Matthew Vang (bio)
Co-President
Master of Public Policy (MPP)
Class of 2023
Gabriela Magaña (bio)
Co-President
Master of Urban Planning / Master of Public Policy Dual Degree (MUP/MPP)
Class of 2024
Eryn Burnett (bio)
Communications Chair
Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA)
Class of 2023
Nicole Ohanaga (bio)
Communications Director
Master of Health Administration (MHA)
Class of 2023
Eddie Flores (bio)
Finance Director
Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Class of 2023
Yilun Liu (bio)
Mentorship Chair
Master of Urban Planning (MUP)
Class of 2023
Allyn Reyes (bio)
Mentorship Co-Chair
Master of Public Administration / Master of Urban Planning (MUP/MPA)
Class of 2023
Bryan Toral (bio)
Mentorship Director
Master of Health Administration (MHA)
Class of 2023
Anthony Cumba (bio)
Scholarship Director
Master of Health Administration (MHA)
Class of 2023
Mariana Kramer de Luna (She/Her) (bio)
Matthew Vang is a second-year Master of Public Policy student with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from California State University, Fresno. As a queer and Hmong person from the Central Valley and child to Hmong refugees, Matthew is passionate about creating pathways for underserved and marginalized communities through a social justice and community-oriented lens. Prior to graduate school, he served as a community organizer with a grassroots organization serving Southeast Asian communities in the Central Valley, Hmong Innovating Politics. In his time organizing, he found a passion for supporting APIDA communities through an equity-motivated framework and system level change. Matthew was also a voluntary organizer with Queer Hmong Intersectional Pride, which advocated for safe community spaces for queer and Hmong identifying communities, where he secured grants to continue the queer justice work in Fresno. In his free time, he enjoys Hmong traditional sewing (paj ntaub), cooking, bird watching, spending time with friends, going out for a drink, and playing video games.
Gabriela Magaña is a second-year Master of Public Policy/Master of Urban Planning dual degree student concentrating in Design of the Built Environment. She is the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, where she is currently involved in mutual aid organizing. Prior to USC, Gabriela graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Public Affairs from the University of California, Los Angeles. During her time at UCLA, she was heavily involved in student organizing and with local nonprofits in Los Angeles that focus on advancing tenants’ rights and assisting those facing displacement. Her primary areas of interest are housing policy, homelessness, land use, and spatial inequality. She hopes to use data-driven research as a community planner to improve the quality of life of residents in low-income, urban communities. Gabriela enjoys crocheting, practicing yoga, reading, and exploring new coffee shops in her free time.
Eryn Burnett is a second-year Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) from Cerritos, California. Burnett graduated from California State University, Long Beach (Go Beach!) with a B.S. in Healthcare Administration and minor in Spanish. Burnett aspires to work in Healthcare Administration to lead change and healthcare reform on a larger scale. Burnett has a plethora of experiences in working in healthcare settings due to extensive volunteering programs like the COPE Health Scholar program, various remote and in-person internships, and working professionally at One Medical, a primary care doctor’s office. Burnett aims to use her skills and experience to promote health equity, accessibility to health care services as well as self-advocacy education for patients. She currently enjoys using data analysis, analytical thinking, and curiosity in her position as a Graduate Intern in the Strategic Services department at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles (CHLA). Her passion for health equity motivated her to join the Mentorship for an Accessible Price (MAP) Executive Board to help diverse prospective students through the admission process. In her free time, she has an affinity for making matcha lattes, reading romance novels, and creating equity-minded content on Instagram and TikTok.
