 3D maps and images of the heart during Electrophysiology Catheter Ablation procedures. These procedures help treat heart arrythmias like Atrial Fibrillation and return the patient in to Sinus Rhythm. She grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin and went to college at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota where she received her Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering. Becky relocated to California 4 years ago for her job at JnJ and she quickly realized that healthcare is her passion. She is recently married and resides in San Clemente with her husband. She loves to cook, travel, and anything fitness related.

Lucas is a Consultant in Deloitte’s Novel and Exponential Technologies (NExT) team which senses, and makes sense of, emerging technology 3-5+ years from widespread market impact. Prior to this Lucas studied computer science at the University of California, Irvine and held various Software Engineering roles. He is a co-author on the 2021 Technology Futures Report with Deloitte and the World Economic Forum. While in undergrad, he led conferences on decentral algorithms (DeFi, DAOs) as the VP of Blockchain at UCI and competed in UCI’s Butterworth and New Venture Competitions as a founder and team-leader. Lucas lives in Costa Mesa, California and can be found riding his motorcycle along PCH for fun!

Leo currently works with Better Mortgage as a Loan Originator. In this role he is able to assist clients through the home buying journey and ultimately secure a mortgage. Leo grew up in the city of Santa Ana and attended California State University, Fullerton where he earned a business degree and became the first person in his family to graduate from college. As a DACA recipient, Leo poured into his community and helped mentor younger students with underrepresented backgrounds. He feels it is important for us to help support younger generations as we progress through our own journeys. In his spare time he enjoys staying active, reading, and trying new foods with friends.

Shelby Estes is a Senior Actuarial Analyst on the Product Design Team in the Retirement Solutions Division at Pacific Life Insurance where she develops new insurance products using math, coding, and her financial knowledge. She grew up in Santa Clarita, CA with her younger sister, parents, and a huge extended family. Shelby moved out to Orange County to attend University of California, Irvine and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Specializing in Finance. One of her biggest career goals is to become a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) which she has been studying for the past four year. During Shelby’s free time you can catch her skiing in the winter and boogie boarding at the beach in the summer!

Noah currently works as a Business Intelligence Analyst at Pacific Life where he focuses on building metrics to track and optimize different processes. He grew up in Southern California where he also studied for his undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Data Analytics from Chapman University. Noah is an avid surfer and skater, always looking for new places to ride and get outside to enjoy nature with his friends and family. He is a strong advocate for physical and mental health and hopes to one day use his knowledge of both data and psychology to help people live healthier lives. Noah aspires to go to graduate school for data science to better understand how technology and digital behaviors can help us find better ways to live better lives. Noah’s favorite part of being an Orange Fellow is getting to meet other professionals from industries all across OC.

Arnold Francisco works as an Engineer in the rotational program at MicroVention-Terumo, working in various departments with devices that treat ischemic stroke and aneurysm patients. Arnold graduated from UC Irvine with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. During his time at UC Irvine, Arnold was part of several clubs on campus such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and Engineering Student Council (ESC), where he served on cabinet. Arnold grew up in Orange, CA with his parents and is the youngest of three siblings. During his free time, he enjoys trying new restaurants, hiking, and keeping up with news and technology.

Daisy is a recent graduate from the University of California, Irvine where she obtained bachelor's degrees in Urban Studies and Social Ecology and a minor in Global Sustainability. She is currently working as a Legal Assistant for an estate planning firm in Santa Ana where her passion for service and helping others has further flourished. In her free time, Daisy serves as a mentor for high school students, enjoys working out and loves fueling her caffeine addiction by exploring coffee shops in Orange County. In the future, Daisy anticipates to pursue a career in law or earn a Masters in Urban Planning.

Susan Gonzalez was born and raised in Orange County, enjoys volunteering and being active in her community. She recently graduated from UCLA and received a bachelor's degree in Spanish with minors in Latin American Studies and History. Susan is a Senior Member Advocate at Happy Money where she's developed a passion for building relationships and creating a world-class customer experience. In the future, Susan aspires to utilize her customer-centric mentality to push businesses forward while always maintaining the well-being of consumers at heart. Susan loves being a part of the Orange Fellowship and appreciates all the relationships she’s built through this program.

Byron Goulard is a current Analyst at White Label Asset Management in Irvine, a rising asset management firm within the hotel industry that is dedicated to making a lasting difference in its communities. Byron was born and raised in Orange County in a family of four. He attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, graduating with majors in Business Fellows, Finance, and Accounting with a minor in Mathematics. Outside of work, Byron loves to mountain bike, go to the beach, and spend time with friends.

