BSEL Undergraduate Social Impact Scholars Program

Aryana Mahmud is a rising senior studying Accounting and Finance. Born and raised in Bangladesh, she is passionate about social welfare development through the lens of sustainable finance, particularly in the areas of education and gender equality. She has experience in social entrepreneurship, financial literacy education, and business journalism. Her goal is to be a global citizen leveraging international cooperation to drive inclusive growth, to which end she has participated in social impact initiatives in Greece, Australia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and the US.

Gina Djekkoun is a rising junior at the University of Southern California, majoring in Business Administration. Having spent part of her childhood in France with an Arab father and Latina mother, Gina has cultivated a strong passion for international consulting, uniquely positioning her to navigate diverse cultures. In her current role at a nonprofit organization, she leads initiatives that leverage data-driven insights to strengthen financial planning, optimize organizational growth, and design community-driven programs. With a background that blends consulting and data analytics, Gina is committed to using data strategically to support businesses and drive impactful social change.

Luke Chaplain is a rising junior from Portland, Oregon, majoring in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a minor in Music Production. His academic and extracurricular pursuits center around sustainability, creative expression, mental health advocacy, and a deep appreciation for the natural world. He currently serves as Vice President of Mental Health and Wellness for Pi Kappa Alpha, a Design and Make Ambassador for Autodesk, and an instructor with SCout Science Outreach, where he teaches STEM lessons to elementary students in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has also performed as a drummer in USC’s Classical Crossover and Studio Guitar Ensembles, blending artistic performance with technical skill. Outside of campus, Luke enjoys exploring the outdoors through surfing, hiking, and backpacking. He hopes to build a career that bridges engineering, environmental stewardship, and creativity to design systems that enrich both people and the planet.

Matthew Wong (they/them) is a first-generation rising senior from Oakland, CA, studying American Popular Culture with a minor in Media, Economics, and Entrepreneurship at USC. Driven by a passion for social impact through storytelling and technology, they’ve served on the executive boards of the Asian Pacific American Student Assembly and Asian Pacific Cinema Association, and supported early-stage ventures through TroyLabs, USC’s premier startup accelerator. Beyond campus leadership, Matthew believes in creativity as a catalyst for social change and is always eager to hear others' stories.

Max Garibay-Deasy is a member of the World Bachelor in Business program, a collaboration between USC, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. He's passionate about issues in Latin American development and sustainability, having interned at Juguete Pendiente, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Boston Consulting Group. He hopes to continue this work through a career that blends his interests in the private and social impact sectors.

Niloofar Sahimi is a rising junior from Los Angeles, California, double majoring in Environmental Studies and Legal Studies. She is deeply passionate about advancing climate justice through sustainable innovations, environmental education, and community empowerment. Her ultimate goal is to pursue transformative solutions through the intersection of environmental epidemiology and public policy to promote global resilience and strengthen environmental governance across all sectors. Beyond campus, she serves as a Los Angeles County Youth Climate Commissioner, where she advises the Board of Supervisors on climate action for youth under 18 and collaborates with government departments to champion equitable, community-driven policy initiatives.

Nnenna Onwe is a rising junior from Columbus, Ohio, studying Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance at the USC Marshall School of Business. She is also pursuing a Master’s in Data Science through USC’s Progressive Degree Program. Nnenna is passionate about economic development and advocacy for underrepresented communities, and she holds leadership roles in USC Techie and Global Brigades at Marshall. She aspires to combine her interests in social impact and consulting to drive meaningful change in the future.

Owen Salmon is a rising junior from the Bay Area majoring in Business Administration. He currently leads Spark SC’s Activist Incubator, an initiative that empowers emerging activists to grow their skills in the social entrepreneurship space. He also serves as a Student Ambassador (Tour Guide) at the USC Admission Center, a Resident Assistant for first-year students, and holds leadership positions in USC Helenes, Society 53, and Avenues Consulting Group. He hopes to one day enter the social impact and nonprofit sector, working to drive meaningful change in his community.

