First-Year Counselors (FroCos)
The First-Year Counselor Program “affords first-year students access to experienced, mature, and knowledgeable members of the senior class. The program selects exceptional seniors to live among first-year students on Old Campus or in residential colleges and offer oversight, advice, and guidance. First-Year Counselors, colloquially known as ‘FroCos,’ seek to ease the transition of incoming first-years to the academic, social, and cultural life of Yale College.”
Ezra Stiles has 8 FroCos from diverse backgrounds and unique experiences in their time as undergraduates. They are beyond excited to be working with the newest class of first-year moose, and living with them in beautiful Lawrance Hall on Old Campus!
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Samantha (she/her) grew up in Coronado, CA (a beautiful island/peninsula in San Diego!), but has truly found a second home in Stiles. Aside from being a FroCo this year, she has served as the Stiles Student Kitchen manager, Co-Head House Aide, and SAC Co-President. At Yale, she is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and pursuing a certificate in Statistics & Data Science. She has conducted research in a biomedical devices lab at Yale School of Medicine since freshman year and also has interests in aerospace. Some of Samantha’s extracurricular involvements include YUAA (Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association), serving as a MENG peer mentor, YSC (Yale Students for Christ), and Bulldogs Racing. In her free time, she enjoys baking for her friends, working out at Payne Whitney, scoping out new restaurants/bakeries, and chasing down sunsets. She is so excited to meet her frosh and welcome all of Stiles ’28 to the Herd. GFM!! :D |
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Born in Connecticut, KJ (she/her) moved to North Carolina early enough to say that she’s from North Carolina but too late to say she was raised there. She is an Astrophysics major pursuing the certificate in Statistics and Data Science. Around Stiles, KJ serves as an office aide, is the President of Ezra Stiles College Council, and used to be a Stiles student kitchen manager. (Don’t ask her if Stiles is the best residential college. You know the answer.) Outside of the college, KJ served as the Executive Director of Yale Undergraduate Science Olympiad and is now an advisor to the organization. When she’s not working on research in the astronomy lounge, KJ can be found at T-Swirl, updating her spreadsheet of every mobile game she’s ever played, or at any of the Blue Line shuttle stops. She became an avid crocheter in her sophomore year and is probably working on the nth blanket for the FroCo common room as you read this. KJ can’t wait to meet the incoming class of Stilesians and share this college with them. Welcome to the herd!! |
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Benj (he/him) is from Bellevue, near Seattle, WA. An Earth & Planetary Science and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology double major, Benj loves exploring the Earth on Yale’s dime (ask him what classes are best for subsidized field trips!). He is interested in the origin of life and astrobiology - yes that’s kind of aliens! - but his favorite class at Yale so far has been Intro Linguistics. If he’s not in class, Benj is likely jump roping with Yale Club Jump Rope, spending way too long in the dining halls gabbing with friends, visiting the Peabody Museum with Club Geo, or playing intramural sports. He can’t wait to meet the new Moose this year!
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Misaal Tabassum is from New York City, which she continues to contend is the greatest city in the world (though she also has a lot of love for New Haven <3). She is majoring in Political Science and History, and is interested in international development with plans to eventually attend law school. During her time at Yale, Misaal has served as the Head Recruitment Coordinator at Yale Admissions, Head Advising Fellow for Yale’s chapter of Matriculate, Peer Liaison for the Visiting International Students Program, and has been on the organizing secretariat for international Model UN conferences under the Yale International Relations Association. She has also been involved with affinity groups, serving as the co-President of Yalies for Pakistan and holding positions on the boards of the South Asian Society and Women’s Empowerment Conference. In her free time, Misaal enjoys traveling, cafe-hopping, and trying out new hobbies like juggling and knitting! She is currently working on cultivating her chess skills and is always down to play a game. Misaal can’t wait to welcome the newest members of the herd to Stiles! |
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Afrin is a first-generation Bangladeshi college student from Windsor, CT. She is majoring in Neuroscience, on the premed track. At Yale, she served as the former Lt. of Education for Yale Emergency Medical Services (Yale’s collegiate EMS service), Vice President of Yale Bengali Student’s Association, and is a current undergraduate research assistant at the Center for Neuroscience and Regeneration. Outside of Yale, she is a peer mentor and volunteers at for an outside EMS service. Beyond all of her premed extracurriculars, Afrin loves practicing henna and Arabic calligraphy! Occasionally, you will find her at Payne Whitney Gym working out with friends or the Chaplain’s Office indulging in the free ice cream. She is beyond excited to meet her frosh and showing them why Stiles is the best college!! |
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Eli (he/him) is from Carbondale, Illinois, a small town in Southern Illinois recently known as the Crossroads of the Eclipses! He is majoring in Economics & Mathematics and is interested in labor economics, econometrics, and development economics. Eli has worked on research on racial/gender variations in the distribution of family income and on the relationship between electrification programs and credit access in rural India. On campus, he has been involved in the Asian-American Cultural Center (AACC) as a Co-Moderator of the Taiwanese-American Society, as a First-Year Outdoor Orientation Trip (FOOT) Leader, as an Intake Coordinator for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, and as a Lead Producer on the Yale Daily News (YDN) Podcast Desk. In his free time, Eli enjoys journaling, planning very serious Bananagrams tournaments, making homemade cappuccinos with his Moka pot, and playing Geoguessr. He is moose-t excited to welcome the Class of ‘28 to the Stiles community!!! |
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Norvin is from Dumfries, Virginia, a suburb about 30 miles outside of Washington D.C. He is majoring in Psychology on the pre-med track, and is interested in the mental illness of marginalized and underserved populations—hoping to pursue a career in psychiatry or neurology in the future. On campus, Norvin served as the former Vice-President of the Yale Black Men’s Union, volunteered in the HAVEN Free Clinic’s Behavioral Health Department, wrote for the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, and did writing and photography for the Yale Scientific Magazine. He also currently works in the Yale Department of Psychology’s Mechanisms of Disinhibition Lab helping collect data for studies related to disinhibitory antisocial behavior and psychopathology, and is a Community Mental Health Fellow. In his free time, Norvin loves to read books related to investing or history, watch Sci-Fi movies, try out the many restaurants in New Haven, and keep up with NFL Football. He is super excited to meet his frosh and introduce them to the amazing Stiles community! |
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Elena Wittemyer is from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and most of her hobbies relate to being from a mountain town. She loves to rock climb (through the Yale Climbing Team), ski, and mountain bike. Elena is majoring in Mechanical Engineering on the ABET-accredited track. She is very passionate about robotics, particularly the discipline of space robotics, and has performed research in the Yale Intelligent Autonomy Lab since her first year. Outside of the classroom, Elena spends her time on the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association’s Cube Satellite Project, where she is on the software team, and at the City Climb Gym. Her other interests include playing card games, watching old movies, and Halloween.
On an average day, you can find Elena studying deep in the stacks of Sterling Memorial Library, getting boba from The Whale Tea, and hanging out at the Stiles buttery. Elena has loved the experience of being part of Stiles, and she can’t wait to meet the class of ‘28 and introduce them to the community! |
