Mónica Montenegro has directed the East Bay Consortium since 2000 and has been with the agency since she was an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley.

Boun Khamnouane was born in Phongsali, Laos. His family fled communist persecution and migrated to the United States in 1986. He graduated from Golden West High School in Visalia, CA. In 2002, Boun received his Bachelor of Arts in South Southeast Asian Studies from the University California at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, Boun was a co-president of LASR (Laotian American Student Representatives) and founding member of the Southeast Asian Student Coalition (SASC). In fact, he is still actively involved with SASC, particularly with program development.

Boun has worked for the East Bay Consortium/Cal-SOAP (a program affiliated with the Center for Educational Partnerships at UC Berkeley) since he was in college. Boun is very passionate about educating rural and urban youth about life options. In his spare time, Boun tends to his aquariums (saltwater and freshwater), plays in an Asian American basketball league every Sunday, and most importantly, spends time with his lovely wife, daughter, and son.

Devan McFadden, a Richmond-born native, attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare in Fall 2014. During his time at Cal, Devan was heavily involved in programs that focused on mentorship and college access, such as Stiles Hall’s Mentor / Role Model Project, Y-Scholars Program, and Breakthrough Sacramento. Devan continued pursuing his passion for working with youth by becoming a College Adviser Fellow with UC Berkeley’s Destination College Advising Corps (DCAC) and Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP). Now that Devan is with EBC, he hopes to continue inspiring our community’s youth to research and pursue post-secondary education.

Ariana Berumen grew up in San Martin, CA, a small town south of San Jose. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2022, where she double majored in Sociology and Spanish & Portuguese, with a Minor in Education. Although Ariana discovered her passion for helping others in high school, this passion was further confirmed at Cal, as she always found herself in spaces centered on mentorship. She was involved in New Student Services’ Golden Bear Orientation (GBO), Puente at Berkeley, and interned for the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). She was also part of the McNair Scholars Program, where she researched student-led organizations’ role in the sense of belonging of first-generation, low-income students of color in higher education. Ariana joined the East Bay Solano County Consortium/Cal-SOAP during her senior year as a College Advisor. Now, as a Program Coordinator for EBC, her goal is to continue utilizing her knowledge to support and inspire underserved students as they begin to think about their post-secondary education plans.

Ruby was born in Jalisco, Mexico. When she was 10 years old, she immigrated with her family to Tulare, a town in the Central Valley of California. In 2019, she graduated valedictorian from Tulare Western High School and then began her studies at UC Berkeley, where she double majored in Psychology and Spanish Literature. She first got involved in college-access work during her undergraduate studies through an organization called Matriculate. Then, in my senior year, she learned about EBC and started working as a college advisor. 2024 will be my third year with the program, and she hopes to continue making a difference in the lives of our Oakland students!

Sarah Ghannam started my college journey at the College of Marin. She was heavily involved with a peer mentoring program, MAPS, and the Summer Bridge program that supported incoming college freshmen to adapt and succeed in the new environment. She then transferred to San Francisco State University, where she earned my BA in psychology. There, she worked at TASC, the tutoring and academic support center, where she continued my passion for supporting other first-generation students like herself. Her last semester at SFSU brought along the opportunity to work with EBSCC as a college advisor. She loved the opportunity and its impact on high school seniors to provide them with the resources they need to succeed after high school in both their education and careers.

Brittny Quiñonez, born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, attended Santa Monica College and later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. While at Berkeley, she became a part of East Bay Solano County Consortium/Cal-SOAP, where she became a College Advisor. She was also president of Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc., which she still actively supports as an Alum. She is very passionate about giving back to her community & paying it forward. To do so, she provides services to students, many of whom identify as first-generation, through college access by educating them about multiple post-secondary options.

Nikki Yu was born in Guangdong, China, and migrated to the United States with her family at the age of 10. She first attended middle school in Los Angeles, California, but shortly moved to Oakland, California. Nikki graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies and two minors in Education and Chinese in May 2021. Starting her first year at Cal, Nikki continued to pursue her passion for education while she worked for East Bay Consortium/Cal-SOAP, where she started as a Tutor/Mentor. In addition, Nikki is an advisor to many youth organizations that focus on leadership development, youth empowerment, and cultural diversity, including the Asian Youth Services Committee, Wa Sung Young Professional League Program, and more. Nikki loves traveling because she enjoys having new adventures and discoveries. In fact, she has a set monthly plan to visit a new place or try a new experience.

Sandy Valdez, a Southern California native, moved to the Bay Area to study Sociology and Legal Studies at UC Berkeley. While there, she became actively involved with the East Bay Consortium. After graduating in 2024, Sandy transitioned into the role of Program Coordinator with EBC.