Michelle Pajka, Academic Coordinator
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Michelle Pajka, known to her students as Ms. Shelly, is the Academic Coordinator for the Upward Bound Program at Loyola Marymount University. She is committed to helping young people achieve their college dreams by providing academic advising, financial aid application assistance, and cultural & educational events to the Upward Bound students. As a first-generation college student she understands the difficulties of the college process and aims to be a valuable resource in preparing high school students for college. |
Michelle is a graduate of The Evergreen State College in Washington where she worked as a Peer Advisor in the college’s Multicultural Center as well as an Intern Academic Advisor, Resident Counselor and Resident Hall Manager for Upward Bound. In 2006 she was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship for international education where she traveled to Guatemala to study Spanish. After graduating, Michelle returned to Guatemala where she taught English and Social Studies courses at a middle school and at the university Mesoamericana.
A Southern California local, Michelle enjoys driving down the PCH and barbequing on the beach. She loves reading, watching Johnny Depp movies, and going to concerts. Currently her ipod is shuffling through Feist, Mika, Calle 13, Maná, and Aventura.
To contact Michelle, stop by her office in the Malone Student Center (301E). You can also reach her by phone at 310.338.7564 or by e-mail at mpajka@lmu.edu.