Our Staff

Monique Posadas, Ph.D. (She/Her/Ella)

Monique is the Graduate Student Mentorship Network Specialist. She has been a student affairs professional for over a decade. Previously, she worked with the McNair Scholars Program at Cornell University and California State University, Fullerton. At Fullerton, she was the inaugural Goldwater Scholarship Campus Representative. She served as Staff Advisor to the Cornell graduate and undergraduate chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science. She also co-founded the first East Coast chapter of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social.

Monique is a certified facilitator for the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research. She received a Ph.D. and M.A. from the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University, with a research focus on the success of minoritized graduate students. She received her M.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Syracuse University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science from San José State University. She is a proud community college transferista.

Monique served on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) as the Graduate Student Member-at-Large from 2021 to 2025 and was an AAHHE Graduate Student Fellow. With a grant from the Educational Testing Service, she spearheaded the formation of the AAHHE Undergraduate Student Fellowship Program, for which she served as Chair. 

Ethan Cruz Vazquez, GSMN Lead Consultant (He/Him/El)

Ethan Cruz Vazquez is a 2nd year PMBA student at the University of California Riverside, School of Business concentrating in Business Marketing. Ethan has also graduated from UCR with a bachelors in Business Finance and is currently on track to receive his Masters by spring! Currently, Ethan serves as an administrative assistant and lead consultant for both the GradSuccess TADP and GSMN Departments. Ethan also serves as a Resident Advisor/Assistant for Residential Education for Campus Apartments West located on the UCR campus.  If you don't find Ethan in office you might find him working also at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf serving students and staff. 

His current focus is professionally developing himself in his current position at GradSuccess and being able to further his career. That is not the only goal Ethan is aiming for, as he also is a freelance artist on the side for 7 years and is still actively trying to grow his art account on social media before he decides to branch out professionally. Moving forward you will be seeing Ethan at the TADP workshops or the coffee socials hosted by the GSRC at the Life Sciences building 1425 or Spieth Courtyard. Feel free to say hello to him as he is excited to meet and help the graduate students on campus!