Nicole Ohanaga is a second-year Master of Health Administration (MHA) student at the University of Southern California (USC) who received her Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Northridge. Nicole’s background in education non-profit, working with students in underserved populations, opened her eyes to not only the inequities in the education system but also health access within the communities she served. To gain more perspective in the healthcare field, she began volunteering at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, where she acquired experience interfacing with patients and providers and ultimately becoming an advocate for the patient’s needs. Through that experience, she realized how tricky the healthcare system is to navigate, especially for underrepresented populations. This led her to pursue her MHA at USC to gain the skills and experience needed to be a healthcare leader passionate about changing inequities within the system. Nicole believes that accessibility and mentorship are so important, and that’s what led her to the Scholarship co-chair position for Mentorship for an Accessible Price during her first year of grad school. Now in her second year, she is the Director of Communications for MAP, where she hopes to bring more visibility to mentorship and peer-to-peer support for grad students.
Eddie Flores is a second-year Master of Public Administration MPA student from Palm Springs, California. Flores has a military background in the Marines and received his bachelor’s degree in Public Policy focused on economics and political science from UC Riverside in 2021. Flores professional goals are to work in local government to pursue a career in public service leadership to support goals and operations while implementing data-driven solutions at the intersection of governance, public policy, and economic development. His profound commitment is to build expertise in public management and ethical leadership to grow and build organizations/people to create an equitable and inclusive society. Flores hopes to make meaningful change in his community by providing quality public administration leadership and exemplifying excellence in service.
Yilun Liu is a second year Master of Urban Planning (MUP) student from Beijing, China. Yilun graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the Beijing Normal University in Sociology, focusing on culture anthropology, dedicated to the study of cultural adaptation and cultural communication. Now, Yilun is doing government policy consulting and research work in a policy consulting agency. Through the study of urban planning, Yilun hopes to learn more about the governance methods of cities and communities, and make cities and communities more equitable in the form of people-oriented and community participation. Yilun believes that a deep understanding of local culture and its advantages are an important way to promote social equity, and that is why he chose Arts and Culture concentration. In his spare time, Yilun likes to watch movies, play tennis and play video games.
Allyn Reyes is a second-year Master of Public Administration and Master of Urban Planning dual degree candidate, concentrating in Design of the Built Environment. She graduated from UC San Diego with a B.A. in Urban Studies & Planning and a minor in Political Science. Reyes is currently a Student Professional Worker for the City of LA, and in the future, hopes to develop design policies that advocate for healthy and equitable communities. As a first-generation Master’s candidate, she is passionate about assisting individuals applying to graduate school. She enjoys shopping, going to museums, and hanging out with friends in her free time.
Bryan Toral is a Master of Health Administration student from Sylmar, California–a diverse neighborhood within Los Angeles. Bryan earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California in Health and Humanity, with a focus on Bioethics. While he was an undergraduate, Bryan was a research assistant in a molecular biology lab on campus and studied the effects of chemicals on the aging process in Drosophila melanogaster. Prior to graduate school, Bryan was also a physical therapy aide for an industry-leading rehabilitation provider.Currently, Bryan is the MHA Resident in Quality at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and is interested in healthcare analytics and performance improvement. Bryan enjoys sports, reading, and cheering on the Trojans during game days.
Anthony Cumba is a second-year Master of Health Administration student. Cumba received a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Kinesiology and Health Science in the spring of 2021. From being involved in the Mentorship for an Accessible Price (MAP) program and speaking to various admissions staff, Cumba grasped the true meaning of the Trojan Family network and the support system within the MHA program, further solidifying why he wanted to attend the University of Southern California (USC). While completing his undergraduate degree, Cumba volunteered and maintained employment at his local hospital, VCU Health, and recognized that he wanted to pursue a career in this environment. Upon graduation from USC, Cumba plans to utilize his degree to help address health inequities within the current healthcare system to improve patient accessibility and the quality of care. During his free time, you can catch him exploring new restaurants, playing his guitar, or enjoying the outdoors.
Mariana Kramer de Luna (She/Her) is a progressive student at USC, completing her undergraduate degrees in political science and gender studies, with a minor in business communication. Her master’s degree is in public policy. She has been involved in DEI efforts in many organizations, including USC Hillel, and has worked in gender and power-based harm prevention on campus.