WHO WE ARE

Co-Executive Director & Co-Founder

Nick Shafer is a transfer student from Foothill College. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with B.A degrees Anthropology, Arabic Language, and Public Policy and was a Marshall Scholar at the University of Oxford and the Institute of Development Studies, where he studied Middle Eastern Studies, Governance, and International Development. A recipient of the Boren Scholarship in Jordan and Research Fulbrights in Morocco and India, Nick is currently a Program Officer at the Meridian International Center and a Fulbrighter in New Delhi where he works on the politics of rising powers in the multilateral system. He previously worked at the USAID Middle East Bureau and has experience with the State Department, Smithsonian Institution, and Mercy Corps. A proud Northern Californian, Nick is a language nerd and speaks Arabic, Spanish, French, Hebrew, and is starting Hindi. He loves mentoring and is proud to be one of the founding members of Global Community College Transfers.

Co-Executive Director & Co-Founder

Leia Yen is a transfer student from El Camino College. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. in English and minors in Digital Humanities and Global Studies. Leia is currently pursuing an MSc in the Oxford Internet Institute’s Social Science of the Internet program as a Marshall Scholar, following an MA in Digital Humanities from King’s College London. She is passionate about equitable education and fostering informed engagement with technology,  Her research interests lie in the political economy of education technology, AI, digital literacy, and digital inequalities. Leia is interested in American tech education reform, particularly how education in digital, media, and AI literacy can shape individuals to be more civically engaged and ethically conscious. .

Nicole Musano is a transfer student from San Diego Miramar College. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2021 with a BA in Global Studies, focusing on development in Latin America. During undergrad, Nicole interned for the State Department’s Office of Andean Affairs and USAID’s Press Office. As an intern, she promoted U.S. foreign policy objectives by monitoring global media coverage, tracking interagency clearance requests, and generating briefing materials for U.S. officials. She is currently a Program Associate on the Collaborative Services team at Meridian International Center in Washington D.C.

Naz Balkam is a transfer student from Berkeley City College. She is a graduating senior from the University of California, Berkeley pursuing a B.A in Political Science. She is a dedicated public servant looking to better her community in the Bay Area through legislative advocacy and outreach. Her goals have led her to work with the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs, the City of San Jose’s Rent Stabilization Program, and the City of Oakland. In these spaces, Naz was able to combat timely concerns regarding the housing crisis and COVID-19, ultimately shaping her desire to work specifically in public service.

Jasmine Stoltzfus is a transfer student from Shasta College. She graduated from the University of California, Davis summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and as the 2018 outstanding senior from the College of Letters and Science. After working for two years as an Immigration Paralegal in the San Francisco Bay Area post-graduation, she completed an MA in Global Security and Borders from Queen’s University, Belfast in the United Kingdom. Her graduate studies were supported by a U.S.-UK Fulbright Partnership Award. Afterwards, she spent a year in Catalonia, Spain. She now works at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Diana Chavez-Varela is a transfer student from Santa Barbara City College. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Political Economy with a concentration in International Development and Globalization and a minor in Human Rights. Guided by a passion for public service, she engaged in research apprenticeships, internships, and management positions with international organizations. She is deeply passionate about intercultural exchange and destigmatizing community college educational pathways.

Darwin Lopez is a transfer student who graduated from Merritt College in Oakland, California. After high school, he partook in a gap year program known as “Global Citizen Year”, where he was culturally immersed in Senegal for nearly a year where his interest in international affairs originated. He is a graduating senior from the University of California, Santa Barbara, pursuing a B.A. in Global Studies and Spanish Minor. He is dedicated to giving back to the transfer community by being a peer educator at the Transfer Student Center, offering workshops and academic support to transfer students at UC Santa Barbara. He is currently a VSFS intern at the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, researching marginalized communities in Ecuador and Peru. He has previously worked in research and analyzed American statecraft policies for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank and anaylzed congressional legislation that impacts the Hispanic community at the League of Latin American Citizens civil rights organization. He will be attending Georgetown University in the Fall of 2022 toward his Master of Science in Foreign Service with a concentration in Global Security & Politics.