Main Content Region

2023-2024: Year 4 Challenge

Project Results

Presentations

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Meet the Research Team

Carolina Carlos

Carolina Carlos

Hey there! I’m Carolina Carlos, a first-generation college student with a dual bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, specializing in Marketing, and Sports and Entertainment Marketing. I am also the student representative for the Association of Latino Faculty, Staff and Student (ALFSS). Currently, I’m pursuing my passion for making a difference in my community as a grad student in Public Administration, with a concentration in Leadership.

I am working as a graduate research student assistant at the esteemed Leonard Transportation Center. Where I focus on policy and research related to medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles, with the goal of making a meaningful impact. I am also part of the student research challenge team focusing on the nexus between housing and transportation in the Inland Empire. I find it great to work at a diversity office, where I collaborate with colleagues of different backgrounds and degrees. It is an area with incredible potential to shape the future of transportation, and I am excited to be part of it. I can’t wait to see what the future holds, as I see every day as a new opportunity to make a difference. Let’s shape a better future together! Go Yotes!

Dorlins VillalobosDorlins Villalobos

My name is Dorlins Villalobos, and I am a student-parent first-generation, non-traditional student. I returned to school in the fall of 2018 to pursue higher education, hoping for career options. At first, returning to school was just a means to an end. However, after the pandemic, I saw historical racial disparities within my community in Compton. I realized my community was disproportionally affected by the lack of meaningful public policy. My interest in public policy came from lived experience, and I decided that a master's degree would bring me closer to making a change for the benefit of my community. My purpose now is to play a role in helping our society be better for my son, my community, and our future. 

Jordan LeffewJordan Leffew

I am Jordan Leffew, a first-generation college student born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. I recently earned my B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Riverside, where I am also pursuing my M.A. in Public Policy. For most of my undergraduate career, I had been exposed to various community service and advocacy opportunities through my membership in Alpha Phi Omega, a National Co-Ed Community Service Organization at UCR. I prided myself in being able to contribute to the Inland Empire’s community development and promote civic engagement within its low-income, POC communities. My advocacy work focused on accessibility to resources and services, outreach, and education. Utilizing my personal and lived experiences, I decided to take my advocacy work to the next level by pursuing a career in policy. I understood the importance of establishing equitable, effective, and sustainable policy solutions that could aid regions like the IE and its community members. With that being said, I hope to bring my passion and knowledge to the LTC student research team to help address the complex, interrelated challenges between housing and transportation in the IE.

“Solutions for the Region, Solutions for the World.” - UCR, School of Public Policy

Yasamin Rasouli Yasamin Rasouli

I am Yasamin Rasouli, a 24-year-old from Iran. Five years ago, my family and I immigrated to the USA and have been residing in Orange County ever since. Currently, I am a junior student at Cal Poly Pomona, studying Civil Engineering. Last fall, I transferred from Saddleback College to continue my academic journey. I am passionate about shaping the built environment and look forward to making valuable contributions in the field of Civil Engineering.