Ryan Hastings is a systems engineer at Edwards Lifesciences in Irvine, CA. He grew up in San Diego, CA before traveling to Duke University in Durham, NC to study biomedical engineering and play Division 1 lacrosse. He returned to Southern California after graduating to start his career and make the most of the surfing, cycling, running, skiing, and all available outdoor activities. Ryan is passionate about medical devices and healthcare, particularly empowering individuals to have independent insight into their own health. He is excited to work with the Orange Fellows to create programs and support systems for young people existing in and coming to Orange County with the goal of increasing equitable opportunity professionally and personally.

Michael is a Senior Actuarial Analyst at Pacific Life. He worked two years on the Reinsurance team and has since broadened his area of focus to Inforce Management in the Finance Department. Michael graduated from UCLA in 2019 with a degree in Financial Actuarial Mathematics and minored in Statistics. He grew up with one younger brother in Ladera Ranch, CA and was heavily involved in baseball, basketball, and football. His family enjoys volunteering at various food pantries and supporting our troops.

Sarah Hertzberg is a Clinic Outreach Representative for the Amen Clinics, a national outpatient mental health clinic. She helps manage professional relationships for the clinics and loves connecting with various types of healthcare professionals. She has been with the Amen Clinics since graduating and has a huge passion for all things brain health! She graduated from Chapman University with a degree in Strategic and Corporate Communication. In her free time, Sarah loves all things health and fitness! You can find her in a spin class, outside on a hike, or spending time with her friends and family. Sarah can’t wait to be a part of the Orange Fellowship!

Bryan Hoang is currently an Actuarial Analyst II on the Valuation Team in the Retirement Solutions Divisions at Pacific Life Insurance Company in Newport Beach, CA. Bryan was born and raised in Orange County his entire life, however he obtained his undergraduate degree in Actuarial Science from UC Santa Barbara. He is the son of Vietnamese immigrants and has four older siblings that are also based in Orange County. Not only does Bryan work as an actuary, but he also is working as a residential real estate agent under Realty One Group. During Bryan's free time, you can find him running, surfing along the coast of California, or traveling to different countries!

Jennifer is a Sales Planning Analyst on the Planning & Analytics team at TravisMathew Apparel in Huntington Beach, CA. Prior to this role, she was a Financial Analyst at Johnson & Johnson, supporting the Medical Technologies sector in Irvine, CA. Jennifer graduated from USC with a B.S. in Business Administration and a Minor in Environmental Studies. She has grown up in Southern California and spent time volunteering at the Aquarium of the Pacific and local junior golf camps. You can find her making cappuccinos and golfing with her friends and family!

Rini Jayarethinam is part of the Technical Development Program at Edwards Lifesciences, rotating through various medical device engineering functions over the span of 18 months. Rini is a 2021 graduate of the Master of Engineering - Biomedical Engineering program at Duke University in Durham, NC. She also received a certification in Medical Device Design during her time at Duke. Prior to her graduate education, Rini graduated in 2020 with her Bachelor's of Science in Biomedical Engineering from UC Irvine. Rini is a SoCal native; having lived in both LA and Orange counties, she has seen various states of educational disparity within SoCal and hopes to promote engineering & STEM to future generations. In her free time, Rini enjoys cooking, watching TV shows, and exploring coffee shops.

Josh is a wealth advisor associate for Capital Group. He works as a registered investment advisor representative and helps the firms’ high net worth clients with their financial planning needs and portfolio analysis. Josh was born and raised in Santa Ana, is the oldest of 4 siblings, and is of Nigerian/Mexican American descent. Aside from finance Josh is the founder of EZ Buckets Basketball. A basketball training organization he founded after college in 2018. Josh has been selected as a top trainer in OC since 2016 and has run camps for and with: Ballislife, the LA Clippers, Enes Kanter (NBA Center for the Boston Celtics), OC Magic Elite, the Raya Foundation and more. Josh has also self-published 2 books on Amazon and is a graduate from UCI with a degree in Urban Studies and Business Management. Lastly, on his free time Josh enjoys reading, working out, writing, going to the movies and spending time with his family and girlfriend.

Saee is a passionate, fun loving and creative Electrical Engineer. She came here as an undergrad to pursue her dreams in the field of engineering. She currently works as an RF Test Engineer at Skyworks and believes to further the Wireless industry with innovative ideas. She believes in a fast paced work environment and loves to be on a constant learning curve. In her free time she loves to learn new dance moves or catch up on some Cryptography puzzles! She is also a Math lover 🙂

Leah grew up in Lake Arrowhead, with her mom, dad, and younger brother. After graduating high school in 2013, she moved to Orange County and joined Hoag Hospital as a Clerical Coordinator for the Emergency Department. Three years later, she transitioned into the Urgent Care Leadership Team as a Senior Administrative Assistant, where she was later promoted into a Program Coordinator role. Shortly after, Leah was tasked to lead a large temperature screening team at the Walt Disney Resort, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leah now works as a Marketing Program Manager, where she spearheads sponsorships with many community partners, including: The Los Angeles Chargers, Orange County Soccer Club, Irvine Company, and The District Tustin. She attended the University of Redlands, where she received her both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration. Through her university, she is a member of the Whitehead Leadership Society, and Delta Mu Delta International Business Honor Society. In her spare time, Leah enjoys reading, exercising, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.

