Student Ambassador Profiles
Vivan Albelda
Howdy, I’m Vivian Albelda, and I am a third year Biological Sciences major and Education minor at UC Davis. I am planning on becoming a high school biology teacher, and I am so grateful to CalTeach/MAST for helping me to discover my love for teaching. I have been involved with several CalTeach programs, learning to teach in science classrooms from the middle school to undergraduate level. Some of my favorite things to teach have been marine ecology as a BIS 2C Learning Assistant and fetal pig anatomy as an intern in a grade 9 biology class. I’m very excited to be a CalTeach ambassador this year and to help other students interested in education make connections with mentors and gain practical teaching experience.
Hannah Kim
My name is Hannah Kim and I am a second year Biochemistry major at UC Davis planning on pursuing a career in dentistry, medicine, or research. I am really looking forward to being a part of the CalTeach/MAST Program because I would like to mentor and guide students through STEM courses while making studying enjoyable. I always think back to all of the great mentors that I have had so far throughout my educational career, and I would like to offer the same support to younger students with similar interests and aspirations.
Cooper Owyang
Hi, I’m Cooper. I am a third year Mathematics Major here at UC Davis. My future plan is to become a mathematics teacher for middle schoolers. To me, teaching is a way for me to express my friendship with mathematics in a manner that fits me. I was first introduced to the CalTeach/MAST program when a friend of mine recommended GEL 198 Math is FUNdamental with Al Mendel. Since then, I’ve taken more courses offered by CalTeach/MAST and have come to really appreciate what the program aims to achieve. I also currently work as a Food Recovery Manager at the ASUCD Pantry to save and reserve excess food across the UC Davis community. Food waste and food insecurity are two things I want to help fight.
Madison Roloff
Hi! My name is Madison Roloff and I’m currently a fourth-year geology major planning to minor in education. Before this year, I had no intention of pursuing a career in education, but the CalTeach program at UC Davis really convinced me to think about it. I was introduced to CalTeach / MAST when I took EDU 183 with Susann Pinter as an upper division elective course for my major. And after interning at Vacaville HS with an earth science teacher, I ended up falling in love with the idea of becoming a high school science teacher. Now, I love to tell people about my experience and try to get more science lovers thinking about potential futures in education! Being a CalTeach MAST ambassador allows me to share my experience and knowledge with others and learn more myself about a future in education.
Megan Sechler
Hello hello! My name is Megan Sechler and I am a third year at UC Davis! I am majoring in Biological Sciences and plan on getting my credential and masters (through UCD!) so I can teach biology at the high school level in the future. Being an ambassador for CalTeach/MAST has been an excellent opportunity to meet so many other like minded people. On top of this, I am able to spread the word about the classes the program offers and inspire others to join the education track. I was introduced to CalTeach/MAST when I took GEL/EDU 183 with Susann Pinter. She helped me learn more about the world of teaching and now I am proud to call myself an ambassador for the program! I am also a part of the University Honors Program which allows me to work on career development but also find ways to continue my love of volunteering for the community.
Alexandria Shick
Hi! My name is Alexandria Shick, and I am a third-year student majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in education. I was introduced to the CalTeach/MAST program in my first quarter at UCD through EDU 081, teaching math and science in elementary school. I loved being able to go out into the community and work with students in a classroom setting. One of my favorite things about teaching and tutoring is working through questions with students and seeing them grow as learners. After EDU 081, I continued to take EDU 181 and 183, middle and high school, respectively. As an ambassador, I love helping other undergrads to discover this unique opportunity. Additionally, I play club water polo, am part of the club Project Catalyst (science experiments with local elementary schoolers!), and do research on RNA binding proteins.