India Pierce (she/her) is an educator, advocate, DEI consultant and oversees LGBTQIA+ Equity at MiraCosta College. As the LGBTQIA+ Equity specialist she works to ensure that all staff, faculty, and students have the resources and support they need to thrive. From programming to training, and even aiding in the creation of campus procedures, at the core of India’s work is a deep care for the whole lives of LGBTQIA+ people. She urges people to remember that diversity alone is not equity. It is not by itself a solution, and definitely not a box to be checked without taking any other actions.That is why India’s work focuses on unearthing the systems of power that creates pathways to success for some over others.

Outside of her time at MiraCosta College India teaches Critical Gender Studies and Ethnic Studies courses and is the co-founder of Moxie Consultancy Collective. Through Moxie she partners with industry leaders, executives, activists, and independent learners to develop inventive equity centered practices. India’s work has covered a broad range of sectors including education, non-profit, and the medical sector. Her expertise lies in the areas of process improvement, curriculum building, organizational visioning and strategic planning, leading difficult conversations with diverse stakeholders; creating infrastructures and procedures that allows for long-term equity-minded success, and using her strong research background to create bridges between theory and praxis.

Bringing to her work, a critical race and gender lens gathered from her education, India is currently completing a PhD at the UC San Diego in Ethnic Studies. As an educator and scholar, India’s research explores issues pertaining to religion, popular culture, pedagogy, love (yes love), race, queerness, and gender. An Ohio native, when she is not working, India enjoys doing karaoke, expressing her love through cooking, and taking beautiful photos.

Maya Cardenas uses she/they pronouns and identifies as a queer, Chicanx, plus-sized, gender non-conforming, student affairs scholar/practitioner and serves as the Associate Dean of Student Services, overseeing Student Life & Development and District Outreach, at Mt. San Jacinto College. Maya also serves as the administrative co-chair for the district’s LGBTQ+ Student Task Force and is an administrative member of the Undocumented/DREAMer students’ work group. Maya earned her M.S. in Counseling from California State University, Long Beach in the Student Development in Higher Education Program and her B.A. in Film and Media Studies from the University of California, Irvine. Born and raised in California, Maya loves cheering on the LA Dodgers and the LA Sparks, movie nights with her wife and love of 20 years Jaime, playing with their puppy Oso, and reading superhero fanfic.

Hi everyone! My name is Briana Perez, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am a rising 4th year transferring from College of the Canyons in Valencia, California. I am a Psychology major and tentative Applied Developmental Psychology minor, a tutor at BruinCorps, coordinator of this year’s TRANSfer Pride Admit Week, and past GUM and WAZO mentee. I currently live on campus at Sunset Village Courtside for the past year to prioritize my personal wellness and safety from an abusive situation. I am currently working on my undergraduate degree, hoping to go to graduate school either in a Ph.D. in Counseling and Clinical Psychology focusing on children and adolescents. I would love to use my academic work to head towards creating an intervention program on addressing emotional abuse and its effects on the Latinx family unit, either by prevention or intervention on behalf of young survivors. As someone who has lived experience as a survivor, I feel welcomed by how friendly UCLA is to QTBIPOC+ and want to pay it forward as I go through my own self-discovery experience. A fun fact about me is that I am an artist, and finally comfortable with said label, who has way too many original characters varying from the childish to the introspective. It has led me to costume making, community, and allyships among those who used art to heal and other queer communities.

Michael Reid Pfirrmann (He/him/his) transferred to UCLA from Cerritos Community College. In 2017, he graduated, Cum Laude, with a BA in Gender Studies and African American Studies with a Minor in English. As a student, Michael was involved in many things including being one of the Volunteer Coordinators for the 2016 and 2017 STOMP Conferences, participating as a facilitator in Transfer Transitions to Supplement Orientation, working both the African American Studies and Gender Studies booths for Transfer Bruin Day, and more.

One of his greatest achievements, however, was being one of the founding facilitators for the QTPOC space in the UCLA Campus LGBTQ Resource Center. There he tried to build coalitions with other QTPOC hosting spaces around dating, racism, the election of 45, etc. His leadership allowed him to sit on the hiring committee for the current UCLA Police Chief, speak with donors for the UCLA Campus LGBTQ Center, speak to administrators about QTPOC and Transfer Student issues, etc.

Currently, Michael works as an Outreach and Prevention Educator at Greater Family Health in the Northwestern Chicago Suburbs. In his role, he provides safe sex education to safe sex education to Black and Latino gay and bisexual me along with conduction Rapid HIV Testing. In August he should receive his English MA at San Jose State where he hopes to transition to teach college-level English at either a Community College or University. One fun fact about Michael is that he used to be an Attractions Host at Disneyland.

Pronouns They, them, their, he

Transferred from East Los Angeles College

Major: Philosophy and Gender Studies

Minor: LGBT Studies

lgidwani@college.ucla.edu

Pronouns: He, him, his, el

Transferred from Mt. San Antonio College

Major: Chicanx & Central American Studies

pgonzalez@college.ucla.edu