Executive Board and Faculty Advisor

EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT

Brianna Arange Barquin
cassa.president@gmail.com 

Hi!

My name is Brianna Arango Barquin (she/her), and I’m so excited to be serving as this year’s Executive President for the Child and Adolescent Studies Student Association (CASSA) for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026! Last year, I was our ICC Representative, and getting to represent our club inspired me to keep going and step into this role.

I’m a senior in my last semester at Cal State Fullerton, majoring in Child & Adolescent Development with a concentration in Family and Community Context. I’ll be graduating Spring and plan to pursue my goal of becoming a Child Life Specialist next year. Helping kids and their families through tough moments has always been something I’ve been passionate about, so I can’t wait to officially begin that path.

When I’m on campus, you can usually find me at the Arboretum as it’s my favorite spot to catch up on homework, crochet or sit and watch the turtles to destress from school. Outside of school, I love traveling, crocheting, hiking, baking, playing video games, reading, and volunteering.

I stayed in CASSA because I really love what we do for CAS majors and for anyone who wants to work with children and adolescents. Whether we’re helping with resumes and cover letters, connecting people to opportunities, or just hanging out and playing games, I love being a part of creating a space where everyone feels welcome and supported.

My office hours are Mondays from 1:00 to 2:30 PM, and you can always email me at cassa.president@gmail.com if you want to chat about CASSA, ask questions, or just say hi. I’m so excited to meet new members and welcome back returning members!

“If dreams can't come true, then why not pretend” -Into The Unknown: Over The Garden Wall

VICE PRESIDENT

Natalie Duong
cassa.vicepresident@gmail.com

Hi Everyone!

My name is Natalie Duong, and I serve as this year’s Vice President. I enjoyed being a member of CASSA last year and wanted to step into a bigger role to support the association. I am so excited to get to know you all this academic year! I am a 4th year Kinesiology major - concentration in exercise science and minor in Child and Adolescent Studies and my goal after undergrad is to become a pediatric occupational therapist! I have a strong passion working with children as I have one of my own, who is a toddler! Some of my favorite spots to hang out and study is the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) and Asian Pacific American Resource Center (APARC).

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”– Theodore Roosevelt

FINANCE MANAGER

Annabella Naval 
cassa.finance@gmail.com

Hi Friends!


My name is Annabella Naval (she/her/hers), and I am so happy to serve as the Finance Manager of CASSA! This past year, I have loved getting to know the members in CASSA, and I am so excited to get to know you all this school year! I am a 4th year CAS major, focusing on elementary school settings, and after I graduate, I hope to get my credential and master’s to become an elementary school teacher one day. Outside of CASSA events you might see me if you are in the Peer Mentor Program, or if you go to peer tutoring! In my free time, I love to bake (cheesecake is my specialty) and play music (I am currently learning my 8th instrument)! I also love trying new matcha places, so if you have any recommendations, I would love to hear them! You are always welcome to visit my office hours if you have questions or just want to talk. Wishing you all (and myself) a locked-in semester.

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” -Maya Angelou

COMMUNITY PROJECT MANAGERS

Sujin Kim
cassa.community1@gmail.com

Hello Everyone!

My name is Sujin and I am one of the Community Project Manager and I'm excited for an amazing year with everyone! I am a 4th year CAS Major- concentration in Early Child Development. I am still figuring out what exactly I want to do after I graduate, but I know for sure I would want my own Child Care Center! I play badminton as a hobby and travel to be part of tournaments. I do want to start new hobbies so if you know of any please let me know in person! I do want to make new friends!! A quote that made me proud of myself! Hope it does for you as well!

"You made it this far, keep going...!"  -Dove Chocolate

COMMUNITY PROJECT MANAGERS

Mikhia Millington
cassa.community1@gmail.com

Hello Everyone!

My name is Mekhia Millington, and I am the 2025-2026 Community Project Managers alongside Sujin Kim. I am a 4th year Child and Adolescent Studies major with a concentration in Elementary Settings! My educational goal right now is to be an elementary school teacher or a child life specialist. My favorite musical artist is Frank Ocean :) and I love concerts! I am also a film fanatic, and my favorite movie is Waves. Also, I love strawberries!

Please feel free to ask me any questions!

DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS AND ACTIVITIES
MANAGER

Carolina Moore
cassa.activities@gmail.com

Hello Everyone!

