Staying in the UC: From Student to Professional

Herumi Ann Baylon | Department Manager | Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UC Irvine

From managing multimillion dollar portfolios, to planning and executing large-scale University events (seminars, receptions, galas), to managing two growing academic departments, Herumi’s 12+ years within the UC system encompasses a wide breadth of experience and skillsets.  Starting as a John Paul Getty Special Events and Development Intern, Herumi developed a profound passion for the arts and higher education – more specifically, its operations and management. She went on to gain experience and expertise in development and fundraising, general department coordination, fund management, project management and most importantly, people management. Her past roles include: Development Coordinator, Payroll Coordinator, Fund Manager, Sr. Finance Analyst and currently is the Manager of the UCI Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from UCLA in 2011 and is currently pursuing her certification in Project Management at UCI. She credits her degree and Humanities background as a foundation for her career.

Outside of the office, Herumi volunteers with UCI’s Staff Assembly Helping Hands Program, which assists staff families in need during the holidays. She loves cooking for her family, UCLA Athletics (Go Bruins!), and spending quality time with loved ones.

Bill Robertson Geibel | Associate Director of Experiential Learning / Lecturer

Culture, Art, and Technology Sixth College | UCSD

A global scholar and practitioner, Bill Robertson Geibel is currently the Associate Director of Experiential Learning at UC San Diego’s Sixth College. In this role he oversees and teaches within the College’s experiential learning program and works to develop educational programming and partnerships that provide students with real world learning opportunities including study abroad, internships, and community engagement. Motivated by the belief that education has the power to create a more just and peaceful world, Bill’s work lies at the intersection of higher education, international engagement, and civic education. Previously, Bill worked at UCLA’s International Institute and Career Center, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, and the US State Department as a Fulbright scholar in Kirikkale, Turkey. He holds a BA from UC Santa Barbara, an MA from Brandeis University, and a PhD in International Education from UCLA.

Andre Philippo | Assistant Director, Undergraduate Career Education & Development | UCLA Career Center

Andre Philippo started his academic journey at UCLA, graduating in 2011 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Education. Andre’s academic journey blended with his professional journey as he discovered the world of Student Affairs in UCLA Residential Life (Dykstra Hall, Sproul Hall, Rieber Court). From there he accrued over a decade of Residential Life experience, at UCLA, Marymount California University (which is now UCLA South Bay Campus!) and California State University, Northridge (CSUN). In 2022, Andre received his Masters of Arts in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies at CSUN. Soon after, Andre returned to UCLA Residential Life and recently started his role at the UCLA Career Center!

At the UCLA Career Center, he liaises with the School of Arts & Architecture, the School of Theater, Film & Television, and the School of Music. He also, works with the Bruin Guardian Scholars program cultivating brave spaces and programs for former foster youth. Andre now lives in Rosemead with his wife Jean (who he met on Dykstra 9th floor) and their dog mang0 (yup with a 0!). Andre loves learning about random hobbies and skills, (contact juggling, longboard dancing, etc.); he’s a gamer (Smash and Rocket League are his go to’s); and he has recently gotten back into tennis (he was named after Andre Agassi)! (He also loves parentheticals!)

Josh Cimenski (he/him/his) | Director, Center for Student Leadership

|Student Life & Leadership | University of California, Irvine

Josh has been working professionally in Higher Education for 17 years. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in 2005, he worked on the Academic side of the university in the School of the Arts, as well as the School of Information & Computer Sciences. In 2008, he left UCI to pursue his Masters Degree in Post-Secondary Administration and Student Affairs from the University of Southern California (USC). During this time, he also worked in Residence Life at USC. After earning his degree in 2010, he worked at USC in the Department of Electrical Engineering before leaving in 2014 to sail on the fall voyage of Semester at Sea, where he visited 14 countries across Europe, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Eventually, he made his way back to UCI in 2015, where he now serves as the Director of the Center for Student Leadership.

Josh now leads a team of 3 professional staff in orienting new first-year and transfer students to UCI through the Student Parent Orientation Program (SPOP). This requires collaboration with the entirety of campus as they welcome 9,000+ students and 3,000+ family members to campus each summer. Josh is also a Gallup Certified StrengthsFinder coach, and has been working this his team to find new ways to infuse leadership development into UCI in a variety of ways