NADEAN ALNAJJAR ’22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Jonathan Edwards College; MCDB, nadean.alnajjar@yale.edu
Nadean (she/her) is a proud New Yorker from Brooklyn who went to a large high school in an urban setting and majored in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology (MCDB) at Yale. She involved herself heavily with the Chaplain’s Office, as a chaplaincy fellow, a Chaplain’s Office peer liaison, and a board member for the Muslim Students Association. She also was involved with two papers at Yale: the Yale Historical Review, and the outreach board of the Yale Scientific Magazine. Nadean worked in a Yale School of Medicine lab, where she investigated a novel signaling pathway underlying skin and liver venous malformations. She also spent a lot of her time volunteering at Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department — something she absolutely loved. A huge congratulations to the class of 2026!
ALE ANDRES CAMPILLO ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Jonathan Edwards College; ER&M and THST, alejandro.campillo@yale.edu
¡Hola! Ale (they/them) was a dual major in ethnicity, race, and migration (ER&M) as well as theater and performance studies (THST). They were born and raised in Los Angeles. Outside of the classroom, they sang with Shades of Yale and served as the vice-president of the Yale Dramatic Association. They were also a counselor for the Cultural Connections pre-orientation program (now “Camp Yale”), and worked as a staffer at the La Casa Cultural Center & the LGBTQ Office. ¡Bienvenides a Yale!
JACKIE FOLMAR ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Berkeley College; E&EB, jackie.folmar@yale.edu
Jackie (she/her) attended a large public high school in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and majored in ecology & evolutionary biology (E&EB) at Yale. She is currently attending the Yale School of Public Health through Yale’s BA-BS/MPH 5-year program, concentrating in epidemiology of microbial diseases. Jackie volunteered with Splash, Matriculate, and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance while at Yale, in addition to chairing the nonprofit Learning Unlimited and working as a research assistant in a microbiology lab on Yale’s West Campus. Jackie is excited to meet incoming first-years and hopes you all have a wonderful time at Yale!
EAMON GOUCHER ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Trumbull College; MB&B and EDST, eamon.goucher@yale.edu
Eamon (he/him) grew up in Blue Bell, PA, a small suburb of Philadelphia, and attended a mid-sized public high school. At Yale, Eamon was pre-med and focused academically on biology and education studies. Outside of classes, Eamon sang with the Spizzwinks – one of Yale’s many a cappella groups – conducted neurology research at the Yale Medical School, wrote for the Yale Scientific Magazine, and volunteered with No Closed Doors (helping New Haven residents apply for jobs). He is excited to hear about you and your interests!
LIZ HOPKINSON ‘22
2021-2022 First-year Counselor in Jonathan Edwards College; EVST, elizabeth.hopkinson@yale.edu
Liz attended a medium-sized public high school in central Massachusetts. She majored in environmental studies (EVST) at Yale, and especially loved her classes in geography, creative writing, and environmental humanities. She decided to begin pre-med coursework during her junior year and would be happy to chat about nontraditional pathways to medicine at Yale. Liz spent summers working in sustainable agriculture, science communication, and conducting thesis research in London and, outside the classroom, she was an editor at the Yale Daily News and a leader for First-year Outdoor Orientation Trips (FOOT).
ANDREW JACKSON ’22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Branford College; MCDB, andrew.jackson.aj534@yale.edu
Andrew is an alumnus of Branford College who majored in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology (MCDB). He was involved in the Yale Black Men’s Union and a few service projects with Dwight Hall. Andrew is from Ocala, Florida, and came to Yale from a medium-sized public high school in a suburban area.
ALEX LIANG ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Grace Hopper College; GLBL, alex.liang@yale.edu
Alex is from Bellaire, TX (basically Houston), where he attended a small parochial school. He was a global affairs (GLBL) major at Yale and studied abroad for a year in Beijing and Taipei on a Richard U. Light Fellowship (a Yale fellowship program). On campus, he was a student activist for the civil rights of Asian American scientists amid geopolitical tensions. He plays the bagpipes and loves airplanes and travel.
SARAH McKINNIS ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Trumbull College; PLSC, sarah.mckinnis@yale.edu
Sarah (she/her) was a political science (PLSC) major, and her interests range to international relations, public policy, and psychology. She was involved in many different groups at Yale, particularly Yale Dems and The Globalist. She’s from Fairfield, CT, where she went to a medium/large public suburban high school.
elizabeth nassir ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Benjamin Franklin College; MCDB, elizabeth.nassir@yale.edu
Elizabeth is from Boise, Idaho and studied molecular, cellular, and developmental biology (MCDB) with a concentration in biotechnology at Yale. She was also a contracted Air Force ROTC cadet. In the fall, she will attend medical school in Idaho. During her time at Yale, she conducted autoimmunity research at Yale Medical School, participated in the Yale cheer team, and was involved in multiple campus and community Christian ministries. Elizabeth came from a small high school in Tucson, Arizona. She looks forward to talking with you!