Madison (Maddy) Kukura works for Edwards Lifesciences as a Research and Development engineer in their Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies business unit. Madison graduated with her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and is passionate about designing simple solutions for procedural success. Although she is native to West Virginia, Madison has fully embraced the Southern California lifestyle. She enjoys running along the Huntington Beach path, surfing in Newport, and has recently taken up climbing. Outside of work and leisure activities, Madison volunteers for the Foster Teen Ministry at Rockharbor, where she has the opportunity to mentor teens from Group Homes.

Omkar holds a double Master's degree in Engineering and Management from The University of Texas at Dallas and currently works for Skyworks Solutions in Irvine.It is an exciting place to work, developing cutting-edge technology that powers the next generation of 5G mobile and wireless devices. Having grown up in Pune, India, he is the youngest member of a family of four. He is passionate about preserving the environment and enjoys taking part in tree planting drives. When he's not working, you will find him in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes. Besides, he is an avid traveler and is on track to visit all of the National Parks.

Jennifer graduated with Summa Cum Laude from California State University, Fullerton, with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, concentrating in Marketing and Information Systems and a minor in Advertising. During her academia, she was a President’s Scholar and served as the Website Executive Director for the Business Honors Program for two consecutive years. She began her career in the financial services industry, serving multiple roles under marketing for a securities licensing prep company throughout her four years of college. Today, she works at Warren Street Wealth Advisors, a local financial firm in Tustin, as a Marketing Manager. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family & friends, eating at new “foodie” restaurants, and watching Chinese dramas.

Netania is a Marketing Communications Specialist at Healthcare Success, a leading healthcare and digital marketing agency. She is a Southern California native, growing up in Placentia and graduating from Chapman University in Orange with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences and a minor in Psychology. Her passion for healthcare marketing was cultivated through a combination of her academic, internship, volunteer, and work experiences. During her off-hours, she enjoys traveling, reading and scrolling TikTok.

Catherine (Cat) Lee works for Inari Medical as a Research and Development engineer. Catherine was raised in Bloomington, MN and graduated with her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. After living in Madrid, Spain teaching English to elementary students for the past year, she is excited to be back and grow within the medical device field. She is passionate about building simplistic devices to make life easier for both patients and physicians. In her leisure time, Catherine enjoys running and spending time outdoors.

Xing is a Customer & Marketing Consultant at Deloitte. She is passionate about creating a highly personalized and human-centric experience through leveraging technology. Within Deloitte, she co-founded and leads a mentoring program to support women in their career journeys. At the age of 7, Xing immigrated to the United States and landed in New York. Within a year, her family packed up again and relocated to sunny California in Los Angeles. After graduating from high school, she and her family moved to Orange County where Xing quickly fell in love with the affable culture and quality of life. Although she has moved a few times in her childhood, Xing has identified Orange County as her forever home and hopes to create a lasting impact through programs such as the Orange Fellowship. During her free time, she likes to try new experiences from cooking a new dish to podcasting and singing.

Tina works in Commercial Risk at Hyundai Capital America in Irvine. Before that, she worked as an actuary at Pacific Life and a research assistant at the Iowa Institute of Technology. Tina grew up in Iowa with an older sister and younger brother, who are a pharmacist and CPA. She graduated from the University of Iowa with degrees in Computer Engineering, Actuarial Science, and Math. She met her husband, Lee, at the University of Iowa. Lee is an engineer at Green Street in Newport Beach. Lee and Tina got married in 2021. They live in Irvine and enjoy year-round outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking, and sand volleyball. 

Jake LS is an Actuarial Analyst for Pacific Life on the Economic Value & Capital team using data science, business, and finance principles. He is from Nebraska, but is enjoying his recent move to California and his new hobbies of boxing, hiking, biking, and beach volleyball with friends. Jake prides himself on having a diverse set of skills and interests, such as coding and project management, and strives to innovate in his career to find the best solution to the world’s problems. The amount of talent in OC and beyond impresses him, especially in tech, and he looks forward to expanding his network and potentially collaborating.

Basti Lopez, graduated from Chapman University in May 2020 and earned an MA in Leadership Development, with a focus on Higher Education. She is a proud first- generation, underrepresented, educated person of color, and it is her honor and privilege to provide students with quality educational experience. Through the classroom, in her professional life, and as a community leader, Basti is invested in creating and enhancing spaces to cultivate diversity and equity for underrepresented people. As an educator and organizer, she has a successful track record of quickly building and leading team efforts to be at the service of the community. Currently, Basti serves as a Student Services Coordinator for Dual Enrollment at Santa Ana College, and she understands the importance of providing unique educational opportunities for students. Ms. Lopez De La Luz hopes to reimagine and recreate spaces where our students can shine as the empowered leaders that they are!

