Meet the Team

Chidi Agu

Counselor 

I have been helping people reach their academic goals for nearly a decade and love the work that I get to do. My unique experiences throughout higher education have included me starting college across the country, dropping out, transferring from Mt. San Antonio College, graduating summa cum laude from UC Santa Barbara with degrees in psychology and sociology, studying public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and most recently, receiving my master's in education counseling from San Diego State University. I believe everyone has a story worth listening to and that students too often blame themselves (or are blamed by others) for systemic failings. Working with Black students is sacred work and I'm grateful for it every day.

Outside of work, I love bike riding, creative writing, philosophy, vegan food, sitcoms, video games, and basketball -- Go Lakers!

José Flores

Coordinator 

My name is José and I was born and raised in Los Ángeles. I currently reside in the neighboring community of Willowbrook and I joined El Camino College in June of 2024. I received my B.A. in Latin American & Latino Studies and Sociology from University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) and my M.A. in Education, Option in Social & Cultural Analysis in Education from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Prior to joining El Camino College, I served as the Program Coordinator for the Men of Color in Education (MCE) program, which is a campus initiative designed to recruit, support, and retain Black and Latino male teacher candidates at California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).

I am a first-generation college student and alumnus of the Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP). I am also a child of immigrant parents; my mother immigrated to the U.S. from Jalisco, México when she was a teenager. My father immigrated from Intibucá, Honduras when he was in his early 20s–a journey that took him two years to complete. Undoubtedly, my lived experiences and relationship with my family has shaped and continues to influence my work and research in education.

As important as this work is for me, I’m also invested in acts of self-care. Outside of work, I spend my time camping, backpacking, and fishing. You can catch me at a sports game when I’m not in the outdoors. I’m a huge LA sports fan–go Dodgers, Lakers, Rams, and Kings! Last, but certainly not least, I’m an anime fanatic and my top five favorites are: One Piece, Attack on Titan, Samurai Champloo, Bleach, and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Chris Hurd

Counselor

Chris Hurd received an AA in Liberal Arts from Santa Monica College, transferred to University of California, Los Angeles and earned a BA in Sociology. He earned a Master of Arts in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University.

Prior to coming to El Camino College as a Counselor, Chris spent nearly a decade in K-12 mostly as a College Counselor and High School Administrator. Most recently, Chris was the Director of Programs for Southern California at an educational nonprofit named CollegeSpring.

Counseling really chose me more so than me choosing it. While attending Santa Monica College, my experiences with my counselors Sherri Bradford and Cassandra Patillo in the Black Collegians Program had a profound impact on my life trajectory. Their encouragement as well as their willingness to consistently challenge me to push harder and strive to be better really made me want more for myself. That experience has driven me to want to provide that same sort of support for our students as I know what kind of impact it can have. If I could encourage a student to do anything, it would be to embrace the struggle. The focus needs to be on reaching the ultimate goal, if it takes a day, a week, multiple years, it is worth the effort. Take advantage of the resources. Advocate for yourself as no one should have more interest in your success than you.

Alan Mendez Lopez

MOCAN Graduate Intern

Alan Mendez did his undergraduate degree in Chicano Studies at UC Riverside. Through coursework focused on social justice and cultural competency, He developed a strong ability to empathize with students facing unique challenges and to create inclusive environments. His experience at El Camino College's Student Equity Center further solidified my commitment to student success. Ultimately, he wants to pursue a master’s degree in counseling in Higher Education.

Ayman Mendoza

Counselor

Ayman Mendoza, is the son of Guatemalan immigrants. He was raised in Guatemala from ages 2 to 6 and then moved back to Huntington Park, CA. He is a product of LA Unified School District where he navigated the educational system as an ESL student. Ayman received an AA in Sociology from Cerritos College, transferred to University of California, Irvine and earned a BA in Psychology. He recently earned a Master of Arts in Educational Counseling from the University of Southern California.    

Prior to coming to El Camino College as a Counselor, Ayman spent the past four years working in various roles in the K-12 setting and community college. From working as a College Advisor for USC College Advising Corps, to working as a Success Coach for Pasadena City College, to a student intern for the Dream Resource Center at LA Trade Tech, to being a Public Policy intern for the Association of Community College Trustees in Washington DC to now serving as a counselor for the Men of Color Action Network and Immigrant Student Success.  

Ayman in his free time enjoys spending time with his family, loves to workout, run marathons, try new cultural dishes, and travel.  

Ayman’s passion to serve students stems from his personal experience with his community college counselor who played a pivotal role in his educational journey. Ayman is committed to making a difference in students' educational trajectories and is looking forward to meeting you starting the fall 2023 semester.

Diego Rodriguez

Counselor

Diego Rodriguez is a first-generation Mexican-American whose parents are immigrants from Colima, Mexico. He was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. He is a product of the Los Angeles Unified School District and attended California State University Northridge after high school. However, he dropped out his first semester and enrolled at El Camino College the following year. He received an A.A. in Political Science, transferred and graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor's in Political Science, and got his Master of Science in Educational Counseling from the University of La Verne.

He is the first in his family to graduate from college and learn to navigate higher education by drawing from his personal experience. His mother is a street vendor with an entrepreneurial spirit that has helped her raise six boys. He draws from his mother's strength, his experience of dropping out, and the help he received from support programs at El Camino College. Currently, he is a counselor at El Camino College. His goal is to help address inequities in higher education and help increase enrollment and retention of students who have been historically marginalized.

In his free time, he likes to play guitar, jam out with his friends, travel with his girlfriend, and record videos and podcast episodes.

Robert A. Williams

Counselor

Robert A. Williams, M.S, is an Equity Counselor at El Camino College (ECC). He has worked primarily with African American/Black, Latino and Pacific Islander student populations. Robert was co-coordinator of Equity Programs at ECC and has helped to create programs specifically designed to eliminate equity gaps within the historically marginalized and oppressed.

This work led him to become a founding member of the Men of Color Action Network (MOCAN). In this role, his desire is to connect with young Black, LatinX and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students, their caregivers, and the community at large as a way to help these students redefine and reimagine themselves within school and within their communities. Robert’s aim is to help students understand their power, potential and purpose; wherein they will act as agents of change towards the redistribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within.

Robert is also a Senator on ECC's Academic Senate, works closely with a variety of Student Equity and Achievement Programs, and supports ECC's Student-Athletes.  In addition to his commitment to Student Equity, Robert facilitates workshops on Leadership and supporting Men of Color in higher education.  Prior to his work at ECC, Robert founded Black Scholar’s programs at both Glendale Community College and Los Angeles Valley College.  In his spare time, Robert enjoys ocean fishing, gardening, and watching world soccer.