Speaker Panel

Aleya Abeshima (she/her)

Civil Engineer

Aleya Abeshima is currently a Project Manager for a national construction company called Clark Construction Group. Raised in a small town on Oahu, she found her way to the University of Washington to pursue engineering. Aleya filled her time in college with internships, teaching dance classes, and participating in multiple engineering clubs. Her first internship was on a small clinic renovations in Hawaii which sparked her interest for project management and making an impact in the community. Since then she has built convention centers, robotic warehouses, condominiums and most recently UCSD’s Pepper Canyon West dorms. As a minority in the construction industry by day and a dance teacher by night Aleya’s main goal is to foster opportunities, uplift others and provide mentorship.

Kelly Robinson (she/her)

Allergy/Immunology Fellow

Kelly Robinson, MD is a first year allergy/immunology fellow at UC San Diego. She graduated from pediatrics residency at UC San Diego in June 2024. She completed her medical school training at UC San Francisco. Her interests in medicine include asthma, social determinants of health, and health disparities.

Melissa Sandoval (she/her)

Entrepreneur

Melissa Sandoval is a Colombian migrant and former journalist who spent nearly a decade reporting on some of the most defining events of our time — including the pandemic, migrant caravans, presidential elections, hurricanes, and wildfires. After 9 years in the news industry, she chose to follow her intuition and embrace a new path — one still rooted in storytelling, but through the lens of coffee.

Nearly three years ago, Melissa founded Intuición Café, a specialty coffee business that imports beans directly from her home country of Colombia. Staying true to her roots, she not only sources exceptional coffee but also uplifts the voices behind each bean. A key part of her business model includes interviewing the farmers and sharing their journeys through storytelling videos, honoring the hands and heart behind the harvest.

Today, Intuición Café has proudly served companies such as the Hotel del Coronado, Vuori, Bank of America, CONCACAF, San Diego FC, and many more.