Meet the Admissions Team

Ivette Bustamante | Assistant Director of Admissions

Ivette joined Vistamar School in fall 2022. Before joining the Admissions team at Vistamar, she was an Assistant Director at UCLA Undergraduate Admission. In this role, she specialized in college advising and admission evaluation. Ivette’s work has revolved around helping students in Northern and Southern California pursue higher education goals from both the high school student and transfer student level. She is excited to make the transition to independent school admissions.

As a first-generation college student, Ivette attended University of California, Santa Barbara and earned a B.A. in Chicana and Chicano Studies. She is currently working on an M.A. in Diverse Community Development Leadership from California State University, Northridge.

When Ivette is not building connections with students and their families, she enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones.

Yordana Simpson | Admissions Associate

Yordana joined the Admissions team in July 2021. Before moving to California, Yordana was a youth specialist in Queens, New York, where she supported students and their families in a variety of roles as they transitioned to mainstream education. Since then, Yordana has worked on the administrative team at Morningside High School and Pepperdine University.

Yordana’s commitment to advocacy and helping students grow into their best selves is a perfect fit for her role at Vistamar School, where she can support students and families as they plan for the future.

She earned her B.A. in Criminal Justice and Psychology in 2014 from Adelphi University and then went on to earn her M.A. in Social Entrepreneurship and Change from Pepperdine University.

During her personal time, you can find Yordana at the beach, reading a book, searching for cool coffee shops, running, or trying a new recipe.