Academic Advising at the College of Social Work

Originally from Kentucky, Jerry Brockman’s 23 years serving in the U.S. Air Force not only gave him a wealth of training and the opportunity to fly around the world; the GI Bill benefits also helped him earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. He enjoys helping traditionally underrepresented students navigate the college experience and achieve their educational goals. An avid fan of year-round outdoor recreation, Jerry looks forward to snowboarding Utah’s many ski resorts, and exploring its national parks with his running shoes, mountain bike, and motorcycle.

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Alisa was born and raised in Utah and received her BS in Psychology from the University of Utah. She has worked in the College of Social Work for over a year, previously as an Executive Assistant for the BSW and MSW Programs. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her dogs, hiking, attending concerts and cooking up a storm while listening to Podcasts.

Originally from South Florida, Aundrea has a BSW from The University of Tennessee and a MSW with a clinical concentration from Florida State University. Aundrea has worked as an Elementary School Social Worker throughout the Salt Lake valley and has just joined the College of Social Work as a PhD student. She is passionate about working with students and supporting them as they discover their inner strength and resilience as well as their passions in the Social Work field.

During her free time, Aundrea can most likely be found in the mountains with her dogs, Maggie and Benji, and her horse, Liebe. Aundrea loves all things outdoors and enjoys camping, backpacking, gardening, and exploring national parks and hidden outdoor gems.

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.

Johnny Rivera grew up in Salt Lake City, not far from the U, where he is earning his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a minor in nutrition.  He was hired into the College of Social Work in 2018 and—as a working student—has appreciated the understanding and support of his faculty and staff colleagues.  He likes to assist students with finding answers to their questions and believes asking for help is part of academic self-care.  His own mental health is bolstered by training for physical activities, such as basketball and hiking, but he also enjoys debating the merits of PlayStation versus Xbox with his gaming friends.

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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Mirela Rankovic has been with the University of Utah since 2000. A Serbian refugee from Croatia, Mirela immigrated to the United States at the age of 20. She completed Political Science and International Studies degrees at the University of Utah in 2007. Mirela enjoys working in a university environment with diverse populations of students, staff, and faculty.

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