Fresh off news that it will become a permanent part of UC Davis, the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center has a permanent executive director and plans to add another staffer.
The center will be led by Emily Prieto-Tseregounis, who had been serving as interim director since last month.
“I’m honored to ensure this important center can continue to provide vital services to support our undocumented student population,” Prieto-Tseregounis said.
Prieto-Tseregounis helped oversee the center’s creation in her role as an assistant vice chancellor and chief of staff to Emily Galindo, interim vice chancellor of Student Affairs, and has continued to provide leadership for the program. She has also served as the director of the Latino Resource Center at Northern Illinois University and in adjunct faculty roles teaching courses in US-Mexico border relations and multicultural education. She has worked closely with first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students to support their academic success and promote diversity and inclusion.
She has earned three degrees from UC Davis: a bachelor’s in community rhetoric, a master’s in education and a doctorate in education.
The center, located in the Student Community Center, coordinates with the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center to provide free legal services, and offers academic advising, tutoring, grants, mentoring and professional development.
As a further demonstration of the campus’s commitment to student success, an assistant director will be added to the center. This new position will serve as an advisor to the executive director and will be responsible for providing mentorship, training and other programming support for students. Recruitment for this position will begin immediately, and students will be invited to participate in the process.
In addition, the center will continue to be supported by a graduate student researcher, administrative assistant and paid and volunteer student staff.