Caltech admissions counselors are assigned to different regions of the United States and the world. We welcome your inquiries.
To contact your counselor:
- Search or scroll through the table below to find the counselor assigned to your location.
- Find your counselor's contact information and bio further down on this page.
| Location | Counselor |
|---|---|
| APO/FPO Schools | Karla Arriaga |
| International Territories | Jann Lacoss |
| U.S. Territories | Karla Arriaga |
| Alabama | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Alaska | Tessa Tweet |
| Arizona | Karla Arriaga |
| Arkansas | Kimberly Ortiz |
| California (Central Coast, Santa Barbara) | Kimberly Ortiz |
| California (Central Valley) | Karla Arriaga |
| California (Covina, Whittier) | Tessa Tweet |
| California (Glendale, Pasadena) | Kimberly Ortiz |
| California (Greater Imperial Valley) | Karla Arriaga |
| California (Long Beach, South Bay) | Tessa Tweet |
| California (Los Angeles) | Tessa Tweet |
| California (Northern California) | Karla Arriaga |
| California (Ontario) | Kimberly Ortiz |
| California (Orange County) | Tessa Tweet |
| California (Riverside, San Bernardino) | Kimberly Ortiz |
| California (San Diego) | Karla Arriaga |
| California (San Fernando Valley) | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Colorado | Karla Arriaga |
| Connecticut | Tessa Tweet |
| Delaware | Jann Lacoss |
| District of Columbia | Jann Lacoss |
| Florida | Tessa Tweet |
| Georgia | Tessa Tweet |
| Hawai'i | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Idaho | Tessa Tweet |
| Illinois | Tessa Tweet |
| Indiana | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Iowa | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Kansas | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Kentucky | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Louisana | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Maine | Tessa Tweet |
| Maryland | Jann Lacoss |
| Massachussetts | Tessa Tweet |
| Michigan | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Minnesota | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Mississippi | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Missouri | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Montana | Tessa Tweet |
| Nebraska | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Nevada | Kimberly Ortiz |
| New Hampshire | Tessa Tweet |
| New Jersey | Kimberly Ortiz |
| New Mexico | Karla Arriaga |
| New York | Kimberly Ortiz |
| North Carolina | Tessa Tweet |
| North Dakota | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Ohio | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Oklahoma | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Pennsylvania | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Rhode Island | Tessa Tweet |
| South Carolina | Tessa Tweet |
| South Dakota | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Tennessee | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Texas | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Utah | Karla Arriaga |
| Vermont | Tessa Tweet |
| Virginia | Jann Lacoss |
| Washington | Tessa Tweet |
| West Virginia | Jann Lacoss |
| Wisconsin | Kimberly Ortiz |
| Wyoming | Tessa Tweet |
Admissions Counselors
Nikki K. Chun, Director of Undergraduate Admissions
Email: ugadmissions@caltech.edu
Nikki came to Caltech in September 2015 after working in admissions at Rice University (Houston, TX) and her alma mater, the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL). She is originally from Honolulu, Hawai'i, and identifies as a first-generation student who is of part-Native Hawaiian and part-Chinese heritage. Nikki is a Kamehameha Schools Kapalama alumna; she earned her B.S. in Communication and M.S.Ed. in Enrollment Management from the University of Miami. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership with Colorado State University. In her spare time, Nikki dances hula with Kaulana Ka Hale Kula O Na Pua O Ka 'Aina, a hula halau based in Torrance, CA.
Jann Lacoss, Ph.D., Associate Director
Email: jlacoss@caltech.edu
Jann joined Caltech after several years at the University of Virginia's Teaching Resource Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Slavic folklore from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in Russian literature from New York University, and a B.A. in general studies from Ferrum College. She has taught Russian language, literature, and folklore, studies children's folklore, and has crocheted pi to about 30 decimal points. Jann is responsible for the international application cycle and the transfer and 3/2 admission cycles, she heads travel management and is the liaison for the RSI, Intel, Westinghouse, and Olympiad programs.
Karla Arriaga, Senior Assistant Director
Email: karriaga@caltech.edu
Karla was born in Mexico City and grew up in Southern California. She attended California State University Fullerton where she obtained a B.S. in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. After graduation, she worked as a STEM-Grant Coordinator at a local community college, sparking her passion for working with underrepresented students and encouraging them to pursue higher education in STEM. Prior to Caltech, Karla held admissions positions at UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis. Karla enjoys travel adventures and once backpacked for two months in Southeast Asia. Karla is Caltech's manager of student blogs and social media, Frosh Lunch coordinator, and admitted student phone and postcard campaign manager.
Kimberly Ortiz, Admissions Counselor
Email: kortiz@caltech.edu
Kimberly was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She obtained a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures and Chicana/o Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. As a first generation college student, Kimberly noticed the inequities in higher education and made a personal commitment to engage with education in ways that would both help ensure the academic success of underrepresented students in colleges, and dismantle mass incarceration. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new cities in search of a great cup of coffee. Kimberly serves as our Marketing and Communications Coordinator, DecemberFest Coordinator, Caltech In A Day (CIAD) Co-Coordinator, and QuestBridge Program Liaison. She is also responsible for the Momentum e-Newsletter and maintenance of the website.
Tessa Tweet, Assistant Director
Email: tessat@caltech.edu
Tessa was born and raised in the Seattle area and moved to Southern California to attend Pitzer College in Claremont. She graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology, where she focused on museums and material culture and studied abroad in the Amazon region of Brazil. After interning at The Getty Foundation, Tessa worked at the Huntington Library (just down the street from Caltech) in the Education Division. Tessa loves exploring Los Angeles museums and galleries and is always looking for a new exhibition to visit on the weekend.
Operations Staff
Scott Jung, Associate Director for Operations
Email: sjung@caltech.edu
A native of Southern California, Scott attended UCLA, where he received his bachelor's degree in economics. He has been working in the Admissions Office for over 10 years.
Marta Chang, Admissions Coordinator
Email: martae@caltech.edu
Marta has worked at Caltech since 1999. Taking a short break from admissions, she spent a year in the applied math department. She has studied computer science and has a diverse work background.
Christine Waldor, Admissions Coordinator
Email: waldor@caltech.edu
Christine has worked in the Admissions Office since 2001. Prior to her time at Caltech, she worked in the financial sector as well as in the admissions office at Whittier College, where she graduated with a B.A. in English.
Tiffanie Love, Receptionist
Email: tlove@caltech.edu
Tiffanie is a native of Pasadena and attended John Muir High School. She is currently in school studying psychology.