NGOZI OKOLI ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Berkeley College; SOCY, ngozi.okoli@yale.edu
Originally from Glenview, IL, Ngozi (she/her) had attended a medium-size Catholic high school in the suburbs outside of Chicago and majored in sociology (SOCY) at Yale. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health through Yale’s BA-BS/MPH 5-year program, and hopes to follow that with medical school. In terms of extracurriculars, Ngozi volunteered with the American Red Cross at Yale and at the Yale-New Haven Hospital. She worked as a peer liaison with the Afro-American Cultural Center (a.k.a. “the House”) and as a tutor for various STEM courses. She was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
MATTHEW PECORARO ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Grace Hopper College; CHEM and PLSC, matthew.pecoraro@yale.edu
Matthew is from North Babylon, Long Island, New York. He went to school at North Babylon High School, a medium-sized suburban public school. A double-major in chemistry and political science, he also earned a B.S./M.S. degree in chemistry. While a graduate of Timothy Dwight College, he served as a first-year counselor for Grace Hopper College and considers himself a “dual-citizen” of both. Along with the organometallic chemistry research he conducted with the Hazari Group, he was the president of the Military History Society, played tenor saxophone in DPops, was a member of Yale’s first whistling a cappella group (The Whistlepoofs), and was a player on Yale’s quiz bowl team. Outside of extracurriculars, he enjoys listening to podcasts, reading biographies, marathoning Avatar the Last Airbender, and playing Pokémon. He can’t wait to meet all of the new incoming frosh!
ANNA RULLAN BUXO ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Ezra Stiles College; CHEM (B.S., Int.), anna.rullanbuxo@yale.edu
Hello Class of 2026! Anna was born and raised between Guaynabo and San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she went to a small urban private school. She majored in chemistry at Yale, and some of her main extracurriculars were Danceworks (both as a dancer and choreographer) and Yale Mentorship for Minority Students in STEM, which she helped establish during my junior year. She was involved with the international community as an Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) counselor and OISS peer liaison, and studied abroad twice. She is happy to chat with you and send congrats on your decision to come to Yale!
CAMDEN SMITHRO ’22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Ezra Stiles College; EVST, camden.smithtro@yale.edu
Camden (she/they) graduated with a B.A. in environmental studies (EVST) and a concentration in food and agriculture. They hail from a small public high school in Monterey, California, though before high school she also lived in Colorado, Utah, Ohio, Virginia, and Nebraska. Camden spent most of their time as an Ezra Stiles aide and working on the Yale Farm.
SHANNON SOMMERS ‘22
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Trumbull College; PLSC, shannon.sommers@yale.edu
Shannon (she/her) is a New York City native with very strong opinions on pizza and bagels. She attended a medium-sized, non-specialized high school in Brooklyn. She was a political science major and a Human Rights Scholar at Yale Law School’s Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights through Yale College’s Multidisciplinary Academic Program initiative. In her extracurriculars, Shannon served on the boards of The Politic and the Reproductive Justice Action League, and she was formerly a student staffer at the Women’s Center. She hopes to attend law school in a few years, and she worked several jobs and internships at Yale Law School.
QUOC TRINH ELIZABETH VAN HA ’22
2021-22 first-year counselor in Benjamin Franklin College, E&EB and ENRG, elizabeth.vanha@yale.edu
Elizabeth was born and raised in Chicago, IL, and at Yale studied ecology and evolutionary biology (E&EB) with a concentration in biodiversity and conservation. She also received a certificate in the Energy Studies (ENRG) Multidisciplinary Academic Program (MAP). Outside of the classroom, she participated in the Harvest pre-orientation (or “Camp Yale”) program as a leader and coordinator, helped open The Beanjamin (the student-run cafe in her college), and was active in Yale Steppin’ Out, Women’s C2 Soccer, and Yale Women’s Rugby. Elizabeth loved her role as a FroCo this past year, and looks forward to learning more about the Class of 2026!
Helen Zhuo
2021-2022 first-year counselor in Pauli Murray College; HSHM & ECON; helen.zhuo@yale.edu
Helen (she/her) is a native New Yorker, hailing from Queens, who attended a large public high school in an urban setting. At Yale, she majored in History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health (HSHM) and Economics (ECON) and is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Health in Healthcare Management through Yale’s 5-year BA-BS/MPH program. During her four years, Helen has studied abroad in Shanghai on the Light Fellowship, tutored New Haven public school students through PALS Tutoring, and conducted research with the Samoan Obesity Research Group at the Yale School of Public Health. However, the bulk of her extracurricular time was spent within her residential college. Serving as the Pauli Murray College Council President, she planned dances, study breaks, and trips for her fellow “LiMurs.” For her final year, she will be returning to Pauli Murray as the Residential Graduate Affiliate. Welcome and congratulations to the Class of 2026!