Dr. Hillary Mennella, DNP, FNP-BC
Associate Dean of Student Health & Wellness

Dr. Mennella joined SHS in 2014 as the Associate Dean of Student Health & Wellness. Dr. Mennella has 20+ years of clinical experience in private practice and emergency medicine; past work includes utilization management, hospital auditing and quality assurance, legal compliance consulting, and writing clinical skills and guidelines for an international database. 

College health has been Dr. Mennella’s passion since she was an undergrad in Biology & Community Health at Virginia Tech, volunteering with the Student Health Advisory Committee, and interning with various student health centers as a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University and California State University, Long Beach. The evolution of student health needs and evidence-based quality improvement programming led her to Duke University for her doctorate degree. 

Dr. Mennella has over a decade of professional experience in student health and believes that optimal health & wellbeing are essential for students to accomplish their educational and professional goals. As a congenital cardiac patient, she understands the importance of medical and mental health support during the college years that reach beyond typical recommendations for temporary withdrawal from academia. She has implemented numerous health-related campaigns and grants to promote healthy lifestyle choices and to educate our campus, including stress management, meditation, yoga, nutrition, depression/anxiety screenings, alcohol/drug use, safe sex, STI testing, and prevention and reporting of sexual assault/violence. Dr. Mennella is currently working to embed healthcare and wellbeing into various programming opportunities and campus initiatives.

Dr. Mennella enjoys working with the fantastic and dedicated staff at SHS! We are a fun group that loves our campus and program! It is important to all members of SHS to maintain campus relationships and partnerships to continue to provide students with holistic support. 

Elika Roybal, MS, APRN, FNP-C

Elika Roybal is one of our nurse practitioners at Cerritos College Student Health and Wellness Center. She was an intensive care nurse for many years before deciding to attend the family nurse practitioner program at the University of California, Irvine. One of the primary reasons she wanted to become a nurse practitioner was to focus on patient centered healthcare services and preventative care. She is passionate about providing holistic and cost-effective healthcare services to all members of the community. She believes that through disease prevention and education that she can help the people she serves live happier and healthier lives.

Fun Fact: Grew up in Okinawa, Japan and LOVES 70 & 80's music!

Clarissa Semeniuk (she/her) MS, APRN, FNP-BC

Clarissa Semeniuk is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner with a wealth of experience in the nursing profession. She commenced her career as a Neonatal ICU nurse, providing specialized care for newborns and their families. Subsequently, she dedicated several years to oncology nursing, earning certification as an Oncology Certified Nurse. In her quest to expand her scope of practice and provide more autonomous care to her patients, Clarissa pursued a Master's degree in Nursing Science with a specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of California, Irvine.

Since 2014, Clarissa has been serving the Cerritos College Community at the Student Health and Wellness Services. She has a mission to provide quality health care, with a strong emphasis on health promotion and wellness. Her extensive knowledge and expertise in nursing practice have equipped her with the skills to provide effective and efficient care to patients.

Fun fact, Clarissa enjoys scuba diving and has a deep appreciation for the culture and style of the 1980s. She also takes pleasure in spending time outdoors and exploring new adventures with her family.

Melissa Lego (she/her/siya) FNP-C

Melissa is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with over 13 years experience in primary care & over 4 years' experience in student health. Her areas of interest include preventative health, reproductive health, and travel medicine. She firmly believes that health & wellness are integral to student success & is thrilled to be part of Cerritos College Student Health Services.

Francine Girard, FNP-C

Francine Girard has been a Certified Nurse Practitioner since 1998.

She graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a Master’s Degree in Nursing with a specialty in Family Medicine.

Francine has been working at the Student Health Services for close to 2 years.

As a NP she has worked in different practice fields including Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Detox and Rehab, and Gynecology.

Francine is originally from Canada.

She has worked and lived in different countries and US states and is fluent in Spanish and French.

On her free time, she likes to plan trips to foreign countries where she and her husband can enjoy and discover new cultures and languages.

Francine loves working with students and is looking forward to meeting you.

Monica Chora, CMA

Monica is a Certified Medical Assistant who has worked for Student Health Services since 2006. She is originally from San Diego CA, and attended Southwestern College and Pima Medical Institute where she obtained her Medical Assistant & Phlebotomy Technician certificates. In an effort to be able to apply her skills she relocated to Los Angeles, CA. Monica has become a vital part of the Student Health & Wellness medical team. This has allowed her to make contributions to the department’s mission and goals towards meeting students’ needs, which are reasons she enjoys working at Cerritos College. Monica was awarded Outstanding Employee of the Month in October 2021 for her exceptional work to meet the scheduling & health needs during the pandemic. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, listening to music, watching movies, and taking her dog for walks.

America Cortez-Amador (a.k.a Wonder Woman), CMA

America is our Certified Medical Assistant/Phlebotomist at SHS. She has worked for Student Health Services since 2006 and has loved every minute. She attended Bryman Vocational School in Rosemead California and received her certification. She is also a licensed Phlebotomist with the California Department of Health Services. This has afforded her the opportunity to put into practice her skills as well as her passion to help others. America has played a vital role in SHS daily functions as well as contributing towards the goals of Student Health Services of offering medical services to the students as a whole. What she enjoys the most is the learning environment in which Cerritos College, especially SHS embodies. She says, “I learn something new every day and the great team at SHS encourages me to grow and learn”.

She loves reading her bible and the outdoors. Going camping, hiking, bike riding at the beach.

Hazel Ng, RD (Registered Dietitian)

Hazel obtained her B.S. degree in Nutrition & Clinical Dietetics from the University of California, Berkeley, and her certification in Adult Weight Management through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is also a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and a Certified Lactation Educator.  She has been working as the Cerritos College dietitian in the past 15 years, and she enjoys having 1 on 1 consultations with students and giving nutrition talk to different student groups.  Hazel is dedicated to helping students to achieve their health and nutritional goals through lifestyle change and weight management.  Hazel also runs a private practice which provides Medical Nutrition Therapy to culturally diverse individuals in the San Gabriel Valley. 

She is a mother of 2 teens.  She enjoys travelling and trying new restaurants and cuisine.