Inspiring Minds: Inside Careers in Education

Nick Mortaloni

Dean of Student Affairs | Mira Costa College

Dr. Nick Mortaloni (he/him) is the Dean of Student Affairs at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, California. He was previously the full-time Faculty and Mental Health Counselor at MiraCosta, where he oversaw mental health programs and services for the district. Dr. Mortaloni earned his doctorate in education (Ed.D.) with a specialization in Community College Leadership at San Diego State University (SDSU), where he completed his dissertation research on Creating a Trauma-Informed College Model for Improving Student Success. He completed his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in Psychobiology with Minors in Applied Development Psychology and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Studies, as well as his Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at the University of Southern California (USC). Dr. Mortaloni is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with more than 15 years of experience working with individuals and families impacted by poverty, housing and food insecurity, institutional discrimination, abuse and neglect, and other traumatic events. After serving as an Academic Advisor at UCLA, his social work career started at the County of San Diego and several nonprofit organizations, and he returned to working in higher education as an Instructional Faculty and CARE Manager at California State University San Marcos. Dr. Mortaloni is passionate about supporting students to reach their highest potential and would like to utilize his experiences with Instruction and Student Services to create equity-minded and trauma-informed community college campuses

Richard Tucker

Assistant Principal | Brooklyn Ascend Middle School

Richard, a first-generation college student raised in Long Beach, CA, received his BA in Sociology from UCLA. He then went on to receive a Masters in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education. Richard began his teaching career in Los Angeles and later accepted an offer to teach middle school students in Brooklyn as a member of the Teach For America: New York City Corps. In his time as a classroom teacher, Richard’s students demonstrated incredible growth and he was named Teacher of the Year in 2019. Currently, Richard serves as a middle school Assistant Principal, while he studies School Management and Leadership at Harvard University.

Julie Heinrich

Student Services Manager | Division of Literatures, Cultures and Languages, Stanford University 

Julie Heinrich is the Student Services Manager for the Division of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages at Stanford University. Originally from the Bay Area, Julie graduated from UCLA with a degree in English in 2007 and started her career in LA. Prior to her current role, Julie taught high school English for five years and held several student services positions at UCLA, cultivating her interests in policy, students, and higher education. She loves writing, travel, and raising her three young boys.

Jimise Teague

Classroom Teacher | Lynwood School District 

Jimise Teague is an Elementary Educator with a BA in Early Childhood Education, and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction. She has worked in the field of education servicing the community of Lynwood, California since 2006. Her passion and devotion to the job drives her to encourage all of her young students to succeed. She reminds her students that life is a journey where they may face many ups and downs, but as long as they work hard and remain focused on their goals, they will persevere. Her goal is that students leave her classroom with the notion that they can be anything they wish to be.

Karina Valdez
Graduate Intern | First Year Experience and First- Gen Initiatives

Karina Valdez is currently serving as a Graduate Intern with First Year Experience (FYE) and First-Gen Initiatives during her time in the Master of Student Affairs program. She graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a degree in Sociology, Education, and Chicanx Studies and loves calling herself a double Bruin. During her time at UCLA as an undergraduate, she dedicated myself to youth empowerment work, workers rights advocacy, and access to higher education. Karina did this primarily in the roles as a Team Leader at Changeist (formerly known as Big Citizen Hub), a research assistant at the UCLA Labor Center, and as a UCLA New Student Advisor.

After graduating with her B.A., Karina has spent two years working as a College Adviser at two large public high schools in Southern California. She supported over 1200 students in the entirety of their postsecondary planning, with over 90% of my students successfully enrolling in college. Karina is passionate about not only college access, but also the retention of historically underrepresented students in higher education