Alicia MacDonald is an Biomedical Engineer working in Research and Design at Medtronic in their Neurovascular division. The devices that she works with are used in interventional and preventative procedures for stroke care. She has been in her job for a year and her favorite thing about it is the constant problem solving and investigation work. Every day is different and there is always an opportunity to improve the processes, tests and designs. Outside of work Alicia enjoys environmental-focused volunteer work, specifically trash cleanups. These cleanups feel like a tangible way to help out the community. Alicia is a curious and dynamic individual who is eager to learn from others and try to help out in the community and ecosystem.

Austin is a recent alumni of Baylor University and a Certified Public Accountant with a passion for learning, establishing relationships, and problem solving. He is a Product Manager at FreightPOP helping to disrupt the transportation and logistics market. Outside of FreightPOP Austin spends his free time helping a mentor, Kurt Knapton, with his private portfolio investments through Realm Resources. He is passionate about the investment thesis, Business as Mission or Business for Mission, which aims at providing capital to companies/entrepreneurs looking to make a Kingdom Impact. At Baylor, he spent most of his time outside of the classroom engaging with entrepreneurs through his due diligence on deals with the Baylor Angel Network, an organization he still participates in. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BBA in Business Fellows, Finance, Accounting, and Supply Chain Management with a minor in Religion, which he hopes to utilize throughout his career. Above all, he seeks to understand and relate to others around him while stewarding his talents.

Cade MacLean is a current Audit Associate at KPMG where he specializes in the Asset Management practice. Cade attended university at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where he studied Finance and Accounting. Cade was born and raised in Orange County and is the second oldest of four siblings. In Cade’s free time you can catch him surfing in San Clemente or mountain biking the various trails Orange County has to offer or traveling to a new country. Outside of work and studying for his CPA licensure, Cade enjoys spending his time leading and mentoring a small group of high school boys through Saddleback Church.

Although Cassidy studied civil engineering, during her senior year at Vanderbilt University, she became fascinated by artificial intelligence and its impacts on society. After graduating, she moved to Orange County to work as a traffic engineer, but her fascination with AI remained and two months into the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to leave her job in pursuit of this passion. After teaching herself to code and learning everything she could about the world of technology, she accepted a job at Balto, where she spends her time coming up with creative solutions to the company’s greatest challenges. When she’s not reading about AI and its ethical implications, Cassidy enjoys spending time outside, writing, and performing stand-up comedy.

Sydney Mayer works at Edwards Lifesciences as a Research and Development engineer in the Technical Development Program. Edwards Lifesciences offers this 18-month program for recent graduates to develop their cross-functional engineering skills across rotations in different disciplines such as manufacturing, clinical development, and product R&D. Prior to moving to Orange County in 2021, Sydney graduated with her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and her M.S. in Medical Device & Diagnostic Engineering from the University of Southern California. Outside of her life as an engineer, Sydney enjoys staying active through Roller Derby, currently playing on the Orange County Roller Derby varsity team, and Ultimate Frisbee. She also enjoys relaxing while baking, hiking, and exploring new beaches after growing up in the land-locked state of Colorado.

Samantha Malloy is a 2022 college graduate living in her hometown of Los Alamitos. She studied a wide range of humanities and social sciences at the University of Notre Dame and now works as Assistant to the Managing Director at BankTech Ventures, LP. BankTech is a strategic investment fund based in Costa Mesa that supports community banks by empowering disruptive tech companies and building relationships between them. Samantha believes that diversity of background is crucial to success and that each person brings unique and interesting perspectives to the table. In the future, Samantha plans to pursue an MBA to enhance her business and finance skills. Outside of work, she can be found playing video games with friends or outdoors, either snowboarding, swimming or hiking.

Kaitlyn Massman is an Actuary for Pacific Life where she has worked on the Asset Liability Management and Profitability Management teams. She graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2019 with a bachelor’s in Actuarial Science and two minors in Computer Science and Mathematical Statistics. Her favorite part about working as an Actuary is getting to create new dashboards to improve the company’s data analytics. One of Kaitlyn’s early career goals is to become a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA). When she is not studying to become an FSA, Kaitlyn enjoys paddle boarding, softball, beach volleyball, hiking, and having game nights with her friends. Kaitlyn grew up on a hobby farm in the frozen tundra of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin with her two older siblings, Ashley and Thomas, and her parents, Kris and Alan.

Clare McHugh is a Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Edwards Lifesciences working in their Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Technologies business unit. Her work focuses on evaluating changes and collaborating with cross-functional partners to gain regulatory approvals for a tricuspid valve replacement device. She received her bachelor's degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University. Clare grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has been living in Orange County for the past two years. Outside of work, she volunteers with a local elementary school in Santa Ana by organizing volunteers to participate in STEM workshops, supply drives, and school events. She enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.

