UNIV 1301 Faculty

Steven Tyler Brown

UGLC 324
sbrown4@utep.edu
(915) 747-6533

Steven Tyler Brown is a lecturer with the Entering Student Program. He earned his BA in Multidisciplinary Studies in 2018 and his MA in Leadership Studies in 2020 from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Steven has been working at UTEP since 2016 and was awarded Outstanding Student Advocate for Entering Students Award in 2018. He was also awarded Liberal Arts Graduate Student Marshal and Outstanding Student for his MA Program in 2020. For his teaching philosophy, he believes that every single student has something special that they can bring to the table. He creates a classroom environment in which students can be their true selves and accept the differences of others. Steven is a die-hard fan of Naruto and loves to longboard/skateboard on his free time. 

Karina Calderon

UGLC 344
kacalderon@utep.edu
(915) 747-5111

Karina Calderon earned a M.A. in Rhetoric & Writing Studies and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Professional Communication. She has taught first-year, transfer, and upper-division UTEP students for fifteen years in F2F, hybrid, and fully online learning environments. Karina currently serves as the Program Leader for the UNIV 1301 courses. In her free time, you will probably find her at a concert somewhere across the country.  

Aaron Campbell

UGLC 324
ascampbell2@utep.edu
(915) 747-6088

Aaron Campbell is a lecturer with the Entering Student Experience. As a first-generation student, he earned his B.A. from the University of La Verne in 2008 and his M.A. in Education from Bradman University in 2013. Both with magna cum laude honors. Throughout his time as both student and teacher, Mr. Campbell has developed a holistic teaching philosophy that aims to meet students on their terms and help them develop a well-rounded approach to both their education and the world around them. Having worked in higher education for several years, Mr. Campbell has taught at various schools across a wide range of topics. He has also held many administrative roles. The majority of these experiences focused on working with freshman populations, which has aligned him well with teaching UNIV 1301 and with understanding, advocating for, and assisting incoming students. Mr. Campbell has been working at UTEP since 2019. Aaron is an avid student of history and enjoys both watching and playing sports with his two daughters. He is also an avid gamer.

Sergio L Contreras

UGLC 344
scontreras@utep.edu
(915) 747-8444

Sergio L Contreras earned a BBA and MS in Economics from the University of Texas at El Paso. His approach to education begins with the belief that anyone can be great and that a formal education is a lifechanging event. While working as an academic advisor for the university Sergio served as the advisor for the Foster Homeless Adopted Resources (FHAR) program at UTEP when it was awarded the Entering Student Program award for student advocacy, when it was recognized by the City of El Paso for helping homeless students, and when it was recognized by the State of Texas congressional representative for homeless advocacy in education. Sergio’s main research interests include homeless issues in education and other economic issues. Sergio enjoys travel within Mexico because of the great weather and rich history. He grew up less than a mile from UTEP in Sunset Heights and loves to see when his fellow miners achieve success.

Jaclyn Darrouzet-Nardi

UGLC 324
jdarrouzet@utep.edu
(915) 747-8035

Jaclyn Darrouzet-Nardi is a sociologist specializing in sexuality, gender, and the body. She earned a B.A. from Washington State University and M.A. from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Jaclyn has been working with first-year students at UTEP since 2016. In her free time, Jaclyn enjoys reading, cooking, Netflix binges, and wrangling her children and cats.

Daniel Duarte

UGLC 130
dduarte@utep.edu
(915) 747-6242

Daniel Duarte holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MA in Professional Writing and Rhetoric from the University of Texas at El Paso. His thesis, Electronic Writing Technologies and the Third Sophistic was awarded the English Department’s Outstanding Graduate Professional Writing and Rhetoric thesis of spring 2004. My proudest accomplishments include achieving certification from ACUE (Association of College and University Educators) in 2020. My accomplishments also include developing Univ 2350: Technology and Society as an online course. Before teaching, I coordinated Advising for Pre-Nursing students and guided them to successful application and acceptance into the UTEP Nursing Program. Perhaps the most significant accomplishment has been serving as Art Director for the Entering Student Program's textbook: Borders: Crossing into the Future which was read and used by all Univ 1301 students for 16 years and was published in Eight Editions. I share my time and expertise with many entering students at the University of Texas at El Paso by providing important guidance and instruction as they begin coursework at UTEP. My number one priority is always concerning making their transition more smooth. My interests outside of teaching include traveling the United States with my family, reading, and writing, camping, hiking, and bicycling. I also love to cook (and eat) foods from many regions and cultures. Music is the one enduring hobby I have maintained all my life as I play guitar (classical and electric) and am currently teaching myself piano.

Sandra Flores

UGLC 108
sflores21@utep.edu
(915) 747-7065

Sandra Flores is a lecturer with the Entering Student Program. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in English Teaching from the University of Texas at El Paso.  Additionally, she holds a certification in International Counseling from Lehigh University. Over the last ten years, Sandra has worked on developing her skills both as a school counselor and classroom teacher. These experiences have uniquely prepared her for supporting students as they navigate integration into new environments such as Universities. Sandra has worked internationally, in the USA, and most recently in Hanoi, Vietnam. Student-centered, accessible lessons are a cornerstone of Sandra’s teaching philosophy. You can expect her classroom lessons to be always accompanied and modified by critical reflections of students’ needs, backgrounds, and teaching theories. A pedagogy created with and not for students is a central piece of what you can expect to see in her courses. In addition to international travel and education, Sandra also has a strong interest in an active lifestyle including Pilates and hiking the beautiful desert of El Paso, Texas.

Michelle Peña

UGLC 132
penam@utep.edu
(915) 747-8179

Michelle Peña holds degrees from UTEP in Education and a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in the environmental sciences. Michelle is currently a senior lecturer with the Entering Student Experience program at UTEP and has 20+ years of experience in teaching and education. She was named a National Science Foundation teaching scholar, has served in El Paso’s K-12 public schools as a science, math and ESOL teacher and has also served as an academic advisor at UTEP.  She currently teaches University Seminar 1301 in both English and in a bilingual format, thus serving our El Paso area students and also our Latin American freshmen populations. Michelle is currently working on her Bilingual Professional Writing Certificate and her interests are student success, the environment, volunteering with children at her local church.

Leadership Team

Denise Lujan Ed.D.

Entering Student Experience, Director
UGLC 312
cdlujan@utep.edu
(915) 747-6521

Alejandro Mena

Entering Student Experience, Associate Director
UGLC 310
alemena@utep.edu
(915) 747-6523