My name is Carolina Moore, and I serve as this year's Departmental Awards and Activities Manager. My role is to work with my team of board members alongside the president to plan our fun social events for our members to connect and make friends while enjoying some fun activities. I also work alongside CAS/CSUF faculty to coordinate two big events we host in the academic year: Fall Mixer in the fall and the Celebration of Achievement in the Spring. A little bit about me, I am a 3rd-year CAS major with an emphasis in Adolescent/Youth Development and a minor in math ed. My goal after college is to get my single-subject teaching credential with Bilingual Authorization in FLM to become a middle school math teacher. When I'm not busy with school, I like to read, crochet, shop, work out, and listen to music. My favorite singer to listen to when I am feeling down is Karol G! Her music is comforting for my soul. Fun fact, back in 2022, I got to see Karol G in concert for free and I hope to see her in concert again.

Here is a hot take for you all: Jeremiah and Belly in TSITP were actually a cute couple.
I hope you have a lovely semester/academic school year, and I look forward to seeing you at our general meetings and events. <3)
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gertzky

PROFESSIONAL & CAREER DEVELOPMENT

MANAGER

Kayla Kossoff
cassa.profdevelopment@gmail.com

Hey Everyone!

My name is Kayla Kossoff. I'm a Child and Adolescent Studies major with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. I am a transferred from community college in Fall 2024 and now I am graduating May 2026. I was a general member of CASSA last year and I’m proud to be a part of the board this year. My current goal is to become an elementary school teacher, and my next step is to get my multiple subjects teaching credential. I currently work as an associate teacher at a preschool working with 2- and 3-year-olds. A fun fact about me is that I love to travel, and actually solo traveled to Bogota, Colombia to volunteer in a preschool.

My favorite quote is “Everything happens for a reason.”

INTERCLUB COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE

Rudy Castellanos
cassaiccrep@gmail.com

Hi,

My name is Rudy Castellanos and I am a fourth-year child and Adolescent Studies of child family community context. My career as a high school counselor. I am the CASSA ICC Representative.

My hobbies are drawing, painting, and making YouTube videos

I love superheroes movies, Horror and anime and also i love going to con to meet movies actors. I love playing video games.

Never give up - John Cena

INFORMATION MANAGER 

Not Available 

MEMBERSHIP MANAGER

Not Available. 

CREATIVE CONTENT MANAGER

Natalie Garcia
cassa.creativecontent@gmail.com

Hi Titans!

My name is Natalie Garcia, and I’m a second year Child and Adolescent Studies Major with an emphasis on family and community context. My career goal is to one day become a Pediatric Hospitalist, or some other medical specialty having to do with children. I am honored to be this year’s Creative Content Manager and run our social media accounts. Some fun facts about me are that I love creating art whether it be through drawing, sewing, arts and crafts, or any other things of that nature. If I am not doing schoolwork or art, I am probably playing video games, especially Minecraft, or reading. Good luck to everyone this semester and school year, please come say hi or feel free to reach out, I’d love to get to know you!

“The thing I realize is, that it's not what you take, it's what you leave. ― Jennifer Niven, All the Bright Places

FACULTY ADVISOR

Dr. Ioakim Boutakidis

Dr. Boutakidis is a Professor of Child and Adolescent Studies, having received his Ph.D in psychology from University of California Riverside. He has previously served as Associated Dean of Student Success and Faculty Fellow of Student Success for the College of Health and Human Development and Chair in Child and Adolescent Studies, and the department of Educational Leadership. His research has focused on examining the role of enagement, motivation, and theory of mind in academic achievement outcomes for historically under-served students. His current work extends this line to college students, with a special focus on effors to reduce achievement gaps in higher ed, and particularly addressing the academic challenges that males face in their college trajectories. He continues his on-going involvement in program assessment at the department, college, and university levels. 

FACULTY ADVISOR

Professor Diana Robles

Diana Robles earned her M.A. in Counseling and M.A. in Health Science from California State University, Los Angeles, and joined the Child and Adolescent Studies Department in 2001. She worked in Child Protective Services for over 10 years in both Los Angeles and Orange County. She also worked for 15 years at the OC Health Care Agency in Maternal and Child Health in the area of adolescent pregnancy and parenting. She has experience working in the field of forensic interviewing of child victims at the Child Abuse Services Team (CAST). She is a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM) trained by the IMUSA. She is currently the CAS Short Term Study Abroad Coordinator for the department. She has traveled with students several times to Costa Rica, Italy, Thailand, and Spain. She is also the Practicum Coordinator, and one of the CASSA Advisors.