Meet the Team
Caz Salamanca
AA/PIRC Director
Caz Salamanca (he/him/siya) is an educator with over 15 years of experience in Higher Education. Raised in the Bay Area, Caz received his bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Science from UC San Diego, where he was heavily involved in the Filipino American interest student organization. Since then, his professional and personal engagement in social justice work in higher education carried him through earning his Master’s degree in Education from San Diego State University, and his previous experience as the Assistant Director of the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center at San José State University.
Caz is excited to return to California, the UC system and multicultural affairs, from his most recent experience as an Adviser and Diversity Programs Coordinator for the School of Public Health at the University of Washington in Seattle. Caz’s interests include student identity and leadership development, hip hop education, and exploring social justice issues of pop culture. He also loves cooking, doing puzzle/escape rooms, and boba!
Connect with Caz via email at cazs@ucsc.edu.
Tia Ching Mahannah
AA/PIRC Program Coordinator
Tia Ching Mahannah (she/her) serves as the Program Coordinator for the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center on campus. She grew up in Oakland, CA before graduating from UC Santa Cruz (John R. Lewis College ’21) with a triple major in Critical Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES); Education, Democracy, and Justice (EDJ); and Psychology. As a mixed Asian American (half-Chinese/half-white), much of her college experience and studies were centered around exploring her racial identity.
Tia’s time as a student intern with AA/PIRC inspired her to stay on campus after graduation to pursue a career organizing identity-centered programs. She spent three years creating cultural and social justice events (and introducing the social media phenomenon, Nijl the Slug) at the CoCo as the CoCurricular Programs Assistant for College Nine and John R. Lewis College, before returning to AA/PIRC. As Program Coordinator, Tia is excited to continue supporting UCSC’s AA/PI/SWANA communities and empower students to explore their identity, culture, and community.
Email tia@ucsc.edu to schedule a meeting or ask any questions!
Myenn Rahnoma
SWANA Retention Specialist
Myenn Rahnoma (she/her) serves as the SouthWest Asian North African (SWANA) Retention Specialist at the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center on campus. With a background in activism, non-profit work, and organizing, she graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Journalism. During her time there, she founded and led the SWANA Initiative and held other various leadership roles on campus. Off-campus, she co-founded Afghans In Solidarity, a grassroots organization created to support various social justice causes. After organizing a successful international protest, she also co-founded the United Afghan Association, a non-profit organization that focused on supporting Afghans after the Taliban takeover. She now hopes to build a stronger sense of SWANA community and identity on campus.
Schedule a meeting with Myenn or reach out via email at mrahnoma@ucsc.edu.
