Summer Colleges Staff

Hey party people, I’m Kara (she/her)! I’m a recent graduate (Pauli Murray) who double majored in MCDB on the neurobiology track and E&EB on the organismal biology track. I've had the pleasure of calling New Haven and Yale my home for my whole life, and this will be my second summer as an RD. Hit me up if you wanna know anything about the area, talk all things procedurals (trust me, I've seen them all), or hear me drone on endlessly about theater lighting!

Hi! You can call me Will (he/him). I'm a rising junior in Pierson, and I study chemistry. This summer I'm planning on researching materials that harness energy from sunlight. My hobbies include writing, solving New York Times crosswords (Mondays only), and vibing to Flipturn and Hozier.

My name is Ruth Aromolaran, I am a junior majoring in Molecular Biochemistry & Biophysics on the premedical track! I enjoy singing and photography!

Hi all! Welcome to Yale Summer Session! My name is Jae-Hee, and I’m a rising junior in Davenport, majoring in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry with a certificate in Climate Science and Solutions. I’ll be a residential counselor this summer and I'm super excited to meet you all and spend my second summer in New Haven. <3  If you really like birdwatching, I'd appreciate your help in identifying birds.

Hey everybody! My name is Abigail Barlow (she/her), and I'm a rising sophomore in Davenport currently planning to major in E&EB. Before coming to New Haven, I spent my entire life on a farm in rural Pennsylvania. This summer, you can probably find me studying for my organic chemistry classes or getting ice cream from Ashley's. In my free time, I love baking, listening to music (Elton John is my favorite!), and spending time with my four cats. I'm looking forward to a great summer with YSS!

Hi! I'm Matthew (he/him), and I'm one of your YSS Residential Directors! I graduated from Yale with a B.A. in Sociology (intensive) and a concentration in Health & Society. Originally, I'm from Birmingham, AL, but I've called New Haven home for four happy, pizza-filled years. This summer, I'm excited to co-chair our Events Committee, help lead our amazing team of Residential Counselors, and help everyone have a safe, fun YSS experience! 

Hi y’all! I’m Katherine (she/her), from Arizona. I am a rising senior studying neuroscience and interested in emerging-tech policy. This summer, I’ll be doing policy research at a think tank on AI, neuroscience research in decision-making under uncertainty, and eating all the ice cream that Yale’s cold winter has deprived me of.

Hi! I’m Joelly. I’m a rising junior in Hopper majoring in neuroscience. I’m from Houston, TX and in my free time I like training for powerlifting meets.

Hi! I'm Jack Denning (he/him) and I graduated from Yale this spring with a degree in History, specializing in the histories of ideas, labor, physical infrastructure, and migration. Outside of academics, I enjoy cooking and drinking espresso, reading Wikipedia articles, working with my hands, building Spotify playlists, and analog photography. As a former YSS student and YSS Buttery Manager, I'm excited to join the team again as a Residential Director.

Hi I’m Diane! I’m from Miami, FL. I just graduated yale with a B.S. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. I’m excited to be in New Haven this summer and hopefully go kayaking!

Hi everyone! My name is Vamsi Gorrepati (he/him/his). I just graduated from Yale as a Neuroscience and Computer Science double major in Pauli Murray College. This summer you can find me in the gym and outside playing spike ball.

Hey everyone! My name is Cameron (he/him) and I am a rising junior in Ben Franklin. I'm currently a philosophy major, but I hope to pursue double major with linguistics. In my free time, I enjoy reading, creative writing, finding new music, and wandering around New Haven.

Hello! I’m Jaspreet Kandola (she/her), and I’m a rising senior in JE majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. I’m from Hannibal, Missouri, but I was born in India and have also lived in Italy. This summer you can find me in the gym or studying for my physics class. I look forward to meeting you all! :)

Hello! I’m Oluoma Kanu (YC’ 25.5), an MCDB major in Trumbull College. I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, but call Boston, MA my home away from home. This summer, I’ll be involved in regenerative biology research at the van Wolfswinkel lab, volunteering at the Haven Free Clinic, working as an instructor for Yale Young African Scholars (YYAS), AND serving as a residential counselor! When I’m not doing any of these things, you’ll find me trying to complete my unfinished crochet projects, getting through my reading list in cool, shaded areas, or trying out chai from around New Haven. Cheers!

Hey y'all! I'm Jaion Kelly and I am a rising junior in Benjamin Franklin College from Alexander City, Alabama majoring in psychology. My hobbies include cooking, dancing, reading, and listening to music (if you have any good music recs, please send them my way)! This summer, you can most likely find me lounging on Cross Campus, tucked away in a library somewhere, or in Grace Hopper College, where I am a residential counselor. I'm super excited to meet everyone and looking forward to a great summer!

Hi! My name is Sahriar Khan (pronounced Shariar), a rising sophomore at Jonathan Edwards College. I’m from Brooklyn, New York, studying Computer Science and pursuing a certificate in Statistics & Data Science (S&DS). My hobbies include origami and wearing floral shirts. I look forward to working with you beautiful people.

Hi! My name is Tsach (“Zack”) and I’m a rising senior double majoring in Chemistry and Computer Science. When I’m not working, I enjoy running and listening to podcasts.

Hi. My name is Daniel. I'm a rising senior and I'm based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I like stargazing/movie nights, long runs, and volunteering. This is my first summer in New Haven so I'm excited to be here and work in the RC team.

Hi, I am Araya Miller (she/her), a rising junior in Benjamin Franklin College. I am studying Political Science with an Education Studies Certificate. In my free time I like to go on long walks, listen to 90s hip hop and R&B, eat good food, and explore new places. I was born and raised in Connecticut and I am excited to spend my summer in New Haven as a Residential Counselor this year.

