Position Open

Director 

Melissa Giddens

Program Coordinator

MGIDDENS@CALPOLY.EDU

Education is my passion and I am so grateful that I get to work with our Upward Bound students every day. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and was able to start working with this program during my studies. I even did my Senior Project on the curriculum and effects of a successful Upward Bound program! I have brought my experience with academic advising and multicultural studies to our students and love hearing about their individual goals and passions. Aside from work I am an avid reader/puzzler, cat lover, San Jose Sharks hockey fanatic, passionate Survivor viewer, and occasional tennis player. I love the central coast and am so glad I get to work here with such amazing staff and students.

Alicia Tedford

Administrative Support Coordinator

atedford@calpoly.edu

Phone: (805) 756-5110

My name is Alicia Tedford and I am born and raised here on the beautiful Central Coast of California. I’ve been working with our TRIO Pre-College Programs since 2019, where I started as an Administrative Assistant with Educational Talent Search. I’ve been a devoted TRIO advocate since then! I am also currently a student at Cuesta College and plan to purse an academic education in Communication Studies. In my free time, you can find me at any one of our beautiful, local wineries enjoying the sunshine.

Dana Haxby

Graduate Assistant

dehaxby@calpoly.edu

Phone: (805)503-8272

I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and American Studies from Cal State Fullerton, and am now a first-year graduate student in the Higher Education Counseling and Student Affairs program. I spent the last two years working at a high school in Los Angeles where I assisted students with the college application process. I enjoyed learning about each of my students and the wonderful things they contributed to the school and the local community. It is very rewarding to see student’s hard work pay off. Outside of work I love to read, play on my switch, and watch sports.

Hannah May

Student Assistant

hfmay@calpoly.edu

I’m a Cal Poly student finishing up my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. I hope to attend a Master’s program in a similar field once I graduate. In my free time, I love taking my dog on hikes, going downtown with friends, cooking, and gardening! I’m excited to bring my experience at Cal Poly to Upward Bound and hope to help other students achieve their goals along the way as well.

Lourdes Asuncion

Student Assistant

lasuncio@calpoly.edu

I’m currently an undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. I am majoring in sociology with a concentration in social services. I have always had help a passion to help those in need, especially children. My career goal is to become a social worker who advocates for children who are being neglected by their families. My only hope is help give them a better childhood, and help them reconcile with their families. I am from Santa Maria, and by getting my Bachelors in Sociology I plan to use that to help the community in which I grew up in. A little but more about me is that I am spontaneous person, I enjoy going on random adventures with my friends or family, and I am pretty much open minded to anything. A few hobbies of mine are scrap booking and painting. Lastly, one fun fact about me is that I grew up learning a little bit of sign language :)

Position Open

Mentor