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Name: Alexa Araneta
Email: ad.retention@gmail.com
Nickname[s]: Lex, Lexa
Year: Fourth (and graduating!)
Majors/Minors: Sociology
Birthplace: Daly City, CA
Hometown & why you love it: Pittsburg, CA.
I love it because for a small town there’s a lot of diversity
that the community embraces.
High school: Pittsburg High School - Home of
the Pirates.
Fun Facts
Interests/Hobbies: reading for leisure (not for
school!), crocheting, buying shoes, karaoke, sleeping, music,
movies, art in all its forms
Pet peeves: PASS is lowercase instead of UPPERcase
(it’s PASS, not pass), when people who borrow my pencil
or pen don’t give it back, slow-walkers, unlocked front
doors, walking behind smokers, when Brita filter-pitcher is empty
and in the fridge (man, refill it!!), people who talk during movies
or TV shows I haven’t seen yet (especially new episodes
of Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy, or Desperate Housewives…grrr!)
Guilty pleasure: Watching “The Hills”
Favorite music: Pretty much anything, my tastes
are eclectic from the Backstreet Boys to the Beatles, man! But
mainly my music library is R&B (old school is the best!)
Favorite childhood TV shows: Adventures in Wonderland,
Animaniacs, David the Gnome, Eureka’s Castle, Mickey Mouse
Club (not the seasons with the Justin or Britney either—old,
old school!), Sailor Moon, Under the Umbrella Tree…pretty
much anything on 90s Nickelodeon or Fox.
Something random about you: I retain random,
useless information about movies, music, and just pop culture
in general. In a nutshell, you’d want me on your team for
World Series of Pop Culture.
Berkeley
Other organizations/activities I’m involved with:
bridges Multicultural Resource Center, Pilipino American Alliance,
& Undergraduate Marketing Association
One thing you should do in Berkeley before you graduate
is: Go to the Cal Football Game—even if you don’t
like football, it’s definitely a fun time.
Favorite place to eat: Café Intermezzo
Favorite place to study: North Reading Room in
Doe
Plans after graduating/goals/hopes/dreams: Go
out into the work world and work work work! Hopefully get a marketing/public
relations internship somewhere which will eventually lead to me
working for marketing/public relations at Pixar (or some other
really cool place, but what’s cooler than Pixar?!). My goal
is to pay off my loans and have financial security by 35. Ask
me when I’m 34 to see how I’m coming along with that.
My secret aspiration is to go art school and be artsy-fartsy all
the time. I’m keeping my options open.
Who inspires you & why?: My dad, because
raising 4 stubborn girls on his own since 1987 is no easy task.
I love him, he’s always put his girls first instead of himself
and one day, I hope to return all sacrifices and favors I’ve
asked of him.
One piece of advice (about college, Berkeley, PASS, life
in general): “At some point, you have to make a
decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you
in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your
lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”
-Meredith Grey on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy”
PASS
Tell us about your position & why it’s important:
Retention is a big issue in our community, as well as all communities
of color on the Berkeley campus because it’s not just about
academics, it’s the social as well. We see our fellow classmates
dropping out, getting on academic probation & not making it,
or even graduating with a degree & feeling lost because they
don’t know what comes after college. As Assistant Director
of Retention, my primary focus is to make sure students are graduating
and thriving. Thriving in terms of getting the resources they
need to succeed, whether it be in their specific career path or
going to graduate/professional school, whatever it is—I
want to be there for them to act as a resource and guide them
in the right direction. I also provide support for the retention
component in their programs as well as all of staff.
What are some of your goals for this year?: This
year, I am all about directing students to the right resource
or opportunity. I feel that in the past, we have put on events
that are unnecessary for us to do when there is already a resource
available for students to go to all the time (i.e. The Student
Learning Center & The Career Center). I want to have students
interact with alumni, faculty, staff, & graduate students.
I want to work on effective collaborations with the retention
component of PAA as well as the other recruitment and retention
centers.
First exposure to PASS: First General Meeting
my freshman year (2004)
Why & how did you decide to get involved?:
I went to the PASS table during Calapalooza and was approached
by Chris Malixi (former HS Outreach co) and he talked to be about
PASS’ programs. I went to the first general meeting and
was really interested in outreach. I became an outreach intern
for Chris and the rest is history.
Why is PASS’ work important?: Because everyone
deserves an equal opportunity at a quality education.
Where do you see PASS in 10 years?: Hopefully, PASS won’t
exist anymore. If it does, it will strictly be a retention center.
Anything else we should know? Shout-outs?: “Wassup,
wassup, wassup!” BIGups to my fellow seniors, GOUDA, &
those down to make positive social change.
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