Hi everyone! My name is Kalisa Minas and I am an FGLI rising senior in Morse majoring in E&EB. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and I’m super excited to be spending another summer in New Haven. I’m a big lover of all things music and have a soft spot for anime, so I’m always down to exchange recommendations.

Hi everyone! My name is Mofeed (he/him), and I just graduated from Yale with a Computer Science and Statistics & Data Science double major. Originally, I am from Baltimore, MD, and I was in Timothy Dwight College. Over the summer, you can find me working at PWG, reading on cross campus, and hanging out in the buttery.

Hey everyone! My name is Peter (he/him), a rising junior in Jonathan Edwards. I plan to major in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry with a language certificate in Mandarin. Besides frequenting Payne Whitney for pick-up volleyball and practicing flute in the School of Music, you can find me down by the medical school volunteering at HAVEN Free Clinic this summer. I look forward to getting to know you all!

Hey everyone! My name is Chidimma Nzekwe and I am a rising junior in Silliman College majoring in neuroscience on the pre-med track. In my free time, I love to cook and experiment with new dishes. I'm super excited to be an RC this summer and look forward to meeting you all!

Hi! My name is Sebastian (he/him), and I'm a rising junior in Stiles majoring in CS. I'm from New York, though I've spent a third of my life in Mexico & a gap year in Taiwan. This summer I'll be a residential counselor for YSS and will also be doing computer science research, but in my free time I'll be hanging out with friends, trying out new cafes/restaurants, or hiking!

Hi guys, I'm Pranav Parakh from Niagara Falls, Canada, and I graduated recently with a Mathematics and Physics major. I have been a researcher at the Quantronics Lab (QuLab) since 2021 under the direction of Prof. Michel Devoret and I'm currently working on simulating the behaviour of superconducting circuits. Outside of quantum, I'm always game for nearly any sport (I plays as many intramurals as possible!), I'm a member of the Yale Club Squash Team, and I enjoy playing guitar and piano. I will also be starting a PhD in Applied Physics at Stanford in September.

Hi everyone, I'm Emily (she/her), a rising junior from Iowa double majoring in chemistry and economics. When I'm not studying in the Stiles common room or in HQ, I can be found running, crocheting, reading, or getting boba with friends.

Hi y'all, I'm Tony Potchernikov, and I just graduated with a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and have also gotten quite a bit into photography as well. I'm originally from Nashville, TN. If you see me around please feel free to say hello!

Hey there! My name is Luciano (he/him) and I am a rising senior in Pierson majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and I’m excited to spend my summer in New Haven with you all!! Along with being a RC, I will be around campus volunteering for HAVEN Free Clinic and doing research at the Sheltzer Lab so feel free to send me any question relating to pre-med/research. I love to hike, listen to music, workout with friends, and be involved in advocacy. I hope to see you around!

Hi everyone! My name is Emily Shang (she/her) and I'm a rising senior in Timothy Dwight college. I come from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA and major in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. This summer, I'll be doing research at Yale Med. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball, running, and losing at chess.

Hi everyone, I'm Steven! I enjoy being in water, I’m in Branford class of 2027, and from Southwest Florida.

Hi! I’m Naheem Watson (he/they) and I’m a senior Cognitive Science major with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction! Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, but plan to move to NYC post-grad. I hope to have a lot of fun with you all this summer as an RC and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone!

Hey y'all! My name is Aaron Weiser, and I’m from Dallas, Texas. I recently graduated with a degree in English Language and Literature and what I would call an unofficial second major in Ceramics. This is my fourth year at YSS, and I am so happy and grateful to be returning as a Residential Director. New Haven is wonderful during the summer, and I can’t wait for y'all to experience it for yourselves! You will probably catch me reading, playing lots of volleyball, and lounging in the sun, but feel free to interrupt and ask about YSS, poetry, pottery, or my favorites of the Pixar movie catalog.

Hi! My name is Ava Wilson and I’m a rising junior from Baltimore, MD. I study history here at Yale, and in my free time I love to play sports, listen to live music, and try new foods. I’m so excited to meet everyone and to be part of the YSS team!

Hi everyone! My name is Wren Wolterbeek and I graduated with a degree in English and Education Studies (intensive certificate). This summer, I'm making a prolonged good-bye to New Haven and working as the Residential Director for Special Programs. When I'm not running around campus, you can almost certainly find me in a cafe (please ask me about my favorite coffee spots in New Haven). I'm looking forward to reading, wandering, and playing ping pong. I'm also always down for a game night or trivia. 

Hi! I’m Kayla (she/her) and I’m a rising second semester senior in Davenport majoring in Neuroscience. I love avocados, picnics, and long walks. I will be a residential counselor this summer and can’t wait to meet you all! I’m especially excited to play spikeball, go on boba runs, and discover new pockets in New Haven.

Hey everyone! My name is Lucy, and I am a rising senior in Morse majoring in MB&B. I am super excited to be a residential counselor this summer and exploring summer New Haven with you all! At Yale, I have been involved with Yale Synapse, Camp Kesem, and Research at the Med school and West Campus. If you ever run into me, I am probably on a walk on campus listening to music, doing work in the nice weather outside, or running towards East Rock.

Hi, I’m Michelle, and I’m a rising senior studying Cognitive Science specifically in Human-AI Interaction. I love playing tennis, drinking iced fruit milk teas, and dancing with friends!

Hello! My name is Carolina, and I am a rising senior in Davenport College. I'm from just outside of Washington, D.C. and am majoring in Computer Science and Neuroscience. In my free time, I love reading, exploring nature, and watching good movies. I can't wait to meet everyone this summer!