About Me

A high school teacher once said to me, "Never let school interfere with your education." These words have always inspired me and shaped the decisions I have made in my collegiate and professional careers. The idea of expanding my knowledge base beyond in-classroom subject matter led me on a path towards self-discovery and instilled in me a passion for practical application of theories and perspectives. To that end, I look for situations that provide me with the opportunity to explore questions that will produce results aligned with my interests and experiences. School and art have played an important role in my development; I always viewed both as my ticket out of the inner city and on to bigger and better things. I attended the High School of Art and Design in midtown Manhattan. I attended the University of Southern California (USC), where I received my undergraduate and graduate degrees. My bachelors is in Fine Arts with a minor in sociology. This combination taught me to understand interpersonal dynamics and develop effective strategies to work with people. Dissatisfied with my in-classroom collegiate experience, but still interested in exploring a career in the arts, I decided to pursue a Masters in Public Art Studies. This discipline taught me the importance of understanding a user group's needs in order to work with them to satisfactorily deliver services and effective use of physical space to transform a community. Halfway through the program, I realized student affairs was my career path, and I decided to enroll in USC's Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs (PASA) Masters program. The PASA program provided a strong foundation to understand higher education. I began my professional student affairs career right before I completed the program, and as my career progressed, my professional journey shifted my focus from finishing the PASA program to obtaining a Doctoral degree. My intent is to publish books and articles on the subject and develop best practices to help fraternities and sororities better engage and support students and provide more holistic experiences to their members. This research will support the consulting work I have begun with some national fraternities and sororities, as well as build my leadership development and training skills.

Education & Certifications

Q&A with Rafael

Tutoring Subjects