Meet the Staff

Commuter Life Staff

Matthew Browning

Director of Commuter Life

Email: [email protected]

Get to Know Matthew

Naomi Villar

Commuter Life Intern

Email: [email protected]

Get to Know Naomi

Commuter Life Assistants

What is the Commuter Life Assistant Program?

The Commuter Life Assistant Program matches incoming freshman and transfer commuter students with a commuter life assistant (CLA) student leader who provides guidance and support to commuters while creating opportunities for commuters to meet each other and learn about APU resources and services. The primary goal of a CLA is to help commuter students adjust to life as APU students, and engage them with academic and personal development opportunities. CLAs also serve the broader Azusa Pacific community by working shifts in the Student Union as resources for information and ticketing services, as well as managing the services provided specifically to commuter students. The position is available to all students, not just commuter students. The following list describes the expectations and requirements of the position:

Time commitment: 12+ hours a week
Maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA
Adhere to the Student Leadership Covenant
On-/off-campus employment/volunteer work kept to a maximum of 15 hours a week

Sample Time Commitment Per Week


Student Union Desk Hours in Cougar Dome	8-12 hours
Staff Meeting with CLA Staff	1 hour
Meeting with the Director of Commuter Life	1 hour every other week
Programming and Event Planning	1-2 hours
Weekend shift once per month	0-12 hours
Total hours	11-28 hours per week

Interested in becoming a Commuter Life Assistant next year?

Follow these steps to apply:

Create or sign in to your Handshake account.
Access Handshake directly or through home.apu.edu.
From the main menu, navigate to:
UG Enrollment Services Center → My Financial Account → Handshake Job Platform
Search for the Commuter Life Assistant position and submit your application through Handshake.

Start Your Application on Handshake

2026-27 Commuter Life Assistants

Matthew Browning

Matt Browning, EdD, has been at APU, off and on, for nearly 30 years. Matt is passionate about whole person development for college students. Matt has created programs and learning opportunities in over 70 countries around the world and is committed to celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion in all forms. He is especially proud to work with the commuter students of APU. He has great respect for the extra effort commuters exert to succeed in college. Matt lives in, and rides his motorcycle around, Pomona. He is proud of his strong, God-fearing, and grown daughters Emily and Mary as well as his granddaughter Aria.

Naomi Villar

Naomi is a junior nursing major at APU. Naomi’s hobbies include playing volleyball and pickleball, singing karaoke, going to the beach, and getting food and boba with friends. She currently lives in the Shire Mods and she’s excited to serve the commuter community this year!

Bella Lopes

Bella is a junior majoring in business marketing and minoring in design studies. She enjoys hanging out with friends, going on hikes, and trying new coffee shops. This year she’s commuting from Azusa and is so excited to meet other commuters!

Brooke Friesen

Brooke is a freshman at APU. Some of her hobbies are working out, reading, dancing, and going to the beach. Before coming to APU she was a competitive dancer for 7 years. She loves iced coffee and her favorite color is navy blue. She lives in Trinity Hall and is excited to meet all commuter students and make friends with everyone!

Wiley Griffing

Wiley is a junior majoring in accounting at APU. He loves playing volleyball, basketball, and spending time with friends! He’s from Japan and also watches anime (especially Hunter Hunter, AOT, etc.) Feel free to talk to him about your favorite shows! Wiley is excited to serve the commuter community this year and looks forward to creating meaningful memories together!

Matthew Torres

Matt is a sophomore as an APU nursing student. Matt’s hobbies consist of playing basketball, volleyball, drinking boba, hanging out with friends, collecting vinyls, and video games. He loves New York-style pizza. He also loves the Los Angeles Lakers and enjoys talking about the NBA, and sports. He currently lives on campus at Trinity Hall. He’s excited to be a part of the Commuter Life team and can’t wait to meet all the commuters!