Dr. Cassidy Alvarado, Director of National & International Fellowships
Leavey Hall, Suite I
Tel: 310.338.3792
E-mail: cassidy.alvarado@lmu.edu
Cassidy Alvarado’s areas of interest include community college and transfer student support, postgraduate pathways, and equity, access, and inclusion in international education. In addition to leading ONIF, she is also a lecturer in LMU's University Honors Program and the Communications Director for the National Association of Fellowship Advisors (NAFA). In June of 2022, Cassidy received a Fulbright AIEA grant to South Korea where she learned about the Korean higher education system.
Prior to LMU, she co-established the National & International Scholarships and Fellowships Program at California State University, Los Angeles. In this capacity, she supported students in pursuing external awards that offered transformative and challenging experiences in the areas of academic and applied research, and global and civic learning. She also managed the Honors thesis process and assisted students with internships, research opportunities, and graduate admissions.
Cassidy graduated in May 2021 with her Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from LMU. Her dissertation explored community college and transfer student access to nationally competitive awards, like the Gilman and Fulbright grants. She also earned an M.A. in Humanities, with an emphasis in creative writing, from Mount Saint Mary's University and a B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
Lindsay Anderson, Fellowships Advisor
Leavey Hall, Suite I
Tel: 310.338.3950
E-mail: Lindsay.Anderson@lmu.edu
Lindsay Anderson’s passions include supporting first-generation college students in navigating graduate education, connecting change-agent leaders to post-graduation plans and resources, and fostering greater diversity/equity/inclusion in all the spaces she inhabits. Of all the national fellowships that she has provided assistance on, she gravitates towards fellowships relating to change-agent leadership and public policy.
Before joining LMU, she was a national fellowships advisor and later an academic advisor at Texas A&M University. While at TAMU, she won the New Advisor of the Year Award and an Innovation Award for creating unique programming as an academic advisor. She developed a diversity-infused seminar for the University Scholars program at A&M that examined the creation of identity in stand-up comedy, both as comedians and as audience members. Lindsay has a history of leadership and volunteerism in journalism, ministry, labor unions, advising, DEI committees, and honors programming.
Lindsay graduated with an M.A. in Communication with an emphasis on film and rhetorical analysis from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013. While there, she taught public speaking for two years and was a Summer Pre-Doctoral Institute fellow. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. double major in Communication and Philosophy from Texas A&M University in 2008 and was in honors societies Lambda Pi Eta (Communication) and Phi Sigma Tau (Philosophy). Before transferring to Texas A&M, she attended a community college in Texas and was a member of the honor society for community colleges, Phi Theta Kappa. She graduated high school as a National Hispanic Merit Scholar.
Yvette Castellanos, Student Support Coordinator
E-mail: ycastel1@lion.lmu.edu
Yvette Castellanos is a second-year LMU undergraduate student. She is double majoring in Health and Human Sciences and Sociology. Her career plans include attending medical school and working in pediatrics. Yvette’s co-curriculars consist of membership in Ignatians, the LMU service organization with a focus on restorative justice, working as a freshman dorm Resident Advisor, and partaking in Cedars-Sinai Hospital’s Adult Volunteer Program. Yvette’s passions include human-centered service, community, and equity.
Yvette graduated from Christian Brothers High School in 2022 with highest honors, National Honors Society, completion of the Scholars Program, and the 4-year arts program. Yvette was the class of 2022’s recipient of the Visitor’s Lasallian Award, awarded to a student who exemplifies the values of Academic Achievement, Service to Fellow Students, and Participation in School Activities.
Before joining ONIF, Yvette was employed by the Emily Shane Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers free mentor/tutoring to middle schoolers of the greater LA area struggling in core subjects. Yvette continues her work with ESF as the President of the ESF Club at LMU. Over the summer, Yvette also works as a caregiver.
Yvette’s favorite part of working with ONIF is the caring and passionate people in the office!
Paula Millan, Student Support Coordinator
E-mail: pmillan1@lion.lmu.edu
Paula Millan is an out-of-state second-year LMU undergraduate student earning her B.S. in Biology. She plans on participating in the 4+1 Healthcare Systems Engineering Masters program in order to obtain a career as a healthcare professional. Paula’s co-curriculars include Sursum Corda, an on-campus service organization with a focus in food justice, as well as Tri-Beta Honors Society, Lions for Medicine, and Latinx Student Union. Paula’s passions are equality, equity, and representation of minorities. She loves assisting others, which inspires her to pursue a career where she can make a difference in other people’s lives.
Paula graduated from Saint Scholastica Academy in 2022 as an honors student and a member of the National Honors Society, National English Honor Society, National Junior Classical league, Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, and Mu Alpha Theta. She was also the 2021 recipient of the Sr. Juanita Federico Memorial Scholarship in her graduating class, and Paula was chosen as a Hispanic Scholarship Foundation Scholar in 2022.
ONIF is Paula’s first on-campus job, and she is incredibly excited to start her journey with us.