Meet Your Academic Advisor

Every student is assigned a faculty and academic advisor. Faculty advisors assist with major-specific questions, major course sequencing, and career inquiries. As your academic advisors, we assist with four-year academic planning, class registration, and getting to graduation. The best way to identify your Academic Advisor is through your Degree Audit Report or the Navigate Application. 

KC Holden

Associate Director of Academic Advising 

KC Holden is a Pepperdine alumna (BA in History) with graduate degrees from UCLA (MA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (MAT). Driven by intellectual curiosity, she views academic advising as the perfect intersection of student development and curricular engagement. Outside the office, KC is an avid sports fan—following everything from college football to professional tennis—and enjoys a diverse musical palette ranging from jazz to hip-hop, to rock and roll. 

Serving all non-transfer/non-first generation Humanities/Teacher Education majors and Natural Science majors

Ashley Castro

Senior Academic Advisor - Athletics

Ashley is a first-generation college graduate and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from CSUN and a Master of Education in Educational Counseling from USC. With a strong background in student services, Ashley excels in guiding students through degree requirements, registration, and any challenges that they may face. In her free time, she loves spending time with her three dogs Bella, Mia, and Rocky.

Serving all Student Athletes; all non-transfer/non-first generation Communications majors; all non-transfer/non-first generation Interdisciplinary majors

Caleb Gomes

Academic Advising Associate - First Generation Specialist 

Originally from New Jersey, Caleb is a first-generation Brazilian American and a first-gen college graduate with a B.S. in Business Management from Long Beach State. He is dedicated to helping students navigate their own academic journeys with clarity and confidence. Outside of the office, you can find him cheering on his favorite sports teams or unwinding with his PlayStation.

Serving all First Generation students; Religion and Philosophy majors; International Studies and Languages majors

Jacob Moonen

Senior Academic Advisor - Transfer Specialist

Jacob (Jake) Moonen is a Southern California native; originally from Temecula California, and graduating from Pepperdine with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He enjoys working with students to explore academic planning, and specializes in working with transfer students to help them graduate efficiently and maximize their Pepperdine experience. Outside of the office, he is a huge sports fan, and plays in an ice hockey league (even when it is 90 degrees outside).

Serving all Transfer Students (30+ units of college transfer credit); all non-first generation Business majors

Sarah Devaney

Academic Advising Associate - Athletics Specialist 

Sarah Devaney grew up in Orange County, California, and graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2017. Sarah spent the last five years teaching high school and middle school English before coming to Pepperdine. She loves talking with students about how they can make the most of their time at Pepperdine and achieve their academic goals. Outside of the office, she’s probably at the beach, or reading, or both! 

Serving all non-transfer/non-first generation Social Science majors and Fine Arts majors