The UCI Transfer Center hosted their annual Pregnant and Parenting Students orientation for incoming transfer students at the Students Services II building and remotely on Zoom on Aug. 14 from 9-2 p.m.
Students, children and staff gathered on the first floor. One table had light refreshments for participants, while another had UCI Transfer Student Center flyers that informed students of their services.
Peer educators prepared posters for the orientation and placed them on whiteboards around the room, while Program Director Adeeva Myers presented an overview of the center’s resources, including priority registration, for which students under 18 years old qualify.
Priority registration does not go into effect until winter quarter, but transfer students are guaranteed the classes they need during the fall quarter.
The center also introduced on-campus graduate and family housing to incoming students. Graduate student Crystal Gambino moved to a three bedroom apartment at UCI’s Graduate and Family Housing on July 27.
“Some of the difficulties was first telling each of my kids we were moving further from their school, away from their friends and the neighborhood that they have built, and bringing them into a new environment,” Gambino told New University.
Gambino has four children. Her 20-year-old is out of town, while three of her kids are still in school. Her 17-year-old kid attends school in Orange Unified School District, her 10-year-old goes to Tustin Unified School District and her 4-year-old goes to school with OC Head Start.
“The challenge is getting everyone to school in different locations of Orange County, making sure I’m back for class on time,” Gambino said.
Gambino is from New Mexico and obtained her bachelor’s degree online from New Mexico State University. She moved to Orange County to pursue graduate studies at UCI on Dec. 23.
The orientation also featured the UCI Family Resource Center, an indoor play space for children and family members with active caretakers. The family resource center offers free snacks, study rooms, baby rooms and a library.
Carolina Cortes-Sotelo, fourth-year education sciences and Chicano and Latino studies major and Peer Educator, said she is unable to frequent the family resource center because she works two jobs. Her husband used the center for their four-year-old child and often received free popsicles.
“My son, he’s a little too old for it. He’s 13. He’s just like, ‘mom, I’m fine. Like I don’t need to go,’ ” Cortes-Sotelo told New University. “But my four-year-old loves it there.”
The orientation had an intermission until 10:40 a.m. Children went to a separate room to network and play with peer educators, while transfer students stayed for online workshops held by the Basic Needs Center, the Office of Campus Social Work and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. A representative from each office shared each resource with incoming transfer students.
Campus Social Worker Peter Thach discussed some of the Office of Campus Social Work services, including individual consultations and housing grants for parenting students.
“If any emergency comes up, there are housing grants specifically for parenting students available,” Cortes-Sotelo said. “So, it’s just good to note having those resources.”
Cortes-Sotelo uses CalFresh, a food benefits program that offers her food every month. She suggested that students who are short on time use the microwave meals offered by the Basic Needs Center.
Students can also visit the financial aid office to ask questions and share concerns about their current financial situation.
“One of the things I did not know is that documents that were required for [the] financial aid package were needed to be turned in by tomorrow,” Gambino said.
The orientation wrapped up with a student panel discussion, consisting of three students and moderated by Carlos Martinez, Student Success Programs Office Coordinator. Cortes-Sotelo was one of the panelists while the others were graduates.
Martinez first asked the panelists about the support systems they had while they were at UCI.
Martinez said he makes sure to follow up with students who discuss their struggles with him.
“Our approach is kind of outlining the steps for them to follow, and then doing the follow through, and checking in with them, making sure because they tell us what their priorities are, and we just help kind of form an action plan based on that to address with them,” Martinez told New University.
Fourth-year psychology major and Peer Educator Isabella Ramirez asked panelists what resources they found most useful and what convinced them to take advantage of these resources. She explained how other colleges are unable to provide services for pregnant and parenting students.
“They don’t always have services for pregnant and parenting students because it’s such a smaller and specific population,” Ramirez told New University.
The panel concluded with the students’ advice, after which Martinez expressed his gratitude to student staff who plan and maintain the center’s events.
“We probably wouldn’t have the engagement that we have because you guys are the ones who are living the experience of students,” Martinez said.
The center compiles yearly reports from their events and services, including the number of appointments each counselor scheduled with students and the number of students who visited the center for drop in appointments and snacks, or to use it as a study space.
“All those different data points help inform us, inform the work that we do, inform the decisions we make about which direction to go next,” Martinez said.
The center aims to bring more peer mentors, which allows students to have access to advising any time during the day. Martinez said that the center is currently expanding across campus, where they hope their relationships with campus partners will better serve students.
Melody Liao is a Features Intern for the summer 2026 quarter. She can be reached at liaome@uci.edu.
Edited by Ennes Kahf and Tracy Sandoval.
