Kelsey Hoie Ferrell, CARE Director

Tona Gonzalez Karlsson, Confidential Advocate

Gianna Passalacqua, Survivor Support Coordinator

she/her/hers

Gianna Passalacqua is the Survivor Support Coordinator at CARE. This is her third year working for CARE and her fourth year working with survivors of sexual violence.

Her first year in this field was spent volunteering at a domestic violence prevention nonprofit organization in northern California, where she worked with a number of under-resourced schools to initiate programs that prioritized consent and healthy relationships. The following year she volunteered for CARE after attending UC Santa Cruz, and subsequently worked as one of three Prevention Education Specialists to educate the campus and community.

Gianna also serves as the UC Santa Cruz undergraduate representative to the Title IX Advisory Board, where she works to reform the application of Title IX so that it is more transparent, just, and trauma-informed.

Gianna has many hobbies such as running, swimming, and knitting. She practices self-care by drinking copious amounts of herbal tea and being out in nature.

Lourdes Dizon, Peer Educator Coordinator

she/her/hers

Lourdes Dizon is a CARE Intern, her work has pertained to the subjects of unhealthy and healthy relationships and self-care. She became involved with CARE when attempting to find a career involving human rights and highly focused on helping improve the UCSC lifestyle for students.

Her experience begins with volunteering at Ronald McDonald House of Charities, a non-profit organization created to provide temporary housing for underprivileged families awaiting the recovery of their children in the hospital; along with political and journalism courses throughout her academic career. These two experiences influence her to explore topics of mental health, self-care, the sociopolitical power structure of media revolving human rights. Her areas of expertise coincide with supporting DV/SA survivors, the power and control aspects of a relationship. What she likes most about her job is how it taught her new ways of self-care and advocating CARE resources throughout UCSC, working with new volunteers and Resources Centers, along with working on potential future workshops and care days that she hopes will help the community of Santa Cruz.

Her self-care activities and hobbies include running and going on hikes, drinking tea, and immersing herself in the world of literature through reading and writing. If Lourdes isn't at the CARE Office, you could find her at the gym or in a random place writing in her journal. If Lourdes could be famous for anything, she would want to be acknowledged as a traveling political journalist and activist! 

Carrie Vasquez, Peer Educator Coordinator

Carrie likes to help people in any way she can. She wants to see a violence-free, consent cultured campus. She is a third year feminist studies major with a legal studies minor.

She loves to listen rap music, watch any true crime docu-series, and do as many face masks as her skin can handle. 

Toni Leto, Peer Educator and Violence Prevention Specialist

she/her/her, they/them/theirs

Toni Leto (They/Them) is the Peer Educator and Violence Prevention CUIP for CARE. While working at CARE they want to enhance the accessibility of resources and advocacy for all students in an effort to reduce the amount of interpersonal violence occuring and to foster stronger, more trauma-informed community support for folks who have experienced these forms of violence. They are also a Sociology major and Education Minor, interested in utilizing teaching as a form of expanding revolutionary thought and healing. When not working or studying you can find Toni drinking tea with folks, drawing and exploring the outdoors.

Sherry Tran, Graphic Designer & Marketing Coordinator

As a survivor, Sherry felt impassioned to raise awareness and help those who have been affected by issues like stalking, dating violence, and sexual violence. Upon job-searching, she found the perfect oppurtunity at CARE to use her skills to raise awareness and hopes that over time, her work would help the community.

Sherry has 3 years of experience, beginning with a graphic design course in high school and making graphics for her church group in college. Sherry's game design curriculum also allows her to build her skills, and she is eager to continue growing in order to help CARE and the campus community in any way she can.

Sherry enjoys spending time with close friends, going to the gym, and walking/hiking around campus while listening to music. She also likes taking pictures and eventually would like to get into video-editing. For self care, Sherry goes walking in nature, watching funny BTS videos, and occasionally indulges in retail therapy. 

Lauren Hasserjian, Peer Educator Coordinator

As a survivor of violence, Lauren wants to extend healing to themselves and to others by connecting and working with other survivors.  They applied to be a first time CARE intern in the Fall of 2018, and will be working for the school year. Lauren believes their qualifications lie in their life experiences as a socialized female bodied person, and the difficulties and expectations that come with that.  Lauren is also a founding member of Collective Liberation for the People, which is an off campus power organization based in Santa Cruz. They have helped sculpt the vision and culture of vulnerability and consent within that space, and want to mesh that with CARE’s philosophies.  Through the CARE office, Lauren hopes to gain more skills in helping survivors of violence.

Lauren is a 4th year student at UCSC, studying Sociology with a focus on healthcare systems.  This major relates to their work as a CARE intern, by bringing in intersectional sociological lenses to personal traumas which can help better understand where they stem from and how to treat them.   

Lauren’s hobbies include spending artistic and healing time with fellow queer friends of color, going on long scenic drives and doing aerial arts.