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Brizia Ceja, Academic Consultant
Brizia is an ambitious sophomore at the U. She is doing a Political Science major and two minors in Business and Ethnic Studies. Brizia was born in Sinaloa, México and moved to Utah when she  was 13. She graduated from West High School and enjoys reading and playing soccer. Brizia is the Academic Information Consultant at UNP She does presentations to different groups about higher education and one-on-one consultations in English and Spanish to anyone interested in continuing their education.
Joél Arvizo, Partnership Manager- Youth Education & Success
Joél is Chicano and Diné (Navajo) and brings with him passion for educational equity and social justice. With UNP, Joél focuses his time on  facilitating, creating and maintaining University-Community partnerships that increase educational outcomes and opportunities for Salt Lake’s west side youth. The vision and mission under Youth Education & Success is to increase the number of youth from west side neighborhoods who are successful at gaining admissions and attending institutions of higher education, generally and the University of Utah, specifically. Joél earned his M.Ed in Education, Culture & Society after Fall of 2007 and holds a BS in Health Promotion & Education from the University of Utah. With his background in health education, he is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and specializes in the health of communities of color, equity in health care and the sociology of health and wellness. Before UNP, Joél has worked as a coordinator with the Office of Diversity & Community Outreach at the U of U School of Medicine. His work with the University spans six years involving student development, academic advising, program planning, and social justice training and education. His future goals include working on creating more equitable institutions of higher learning and he eventually hopes to earn a Ph.D. in education with special emphasis on identity development, sociology of higher education, and educational leadership. j.arvizo@partners.utah.edu
Abdi Mohamed, 
Assistant Coordinator UNP- Hartland Partnership Center
Abdulkhaliq H. Mohamed, aka, Abdi or Abdul, was born in Baidao, Somalia, raised in Mombasa, Kenya, came to the USA in 1997, and speaks three languages: Somali, Swahili, and English. He has 21 brothers and sisters and more than 35 nephews and nieces. As an Assistant Coordinator at UNP - Hartland Partnership Center, he is involved in the Neighborhood Watch Program, the Resident Committee, and everything else that is going on around the Center. Abdi is currently attending Salt Lake Community College and will transfer to the U of U after he finished his General Education. He is a Westside Leadership Institute graduate and captain of the Somali Soccer Team. Abdi worked for Catholic Community Services and Granite School District where he helped the new Utah residents from Somalia adapt to American Culture and reach their goals in life. When not at school or work, he loves to hangout with family and friends, play soccer, basketball, football, and also swimming. a.mohamed@partners.utah.edu
Andrea Page, Administrative Assistant
 Andrea is excited to be a member of the UNP "family'! As UNP's Administrative Assistant, she provides administrative, Development, website updates, Human Resource and other office support to its Directors, Board of Advisors and staff. She assists in keeping the office running smoothly. Andrea feels lucky to be able to meet and interact with so many fascinating members of the community and University. She feels that the experiences at UNP are priceless. She attended the University of Utah for 2 years and is finally returning to begin to complete her education. Andrea keeps busy being a mom of two daughters, and spending time with her husband, family and friends. She also loves to read, researching travel and taking pictures. a.page@partners.utah.edu
Kimberly Schmit, MEd Partnership  Coordinator UNP-Hartland Partnership Center
Kim is responsible for coordinating the UNP-Hartland Partnership Center. She spends most of her time engaging with the Resident Committee, community partners, and University of Utah faculty and students to ensure a sustainable, comprehensive educational program that is driven by reciprocal learning and is in response to resident-identified STRENGTHS AND needs. In May of 2007 Kim received her MEd from the Department of Education, Culture and Society at the University of Utah, where she focused her studies on culturally appropriate curriculum for people who have been through the refugee experience and socially just techniques for community empowerment. Kim’s past work experiences include directing Higher Ground Learning, program directing at Spy Hop Productions and co-running Wasatch Dance Collective.k.schmit@partners.utah.edu
Yda Smith , Hartland Faculty Director
Yda J. Smith is an occupational therapist and a faculty member with the Division of Occupational Therapy at the University of Utah. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Utah in the Department of Education, Culture and Society and is currently working on a dissertation which examines the refugee experiences of the Somali Bantu now living in Salt Lake City. She has been working with residents of Hartland Apartments since the University Neighborhood Partners Hartland Center opened assisting newly arrived residents with life skills training and supervising occupational therapy students. During the past year she has been acting as Faculty Director, Chair of the Hartland Research Committee and as Co-Chair of the Hartland Steering Committee.
Rosemarie Hunter, Ph.D,
Director
Sarah
Munro,
Ph.D Associate Director
Sonya
Alemán,
Communications Director Joel Arvizo , YES Partnership Manager Gina Alvarez, Development Director
Brizia Ceja , Academic Information Consultant Andrea Page, Administrative Assistant Roberto Maturano, Hartland Intern
Abdi Mohamed, Assistant Coordinator
Betty Moffett, Administrative Financial Officer Kim
Schmit,
Hartland Coordinator Yda Smith, Hartland Facutly Director
Kim
Miller and Claudia Snow,
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Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead 
Sarah
received a Ph.D. in Anthropology in 2002
from the University of Michigan. Her
research focused on community organizing,
leadership, and gender relations. She
has spent time in Italy, India and Nepal
working with community development organizations,
and before that worked as a journalist
in Italy. Sarah coordinates the development
of programs and partnerships in the areas
of resident empowerment and community leadership,
capacity-building, and parent support. An
anthropologist by training, Sarah is particularly
interested in community development and leadership
in multi-cultural settings. She speaks Spanish
and Italian fluently, and spends much of her
time meeting with potential (and existing)
partners to share ideas and find links between
University and community resources.She
loves to hike and camp in Utah’s beautiful
mountains and enjoys walking around her
neighborhood with her son, husband and cat. 
abuse population. Gina has a Bachelors degree in Business from San Francisco State University, and is currently enrolled in the Masters of Public Administration Program at the University of Utah. Gina is a first generation U.S. born member of her family and was a first generation college student. She was raised along the San Diego / Tijuana border and actually attended 6th grade in Michoacan, Mexico because her parents wanted her to stay connected to her family roots. Her initial draw to UNP resulted from UNP’s focus towards fostering a college going awareness and expectation for many of the first generation U.S. born and first generation potential college students residing in the west Salt Lake neighborhoods UNP serves. Gina had not even considered college as an option until she was in 10th grade and sees promise in UNP’s collaborations that introduce awareness at younger ages for students and their families. Gina serves on the Board of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah advocating for health care, education and supporting reproductive rights. Gina lives in Salt Lake City’s west side. 
