Prospective Students

Prospective Students

For questions concerning Bulldog Days and campus visits in general, feel free to contact the following Latino Student Recruitment Coordinators:

Reny Diaz
reny.diaz@yale.edu

Reny Diaz, a junior in Saybrook College, was born and raised in Miami, Florida. A sociology with economics major, Reny plans to pursue an executive master's degree in business administration. At Yale, Reny serves as business manager of Shades, one of Yale's premiere a cappella groups. He is also a member of the Saybrook housing committee, a founder of the Cuban-American Undergraduate Students Association and an alumnus of the Bulldogs in Hong Kong program. In his spare time, Reny enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.

Flora Elena Mendoza
flora.mendoza@yale.edu

Flora Elena Mendoza is a junior in Timothy Dwight College and a Latin American Studies Major. She was born in New York City to a Mexican father and a Spanish mother and raised in Pennsylvania. She serves as the Class Representative for her alma mater, Miss Porter’s School. She received a fellowship to study in Brazil in the summer of 2005 and spent this past summer volunteering at a school in the Himalayas. She was the rush and tour manager of Shades, an a cappella group that sings music of the African Diaspora. She has worked for the Recital and Repertory Choruses at the School of Sacred Music, the Battell Chapel Choir, and the Music Library. She has tutored at a number of local schools, including the Roberto Clemente Middle School through the Youth Together program, at Timothy Dwight and Wexler-Grant Elementary Schools through the American Reads program, and at the New Haven Reads Community Book Bank as an ESL liaison. She interns at the Dixwell-Yale Community Learning Center and mentors for the Yale Women’s Leadership Initiative. She has sung with the Glee Club and the Opera Theatre of Yale College and studies voice at the School of Music. She hopes to pursue a career in music and/or journalism.

Chris Palencia
christopher.palencia@yale.edu

Chris Palencia was born in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from Torrance High School in the South Bay suburbs of L.A. A sophomore of Honduran descent in Trumbull College, Chris is planning on pursuing the major in Architecture with a possible Latin American Studies double major. As a freshman, Chris was involved in planning the inaugural Ambassadors Program and was a member of the Rhanjey Yale Dey Bhangra team. Now in his second year in New Haven, Chris is working with the Roosevelt Institution to put together the conference, "A Seat at the Table: Socioeconomic Diversity and Access to Selective Higher Education." In addition to his work at the Admissions Office, he spends time working at the Council for Latin American and Iberian Studies. Chris is a sophomore representative on the Trumbull College Council.

Edeli Rivera
edeli.rivera@yale.edu

Edeli Rivera, a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College, was raised in Puerto Rico and currently calls Georgia home. She is majoring in Political Science and International Studies. Edeli is involved in Despierta Boricua, the Puerto Rican student organization, along with several other groups at La Casa Cultural. She is a sophomore class representative in the Stiles College Council and serves as a Student Deacon in the University Church at Battel Chapel. She also works as a Spanish grader in the Spanish Department. She plans to study abroad in the near future and pursue her interest in the Arabic language. She hopes to attend law school after completing her undergraduate studies at Yale.

Robert Sanchez
robert.j.sanchez@yale.edu

Robert Sánchez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He is currently a Senior in Saybrook College majoring in History of Science and Medicine. Currently, he is the Latino Ethnic Counselor for Saybrook College and is serving his third year as a Student Recruitment Coordinator. At Yale, he is involved with Alianza: The Alliance Celebrating Latin Culture and the Yale Precision Marching Band. He's also a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church and La Casa Cultural. His studies have given him the opportunity to travel abroad during a summer to the Dominican Republic on a Spanish & Community Health program. He has served on the Coalition for Campus Unity, done work study in the Applied Physics Department, and mentors high school students through the Amigos program. He hopes to pursue medicine after his undergraduate career.

Salvador Andrade
salvador.andrade@yale.edu

Salvador Andrade was born in México and moved to the US at the age of three. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and currently hails from Schiller Park, Illinois. As a sophomore in Pierson College, he has yet to declare his major but is a prospective architecture major. When not in Pierson, he can be found at La Casa Cultural (otherwise known as his second home). While there, he participates in Alianza, the pan-Latin American group on campus, and MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán). He has also tutored at the Af-Am House and has recently picked up taking pictures for the Yale Daily News. He likes to keep busy over the summer, and has most recently been Brazil to learn Portuguese with Yale Summer Session.

Mayra Macías
mayra.macías@yale.edu

Mayra Macías, a Chicana from Chicago, Illinois, attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. Currently a sophomore in Branford College, Mayra intends on double majoring in Latin American Studies and Ethnicity, Race and Migration. During her freshmen year, Mayra was a freshmen liaison for La Casa Cultural as well an e-board member of MEChA and Alianza. This year Mayra continues her involvement in La Casa but she has also become more active with the YDN as a contributing photographer. A passionate dancer, Mayra is in the midst of organizing Sabrosura, the first ever Pan-Latin American Dance Show at Yale. She hopes to carry her love for dance into graduate school where she wants to study race via the lens of performance.

