CDA Biographies for Spring 2014

Rachel Graham (Team Leader, County/Castle Subteam)

I am a second year Economics transfer student who joined team CDA with the hopes of using the knowledge that I have gained throughout my college career to help better the Merced community. I was previously an Economics Research Assistant and I expect to gain leadership and professional skills while working on this project.

Lucas Carillo (Deputy Leader, ArcGis Subteam)

I'm a third year Management major, double minoring in Economics and Psychology. The picked the CDA team because I see this team as an opportunity for us to help the community in ways that will leave a lasting positive impact economically.   My experience consists of actively being a part of several organizations as well as having leadership positions within those organizations. In order to accomplish our goal this team which consists of several fields will have to work together, this will help me gain skills in how to have an effective team and give me experience in using engineering design programs.

Rhiannon Ariola (Communications Specialist, County/Castle Subteam)

I'm a fourth year Cognitive Science major, double minoring in Psychology and Service Sciences. Before joining this team, I was a volunteer intern with the City of San Diego for 3 months. I chose to be a part of CDA because I saw the chance to work with students who have experience in different fields and wanted to take advantage of it. From this semester, I hope to gain experience in the design and planning aspect of engineering and to gain more insight into how some city/county governments are run.

Fana Habte (Recorder, Photography Subteam)

I hope to be able to effectively evaluate the efficiency of a project that would be beneficial to the community and to myself. I hope to learn and gain real world experience when it comes down to the work force.

Tyler Collins (Inventory, Budget Manager, ArcGis Subteam)

I am a 5th year Bioengineering student that joined the CDA team to gain experience with real world problems and to come up with innovative and intelligent solutions to those problems. I have experience with founding and leading clubs and organizations on the UC Merced campus.

Robbie Reekes (Webmaster, ArcGis Subteam)

I'm a 4th year Computer Science and Engineering major and look forward to gaining valuable teamwork and project planning experience while working with CDA.

Miguel Gomez (Photography Subteam)

I'm a 5th year Environmental Engineer with experience in water resources, sustainbility, and surveying. I picked CDA because I care about the Merced community, especially since I grew up 45 minutes away from here. I plan to gain leadership skills and communication skills from my time on the team.

Sabrina Sanchez (County/Castle Subteam)

     I am interested in learning how community development and the Department of Economic Development works and wish to help the department in accomplishing their goal to create an environment for the County of Merced to thrive.