David Morales is a Orange County native, born and raised in San Juan Capistrano. His family consists of his mom, dad and younger brother. He graduated from Chapman University with a degree in business administration with a focus in finance. During his Chapman career, he played on the Men's soccer team and participated in the Latinx club and the First & Foremost program. After graduating from Chapman University, he joined the Mergers and Acquisitions team at UST Global for 2 years. He currently works at Deloitte Consulting as a consultant. His area of focus at Deloitte is Mergers and Acquisitions. Apart from his professional career, he truly enjoys volunteering, spending time with his friends and family, soccer and overall being active.

Brooke grew up in Southern California and is thrilled to be helping her lifelong community with the Orange Fellowship. She received her B.A. in English Literature from the University of California, Irvine, and she now works as a Marketing Copywriter for Pacific Life Insurance Company’s Retirement Solutions Division. In her free time, she works to help her community through a local mutual aid organization, hosts a podcast called Things That Keep Me Up at Night with her best friend, and entertains the every whim of her three bizarre cats.

As a hard working and eager to learn individual, Ethan Nicholl is a Marketing Specialist at Xe Money Transfer. His responsibilities include customer retention (lifecycle marketing) and increased transactional growth in our remittance corridors. He graduated from California State University, Chico with a double major in Organizational Communications and German Studies. He is still involved in his jewish fraternity AEPi by mentoring up and coming members, as well as advising students interested in studying abroad at Chico State. Ethan Nicholl enjoys going to the beach with friends, and golfing with his brothers on the weekend. His favorite anime is Naruto, and Naruto Shippuden, which he has watched a couple of times over. He is excited to be a part of the 2022 Orange Fellowship program and is preparing for the next leadership or networking opportunity to come his way.

Edward is a graduate from CSUF with a degree in Finance. He was able to finish his degree in three years and enter the field early. During his time at CSUF, he served as the president of Beta Alpha Psi and the founder of Abrego Future Scholars Student Association. Today, he works at J.P. Morgan as a technology investment banking analyst, where he advises high profile TMT clients on corporate transactions. Edward currently lives in Orange County, with his parents and dog named Saturday. His long term career goal is to be an industry expert and starts his own business one day.

Minh Nguyen is currently a program manager in strategy and business development at UCI Medical Center. In this role, Minh evaluates internal and external business opportunities for the UCI Health enterprise. He has been with UCI Medical Center for over three years. Minh earned his bachelor’s in biology at UCLA and his Masters in Health Administration at USC. Orange County has been home for Minh for his entire life. Minh was born in Fountain Valley and grew up in Anaheim with his parents and three older brothers. Minh’s goal is to launch a series of companies that focus on improving healthcare delivery for all. In his free time, Minh enjoys outdoor activities such as playing sports, hiking, trying to new foods, and traveling.

Kelly Nguyen is an Assistant Project Manager at Murow Development Consultants. She focuses on land development services on a variety of projects for Public/Private Residential Builders and Developers, Commercial and Industrial Builders and Developers, and Land Owners. As an Orange County native, Kelly has always loved being by the ocean waters. She moved a couple of hours along the coast up to the University of California, Santa Barbara where she received her B.S. in Environmental Studies. As a first generation college student, Kelly is honored to be a part of the inaugural class of the Orange Fellowship. She is excited to help create bridges across industries and generations and develop as a leader within her community. In her free time, Kelly loves traveling to new places, indoor cycling classes, exploring new cuisines, and watching the latest season of The Bachelor.

As a proud Orange County native, Ms. Naomi Nocum has served local communities in education and mental health for the past 8 years as a direct service provider and administrative support specialist. Ms. Nocum currently serves as an Executive Assistant at Children and Family Futures, a nonprofit social services consulting organization, where she has honed skills such as coordination of large-scale travel, meeting, and event logistics, as well as formatting, proofreading, and editing reports. In her spare time, Ms. Nocum volunteers for local non-profits, such as For Goodness Cakes, where she bakes and hand-delivers sweet treats for underserved youth on their special day. She also enjoys creative writing, formulating natural skincare, and learning languages. She is proficient in Vietnamese, has competency in Spanish and Mandarin, and recently began studying Korean. Eventually, she would like to start her own natural skincare business. Ms. Nocum holds an MA in Leadership Development from Chapman University, as well as a BA in Human Development with a minor in Education Studies from UC San Diego.

Kieryn Ota grew up outside of Houston, Texas, and decided to move to the East Coast to study Biomedical Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University. After graduating, she moved to Orange County to begin her career as a Manufacturing Engineer at Edwards Lifesciences. Kieryn is excited that she has the opportunity to make scalable impact on people’s healthcare through her work of supporting the production of artificial heart valves. Outside of work, Kieryn enjoys running, hiking, and exploring all that Orange County has to offer.