Renée Torres is a visionary changemaker dedicated to shaping a more just and inclusive society. As a Dean’s List student with a Public Policy major and Social Entrepreneurship minor at the University of Southern California, she leverages her leadership, research, and advocacy skills to drive meaningful community impact. From grassroots organizing to social innovation, Renée is committed to amplifying historically omitted voices and pioneering solutions for systemic change, especially within the Latine community.

Shawnell Sims-Ceballos, a first-generation student from Chicago, majoring in Legal Studies and minoring in Law and Public Policy. Her life’s goal is to become a civil rights attorney and policymaker to uplift her community through social reform. She is also deeply passionate about criminal justice reform, civil and human rights, poverty reduction, and educational equity. She hopes to one day start a non-profit organization that addresses the school-to-prison pipeline and inspires the youth. Among other leadership roles, she serves as the President of the Wrongful Convictions Club at USC, where she works to address the U.S. Justice System’s most heinous miscarriages of justice and give a voice to innocent people behind bars. Outside of school, she contributes to social impact work through public service, holding know your rights clinics, and assisting in legal aid services.

Shivi Anand is an undergraduate student at USC pursuing the BS Global Geodesign major, Applied Analytics minor and Hayes Barnard Sustainability Fellowship. She has a passion for environmental sustainability which she explores at city-scale through geodesign, at the scale of a business firm through past work, and increasingly at the international scale. Shivi is excited to learn more about the business worldand to apply her skills in data, design, geography, and sustainability.

Valerie Aronhalt is a rising senior pursuing a Progressive Master of Public Policy, a B.A. in International Relations, and a minor in Cyber Security. Growing up in Lima, Peru, she became passionate about global affairs and human rights from a young age. She has interned at the U.S. Department of State and the Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, experiences that strengthened her commitment to public service and social justice. She is committed to advancing human rights considerations across diverse sectors. On campus she is the Director of Finance for Helenes, a Research Assistant for the Center for Advanced Genocide Research and formerly the Vice President for DPE, USC’s Foreign Service Society.

Daniel Anzueto (All Pronouns) is an inclusive culture and systems builder with 20 years of experience designing high-impact initiatives, strategic events, and recognition programs that drive founder engagement and belonging. Danny is known for scaling learning and connection across organizations through thoughtful relationship-building and shared learning experiences. He sees joy and wellness as skills that are just as critical as budgeting and marketing for leaders.

Christy Dawson is a dedicated philanthropist, nonprofit leader, and advocate for food security, serving as the Founder and CEO of Christy’s Foundation Food Relief Program. Established in 2017, Christy’s Foundation has provided millions of pounds of food to families in need, ensuring that communities across Los Angeles have access to fresh, nutritious meals. With a background in finance, strategic planning, and nonprofit management, Christy previously worked in the tax departments at Deloitte & Touche and Thomson Reuters before dedicating her expertise to humanitarian efforts. Under her leadership, Christy’s Foundation has expanded to multiple locations, including Glendale and Northridge, distributing over 10,000 pounds of food weekly and hosting large-scale food relief events for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christy collaborates with local government officials, corporate sponsors, and community partners to combat food insecurity and provide essential resources to underserved populations. Her initiatives have received recognition from city leaders, law enforcement agencies, and organizations committed to social impact. As a passionate speaker and advocate, Christy shares her insights on food security, community outreach, and nonprofit sustainability, inspiring the next generation of leaders to take action. For more information about Christy’s Foundation, visit www.christysfoundation.org.

