Yale University
Office of International Students & Scholars
Office of International
Students & Scholars
Phone: 203.432.2305
Fax: 203.432.7166
email: oiss@yale.edu
Yale College International Peer Liaisons
These undergraduate students are here to help you connect with the wealth of support at Yale College. They will be delighted to hear from any incoming freshmen if you have questions or concerns. Or you can write to them just to say hello!
2012-2013 International Peer Liaisons |
Sarah Collica
sarah.collica@yale.edu
Hi, I'm Sarah - a proud member of the class of 2013 and Davenport College and am thrilled to have been named a peer liaison for the international students of 2016. I am from Italy and grew up in Palermo, Sicily where I attended a public science high school. I am now a biology major (and premed) and have spent the last two summers interning at the NIA in Baltimore where we are studying the effects of exercise on memory. I am also passionate about art history, painting, drawing and French literature. I love traveling and have spent a summer in Paris learning French on a fantastic Yale summer program. During sophomore spring break, I went to Vietnam to plant trees and this past year I was in Brazil volunteering with children. I know the ins and outs of campus life and have held many campus jobs including working in the Dean's office and the Italian Department, and I also tutor Italian and organic chemistry. I have been very active in YEU (Yale European Undergraduates) and am currently the President of the Italian Undergraduate Society at Yale. As you can see, I am quite involved in the international community at Yale and am extremely excited about being a mentor and a friend to international members of the new class of 2016!
Thabani Dhlakama
thabani.dhlakama@yale.edu
Hey there! My name is Thabani and I am a senior this year (I still can’t believe it!). I am from Harare, Zimbabwe, but I certainly count my Residential College, Timothy Dwight (TD) as one of my many “homes away from home”. My major is Biomedical Engineering, but I have always been interested in health of all forms – public health, health policy, global health, etc. – so yes, I am premed! Aside from the academics, I sing in a couple of groups on campus, watch soccer when I can, and I absolutely love planning movie nights and hangouts. I am looking forward to meeting you all and I am excited to see you embark on this amazing four year journey. You are bringing such invaluable talent, culture and diversity to Yale, and I am glad to be available to help you in navigating this incredible place. Don’t hesitate to email me (thabani.dhlakama@yale.edu) or find me on Facebook, Skype and Twitter! Congratulations on joining the Yale family! xOxO
Illyana Green
illyana.green@yale.edu
I'm a rising junior in Morse College from Dominica in the Caribbean and I'm so excited to meet and welcome you all to Yale! I've just recently declared as a Humanities major, moving over from the Political Science department and I would be happy to talk to anyone about political science, international affairs or just finding the right major to suit your interests best. Feel free to email me at illyana.green@yale.edu with any question at all, or just to say hi and talk. Enjoy the rest of your summer. I'll be seeing you soon at OIS!
Victor Kang
victor.kang@yale.edu
Kia ora everyone! My name is Victor Kang, and I'm a rising junior in Trumbull (MOORAHHH). I was born in Seoul, Korea, but moved to New Zealand when I was 7 years old. I consider myself a child of both cultures, so my favourite dishes are all Korean, but I talk like a Kiwi (aka New Zealander). I've declared my major to be Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, but, like all of you guys, I have a wide range of interests! I love photography, and I'm the photo editor at the Yale Daily News; I really enjoy music, and I play cello with the Jonathan Edwards College Philharmonic; I'm passionate about technology, and I work as a student technician. If you have any questions about these activities, or if you share a certain hobby with me, please flick me an email victor.kang@yale.edu. I am very much looking forward to meeting all of you come Fall!
