Trailhead Trailhead Leaders
At Trailhead, you'll get to know many of Westmont's faculty, staff, students, and community partners. Below are just some of those people—the staff of the Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts, which runs Trailhead, and the undergraduate mentors and residence life staff who live with Trailhead participants during their week on campus.
Meet Our Westmont Staff
Christen co-directs the Trailhead program and serves as the Director of Student Engagement, Strategic Partnerships, and Operations for the Gaede Institute. Christen is a 2001 alumna of Westmont College with a BA in Communication Studies. She earned an MPA from Seton Hall University.
Sarah is an alumna of Westmont College with a BA in Sociology. She served as a Trailhead student mentor for two years, and is passionate about supporting the needs of high school students. Sarah also co-directs Westmont's Young Adult Leadership Lab.
Thomas Staffileno is Trailhead's resident director, and currently serves as Westmont's Assistant Director of Residence Life. Thomas arrived at Westmont in 2017 and has a MA in Student Development from Oregon State University.
Aaron collaborates with the Trailhead directors in addition to serving as the Director of Student Engagement, Strategic Partnerships, and Operations for the Gaede Institute. Aaron is a 2001 alumna of Westmont College with a BA in English and Religious Studies. He earned a P.h.D. in church history and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Wesley is an alumna Assistant Director of Westmont College with a BA in English and Mathematics. Prior to joining the Gaede Institute he worked in the non-profit humanitarian sector and in education as a librarian and elementary after-school teacher.
Meet Our Student Mentors (2025)
Hi, I'm Ellie! I'm from Colorado Springs, and I just finished my freshman year at Westmont college studying music and religious studies. I love music, art, and the outdoors. I'm so excited to meet you all, and I hope you will grow to love Westmont and Santa Barbara as much as I do!
My name is Tyler Waltz, I’m a 3rd year graphic arts major. I enjoy sports, film photography, and spending time with friends. I’m so excited for trailhead, it’s gonna be tons of fun yall.
Hi, I'm Peter Sullivan from Bakersfield, California. I'm currently a sophomore going through the pre-med track. Outside of my academics, I enjoy hiking, working out, surfing, and attending church.
Hello! My name is Leila Shawrieh and I am from San Antonio, Texas. I just graduated from Westmont in May and I plan on perusing postgraduate studies in peace building. In my free time I love to read and to make fun tea/coffee drinks for my friends!