Staff Spotlight: Mathias Gomez

September 5, 2023

Mathias Gomez helps students by passing on wisdom that he wishes he knew as a college student.

He draws on his personal experience as a first-generation, low-income student and outgoing personality to assist students from all backgrounds, both in the Student Services office and as a member of the MS&E Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee.

Education

University of California, San Diego Extension: Certificate, Career Advising (in progress); Certificate, College Counseling (in progress); Certificate, Project Management (in progress)
University of California, Irvine: BA, Psychology and Social Behavior
Cuyamaca College: Associates, Psychology; Associates, Social and Behavioral Sciences; Associates, Science and Mathematics

What led you to want to work in Student Services?

I have been a first-generation, low-income student my whole life. I have a predominantly extroverted personality, and with it came many friends and acquaintances throughout my higher education journey that I found were struggling with navigating the steps in their higher education.

It started in community college and then at the university level, many of my friends from various backgrounds were having a very difficult time connecting with counselors, or if they did, they were given wrong information regarding transfer requirements, graduation requirements, policies, procedures, etc. Over the course of my higher education, I found myself helping family members, friends, and classmates with navigating their coursework, transfer and graduation requirements while balancing my work, schooling, and social life.

My education in social sciences partnered with my personal experience counseling family members, friends, and classmates have led me toward a very happy and fulfilling career in higher education. I’m very happy to have almost 5 years of experience assisting students in community colleges, public universities, and now Stanford University. I hope to use my education and experience to help the diverse student population of Stanford University navigate through their higher education experience so they can make a difference and positive change in the world around them.

Describe your role and responsibilities in Student Services.

My position as Student Services Specialist with MS&E has a diverse set of responsibilities. I assist my team with admissions, and I’m very happy to help out wherever I can during such an active and busy season. I also work as the postdoctoral administrator for MS&E. I specialize in the onboarding of postdoctoral scholars and visiting student researchers while assisting our current postdocs and visitors with any assistance they may need during their time here at Stanford MS&E.

For our faculty, staff, and students, I reserve the rooms around the Science and Engineering Quad (SEQ) and around campus for lectures, meetings, seminars, oral exams, and more. I also assist my director with the dynamic task of course scheduling. We do our best to reserve the best rooms for our faculty while processing Course Assistants (CAs) and Research Assistants (RAs) for the rooms. I also assist my director with graduate student funding for our graduate students. We want to make sure everyone is processed timely, efficiently, and paid accordingly for all of their hard work.

Lastly, I’m very happy to be a part of our MS&E Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Each year we strive to create and run programs that assist MS&E students and external students, with a focus on fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What impact do you hope to make in Student Services?

Overall, I aim to use my talents, education, and experience to assist students and visitors throughout their time here at Stanford and within MS&E.

Personal interests & hobbies

After work, I really enjoy weightlifting at the AOERC gym here at Stanford. It’s a great way to work on my strength conditioning while avoiding the rush hour traffic home. I’ve been weightlifting since high school and my current goal is to get my bench press up 15 more pounds to 200 pounds max.

I’ve grown up very adventurous and hands-on. I love exploring new lands, hiking outdoors, and working on my land cruiser. When I’m not by myself, I’m a bit of a gamer nerd. I have a PS5 and Xbox Series X and I enjoy detaching from adult responsibilities to joke and play with friends online.