Meet The Team
Elizabeth Wimberly-Young
Senior Director
Email: Elizabeth.Wimberly@lmu.edu
Elizabeth Wimberly-Young, M.F.A. is a professor, writer, and scholar-practitioner, with experience in educational access, core curriculum and student research program development, reform, implementation, and assessment. She brings 19 years of teaching experience in composition and creative writing, and her scholarly and creative work has appeared in several publications. She is a co-creator of the Rhetorical Arts Festival, a student supported event where Rhetorical Arts students deliver persuasive speeches on social justice, and was the recipient of a Virginia G. Piper Center Independent Travel Grant for work and research at New Light, a care center for the children of sex workers in Kolkata, India. She received her B.A. in Philosophy from Elon University and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Fiction from Arizona State University. In addition to her work with student research, educational access, and first-generation college students, she currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts and is a foundation member of the Omega of California Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at LMU.
Lexie Pineda Soto
Associate Director, First Gen Initiatives
Email: Alexia.Pineda@lmu.edu
Alexia "Lexie" Pineda Soto, Ed.D, is a scholar-practitioner dedicated to centering community-led strategies that pave the way for educational justice practices. Lexie earned her doctorate at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), and her research interests center on critical career education modalities for first-gen students, the social-emotional experiences of economically marginalized Latinas, and the realities of first-generation professionals. As the Associate Director of First-Gen Initiatives at LMU, she oversees the First To Go Program, supporting first-gen students with personalized approaches and critical perspectives. In 2024, Lexie was recognized as an "Ignite Culture: Ignite First-Gen Success" leader and a “Sensational Staff Member” by FGLIstudents.org. She recently published the first installment of the "What's Next?: First-Gen Values and Vocation Career Handbook" Series and is now exploring faith justice work. Lexie is committed to empowering and guiding identity-intersectional communities who have been generationally and systematically excluded and underserved, and her objective is to innovate promising initiatives in service of holistic and intentional community success. Outside of her higher education vocation, Lexie enjoys building Legos, tackling DIY home improvement projects, singing her heart out at karaoke, and spending cherished moments with her niece Camila and nephew Sebastian.
Carina Flores
Associate Director, Student Research
Email: Carina.Flores@lmu.edu
Carina Flores is a higher education professional with ten years of experience and a master’s in education, Educational Counseling from the University of Southern California. She has been at LMU for the past two years overseeing student research programs. Her work includes creating various opportunities for students to engage in research projects with faculty on campus. She teaches the Research Learning Community where students learn skills for research writing. She also oversees the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium which is an opportunity for students to showcase the work they have done and share their findings with the campus community. Her experience in higher education also includes creating peer mentor programs, overseeing programs that increase retention of first-generation students, developing student leaders, and working on various grant initiatives. She is published as a co-author on a chapter called “Belonging and Well-being as Key Measures of Student Success”. As a first-generation college graduate, Carina is passionate about supporting students in achieving their academic goals. Much of her research and work in higher education has been centered around student success and sense of belonging.
Monica Gamez
Interim Director, Ignacio Student Support Services
Email: Monica.Gamez@lmu.edu
Monica Gamez currently serves the interim director of Ignacio Student Support Services, TRIO. Originally from the Bay Area, she received her B.A. in Sociology with a minor in education at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She then completed her M.S. in Higher Education Counseling and Student Affairs at California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo. She has worked in many educational settings, but her passion is supporting students grow and thrive during their time in college. In her free time, Monica enjoys attending concerts, run club, watching TV, trying new restaurants with friends and hanging with her dog.
Liz Waner
Learning Specialist, Ignacio Support Services
Email: Elizabeth.Waner@lmu.edu
Elizabeth “Liz” Waner received her B.A. in Education Sciences with a minor in Sociology at the University of California, Irvine. She completed her M.A. in Higher Education Administration at Loyola Marymount University. Prior to joining LMU, she worked in college access and success in the South Central and East Los Angeles areas. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys watching lots of TV and spending time with her family, friends, and dogs!
Esme Cabrera
Assistant Director, McNair Scholars Program
Email: Esmeralda.Cabrera@lmu.edu
Esmeralda Cabrera’s research interests concern higher education access, equity, and the academic success of underserved-underrepresented minorities. She has been at LMU for five years, where her work focuses on supporting McNair Scholars in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully navigate a path to a Ph.D. program following graduation. Esmeralda received her B.A. in Sociology from California State University, Dominguez Hills, where she was a McNair Scholar. Soon thereafter, she received her M.A in Applied Sociology from the University of Central Florida (UCF) through The McNair Scholars Fellowship. During her time at UCF, she worked as a graduate assistant for the McNair Scholars program, where she developed core curricula, coordinated national conferences, and created a venue for low-income, first-generation students to work on a coalition aimed at assisting incoming underrepresented graduate students at UCF. Esmeralda is happy to be back in Los Angeles serving students who participate in the same program that provided her with guidance and success during her undergraduate and graduate career.