Meet the ICA Staff

Terra Hall

Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Diversity and Belonging

Terra earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Howard University, her master’s degree in Psychological Services from the University of Pennsylvania, and recently completed a PhD in Student Affairs from the University of Maryland, College Park, where her dissertation research centered on spirituality, race, equity, and inclusion. Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, Terra and her family (husband, Brant and sons, Brant, Jr., and Chandler) recently relocated to the West Coast. She has worked in higher education for 18+ years and has held leadership positions in academic support, first-year experience, and TRiO programs. As a scholar-practitioner and educator, Terra is committed to eliminating barriers that affect students’ experiences in higher education and ensuring that institutions become places where all voices are heard, seen, felt, and supported. To contact Terra, please email her at terra.hall@pepperdine.edu.

Sharon Wakio

Assistant Director of Intercultural Affairs for International Student Engagement

Sharon Wakio is an alum of the Graduate School of Education and Psychology here at Pepperdine, with her masters in psychology. She came to the United States as an international student from Kenya to pursue higher education in 2006, where she began her educational journey at Boise State University. Sharon has worked in the mental health field as a case manager and is a nationally certified anger management counselor. She has also served in various roles within Student Affairs to support and advocate for international students, and those experiences have led her to her current role as the assistant director for international student engagement. As a cultural broker, Sharon hosts social and practical programming to build bridges, curate a sense of belonging and support international students at Pepperdine. To contact Sharon, please email her at sharon.wakio@pepperdine.edu.

Myron McClure

Assistant Director of Intercultural Affairs for Training and Programming

Myron McClure is a southern California native and former All-American track & field athlete. He uses his servant leadership approach to provide expertise and consulting activities around the engagement of DEI spaces and to build culturally competent leaders for policy change. He holds agricultural degrees from Purdue University and The Pennsylvania State University in engineering and education and an international agriculture certificate from The Swedish University in Uppsala, Sweden.  His breadth of experiences and opportunities have led to practical changes in increasing underrepresented people in various academic and non-profit communities.  Additionally, his research interest relates to curriculum evaluation and the relevance of STEM education materials for underrepresented populations.  Mr. McClure is a certified CPR Instructor, Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), and Beliefs, Events, Values, Inventory (BEVI) qualified administrator. He hopes to serve others to see the change they want to see. To contact Myron for questions regarding training, workshops, or ICA clubs, please email myron.mcclure@pepperdine.edu.

David Gomez

Program Manager of Intercultural Affairs

A native of Los Angeles, David earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in bible studies from Biola University, where he also began his career in higher education. He has also earned his master of science degree in college counseling and student development from Azusa Pacific University, where he has specialized in student leadership and development at institutions such as Biola University, Concordia University Irvine, and California Baptist University, with a focus on holistic development. He now serves as the program manager of Intercultural Affairs in supporting ICA diversity initiatives through large-scale club events and administrative support as well as managing the day-to-day operations at the Howard A. White Center (HAWC). For questions regarding large-scale club events, ICA programming, or the HAWC, please contact david.gomez2@pepperdine.edu for any questions and further support.

Katia (Ekaterina) Alyabyeva

Graduate Assistant

Katia is a grad student at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, pursuing a masters in clinical psychology. She was born and raised in Siberia, Russia, where she studied at the Novosibirsk State Pedagogical general education and coaching, before coming to America where she received her bachelors in business administration at the Breech School of Business at Drury University. While at Drury, she was a student-athlete, representing the university in swimming. Ekaterina was a member of three NCAA Division II national championship teams while at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. Moreso, she was an 18-time NCAA All-American and a national record holder in the 800-freestyle relay. She qualified for both the United States and Russia Olympic Trials in 2012 and swam her way to the Russian Olympic Trials finals in 2008. 

She will be using her experience as a former international student to help with event planning while providing meaningful insight and wisdom, as the graduate assistant for international student engagement with ICA here at Pepperdine. You can reach her at ekaterina.alyabyeva@pepperdine.edu with any questions, concerns or requests.

Sabrina Franciosi

Graduate Assistant

Sabrina Franciosi is a student at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology in the Aliento program where she is working towards her M.A. in clinical psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy with Latinx communities. Though born in New York, Sabrina grew up in Phoenix, Arizona from the age of one. She attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona where she graduated with her B.S. in psychological sciences in 2020. Besides psychology, Sabrina’s interests include outdoor recreation. During the pandemic, she became a climber, snowboarder, slackliner, and highliner. She hopes to combine these passions and develop a career providing outdoor adventure guiding in conjunction with therapeutic services. Sabrina is excited to serve as a resource and connect with the students and overall Pepperdine community in her role as the graduate assistant for student engagement for Intercultural Affairs. She directly works with Black Student Association, Crossroads, Feminist Club, Indigenous Peoples Club, Korean Student Association, Latinx Student Alliance, and Rotaract International. To contact Sabrina, please email her at sabrina.franciosi@pepperdine.edu.

Khushi Sibal

Graduate Assistant

Khushi Sibal is a student at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University, where she is studying clinical psychology with a concentration in marriage and family therapy. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, but moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for her undergraduate studies at Temple University where she studied both psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Apart from clinical psychology, Khushi’s research interests have always been in higher education, especially the relationships between instructors and students in college settings. Her undergraduate honors senior thesis; The Influence of Growth Mindset Feedback on Students’ Academic Attitudes was focused on these interests. She serves as graduate assistant for Intercultural Affairs and supports the needs and aspirations of students and the community at Pepperdine. Khushi directly works with Armenian Student Association, Blue & Orange Indonesian Society, Chinese Students & Scholars Association, First Gen, Indian Student Association, Japanese Student Union, Pilipino American Student Association, and Pepperdine Step Team. Please reach out to khushi.sibal@pepperdine.edu for further questions and requests.