Supporting Graduate Students' Academic and Professional Success
Our Staff
Jason Chou, GradQuant and GSRC Program Specialist
Jason has been supporting student success at UCR since 2004. He has an M.A. in TESOL (Biola U.) and taught English language at Mt. San Antonio College and at Chiang Mai University before coming to UCR. He also has a B.A. in Physiology and Cell Biology (UC Santa Barbara) and an M.A. in Philosophy (Talbot Theological Seminary), and his background includes studies in higher education (UC Riverside) and music production (Musicians Institute). He enjoys spending time with his family, and in his solo moments he likes to read, play guitar, surf, or observe clear night skies with binoculars and a telescope.
Email: jason.chou@ucr.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays, 10am - 11am, on Zoom
Office: University Office Building 141
Noé Vidales, GradSuccess Lead Consultant
Noé is a PhD candidate in UCR’s statistics department, and is also one of our GradQuant consultants. His interests span the gamut from stochastic processes to the rise of populism in Latin America, and he is currently researching Markov chains and consistent variance estimators. He tries to live his life by the three Cs: Culture, Curiosity, and Cycling. As a part of the GradSuccess team, Noé is excited about assisting graduate students in their own journeys. You will most likely find him in one of two places: Cafebrería El Péndulo in Roma Norte or grabbing a coffee at Tierra Garat.
Email: gradsuccess@ucr.edu
Office: University Office Building 141
Arlene Sagastumé, GSRC Lead Consultant
Arlene is a “Cal-State Baby” who earned her B.A. from CSUN, and M.A. in Psychology from Cal State LA. She is an L.A. native of Salvadoran and Guatemalan descent and a first-generation student. She is pursuing her PhD in the School of Education, specializing in the Higher Education Administration & Policy Program. Her research interests focus on amplifying the voices of underrepresented and marginalized student populations, particularly concerning their well-being and academic achievement. She aims to explore how family, culture, racial/ethnic identity, and sense of belonging within academia may or may not be associated with student well-being and success. Ultimately, her goal is to foster a greater sense of belonging for students of color in academia.
Arlene enjoys Latin dance, lifting weights, chasing sunsets, and connecting with nature in her free time.
Email: gsrc@ucr.edu
Office: University Office Building 141