S House Advisors - Advisor Department Chairs
Rachel Bereny, Room E109
Grades 10 & 12
310-450-8338 x71132  Rachel Bereny

Amy Golden, Room E109 - Advisor
Grades 9 & 11
agolden@smmusd.org

Lisa DeMirjian, Room E109 - Advisor
Grades 9 & 12
ldemirjian@smmusd.org

A House Advisors
Jessica Garrido, Room i208
Grades 9 & 11
310-450-8338 x71227  jgarrido@smmusd.org

Yunuen Valencia, Room i208
Grades 10 & 12
310-450-8338 x71226  yvalencia@smmusd.org

M House Advisors
Lauren Takeshita, Room D201
Grades 9 & 11
310-450-8338 x71851  ltakeshita@smmusd.org

Maribel Pulido, Room D201
Grades 10 & 12
310-450-8338 x71852  mpulido@smmusd.org


O House Advisors
Maricela Gonzalez, Room D301
Grades 9 & 11
310-450-8338 x71862  mgonzalez@smmusd.org

Mele LeVeaux, Room D301
Grades 10 & 12
310-450-8338 x71861  mleveaux@smmusd.org

Advisor Bios

Rachel Bereny found her love of counseling by working as a camp counselor and team leader at Cali Camp Summer day camp. Ms. Bereny, who also goes by Ms. B, was born and raised in Los Angeles. She earned her Bachelor in Science in Human Development from UC Davis and received her Master in Science in Counseling from CSUN. Additionally, she has completed the Professional Clinical Counseling coursework. Prior to SAMOHI, Rachel worked as a college counselor for El Camino Real Charter High School and an academic counselor at CHIME Charter and CHAMPS Charter. She is excited to be a part of the SAMOHI community!

Lisa DeMirjian has been working at SMMUSD since 1989. She received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Liberal Studies from UCLA. She then earned her teaching credentials and two masters degrees from CSUN and her Pupil Personnel Credential from California Lutheran University. Lisa previously worked at Lincoln Middle School and at the SMMUSD District Office before coming to SAMOHI. Lisa loves working with her students and being part of SAMOHI.

Jessica Garrido received her BA in Psychology with a minor in Education from UC Santa Cruz. After a few years directing an after-school program for elementary school students, Jessica returned for her MA in Counseling and PPS in School Counseling from Loyola Marymount University. Jessica has been an Advisor at Santa Monica High School since 2004. Prior to Samohi, Jessica worked as a Counselor at Culver City Adult School, a Counseling Assistant at Venice High School, and did research for educational programs through LAUSD. So far, Santa Monica is her favorite place to be, especially I House!

Amy Golden Malone was born and raised in NY and moved to California in 2001. Prior to her move, she received her Master’s in Education with a concentration in School Counseling from the University of Maryland. Ms. Golden’s first job was as a middle school counselor in 1999. Since then, she has been a Teacher, Counselor, Assistant Principal and Principal. After 9 years in administration, Ms. Golden is thrilled to be back in the job she loves the most… S House Advisor.

Maricela Gonzalez' passion for counseling first started in high school where she was a College Peer Counselor for 2 years. Her journey continued at LAUSD, where she became a Teacher's Assistant for 3 years while she was receiving her BA in Sociology at UC Irvine. Her journey set off Northeast when she landed at USC, where she earned her Masters in Social Work with an emphasis on school counseling and received her PPS Credential. She was an intern at John Adams Middle School for a year and after graduation was invited to become part of the JAMS team. She was honored to work with the JAMS community for 8 years. In 2010, her passion then led her to SAMOHI, where she has continued her journey and has been loving it ever since.

Mele LeVeaux has been working in education for over 13 years, supporting diverse student populations from junior high school students to Military Veterans in obtaining a college education. She holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Conflict Resolution & Peace Building, along with a Mediation certificate from Cal State Dominguez Hills. Additionally, she has a Master's in Educational Counseling with a PPS credential and Child Welfare Attendance specialization from Cal Lutheran University.
Mele has been a part of the Santa Monica High School community for 6 years, initially as a Student Outreach Specialist and now as an advisor for O-House. She's actively involved in the school community, serving on the School Site Council. Her primary goal is to make a positive impact on students' lives through education, guidance, and enrichment.

Maribel Pulido became an Advisor for Samo starting in 2006. Maribel is originally from San Bernardino County and moved to the Los Angeles area as she continued with her educational career. She earned both her degrees from Loyola Marymount University: BA in Psychology and minored in Theology and, immediately after, received her Master’s in Counseling and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential. Prior to SAMO, she interned and was a substitute teacher for the Centinela Valley Unified School District. She is bilingual (Spanish and English) and loves to travel!

Lauren Takeshita was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley and received her Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara and then went to get her Master’s in Education and Pupil Personnel Services credential from Loyola Marymount University. Prior to joining Samohi, she worked as a high school counselor at Inglewood Unified School District. She is thrilled to be a part of the Samohi community!

Yunuen Valencia has been working in the educational field since 2001. She received her BA in Sociology with a Minor in Spanish and received her MA in Counseling with a Pupil Personnel Services Credential from Loyola Marymount University. Before joining Samohi, Yunuen previously worked for LAUSD (Westchester High) and St. Bernard High School. Yunuen loves being a counselor at Samohi because of the diverse career and academic programs that are offered.