Michelle Villegas-Frazier, who previously worked for a decade in outreach programs on campus, returned to become the first director of Strategic Native American Retention Initiative in Student Affairs. She brings with her more than 20 years of experience in Native American outreach and retention services and programs.

Michelle will provide strategic leadership to identify opportunities for enhancing the persistence, achievement and graduation rates for Native American students. She will lead efforts to develop partnerships across the university and implement a plan to serve students from orientation through graduation.

To schedule an appointment with Michelle, please email Jean at jmforlee@ucdavis.edu 

William (Will) Sampson is a first-generation college graduate who originally comes from Tulare, California (Yokuts lands). He graduated from UC Davis in 2019 with degrees in Native American Studies and History, and received his M.A. in History from the University of Washington in 2022. Will was amongst the first students to work in the Native Nest when it first opened in 2017, and is excited for the opportunity to work with and support the community that played a critical role in his growth as a Native person in higher education. He is committed to developing strategies for Native students to succeed academically and professionally during their time at UC Davis, as well as foster opportunities for Native student leadership. 

Nora Zade is a UC Davis Alumni, graduating in 2022 with degrees in Native American Studies and Psychology. During her time at UC Davis, she worked at the Native American Academic Student Success center as a student assistant, which further cultivated her passion for supporting Native students in educational settings. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Multicultural Education at Sacramento State University. Nora is dedicated to improving Native people’s access to higher education, as well as promoting equitable relationships between educational institutions and tribal communities.

Jean Mako Murata joined the NARI team in January of 2024 and is honored to be a part of the Native Nest supporting our Native and Indigenous students at UC Davis. She is a second-generation, LA-born and raised, Japanese-American. She graduated UC San Diego with a degree in Sociology, and studies in Theatre and Dance. Between then and her current role, Jean explored many of her interests including administration, vocational training, early childhood education, bodywork, and meditative movement.

Jean brings with her a holistically-informed approach to student success. Through utilizing her strengths in organization and passion for efficiency, she is dedicated to supporting the mission of the Native American Academic Student Success Center and the Native American Retention Initiative.

Ariel started at UC Davis as a graduate student in 2008.  After earning her M.A. and PhD in linguistics, she started working as a writing specialist in the AATC.  As someone who didn’t particularly enjoy college writing or feel confident in it, she has since published multiple academic articles.  She is eager to help other writers feel confident and competent with their writing.

Ariel has been offering drop-in writing support in the Native Nest since 2017, and also facilitates a student book group that meets once a quarter: https://aggielife.ucdavis.edu/organization/bookgroup

Get help at any stage of the writing process:

• Understanding the prompt and generating ideas
• Developing, connecting and organizing ideas/arguments  
• Identifying grammar error patterns and learning the rules to remedy them
• Learning how to edit sentences to make them more concise

Session details/policies:

• AATC Writing Specialist Ariel Loring is holding hybrid drop-in writing support for Native Nest students every Thursday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. You can choose to attend in-person in the Native Nest or virtually on Zoom. The Zoom link is https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/98864303944. If you’re doing any writing this quarter, either for your classes or if you’re applying for a scholarship or graduate school, I’d love to work with you. You don’t need to bring a finished draft to meet with me— I’m here to help support you at whatever stage you are at, even if you haven’t started writing yet. If you meet with me, I’ll ask what you want to go over and we’ll have a conversation about it. If I have feedback, I’ll phrase it as suggestions, but you are the writer and you make whatever choices you want based on that feedback.
• If you need grammar support, please also visit the Aggie Grammar Guide: https://tutoring.ucdavis.edu/agg
  • The AATC also offers academic support in other subjects: https://tutoring.ucdavis.edu/     

Learn more about the services Ariel can provide: 
Video

M.S. Counseling: Marriage and Family Therapy, San Diego State University

B.A. Psychology and Chicano Studies, California States University Fresno

Cresencia was born and raised in Fresno/Madera, California, homelands of Yokuts and Mono peoples. Her parents migrated to the area from the Ñuu Savi/Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico. She draws her passion from first hand experience as a non-traditional student and the struggles her community faces. 

Cresencia joined Native Nest and EOP in July of 2024 as a Community Advising Network (CAN) Counselor after years of providing culturally and linguistically (English & Spanish) competent therapy services to underrepresented and underserved communities in San Diego and Fresno County. In the last 4 years of her career, Cresencia provided individual therapy to the indigenous population in Fresno as well as mental health support during Gathering of Native American (GONA) youth camps. 

She looks forward to providing a welcoming space for students to seek mental health support while achieving their academic goals. 

These communication methods are intended for staff, faculty, students, and community communications. To make an initial appointment, please send an email to Cresencia at crvcruz@ucdavis.edu. Students who have already established care with Cresencia are advised to use Health-e-Messaging for all communications.

My name is Stormi Alejandre. I am a 4th year student majoring in Native American Studies. I was born and raised in the Bay Area (Oakland, California). I enjoy spending my time drawing, walking outside, with animals, playing soccer and videography. I also currently hold a leadership position with Catalyst College Ministry (one of the Christian fellowships on the UCD campus) managing their media/production. I don’t know what I want to do with my future, but I hope it includes my communities back home, animals, teaching and art.

I'm Kaitlyn Deem (she/her) and I am in my 4th year as an undergraduate pursuing a degree in the field cognitive psychology. My dream is to conduct novel research on neurodiversity throughout child development for use in medical and academic institutions. Besides learning, my passions revolve around crafting, gardening, collecting rocks and exploring nature. I am particularly interested in wildlife conservation and enjoy participating in surveying excursions throughout California and Nevada. My favorite aspects about UC Davis and the Nest are the abundant opportunities available to meet new people and build community.

Yek tunal, my name is Cinthia (cin) Majano, and I am a 4th year Psychology major with Human Development and Chicanx studies as my minors. I am Pipil (El Salvador) but I was born and raised in the Bay Area. I enjoy photography, playing music on our local radio, reading, trying new things and learning about my culture. I am extremely passionate about Psychology, and am pursuing a career as a child psychologist. I also currently work with the Redwood Seed scholar program on campus. I hope to be able to serve my respective communities in the future.

Hello, my name is Vanessa Munguia (she/her) and I am a 3rd-year Human Development major here at UC Davis with a minor in Native American Studies. I am an enrolled Atsugewi band member of the Pit River Tribe located in northeastern California. Outside of academia, I love to listen to live music, hang out with friends and family, travel, bead, build legos and drink boba!

Hello, my name is Angelina Vargas and I am a 4th year Animal science major. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I am Mexican-American and am an enrolled member of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb. I’m hoping to further my education with veterinary school after my studies here at UC Davis. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, watching movies, swimming and listening to music. I am interested in learning about animals, music, and different cultures.

Hi! My name is Nayari Vasquez-Rodriguez and I am a Native Mexicana (the Cora Indians of Nayarit, Mexico) from Long Beach, California. I am a fourth year Sociology major with an emphasis in Social Services and Chicano/a Studies minor. In the future, I plan on gaining more policy experience by working directly in the California State Capitol. I also hope to go to graduate school for public policy somewhere closer to home. I love spending time with my loved ones, which often includes an annual cousin trip, parties with my large extended family, and going to concerts with my friends.