Meet the Staff
Front Row (L-R): Jamie Cummins, Justin Calbreath, Viri Pozos, Karla Ibarra-Ochoa, Laura Bronson, Lauren Sonneman, Dr. Lonnie Rowell
Back Row (L-R): Susan Allain, Christy Brown, Jess Peterson, Vicky Puzo, Jeannette Jacobo, Law Ortiguerra
Lonnie L. Rowell, Ph.D., Center Director
Dr. Rowell has been an educator for more than 30 years. He has worked as a youth worker, community organizer, counselor, teacher, school administrator, and, since 1986, as a counselor educator. Dr. Rowell coordinates the School Counseling Specialization in the USD Counseling Program and was Counseling Program Director from 2002-2004. He teaches research methods, group dynamics, introduction to counseling techniques, and organization of student support systems. Dr. Rowell’s scholarly work focuses on issues in school counseling. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his work in counseling leadership and advocacy, including the 2004 Advocate of the Year Award from the California Association of School Counselors, a 2003 Special Recognition Award for Mentoring/Leadership from the Western Association of Counselor Educators & Supervisors (WACES), the 2000 Student Advocacy Award from the San Diego County Office of Education, and the 1998 Jim Saum Government Relations Award from the California Association for Counseling and Development (CACD).
Susan Allain, Operations Co-Director
Susan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Rehabilitation Services from the University of Florida in 2001. She is currently a second year student pursuing a Master's in Counseling with a specialization in School Counseling at the University of San Diego. Susan is a Merit Scholar and has been working as the Graduate Assistant for the AB1802 Clearinghouse web site. She co-presented on the progress of the Clearinghouse at the 2006 Northern California CASC conference. Susan completed her practicum at Bancroft Elementary in La Mesa Spring Valley and is currently doing her fieldwork at Black Mountain Middle School in the Poway. Susan is a member of ACA, ASCA, and Chi Sigma Iota Honoray Society, all professional organizations in counseling.
Justin Calbreath, Signature Events Coordinator
Justin is enjoying his second year as a graduate student in the Masters of Arts in Counseling with an emphasis in School Counseling. He graduated from Washington State University in 2004 with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology. During his undergraduate years he was a member of Psy Chi, the national honor society for psychology students and a member of the social fraternity Phi Gamma Delta. After graduation he worked for the Center For Family Development, in Eugene, OR, as a Behavioral Support Specialist. Along with school, Justin is a graduate assistant in student activities at the University of San Diego where he advises nine undergraduate leadership positions. This year he is also a teacher’s assistant with Dr. Rowell’s action research class.
Viridiana Pozos, Diversity
Outreach Coordinator
Viridiana received her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Western Oregon University. She is currently a second year graduate student at the University of San Diego working towards her Masters in Counseling, with a specialization in School Counseling. She is working as a Graduate Assistant at the United Front Multicultural Center. Viridiana is a member of ASCA, a professional organization in counseling.
Alejandra
Ceja-Aquilar, Binational Action Research Coordinator
Alejandra was born in Mexico and raised in Idaho. After receiving her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Utah, she moved to Barcelona, Spain to attend the Autonomous University of Barcelona and received a B.A in Spanish. Alejandra worked for the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah as the Program Coordinator for a longitudinal study on the development of attention, emotions, acculturation and attachment in Latin-American mothers and their children. She is currently a second year graduate student at the University of San Diego working towards her Masters in Counseling, with a specialization in School Counseling, and is currently completing her first semester of fieldwork at Linda Vista Elementary. Alejandra looks forward to working and serving as an advocate for underprivileged and underrepresented students of Southern California. Alejandra is the Counseling Representative for the SOLES Graduate Student Association and a member of ACA, ASCA, CASC, and SDCASC, all professional organizations in counseling.
Jeannette Jacobo, SPARC Coordinator
Jeannette Jacobo is a San Diego native pursuing her master's degree in school counseling at the University of San Diego. She graduated from the University at California, Berkeley in 2005 with a degree in psychology. Her passion for education and helping others was realized when working closely with middle school students as a mentor and later with Berkeley High School students as an educational outreach coordinator for the Berkeley YMCA. Jeannette completed her practicum experience at Bancroft Elementary School and is currently a counseling intern at Hilltop High School in Chula Vista. In addition, she is a member of ASCA and Chi Sigma, the counseling honor society.
Victoria Puzo, Cohort Communications Director
Victoria Puzo is a second year student pursuing her Master’s degree in Counseling, with an emphasis in school counseling. She grew up in Long Island, New York and received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Cortland in 2005. During her studies in Cortland she was extensively involved in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) research with several psychology professors. Victoria completed her practicum work at Springall Academy and is currently doing her fieldwork at Spring Valley Middle School. On top of her role as Cohort Communications Director, she is also a staff writer for the CS3 newsletter. Her professional memberships include ACA, ASCA, and CASC. She is also a member of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society of Psychology, which she was inducted into in 2003.
Ginger Butler, Signature Events Coordinator
Ginger is a first year graduate student pursing a school counseling degree at the University of San Diego. She is originally from North Carolina and received a B.A. in Family and Community Services from East Carolina University. Upon graduation she served a ten-month term with Americorps National Civilian Corps. She spent five months in the Gulf Coast helping the victims of Katrina, a month in Los Angeles working for the Regional Food Bank and month in Seattle working for the Environmental Protection Agency. Currently she works as the office manager for a recruiting and staffing firm. She is excited about starting graduate school and becoming a member of many professional counseling associations.
Jess Peterson, Database Manager & COG Recorder
Hailing from Minneapolis, MN, Jess is a second year student pursuing her Master's in School Counseling. After graduating from Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT) with a B.A. in Psychology, Jess moved to NYC to teach 5th grade for a year in the South Bronx. This experience had
a great influence on her decision to pursue a career in School
Counseling. After living in Manhattan, Jess moved to Breckenridge, CO
to apply to graduate school and enjoy the beautiful and refreshing
mountain scenery. Upon arriving to USD, Jess worked as a Graduate Assistant in Career Services. She completed her practicum at Springall Academy, and she is now enjoying her Internship experience
at Bancroft Community Day School in Spring Valley, CA. Jess has been
a member of CS3 since her arrival to San Diego, and she looks forward
to continuing her work with the center!
Lauren Sonneman, Social Chair
Lauren Sonneman is a second year school counseling graduate student. Lauren began her education in Alameda, California and continued at UCLA, receiving a bachelors degree in Sociology. During her time at UCLA, Lauren studied abroad for one year in Madrid, Spain. Directly after college, Lauren worked for a travel company in LA and pursued her love of traveling. One year later, Lauren moved to San Diego and began graduate school at USD. Lauren has always enjoyed working with children. She was a camp counselor for five years in her hometown and continues to provide childcare for various families. After graduating from USD, Lauren hopes to work for either a high school or middle school.
