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U in the Driver Seat

A collegiate peer-to-peer program dedicated to ending impaired driving.

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2019-2020 Collegiate Advisory Board

About the Board:

U in the Driver Seat (UDS) is a peer-to-peer safety program for college students. The goal of UDS is to raise awareness of driving impaired and prevent crashes involving college students. The program provides resources, information, and materials to empower young adults to spread the word among their friends and peers about the deadly act of driving impaired and encourage them to make smart choices and stay safe. UDS can only succeed with the involvement and commitment of college students, who are represented by the U in the Driver Seat Collegiate Advisory Board (CAB).

2019 – 2020 Collegiate Advisory Board (CAB) members

Alex Soliz
Texas A&M Kingsville
Social Work

Alex has been involved with PEP-Talk for the last 3 and a half years where members receive and share education on impaired driving and sleep deprived driving.

Esmeralda Gutierrez
Texas A&M Kingsville
Animal Science

Esmeralda has been a member of PEP TALK at Texas A&M Kingsville for three years and currently serves as the PEP TALK president.

This year Esmeralda hopes to minimize the number of car crashes that occur around campus by educating/raising awareness about the importance not driving impaired or distracted. She also wants to build a relationship with the campus police department to help educate and provide information to the student body.

Harshitha Kandru
The University of Texas Dallas
Biology

Harshitha is a peer health educator at UT Dallas, a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, and participated in Doctors Without Borders.

One of her goals this year to educate more students on the effects of alcohol depending on how much was consumed because many students she’s come across believe that just because they feel okay, they can drive, when in reality they are probably impaired and do not know it. Another goal is to prevent the over-consumption of alcohol, especially in the Greek community.

Jacob Martinez
Texas A&M Kingsville
Electrical Engineering

Jacob is the treasurer of PEP TALK at Texas A&M Kingsville and is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

This year Jacob wishes to spread the awareness of how serious and common car crashes are for young adults. PEP TALK covers drinking, smoking and driving to cover how impairments effects people differently as well as how the 5 senses are affected.

Leslie Guerroro
University of Texas at Dallas
Healthcare Studies

This is Leslie’s second year on the UDS board, she’s a co-chair Peer Against Tabacco, and advisory board member of the NCAA CHOICES Alcohol Education Grant Program.

Leslie wants to help reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents among college students through programming and educating the students on the consequences of impaired driving. She really wants to focus on providing alternatives to getting home safe without driving after consuming alcohol.

Maia Dean
University of Texas at Arlington
Public Health

Maia currently works as a P.E.E.R. Health Educator, serves as student senator for the College of Nursing and Health Innovation in student government, and is a member of the Leadership Honors Program and Peers Against Tobacco.

Maia would like to expand the program from the office of Health Promotion and Substance Abuse and create a student organization, so that the program can grow and have more volunteers eager to get the safe driving message across campus.

Yerendira Vazquez
Texas A&M Kingsville
Biomedical Sciences

Yerendira was a board member last year, is a sitting officers of PEP TALK, and is a member of the Pre-Pharmacy Association and Honors College.

Many students think that at this age we are invincible without realizing the real dangers of their actions. They think that as long as its fun, it isn’t dangerous. Yerendira hopes to reach out to her peers to decrease the number of dangers both on the roads and our campus.

Check out past boards:

2018-2019 Collegiate Advisory Board

2017-2018 Collegiate Advisory Board

2016-2017 Collegiate Advisory Board

2014 – 2015 Collegiate Advisory Board

2015-2016 Collegiate Advisory Board

2016-2017 Collegiate Advisory Board

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