Taña Barajas
International Admissions Counselor, Undergraduate Admissions
I grew up on the Los Angeles area, my mom is an executive assistant and my dad is a jeweler. I've had aunts, uncles and cousins go to college and I guess they figured that I was bright and would know what to do by osmosis or that I would ask for help when needed. I had been taking care of my academics since the 6th grade and I believed that I was the expert in my own education. I didn't know what I didn't know and as it turns out I was not very good at asking for help. It took me seven years to get my undergraduate degree! I spent the first four in community college and the last three at university. I had wonderful experiences, but I definitely missed out on opportunities to network, maximize my internship and study-abroad experiences or to earn an accelerated degree. Today I am an admissions counselor and I've learned so much in my working years about networking and relationship building. I hope to impart the knowledge and experience that I have gained and to learn from the incredible students that I know will be a part of this program.