Public Health Students Advising Students (PH-SAS) is an initiative of the SDSU School of Public Health (SPH) Undergraduate Program, where undergraduate public health students can get group or individual advising from fellow undergraduate students during the Fall & Spring semesters!
Send us an E-mail: sph.phsas@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: sdsu.ph.sas
To request an appointment with one of the PH-SAS mentors, please complete this form
What PH-SAS CAN Help With
- Schedule planning
- Hints and tips for success
- Elective selection
- How to stay on-track
- Professionalism
- Social support
- Advice
- Student insights
- Role-modeling for success
What PH-SAS Cannot Help With*
- Signatures
- Special approvals
- Exceptions
*For these items please see your Undergraduate Advisors
E-mail the undergraduate advisor: PHundergrad@sdsu.edu
Current SDSU PH-SAS Advisors
Ariana Toretta
“Hello everyone! My names Ariana and I’m a senior this year! I enjoy hanging out with friends, going to the beach, and spending time with family! I am looking forward to guiding you as best as I can in your public health journey!”
Joie Pfondevida
“Hi Everyone! My name is Joie Pfondevida, I am a fourth year Public Health student with a minor in Sustainability from the Inland Empire, California. On campus, I am also an A.S. Food Pantry Lead in the Aztec Student Union. I have a great passion for environmental health, health equity, and sustainability and I hope to take those interests further into my career in the near future. I greatly enjoy working closely with my peers and colleagues in trying to incorporate their interests and passions into their education and future careers. I am excited to assist you all and do my best to help guide you to any resources you may need in the upcoming school year. I hope to see you soon!”
Katraina Nakamura
“Hello everyone! My name is Kat Nakamura and I am a fourth-year public health major with two minors in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies and Child & Family Development from Carlsbad, CA. I am on a pre-physician assistant track and would love to share my journey and help others reach their goals. I hope to have a future in women’s and family health as an OB/GYN physician assistant. While at SDSU, I completed an internship at UCSD Population Health, work part-time on campus as a TA/ grader for American Indian studies, lived on and off campus, and navigated multiple organizations such as the Women in Science Society, SDSU Ambassadors, Greek Life, and Rotaract. I am so excited to help assist you with any questions or concerns you might have and to get to know you all!”
Maggie Zhang
“Hi everyone! My name is Maggie Zhang (she/her) and I am a fourth year public health major from the Bay Area. On campus, I am involved in Public Health Initiative, and outside of school, I am an intern in the County of San Diego. I am currently applying to MPH schools so I’d be happy to talk with you about my experience with that process! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, whether it be about classes you’re taking, clinical working experience, or internship opportunities!”
Sara Rodrigue
“Hi everyone! My name is Sara (she/her) and I am a fourth-year Public Health major, minoring in Personality and Social Psychology. I am a research assistant for the Action Research on Community Health Equity and Stigma (ARCHES) Lab and I am a Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Scholar. I will be applying to graduate school during the Fall 22′ cycle and would love to talk about the graduate school application process! I am also the Vice President of the Undergraduate Research Committee, if you are interested in research and want to learn more about it and how to get involved, please reach out!”
Serena Fite
“Hi everyone! My name is Serena. I am a fourth-year, undergraduate student, graduating from SDSU in May 2023. I am also a transfer student and a first-generation college student. In the time I have studied at SDSU, I have tried my best to get involved. I am a member of Students for Public Health, Tau Sigma National Honors Society, and I am working towards a Leadership Certificate offered by the university. Now a PH-SAS Mentor, I would love to help out my fellow Public Health lovers and peers. I can give advice on anything from amazing electives to how to get involved at school. In general, I would love to be someone you can come to for advice or support– or even just a friendly face on campus!”
Sierra Payne
“Hi! My name is Sierra Payne. I am a fourth year Biology and Public Health major with minors in Spanish and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. I am involved on campus as a peer health educator along with being the fundraising chair for the Public Health Initiative. In the future I will be pursuing a master’s of public health degree, before attending medical school to become an OB/GYN focused on lessening the higher maternal death rates in low-income and BIPOC communities. I look forward to getting to know you and helping you with any questions you might have!”
