“Hello, My Name Is…”

Our theme for the speakers event this year references a common greeting we use when introducing others. At first glance, our eyes are fixated upon the blank link, wondering how we earned our name. It raises numerous questions: Who are we? How do we identify ourselves? What are the different components that make up this identity? This journey of understanding ourselves and establishing our self-identity are the primary elements of the "Hello My Name Is _____".

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Introducing our speakers!

Speaker #1

Tristan obtained his Bachelor of Science from Wiley College in Biology with a Chemistry minor on a scholarship from Denzel Washington. After college, Tristan began his educational journey as a high school science teacher and Teach for America Corps member in Houston. Tristan's "whole student" approach to teaching played an instrumental role in increasing student achievement, student morale, and appreciation for science. As an administrator at the same school, Tristan assisted the school in breaking a long streak of underperformance, as well as a decrease in severe discipline infractions, and recidivism in alternative school placements. Afterward, Tristan helped the district create and oversee a districtwide Disciplinary Alternative Educational Program (DAEP) that supported more than 50 high schools. Before joining Wayfinder, Tristan was a principal of a middle school in Colorado Springs. As a principal, Tristan continued his work in making school a safe and supportive place for students to learn, grow, and develop. Tristan's journey and work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, RoadTrip Nation, and several other news outlets. “My purpose is to serve my family and community so that we can continue to break negative generational cycles and expand opportunities for future generations.”

Speaker #2:

Dr. Ajay Nair Sharma is a recent graduate of the MD/MBA program at UC Irvine. As an Anteater, Ajay served as the Class President and President of the Associated Medical Student Government, as well as a member of the Admissions Committee at the UC Irvine School of Medicine. Through these roles, he has gained superb experience in understanding the challenges faced by the student body in all four years of medical school and has become a leader in addressing these challenges. To this end, Ajay co-founded Diary of a Med Student, a best-selling book turned non-profit organization that captures stories from medical students across the world. He is the recipient of several awards and an elected member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. As a scientific researcher, Ajay has focused on skin cancer treatment, heart disease, and quality improvement in medicine, with over 30 peer-reviewed publications and counting. In his free time, Ajay enjoys working as a talented medical artist, playing soccer, and traveling the world. He has returned to UC Irvine to complete his training in dermatology, focusing on the treatment of skin cancer and a quality improvement in healthcare, whereby he will strive to make changes that positively impact the well-being of his patients and the wellness of his peers.

Speaker #3

Dr. Sara Nasserzadeh is recognized as a global thought leader in the fields of psychosexual therapy, couple counseling and Intercultural Fluency. With a vision to create world peace, one relationship at the time, her commitment to the growth of our human community manifests in her multi-dimensional efforts. Dr. Nasserzadeh is a senior accredited member and a senior clinical supervisor by the College of Sex and Relationship Therapists (COSRT) in England. She is also a certified sexuality counselor and an approved training provider by the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). Dr. Nasserzadeh is an award-winning author with two co-authored books in English- Orgasm Answer Guide and Wheel of Context for Sexuality Education- 6 edited books –My doctor- in Farsi, several book chapters, and a multitude of peer-reviewed articles and white papers to her credit. Dr. Nasserzadeh recognizes the power of media as an impactful means to deliver information to people globally. She has been featured in major news outlets such as BBC, ABC, Aljazeera, Hurryat, Salamat, CNN, NPR and Shaw TV. Combining her expertise as a former member of the International Federation of Journalists, her clinical and research areas of expertise, “Dr. Sara” created and hosted a program called the Whispers for the BBC World Service on sexuality and relationship issues which received BBC’s Innovation of the Year Award in 2007 in London. “Whispers” was the first of its kind in the Middle East, and is still on the air, continuing to reach millions of Farsi-speaking viewers across the globe. In 2019 BBC Persian named her as one of B.B.C.'s 100 influential women. Over the years, Dr. Nasserzadeh has been a senior cultural advisor and strategic consultant for governments, international NGOs, United Nations’ agencies, Fortune 500 companies, academic institutions, professional organizations, and in the private sector across 40 countries. In 2007, Dr. Nasserzadeh received the World Association for Sexual Health runner-up award for Excellence and Innovation for her international work in the area of human development in Sydney. In 2010, she was asked to create a council for Pfizer, Inc. enterprise to design an integrative strategic plan to make customers a priority across its regional offices. These efforts granted her with the Pfizer’s Innovation of the Year Award, 2011. In March 2018, she was honored by the British Council as a UK Alumni Award finalist in the category of Social Impact. This award is the most prestigious in the category of Education offered by The British Council annually. In 2021 she was the recipient of AASECT’s Award for Professional Excellence for her decades of efforts to promote equality of care and engagement across platforms. Dr. Nasserzadeh is highly regarded by her peers, and has served on the boards of various professional organizations namely, the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) and American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). She founded and chaired the Middle East Sexual Health Committee at WAS and was the past chair of Division VII at California Psychological association which is dedicated to Diversity and Social Justice. Dr. Nasserzadeh is the chair of the World Sexual Health Day Committee in North America, and co-organizes this impactful event at Stanford University annually. She currently serves on the Board of Religion and Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights Task Force of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and serves as a senior cultural and technical advisor to the United Nations. Her popular quote about human connections is: “it ultimately boils down to how we connect with others in the bedroom to the boardroom”. She is a great believer that “we can create world peace one relationship at the time”. Dr. Nasserzadeh is based in Los Angeles, California, and travels widely.

SPEAKER #4

Jira (Hugh) Trinetkamol is an international student from Bangkok, Thailand and a junior majoring in Political Science and Economics with a minor in Management and Urban & Regional Planning at the University of California, Irvine. Back in Thailand he served in multiple leadership positions and competed in public speaking competitions at the highest level. He served as the President of his high school student body, Secretary General of his Model UN Team, and Captain of his Speech and Debate team. Here at UCI he’s been a Captain and Tournament Director of the UCI Collegiate Mock Trial Team, where he’s organized 2 nationally recognized Mock Trial Tournaments, considered to be one of the best invitationals in the country, and tried over 40 simulated jury trials on cases pertaining to involuntary manslaughter, aggravated murder, aggravated arson, and civil negligence. He’s also currently a school Senator, he was elected to represent over 9,000 international students on campus, and has authored legislation that aimed to promote basic needs such as student housing, and mental health. Outside of school he’s also served as a Youth Policy Advisor for Congresswoman Katie Porter where he researched policy & contemporary issues for Congresswoman Katie Porter and her staff in Washington D.C. and specialized in key policy issues regarding housing policy, fiscal policy, and foreign policy. Furthermore, he’s worked for non-profit organizations such as the Ruth Center in Thailand, which works to provide housing for elderly people in Bangkok who do not have people to care for them. He’s also been recently awarded the Donald A. Strauss Public Service scholarship, which he plans to utilize to build homes for the homeless elderly population in his country. In the future, he hopes to pursue a Master’s in Public Policy and Business administration in order to equip himself with the necessary tools needed to work in social and economic development in his home country.