Meet the Team

Mia Watson
Director
Phone: (310) 338-5861
Email: Mia.Watson@lmu.edu 

Mia Watson joined LMU as the Director of the Academic Resource Center (ARC) in 2017. Following receiving a BA in English Literature from UCLA, Mia received an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Art from California State University, Long Beach. Prior to coming to LMU Ms. Watson work at UCLA managing retention and outreach programs for the Division of Student Affairs and the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. As a visual artist with a passion for painting, Ms. Watson brings a creative spirit to her leadership of the ARC.

 

Leah Washko
Interim Associate Director
Phone: 310-568-6133
Email: Leah.Washko@lmu.edu

Leah has her BSN from Misericordia University and her MA in English with Concentration in Composition, Rhetoric, and Literacy Studies from Kutztown University. Both universities are in Pennsylvania, where Leah was born, raised, and lived until May 2023 when she relocated to Southern California. Leah’s research interest has been in writing center pedagogy, but her other interests include Shakespeare, literature, tutoring education, and general writing studies. While Leah’s background is medical, she hopes to bring a fresh perspective to Course Tutoring – one full of communication and collaboration amongst students, faculty, and herself. She is open to discussing both nursing and English studies with students.

 

Alexia (Lexie) Pineda
Associate Director, First Gen Initiatives
Phone: (310) 338-7653
Email: Alexia.Pineda@lmu.edu 

A first-gen Lion, Lexie received her BA in Communication Studies and Women and Gender Studies from LMU in 2016, and recently earned her MA in Social Sciences and Comparative Education from UCLA in June 2018. Prior to stepping into her current role, Lexie worked as an Outreach and Operations Manager for UCLA's Graduate Student Resource Center, and served LMU's First To Go Community in multiple capacities and roles between 2012-2017. As a first-generation Los Angeles native and Chapina-Xicana who has been influenced and educated by Jesuit values, she relies on theories of praxis and community to inform and guide the first-generation student population on LMU's campus.

 

Capresha Hawthorne

Capresha Hawthorne
Administrative Coordinator
Phone: 310-338-2847
Email: Capresha.Degourville-Hawthorne@lmu.edu

Capresha Hawthorne joined LMU as an Administrative Coordinator for the Academic Resource Center (ARC) in 2019. She received her BA in Mass Communication and a minor in Music from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Prior to working at LMU, Capresha worked as an Administrative Coordinator and SOLAR Coordinator at California State University, Northridge. Capresha's mission is to provide resources and tools for students to accomplish their goals at LMU.

 

Eladio González
Dream Center Student Services & ARC Administrative Coordinator
Email: Eladio.Gonzalez@lmu.edu

Eladio González is the Administrative Coordinator for USSS and ARC’s First To Go Program. Eladio was born in El Salvador and raised in South Central Los Angeles since the age of 5 and is proud to be an immigrant in this country. Eladio is a proud transfer student from Santa Monica College with an A.A. in Liberal Arts. He obtained his B.A. in Spanish with an emphasis on Cultural Studies and B.S. in Sustainability Studies from UC Riverside. As an UndocuEducator, he looks for ways to provide resources for community on and off campus. His goal is to create community with USSS and ARC’s First To Go students through supporting them in their academic, career, and personal growth.