The NTSAF staff is housed in Student Union, Suite 202. The staff consists of the Director, the Assistant Director, the Governing Board Chair, a Program Coordinator, and two Outreach Coordinators. The student staff of the NTSAF supports the objectives of the Board, provides assistance to the Topping Scholars, coordinates NTSAF programs, and assist in the daily functions of the Fund.
Christina L. Yokoyama, Director
Christina is an alumna of the University of Southern California, having earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Policy and Management as well as a Master of Education degree in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs. She has served as the Director of the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund since February 2007.As the Director of the Fund, Christina manages the annual solicitation and selection of scholars, distributesscholarship funds, oversees all activities and programs of the Board, and serves as an advisor for Topping Scholars. Christina’s USC experience began as a multi-cultural freshman, first-generation college student in August 1998. She joined the university staff in May 2002 as a financial aid counselor. Because of her clear passion for high financial need, first-generation college students like erself,Christina was invited to serve as the Financial Aid Representative on the Norman Topping Student Aid Fund Governing Board from 2002-2005.In the summer of 005,Christina joined the Doctor of Education Program Office as a program advisor to doctoral students in the USC Rossier School of Education. Only a year and a half later came this incredible opportunity to rejoin the Topping Family.
Felipe Martinez, Assistant Director
As the Assistant Director, Felipe’s primary responsibilities include outreach to different high school and community colleges, coordination of the NTSAF Exceptional Funding Program, and facilitation of different programs for the Fund. Felipe was born in Mexico City and came to the United States in 1991. After living in East Los Angeles and graduating from Garfield High School, he attended the University of California, Berkeley where he earned a Sociology degree in 2003. He first arrived to USC as a graduate student in the Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs Program. Prior to his involvement with the Fund, he has served as Graduate Advisor for Program Board, co-advisor of the Multicultural Greek Council and currently serves as program coordinator for the Redefining Engagement in
Active Leadership (REAL) Project. Felipe describes working for the Topping family as the perfect job because it allows him to work directly in both access to higher education and the retention of students at the university level, two issues he is passionate about. Outside of his work responsibilities, Felipe enjoys dancing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.
Ashly-Nikkole Davis, Governing Board Chair
Ashly-Nikkole is a senior double majoring in Business Administration and Communication. She joined the Fund in 2007 as a Student Representative of the Governing Board and was appointed Chair in Spring 2008. In addition to being named to the Deans List for the past semesters, Ashly-Nikkole has been inducted into the USC Order of Omega, Mortar Board National Senior Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa, and Golden Key Honor Society. She currently works as a Student Recruiter for USC’s Employee Recruitment Services and interns at the USC Office of Admission. A native of San Francisco, she is all too aware of the educational divide in today’s school system. Her passion to increase educational opportunities for minority students not only led her to the Topping Family, but to Rites of Sisterhood Youth Mentoring Program as well. Having served as a mentor for three years, Ashly- Nikkole has been elected as Executive Director for the upcoming school year. After graduation, Ashly-Nikkole plans to pursue a career in consulting and obtain her MBA.
Janee Duncan, Program Coordinator
Janee is a sophmore at the USC Marshall School of Business. She is majoring in Business Administration in hopes of becoming a sports marketer. She came into the Topping Family as the Program Coordinator last year and gained many wonderful experiences. Before USC Janee attended a boarding school in Claremont, CA
where she was president of the Black Student Union and was heavily involved in the Prison Library Project--a program that promotes literacy among inmates. Janee is currently a teen producer on a teen television show with the non profit organization, Neighborhood in Development. The show is named CO2 and it deals with teen topics such as sex, violence, drugs, and immigration. The show has been a great success and will premier on Time Warner Cable in 2009. Janee is very excited about another year with Norman Topping and can not wait to see what exciting events the new semester will bring. Meet the NTSAF Staff
Trammell D. Jones, Graduate Assistant
Trammell is a 2nd year graduate student in the Rossier School of Education. He is pursuing a Masters Degree in Postsecondary Administration, with focuses in Student Affairs and Athletics Administration. Trammell hails from Cincinnati, OH, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Cincinnati in 2007. Working with minority and underrepresented populations has been a passion of Trammell’s because of his own personal
experiences, which led him to the NTSAF. Along with working with Topping, Trammell is the Residence Coordinator of Fluor Tower, arguably the most diverse Residence Hall at USC.
Julienne Jose, Graduate Assistant
Julienne is a graduate student in the Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs Program in the Rossier School of Education. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in English at the University of California, Irvine in 2005. Afterwards, she spent some time in Japan teaching English to high school students in Fukuoka. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she is grateful to be back in LA with her family and friends and become involved in multiple programs. During her time at USC, she has helped with the Increasing Access via Mentoring (I AM) Program as a mentor at Belmont High School as well as with the Educational Talent Search Program. Her educational interests include college access and retention among underrepresented students, particularly South East Asian students. Upon graduating this year, she hopes to continue working with high school outreach and eventually returning to school for a doctorate degree.
Gladys Rojas, Outreach Coordinator
Gladys is a senior double majoring in Biology and Psychology with a pre-med emphasis. She joined the Topping Family in Fall 2007 as an Outreach Coordinator. She is a member of the Baccalaureate/M.D. program, in which she hopes to attend USC Keck School of Medicine. She is currently interning at the Childhood Obesity Research Center within Keck School of Medicine where she works specifically in attempting to lower the stress levels and change the lifestyle habits
of pre-diabetic adolescents, while shadowing doctors at the diabetes clinic. This school year, she plans to establish the MAAA club on campus in which she has been appointed the Director of Community Relations and LSA representative.She also plans to stay active in CPE and HaU. Upon graduation, she hopes to take time off to do Teach for America, then obtain her M.D. degree and become a pediatrician, specifically a pediatric endocrinologist.
