Inside Careers in Education

Elizabeth Pons-Rubalcava | Assistant Director USC

Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from UC Riverside, where she was a Peer Mentor and first realized her passion for helping students succeed. In 2017 she went on to earn a Master of Education in Student Affairs from UCLA. Prior to becoming an Assistant Director at USC, Elizabeth was an Academic Advisor at Cal State LA, an intern at the LGBT Campus Resource Center at UCLA, and a Program Assistant at the Academic Resource Center at UC Riverside. Elizabeth is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for students and empowering them to achieve their personal and academic goals. In her free time, she loves to read, go camping with her dogs, and spend time with family and friends.

Will Segar | Elementary Division Head

Will Segar is in his tenth year as an Elementary Division Head for a preschool through 8th grade school in Los Angeles. He has also worked as an independent and public school classroom teacher, a director of signature programs, and an educational therapist. Will earned a B.A. in Psychology from Bates College in 2000, and an M.A. in Educational Psychology from California State University, Northridge. His training includes a Certificate in Teaching for Understanding from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education (HGSE), and participation in HGSE’s Think Tank on Global Education. Will’s service work includes his role as a board member of the Culver City Education Foundation, an advisor for Wham-O Toys Empowering Girls and Village Tree Preschool, and a volunteer for the Michael D. Eisner Teaching, Learning, & Counseling Consortium.

Mosa Mahlanza | Elementary Head Teacher

Joined the Turning Point community as an Elementary Head Teacher in August, 2020. She earned her BA in Sociology with a minor in Education from UC Irvine in 2004. She also earned her MA in teaching from Johns Hopkins University in 2009. Ms. Mahlanza taught elementary grades for six years in Baltimore, Maryland, while working on her master’s degree. After completing her master’s degree, Ms. Mahlanza moved to the Bay Area and taught elementary grades for seven years. She recently moved back to Southern California, where she was born and raised.

Ms. Mahlanza was inspired to pursue teaching based on experiences with her own 5th-grade teacher, who built strong connections with her students and created a learning environment that was engaging and fun. Ms. Mahlanza is passionate about empowering students to be successful, well-rounded individuals who reach their fullest potential.

Janet Vera | Dean of Language Arts at Cypress College

Dr. Janet Vera started her educational journey at Cerritos College and later transferred to University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where she completed a B.A. in Sociology and Spanish Literature. She went on to complete a M.Ed. in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Southern California (USC). Her doctoral dissertation examined the reasons undergraduate students participate in international education using a gap analysis model. Dr.  Vera has worked in higher education administration for over 16 years and has experience in various areas including advising, curriculum development, first-year experience programs, leadership development, assessment, academic support services, peer mentor programs, orientation, and admission. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends. Dr. Vera currently serves as the Dean of Language Arts at Cypress College. She is able to continue pursuing her passion for teaching by working as an adjunct faculty at Irvine Valley College. Prior to arriving to Cypress, she was the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate programs in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts at Loyola Marymount University.

Mark Deppe | Director UCI Sports

Mark led the effort to create the award-winning esports program at UCI in 2016. Working closely with student leaders, administrators, faculty, and industry partners, Mark built a business plan that broadly approaches the world of esports through the five pillars of Competition, Research, Community, Entertainment, and Careers.

In 2018, UCI’s League of Legends team won the college championship and UCI was awarded “Most Outstanding Collegiate Program” by the esports industry.  Previously at UCI, Mark coordinated many campus events and traditions including helping UCI break six consecutive Guinness Book World records. Mark has a B.S. in psychobiology from UCLA and an MBA from Cal State Fullerton.

Armine Kulikyan

Assistant Director, Undergraduate Career Education & Development

Armine earned her B.A. in Psychology and M.S. in College and Career Counseling from Cal State Northridge. Prior to her role as Assistant Director of Career Education & Development at UCLA, Armine has worked in both academic and career counseling at multiple campuses such as CSU Los Angeles, CSU Northridge, Pasadena City College, and Cal Lutheran University. Through her professional experiences, she realized her passion for career development and hopes to motivate, educate, and guide students to reach success and fulfillment. Armine also runs her own platform and podcast, www.careerrise.org,  through which she hopes to extend her knowledge of career development to a larger population.