About CCA's Residential Life Staff

The Office of Residential Life strives to provide a safe and secure living environment that encourages the personal and artistic growth of all residents. Offering our students such an experience takes the hard work and dedication of many professional and student staff members.

The Residential Life team consists of four professional staff members, a graduate assistant (GA), and an undergraduate student staff.

Professional Staff

Jeannine Szamreta, Director of Residential Life
Welcome. I am Jeannine Szamreta, the director of Residential Life here at California College of the Arts. I began my work at CCA in 2008 and have enjoyed every moment working with CCA students, staff, and faculty. Previous to working at CCA, I was a first-year experience specialist at the University of the Massachusetts Amherst.

I received my bachelor’s degree in media studies from Sacred Heart University and my master’s in educational policy and research administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I have been working in the field of higher education since 2001.

My responsibility as director of Residential Life is to ensure that our residential students receive the challenge and support needed to grow as people and as artists. I oversee all operations and supervision of staff working within the Office of Residential Life. In addition to having a passion for working with college students, I consider myself an ally to all students—regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, country of origin, and ability.

Please feel free to contact me at jszamreta@cca.edu, or visit my office on the ground floor of Clifton residence hall in Oakland.

Janeece Hayes, Assistant Director of Residential Life
I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of the residence hall communities, which includes the supervision of the residential life coordinator and resident advisor staff during the academic year as well as the Pre-College interns and resident advisor staff during the summer. I have been at CCA since 2007. If you have any questions, please contact me at jhayes@cca.edu

Carlos Perez, Residential Life Coordinator
I am responsible for the implementation of Residential Life curriculum that encourages personal and academic growth. I also oversee the well-being of the residents who live at CCA's four residential halls by maintaining living environments that reflect the values and mission of the Office of Residential Life and the college. I supervise the graduate assistant for community engagement and 11 resident advisors (RAs).

I received my bachelor of arts in both psychology and sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). While an undergraduate, I worked as a resident assistant. Before joining the CCA community in August 2009, I worked as an assistant complex coordinator for a 900-bed residence hall at UCSB.

I am currently completing a master's degree in educational policy and leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a second bachelor of arts in law from the University of London.

While it may appear that I am kept busy with academics, I continue to make time to attend the many events that my RAs host. Above all, I enjoy assisting CCA's residential students in their personal and artistic growth.

I can be reached at cperez@cca.edu.

Ashley Sousa, Residential Life Office Manager
Contact: asousa@cca.edu

Student Staff