About Us
About Us
At UC Santa Cruz, the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office is dedicated to making college more affordable and accessible. We work to reduce financial barriers so students from all backgrounds can pursue their educational goals, offering personalized support with care, respect, and understanding.
Each year, we assist more than 12,000 students—about 70% of undergraduates—with scholarships, grants, loans, and part-time work opportunities. Graduate students also benefit from federal loan programs. Altogether, we help students access more than $260 million in financial aid annually.
UC Santa Cruz also recognizes academic excellence by awarding nearly $9 million in scholarships to about 2,000 undergraduate students each year.
If you have questions or need assistance, our staff is here to help by phone, email, or in person. We’re committed to providing friendly, knowledgeable guidance and welcome your feedback on how we can better serve you.
Department Leadership
Lorena Lara Chavez Rodriguez
Title: Director
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Savannah Lynn Calero
Title: Associate Director of Compliance, Policy, and Training
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Jessica M Moore
Title: Senior Financial Aid Adviser
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Erin Ann Burns
Title: Data Management Supervisor
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Advising and Operations
Luis Melgoza
Title: Financial Aid Adviser
Carla Amy Cruz
Stephanie Cabrera
Joyce Parker
Customer Service Advisor
Compliance & Scholarships
Kori Lynn Calubaquib
Title: Strategic Funding & Scholarship Manager
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Analuisa M Chavez
Title: Compliance Counselor
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Isabella Nitz
Title: Basic Needs Advisor
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
David Knight Nelson
Title: Compliance Officer
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Systems
Tara Kiran Redkar
Title: Interim Associate Director of Systems Manager
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Rajvi Dharmesh Brahmbhatt
Title: Senior Business Systems Analyst
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Jaggi Krishna
Title: Sr. Business System Analyst
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Data Management
Stephanie Robyn Covey
Title: Records coordinator
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Patrick Joseph Martin
Title: Financial Service Analyst (Data Entry)ounselor
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Paula Marie Rizzi
Title: Loan Coordinator
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Halleigh Farley
Title: Financial Management Data Analyst
Department: Financial Aid and Scholarship Office
Contact Us
Have a question or need support? We’re here to help.
Location: 205 Hahn Student Services (view map)
In-Person Advising: Monday–Friday, 1 – 5 p.m.
Phone and Zoom Advising (Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.):
Phone: Call (669) 900-6833
Zoom: Join Zoom drop-in