Driven by a passion for medical devices and healthcare, Kimberly Overton moved from South Florida to Orange County to start her professional career at Edwards Lifesciences. Overton currently works at Edwards Lifesciences as a Manufacturing Engineer under the Technical Development Program. Edward Lifesciences offers this 18-month program to recent graduates to develop their engineering skills in different functional areas such as quality and product development. Prior to living in Orange County, Overton studied Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Miami as a part of a five-year dual degree program. Overton graduated in the Fall of 2020 with both her Bachelors' and Masters' degree. Ultimately, Overton hopes to use her educational and professional background to make medical devices more accessible to those in need. In additional to being a motivated engineer, Overton loves to experience the outdoors, travel, and read.

Raised in the mountains of Big Bear Lake, Ravi spent his childhood snowboarding, wake boarding, and enjoying the outdoors with his parents and 3 brothers. Graduating from Big Bear high School he moved to Orange County where his extended family has lived for generations. Ravi attended Community College in Orange County before transferring to UC Santa Barbara. He earned his Master's Degree at UC Irvine's Merage School of Business. He is a life long learner and world traveler, recently returned from spending nearly 6 months in Europe.

Dennis is a graduate from CSUF with a degree in Finance. He was able to graduate early from university in three years and enter the field early. Today he works at Deloitte Consulting within their Finance & Enterprise Performance Strategy portfolio where he advises his clients how to undergo strategic formations relating to FP&A, Supply Chain, Corporate Strategy, and Demand Planning. Prior to joining he worked at J.P. Morgan in their strategy group. Dennis currently lives in Orange County, with his parents and sister. His long term career goal is to pursue a MBA from USC, and pivot into a corporate strategy or venture capital role. Outside of work you can find him playing soccer, spending time with friends & family, and participating in the Orange fellowship program.

Pranav Menon is a Business Analyst at Deloitte working within the Business Valuation service line. Pranav graduated with a Master of Science in Finance degree from The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Texas A&M University. In his free time he likes to play the piano and compose and write his own original songs. Pranav grew up in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA and loves to hit the ocean as much as possible while also being a passionate sports fan. He is beyond excited to join the Orange Fellow community to both learn and serve as a leader.

Melissa Ramirez is a Human Resources Administrator II at American Advisors Group. Particularly assisting the Human Resources Department with the onboarding and off boarding phase of the employee life cycle. Melissa was born and spent some of her childhood in Guanajuato, Mexico until she and her family migrated to California in 2005. With lots of hard work, dedication and the support of her 5th grade teacher at Newhope Elementary School, Melissa learned to fluently speak English by the beginning of 6th grade. Ms. Ramirez balanced the beginning of her Human Resources career while attending college full time and volunteering at Mercy House in Santa Ana. Achieving her goal to be the first in her family to graduate with a Bachelor Degree in Sociology from California State University of Fullerton.

Jeremy attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and studied Actuarial Science. He is currently an Actuarial Analyst at Pacific Life where his focus is on engineering & developing pricing models for different Stable Value products. Although Jeremy was born in LA, he was raised in Orange County and has lived there ever since he moved at the age of 5. Coming from a family of four and growing up in Lake Forest, he was exposed to the many attributes that make Orange County so special; such as frequent beach visits, hiking in the foothills, and outdoor shopping & dining. Two of Jeremy’s favorite pastimes are spearfishing in Crystal Cove and playing a good video game with friends.

Jennifer was born in Garden Grove California and was raised in Santa Ana, California. Jennifer was the first child in her family to attend and graduate from a four year university. Jennifer attended California State University Chico, where She graduated in four years with a Bachelor's in Social Work and a minor in Diversity Studies. She recently moved back to Orange County, where she spends her time going to the gym and walking her dog Layla around the park. Her hobbies include reading books and learning more about finances. She currently works at Happy Money , as a Verification Specialist. In her current role, she underwrites personal loans and help applicants with the application process. Her ultimate goals in life is to grow within the Fintech industry and eventually purchase her first home in beautiful Orange County!

Gemma currently works as an Actuarial Analyst at Pacific Life on the development of pricing models/tools for Defined Contribution Lifetime Income products. She was born and raised in San Diego and graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a degree in Financial Actuarial Mathematics. Now, working from Orange, it is safe to say she has the best of both worlds! Community-oriented, Gemma is constantly looking for ways to get more involved through volunteer activities especially as she wraps up her first year in Orange County. Likewise, dog-oriented, Gemma can be spotted with her dog both at the beach and on zoom calls.