Reny Diaz reny.diaz@yale.edu	Reny Diaz, a junior in Saybrook College, was born and raised in Miami, Florida. A sociology with economics major, Reny plans to pursue an executive master's degree in business administration. At Yale, Reny serves as business manager of Shades, one of Yale's premiere a cappella groups. He is also a member of the Saybrook housing committee, a founder of the Cuban-American Undergraduate Students Association and an alumnus of the Bulldogs in Hong Kong program. In his spare time, Reny enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.

Flora Elena Mendoza flora.mendoza@yale.edu	Flora Elena Mendoza is a junior in Timothy Dwight College and a Latin American Studies Major. She was born in New York City to a Mexican father and a Spanish mother and raised in Pennsylvania. She serves as the Class Representative for her alma mater, Miss Porter’s School. She received a fellowship to study in Brazil in the summer of 2005 and spent this past summer volunteering at a school in the Himalayas. She was the rush and tour manager of Shades, an a cappella group that sings music of the African Diaspora. She has worked for the Recital and Repertory Choruses at the School of Sacred Music, the Battell Chapel Choir, and the Music Library. She has tutored at a number of local schools, including the Roberto Clemente Middle School through the Youth Together program, at Timothy Dwight and Wexler-Grant Elementary Schools through the American Reads program, and at the New Haven Reads Community Book Bank as an ESL liaison. She interns at the Dixwell-Yale Community Learning Center and mentors for the Yale Women’s Leadership Initiative. She has sung with the Glee Club and the Opera Theatre of Yale College and studies voice at the School of Music. She hopes to pursue a career in music and/or journalism.

Chris Palencia christopher.palencia@yale.edu	Chris Palencia was born in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from Torrance High School in the South Bay suburbs of L.A. A sophomore of Honduran descent in Trumbull College, Chris is planning on pursuing the major in Architecture with a possible Latin American Studies double major. As a freshman, Chris was involved in planning the inaugural Ambassadors Program and was a member of the Rhanjey Yale Dey Bhangra team. Now in his second year in New Haven, Chris is working with the Roosevelt Institution to put together the conference, "A Seat at the Table: Socioeconomic Diversity and Access to Selective Higher Education." In addition to his work at the Admissions Office, he spends time working at the Council for Latin American and Iberian Studies. Chris is a sophomore representative on the Trumbull College Council.

Edeli Rivera edeli.rivera@yale.edu	Edeli Rivera, a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College, was raised in Puerto Rico and currently calls Georgia home. She is majoring in Political Science and International Studies. Edeli is involved in Despierta Boricua, the Puerto Rican student organization, along with several other groups at La Casa Cultural. She is a sophomore class representative in the Stiles College Council and serves as a Student Deacon in the University Church at Battel Chapel. She also works as a Spanish grader in the Spanish Department. She plans to study abroad in the near future and pursue her interest in the Arabic language. She hopes to attend law school after completing her undergraduate studies at Yale.

Robert Sanchez robert.j.sanchez@yale.edu	Robert Sánchez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He is currently a Senior in Saybrook College majoring in History of Science and Medicine. Currently, he is the Latino Ethnic Counselor for Saybrook College and is serving his third year as a Student Recruitment Coordinator. At Yale, he is involved with Alianza: The Alliance Celebrating Latin Culture and the Yale Precision Marching Band. He's also a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church and La Casa Cultural. His studies have given him the opportunity to travel abroad during a summer to the Dominican Republic on a Spanish & Community Health program. He has served on the Coalition for Campus Unity, done work study in the Applied Physics Department, and mentors high school students through the Amigos program. He hopes to pursue medicine after his undergraduate career.

Salvador Andrade salvador.andrade@yale.edu	Salvador Andrade was born in México and moved to the US at the age of three. He grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and currently hails from Schiller Park, Illinois. As a sophomore in Pierson College, he has yet to declare his major but is a prospective architecture major. When not in Pierson, he can be found at La Casa Cultural (otherwise known as his second home). While there, he participates in Alianza, the pan-Latin American group on campus, and MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán). He has also tutored at the Af-Am House and has recently picked up taking pictures for the Yale Daily News. He likes to keep busy over the summer, and has most recently been Brazil to learn Portuguese with Yale Summer Session.

Mayra Macías mayra.macías@yale.edu	Mayra Macías, a Chicana from Chicago, Illinois, attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. Currently a sophomore in Branford College, Mayra intends on double majoring in Latin American Studies and Ethnicity, Race and Migration. During her freshmen year, Mayra was a freshmen liaison for La Casa Cultural as well an e-board member of MEChA and Alianza. This year Mayra continues her involvement in La Casa but she has also become more active with the YDN as a contributing photographer. A passionate dancer, Mayra is in the midst of organizing Sabrosura, the first ever Pan-Latin American Dance Show at Yale. She hopes to carry her love for dance into graduate school where she wants to study race via the lens of performance.