Academic Advising at the College of Social WOrk

Elizabeth Perez graduated from the University of Utah with Bachelors degrees in English Literature and International Studies. She also earned a Masters degree in Education at the U of U. She has worked in the private sector as a training and curriculum specialist, and as an English and Latinos in Action teacher at Cyprus High School in Magna, Utah. Her extensive work as a teacher, mentor, and advocate for first-generation and historically-marginalized student groups at the high school level sparked a passion in her for helping others gain college access. Currently Elizabeth is Director of Academic Advising for the College of Social Work at the U, where she proudly serves the most inspiring and friendly students. She speaks fluent '90s hip-hop, as well as Spanish. Elizabeth enjoys consuming large quantities of baked goods, traveling, and being a working mom. 

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Carmencita is a Hawai’i native and has been in Salt Lake City for the past 15 years. She spent the last 9.5 years working for Intermountain Healthcare within Pediatrics and Outpatient Rehabilitation for Primary Children’s Hospital. She attended BYU and later received an Associate’s degree from Salt Lake Community College. She speaks four languages and loves learning. In her spare time she loves spending time with family, friends and her three dogs.

Lena Al-Rayess is a southern California native who has been living in Salt Lake City for the past eleven years. After completing her BA in English: Creative Writing at the University of Redlands, also in southern California, she moved to Utah to work in wilderness therapy with at-risk youth. After various jobs, including being a substitute teacher, job coach, server, and international trip guide, she decided to go back to school to be a teacher. In 2012, she earned her M.Ed. in Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Utah and began teaching English and Creative Writing in Granite School District. After four years of teaching, she came back to the U, this time to work as the Admissions Coordinator in the MSW Program.

Lena is a first generation college student and second generation American on her father’s side. She enjoys traveling, especially to visit her family in the Middle East, and trying new foods. She and her husband have an eighteen-month-old boy, Owen, who keeps them very active and busy. In her spare time, Lena enjoys reading and being involved in local politics. She is also an LA Dodgers fan, and through marriage, a Utah Jazz fan.

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Inka grew up in a small, picturesque town in the Black Forest in Germany. In her late teens Inka’s sense of adventure sent her to Sorbonne University in Paris and to live in Scotland before landing in the U.S. She graduated from BYU with a B.S. in Geography and a certificate in Translation & Interpretation before working for Henkel Research in California for a number of years.

Inka was a small business owner for 15 years and worked in Masters Admissions at the David Eccles School of Business before joining the College of Social Work. She has been with the University of Utah for over 9 years. Inka’s favorite parts of her job are working with students and seeing free food emails in her inbox.

Inka has lived in Park City for 20 years and three of her four children are attending U of U. Inka enjoys hiking with her three foster-failure rescue dogs, biking, camping, and skiing.

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Delva Hommes joined the College of Social Work in 2004.  She has worked with the College’s Global Social Work department and Center for Research on Migration & Refugee Integration; facilitated learning abroad opportunities in Mongolia, Ghana, Mexico, and Costa Rica; and coordinated the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Women’s Health.  She loves helping students make the most of their educational experience.  In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, biking, and hiking.

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Eli graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor’s degree in Chicano/a/x Studies and Spanish Literature, and also obtained an MSW degree from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work.  They come to the U of U’s College of Social Work with experiences in academic advising, accessibility services, and diversity affairs with a practice grounded in student autonomy, advocacy and retention.  Eli is passionate about helping students find purpose and meaning in their academic and professional endeavors.  Before embarking in a career in higher education, Eli's social work background involved working domestically and internationally on intimate partner, domestic, and gender violence issues, human security and anti-human trafficking advocacy, and immigrant farm worker rights.  Eli is an avid gardener, enjoys cooking, hiking and traveling.

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Candice is a doctoral candidate nearing the completion of a PhD in Social Work at the University of Utah. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Work and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her area of research is clinical practice with LGBTQI populations. Candice is a therapist with the Utah Pride Center and Director of Transgender Education Advocates (TEA) of Utah. She has more than 20 years’ experience in community organizing and advocacy work. She has guest lectured on college and university campuses throughout Utah and worked as a volunteer with the U.S. Department of Justice. Candice is also an adjunct instructor at the University of Utah and teaches in the College of Social Work.

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