We are thrilled to have three new members of the Echols team this year: Alexis Richardson, Tierre Sanford, and Isela Melendez-Carpio.
"Serving as the Echols Program Graduate Intern is an honor that I take pride in. I'm excited to have the opportunity to work with Echols students".
Alexis Richardson brings a valuable background and skillset to the Echols Scholars Program. She is a 2015 UVA alumna with a passion for college access and student affairs. She has three years of experience working in college admissions, two of which were at UVA, and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in higher education from the Curry School of Education. Alexis will be working on community building activities, mentoring, diversity initiatives, and the integration of newly admitted second-year students to the Echols Program.
“I am so excited to be living and working with this vibrant, new group of Echols scholars. They have so much to offer to each other and to the whole Echols community.”
Tierre Sanford is returning to the Echols team after spending a year away. She is a rising fifth-year graduate student, working on her Ph.D. in Slavic languages and literatures. She will be living in Balz-Dobie with many of the first-year Echols, where she will create and implement programming, provide academic and career advising, and help first-year Echols become part of the larger Echols community. Tierre’s passion for education is centered on living-learning communities, which she hopes to help foster among the Echols first years.
"I am committed to supporting students. There is no better way to invest in our country than providing students the tools and resources needed to succeed."
Isela Melendez-Carpio has more than six years of experience working for college access and youth development organizations, including the Posse Foundation. She will be collaborating with our team to implement career programming and diversity initiatives. Isela was born in El Salvador and raised in Arlington, VA. She graduated with a B.A. in political science and a minor in anthropology from the University of Richmond. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s in higher education, here at UVA.