Meet Kali Sanders who has broken every barrier and obstacle placed in front of her to be the woman she is today. Kali Sanders grew up in Huntington Beach, CA attending Huntington Beach high school where she found her love of engineering, getting a taste of all the possibilities that were out there. In 2016, Kali graduated high school and started her college journey at orange coast college, graduating in under 2 years with her associates in engineering. She did not stop there, she continued her education at California State University - Fullerton, in the college of computer science and engineering where she majored in mechanical engineering and graduated class of 2021. In the same year she landed a full-time role at microvention-terumo as an engineer 1 where she gets to make a difference in a person’s life every single day through launching, creating, and designing new processes and/or products. In her free time she enjoys giving back through volunteering in programs for at-risk teens, taking ice skating lessons, playing the violin, going for hikes, doing a thrill seeking activity, and binge watching her favorite tv show/movie for the 100th time. Her future is bright and this is only the beginning.

Sabeena Sebastian is a Sr. Quality Compliance Manager at Masimo Corporation, based in Irvine, CA. She has a background in quality engineering and project management. Sabeena grew up in Valencia, CA with her parents and younger brother. She moved to Irvine in 2014 and since then, has completed her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at UC Irvine. During her free time, Sabeena enjoys dancing and trying new restaurants with her friends. She is also pursuing her MBA part time at Pepperdine University. She hopes to one day be a strong example of uplifting leadership in the STEM industry, here in Orange County.

Luke is a Business Optimization Manager II at Profit Recovery Partners where he is responsible for data analysis and implementing cost reduction strategies for clients.Luke is an OC native, growing up in Villa Park and graduating from Chapman University (B.S. Business Administration, '18). Luke was a Team Captain and All-Conference player on the Men's Basketball Team and finished his career playing overseas in Europe. He is the youngest of four boys. Luke enjoys staying active playing beach flag football, snowboarding, and golfing. In his spare time, he also runs a personal training business for basketball lessons and enjoys coaching at the youth level.

Madison Selby is a Clinical Account Specialist II for Biosense Webster - part of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. In this role, she works side by side with Electrophysiologists in the Cath Lab doing 3D mapping of heart arrhythmias. She works as a trusted advisor and surgical consultant to the physician and staff to ensure her patients come first every day. Outside of her role, Madison serves as the Diversity and Inclusion Champion for her team as well as a mentor to new hires. She grew up in San Clemente, CA before moving to Seattle, WA to attend the University of Washington where she obtained her BS in Earth and Space Sciences - Biology and a Professional Sales Certificate for the Foster School of Business. Madison returned to Southern California after graduating where in her free time you can find her baking for friends, family, and coworkers.

Sandra Silva is a globally-minded first-generation college graduate of Georgetown University. After graduating in 2019 with two majors in Government and Japanese, she has developed her project management and communication skills by working on global teams in the tech industry across fintech and market research. She is currently a Compliance Analyst at Latham & Watkins where she looks forward to learning more about the legal industry. Outside of work, she is passionate about volunteering and community service. She serves as an Advisory Board Member for a Santa Ana based organization that works to advance environmental equity and educational opportunities. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring new restaurants, watching documentaries, and studying foreign languages.

William currently works at Medtronic as an R&D Engineer. His current area of focus is for a remediation project regarding design control. He has had experience with innovation projects and quality line support for medical devices. William grew up in Oxnard, California, mainly an agricultural community. He attended UCI and majored in Biomedical Engineering. During his undergraduate studies, he was part of Nu Alpha Kappa and Orange County Hispanic Youth Chamber of Commerce. He is interested in healthcare innovation and has volunteered at Lestonnac free clinic and Crescent Clinic. He is recently married and enjoys spending time with Poppy and Milo, a two-year-old dog and a 1-year-old cat. William enjoys traveling abroad and visiting national parks.

Eva Stanton is a recent graduate of Chapman University with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy, a B.A. in Anthropology, and minors in Political Science and Data Analytics. She currently works in Chapman’s Office of Sustainability as well as she has held the positions of student lab research assistant to Dr. Jason Douglas and Dr. Lindsay Waldrop, program peer advisor, Orientation Leader, and President of the Mission Environment Club. Additionally, she is an avid volunteer with several programs including the YMCA, Surfrider, and Headcount. In order to continue her passion for intersectional environmental justice through sustainability management, public health data analysis, or non-profit work, she plans to return to graduate school after gaining industry experience and researching institutions of interest.

Nick Steil is a Product Associate at PIMCO in Newport Beach, focusing on multi-asset products and model portfolios. He has been with PIMCO since July 2020 and joined the firm after completing an internship the previous summer. A native of Orange County, he was raised in San Juan Capistrano by his parents, Doug and Laura, with his younger sister, Emily. After high school, he attended Saddleback College and then transferred to Brigham Young University where he double-majored in Applied Physics and Economics. Nick is an active member of his church and spent two years as a full-time volunteer for his church in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports, going to the beach, and doing yoga.

