Associate Director for bridges Multicultural Resource Center
Natalie “Noodle” Ricasa Bagaporo is honored to be the Associate Director of the bridges Multicultural Resource Center. Home-grown in Bonita, CA and with roots in student-initiated empowerment, Noodle is deeply excited and purpose-driven to continue their advocacy for communities in higher education and beyond. Noodle’s approach as a student affairs scholar-practitioner is deeply informed by community organizing and nourished by her experience as a student of color at UC Los Angeles (B.A. Ethnic Studies, B.A. Human Biology, Society & Genetics) and at San Diego State University (M.A. Educational Leadership). While at UCLA as an undergraduate, Noodle held leadership roles in Samahang Pilipino and the Campus Retention Committee, with a focus on holistic retention and mental health. They received intergenerational mentorship from student-initiated professional staff and community members while she continued to explore her passion for student empowerment work in her role at SDSU as the Assistant Programs Coordinator and at UC San Diego as the SPACES Retention Programs Advisor. In their graduate studies at SDSU’s PELSA program, Noodle focused on culturally competent advising and programming models, as well as the unique activism that shapes student-initiated development framework. In their current capacity, Noodle is committed to bridging communities on-, off- and across campuses in an effort to transform the future alongside their colleagues and students.