People

Elizabeth Barajas, MA

Staff Advisor, All Health Professions

Elizabeth is a staff advisor for Health Professions Advising, specializing in helping current students and alumni with their personal statements and other writing requirements for health professions applications. She received her MA from UC Davis in 2013 in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. After receiving her degree, she taught writing, grammar and pronunciation classes for international students through the UC Davis Extension and the Linguistics Department. More recently, she worked for the Academic Assistance and Tutoring Centers as a Writing Specialist, helping students with their class assignments and writing requirements for graduate and professional school applications. Elizabeth is passionate about giving students the support and tools they need to reach their goals.

Schedule an appointment with Elizabeth or another advisor.

Karen Draper

Staff Advisor, All Health Professions

Karen (she/her) grew up in Stockton, CA and is a first-generation college graduate. While she is not technically a transfer student, she did receive her Associates Degree in Arts and Humanities when she graduated high school. Karen then attended and graduated from UC Davis with her Bachelors in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Karen has been a part of HPA since 2016 when she was a student. Now, as a staff advisor, she advises all health professions and topics and has an emphasis in meeting with students about application prep and GPA concerns. Her advising philosophy is rooted in supporting students/alumni holistically and working with advisees to develop a plan and find next steps that work best for their circumstances. Additionally, Karen looks forward to continuing to develop partnerships on- and off-campus, for example collaborating with El Centro and Undocumented Student Resource Center on events. She oversees the majority of pre-dental programming at HPA including Pre-Dental Orientation in the Fall, Pre-Dental Applicant Retreat in Winter/Spring, and Pre-Dental Bootcamp in the Summer. She also enjoys partnering with the health professionals on the HPA Advisory Board for programming and connecting students with alumni.

Schedule an appointment with Karen or another advisor.

Mirella Lopez

Veterinary Medicine

Mirella is a first-generation third-year veterinary student at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated from UC Davis in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. While an undergraduate she was did a variety of on-campus animal internships, was involved with PSSD & Vet-Aid club, and was an undergraduate officer for the Knights Landing One Health Center (KLOHC) Veterinary Clinic. As a veterinary student, she has an interest in regulatory medicine, public health, and small ruminant medicine. She is passionate about representation in veterinary medicine and improving access to care for underserved communities. This is demonstrated through her involvement in Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment (VOICE) and as Co-Director of the KLOHC Veterinary Clinic. When she is not studying, Mirella enjoys DIY crafts, gardening, and watching crime dramas or comedies.