Xinyang Ethan Li
xinyang.li@yale.edu
Hi all! My name is Xinyang and if you have no idea how to pronounce this, I also go by Ethan. I am a rising senior (although sometimes I still subconsciously consider myself a freshman) currently living in Ezra Stiles College. I was born and brought up in China and came to Yale in 2009. I’m excited to be a Peer Liaison this year and I’m even more excited for you guys to have what is going to be four amazing years ahead. I am currently majoring in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, at Yale (trust me, this is a Yale major). So feel free to come to me with questions like how I decided on my major or what it feels like to have fewer than five people in your major. Over the past three years, I have been very involved in the ISO (International Students Organization) and did a lot of fun stuff with them. By the way, there are OISS, ISO, OIS and they are all different things. Don’t be frustrated if you find all these abbreviations confusing. I’m sure you’ll soon figure them out, just as you’ll figure out many other things at Yale over the next few months. As a peer liaison and an international student myself, I’d be more than happy to help you out in this process and share with you my own experiences. Please don’t hesitate to come to me for help or drop me a line at xinyang.li@yale.edu. See you in August!
Jez Marston
jez.marston@yale.edu
Hi everyone!! I am so excited to get to know you all! My name is Jez Marston. I'm a rising sophomore from Kingston, Jamaica, in Berkeley College. I have lived in Jamaica for most of my life, but spent a few years in England and, after returning to Jamaica, went to boarding school in the US before I got to Yale. So far, I am a pre-med student pursuing a major in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. I’m one of the few who has been pretty set on a major from the get go, but at times I still contemplate other options and Yale is such an amazing place to find yourself and decide on what you really want to study, so never fret! Outside of my major, I’m interested in world history, linguistics, and Spanish but I would gladly talk to you about any major! I'm spending this summer doing an internship in a laboratory in Madrid, Spain thanks to Yale’s International Summer Award (ISA). My favorite things include almost any kind of food (and there are so many different types to try in New Haven), dancing, chatting with friends, the beach, and the international community at Yale. ;) I had such an amazing first year at this incredible university and I can’t wait for all of you to experience it as well! I know I really relied on my peer liaisons last year and I’ll be there at any point if you need help or just want someone to talk to. If you want, you can email me at jez.marston@yale.edu or add me on facebook and I would be happy to answer any of your questions and get to know you better! Hope you are having wonderful summers.
Divya Khare
divya.khare@yale.edu
Hey everyone! Firstly, congratulations on being admitted to Yale! You are all about to embark on an incredible journey. So good luck for it and GET EXCITED! My name is Divya. I am a rising senior from India. I was born in Nagaoka, Japan and spent the first few years of my life speaking fluent Japanese, stuffing myself with korokke like there is no tomorrow and making origami. Then, I moved to India when I was 6 years old and had to learn Hindi (which was quite challenging but loads of fun. Maybe you can try it and take it up as a foreign language at Yale!). So I consider myself a part of both cultures. At Yale, I am majoring in Economics and Electrical Engineering. Besides my major, I also love mathematics, French and physics. Feel free to drop me a line if you're interested in any of the above or plan to take up similar courses at Yale. I’m happy to talk about everything- ranging from how to deal with shopping period craziness, bluebooking and choosing the right courses, to Zaroka's samosas and the sacred Wenzel culture. *Wenzel- buffalo chicken grinder, you'll find out very soon. In my free time I love playing tennis, swimming, meeting new people from all over the world, planning movie marathons, eating chocolates, discussing world economics, shopping and listening to bollywood songs - yes, the ones with abrupt dance sequences in meadows. And, you are welcome to join me in any of the above. I also love food, so if you ever come to me with questions through the year, rest assured, cupcakes, chocolates and yummy delicacies will follow. So come over even if you're really just hungry! :) My peer liaisons helped me through my freshmen year a lot. And I hope we are able to help you adjust to the 'new' place in the same way and guide you through the process! I look forward to being a peer liaison and mentoring the class of 2016. If you have any questions or just want to talk, shoot me an email at divya.khare@yale.edu or add me on facebook! Get pumped! You guys have an AMAZING four years ahead of you.
related links
Consider signing up for OIS, a program designed to introduce new international students to Yale and to the city of New Haven.