Carlos Gutierrez is the Chief Strategy Officer at Larta Institute, where he leads strategic partnerships with U.S. federal agencies supporting R&D-driven ventures through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. His work spans collaboration with agencies such as NIH, USDA, NSF, DOE, NOAA, DARPA, and NIST, among others, to bolster commercialization efforts of science- and tech-based entrepreneurs. Carlos has also designed and managed international initiatives to grow innovation ecosystems and global competitiveness in countries including Japan, Malaysia, Brazil, New Zealand, Canada, and Croatia. His expertise has been tapped by the World Bank to assess national innovation and capital infrastructure policy in emerging economies. A key architect of Larta’s Industry Network, Carlos has connected corporate venturing executives and technology scouts to early-stage companies advancing solutions in sectors like agtech, cleantech, and health. He has spoken widely on commercialization strategies at SBIR National Conferences and World Bank forums. He has directly advised SBIR-funded companies developing technologies for groundwater remediation, produced water reuse, and distributed wind energy. In recent years, Carlos has played a central role in Larta’s expansion into catalytic capital deployment, guiding investments into companies advancing community resilience and well-being in key impact areas: food security, disaster preparedness, water and energy systems, clean air, infrastructure, and public health. Carlos also helped launch Larta’s community-based innovation initiatives in Los Angeles, including Heal.LA and the Venture Fellows program. He serves as a nominator for UCLA’s Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award, further reflecting his commitment to elevating sustainability and climate solutions. He earned a B.S. in Marketing and Business Administration from California State University, Northridge, and an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business. Bilingual in English and Spanish, Carlos lives in Orange County, California. On weekends, he can be found tending to his raised-bed garden, perfecting his baseline jumper, and honing his culinary skills.

Rakiba Kibria (she/her) has over 16 years of experience mobilizing resources for the social sector. She is a nationally recognized nonprofit leader and strategist working at the nexus of capital, community, and social justice. She currently serves as Vice President of Resource Development at Nonprofit Finance Fund, where she leads fund development and strategic philanthropic partnerships. Rakiba has held leadership positions at Common Future, Good Shepherd Services, The DOME Project, among others, and was a Fellow at the Just Economy Institute (2022-2023). She has deep experience working with Philanthropy and Impact Investing stakeholders, designing and fundraising for creative capital solutions to meet community-driven needs. Over the course of her career, Rakiba has raised $100M+ for nonprofits and social enterprises. She knows intimately how the current fundraising toolbox is steeped in extractive practices that perpetuate inequitable distribution of resources. Her life’s work has been helping social change leaders raise transformative capital through trusted relationships rooted in lived experience and dignified reciprocity. In her free time, she likes dreaming up how to create a world and raise her two children beyond what the dominant imagination tells us we can and can’t do. Rakiba is a first-gen Bangladeshi American with strong Queens and NYC pride. Her lived experiences and love for her people ground all things she does. Rakiba holds a B.A. in International Development and Economics from American University and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University, where she also served as an associate instructor for the program.

Timothy O’Connor is a data and evidence-driven energy and accountability expert with over 25 years of experience developing and advocating for balanced and pragmatic solutions to complex societal challenges. A Los Angeles native who has successfully built and led teams across world-class private, government, and non-profit sectors. Tim has extensive experience designing and executing strategies affecting the utility industry with a focus on investment planning and prioritization, advanced metering, decarbonization, clean technology deployment, green building design and operation, and transportation fuels. Prior to joining the City of Los Angeles in June 2025, Tim was a Leader in Deloitte Consulting’s Sustainability Strategy practice, with a focus on utility and transportation projects. Prior to joining Deloitte, Tim was a Senior Director at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) leading engagements in formal proceedings before energy, environmental and judicial agencies to support equitable access to sustainable and affordable clean energy. Prior to EDF, he led regulatory enforcement and audit efforts at complex energy facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Tim also holds a master’s degree from Duke University and a Law Degree from Golden Gate University with specializations in Environmental and Public Interest Law. He further holds several certifications in green building design and operation; sustainable development; frameworks related to ESG reporting, strategy, and practice; sustainability related business practices, and executive environmental leadership.

Grace Park, X-Disney is CEO of Nuleep and Co-CEO of Luminova Ventures, with 20+ years of global leadership in strategic planning, innovation, and impact. She has led initiatives across 100+ countries for Fortune 500s, governments, and VCs, and managed $2.8B+ portfolios at Disney and TPG. Her work spans AI, Cleantech, Media & Entertainment, and CPG sectors with clients such as Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, U.S. Embassy, Gaudi Foundation, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, corporates, and venture capital firms. As Co-Chair of LA Venture Association's GREEN division and a champion for women VCs and entrepreneurs at Luminova Ventures' Prospera Women programs, Grace advances leadership, scales global innovation, and amplifies community voices.