Johnny currently works at Deutsche Bank in their Santa Ana office, as a Portfolio Accounting Analyst in their Structured Credit Services Group. In this role, he manages client portfolios consisting of Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs), maintains and updates a trust reporting database, and communicates with Operations Group to manage bond and loan settlements. Johnny grew up in Lake Forest, and is the youngest of eight siblings. He graduated from California State University, Fullerton in May 2020, majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. He is in the process of getting his real estate license, and enjoys eating Korean BBQ. He’s honored to be a part of the Orange Fellows, and is excited to make an impact in Orange County.

When Jose is not working out or playing with his dogs you can catch him reading, meditating or rockin' out to 80's heavy metal. He enjoys other hobbies but his truest passion is working with code and connecting with people. In 2019, he graduated from UC Irvine with a B.S. in Software Engineering. Since then, he has been a part of the IT Leadership Rotational Program at Ingram Micro Headquarters which led him to his current role as a Software Engineer. His experiences at Ingram Micro and the Orange Fellowship have helped him gain the necessary industry breadth and leadership skills necessary to succeed as a young professional.

Victoria graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from California State University, Northridge and is pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree from La Verne University. She currently works at American Advisors Group as a Communications Specialist, managing their internal communications. She is responsible for developing relationships with the executives and business units to effectively help the organization stay up to date on the company’s vision, goals, and projects. In her free time Victoria enjoys going to Disneyland, visiting local family in Orange County, traveling, and eating pizza. She is eager to grow her career and looking forward to developing her leadership skills through the Orange Fellowship program.

Grant Voss is a a certified information privacy professional in U.S. privacy law (CIPP/US) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).*Prior to his Privacy career Mr. Voss served as a Community Services Commissioner for the City of Mission Viejo and received the 2017 Outstanding Commissioner the Year Award presented by California Association of Park & Recreation Commissioners & Board Members (CAPRCBM) during the California Parks and Recreation Society annual conference.*This certification does not designate a legal specialization.

Hailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Kendra Washington now works as an Algorithm Engineer I for Edwards Lifesciences. She is thrilled she gets to apply her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and minor in Computer Science towards developing hemodynamic monitoring technologies and improving patient outcomes. Kendra received a prestigious four-year, full-ride Stamps President’s Scholarship to complete her undergraduate degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology. During those years, she conducted research in mudskipper blink mechanics, deep learning for ultrasound image segmentation, and later lung microfluidics models. Kendra graduated with Highest Honors while also enjoying volunteering with a student-led service organization known as Circle K and dancing in the African Student Association. Now in Irvine, she hopes to explore more of Orange County via hikes and good food.

Kiriana is an Actuarial Analyst at Pacific Life, participating in the company’s actuarial student rotation program and currently working in Variable Annuity Valuation. Kiriana grew up in New Zealand before moving with her family to Portland, Oregon. She went on to earn her BSBA from Drake University in May of 2020, and has been loving Orange County ever since! Kiriana has two cats who keep her company while she works from home, and she loves exploring new places in Orange County on the weekends. Kiriana is very grateful for the opportunity to be part of the Orange Fellowship and is thoroughly enjoying her time in the program!

Luqman Zahid recently graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with his masters in Electrical Engineering and has started working as RF Design Engineer at Skyworks Solutions in Irvine. He was born and raised in Azad Kashmir which is known for its scenic beauty, but has been living in Orange County for almost three years. Luqman is a very friendly and hardworking individual who is very passionate about the cutting-edge wireless technology at Skyworks. He enjoys traveling, kayaking, trying new adventures, spending time with his friends and family, making new friends, learning about different cultures and social work in his free time.

Katherine Zertuche grew up in east county, San Diego and moved to Orange County to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services, focused on Mental Health & Substance Abuse from California State University of Fullerton. From working at a summer camp as an Activities Director, to coordinating a career-readiness program with the national non-profit affiliate Girls Inc of Orange County, Katherine has diversified her work experience while intertwining her passion for supporting others through education and strong leadership. She is currently an Account Manager at Burnham-WGB focusing on consulting small group employers on developing an optimal employee benefit package that meets their unique needs and financial goals. Outside of work, Katherine is on the Social Media committee with the PIHRA Foundation board, as well as the Networking Events committee with the Orange County Nonprofit Professionals Network board. She also enjoys hiking, camping, and visiting the San Diego Zoo.

Tony was born and raised in Beijing, China and came to Los Angeles for college in 2013. He attended USC for both college and graduate school (Fight On!) and received his master’s degree in 2019 before moving to Orange County for his first job at PIMCO. Tony is now a developer there where he helps the firm streamline operations by leveraging data science solutions. On weekends he paddles with Killer Guppies dragon boat team in Long Beach. He is also part of the Orange Fellow’s LEADS Mentorship Program, through which he looks forward to helping students in Anaheim public high schools with resume writing and interviewing skills.