JE is delighted to announce 2024 - 2025 Fro-Cos!
Christian Bailey
Christian Bailey (she/her) is from Decatur, Alabama, and is a senior majoring in Sociology and pursuing a certificate in Education Studies. She previously served as the Co-President and Co-founder of the Generational African American Student Association (GAASA), was a JE Peer liaison for the Afro-American Cultural Center for two years, and has served on the executive board for the Black Student Alliance at Yale (BSAY). In her free time, Christian enjoys exercising, napping, and watching random true-crime documentaries on Netflix and Hulu.
Christian’s $0.02: Going from high school to Yale can be a difficult adjustment. Maintaining good grades, finding your friend group, and being away from your friends and family can be very stressful. Always remember to put your health and wellbeing first, and to extend grace to the person you are growing into and becoming. Academics, extracurriculars, and social life are important, but remember that you come first.
Jem Burch
Jem (he/him) is from Van Nuys, California, a suburb north of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley (the origin of the term ‘Valley girl’). He is majoring in Linguistics with a Russian Language certificate. On campus, Jem serves as co-president of the Quiz Bowl team, works in the Yale Film Archive and the Blackfoot language lab, and coaches local high school students in computational linguistics. In his free time, he enjoys playing Bananagrams, making crossword puzzles, and drinking boba from Loose Leaf. He is super excited to welcome the class of ’28 to JE! Go Spiders!
Jem’s $0.02: It can be tempting to plan out your entire academic career as soon as you step foot on campus, but I strongly encourage you not to fall into this trap! There really is plenty of time to figure things out as you go along, so don’t be afraid to have some fun along the way. Take classes outside your major, try out that new language, join that interesting club even if it doesn’t exactly align with your future plans.
Jordan Hershman
Jordan (he/him) is an Ethics, Politics, and Economics major from La Cañada Flintridge, CA, but he’s taken classes across twenty different departments during his time at Yale, so he’s happy to provide first-years with course recommendations no matter where their academic interests lie. Outside of the classroom, Jordan has competed as a member of the Yale Undergraduate Ethics Bowl and Yale Debate Association, served as a legislative fellow for the Yale College Democrats, acted in the Dramat’s 2021 production of After Life, interned with the Yale Law Journal, and helped found Yale’s Generational African American Student Association as its inaugural External Community Projects Chair. When not engaged in academic or extracurricular pursuits, Jordan loves cracking the New York Times games, contributing to JE’s intramural victories on the cornhole field and volleyball court, and settling in for a game of Catan or cards. He looks forward to welcoming the JE class of 2028 to campus and guiding them through all that Yale has to offer.
Jordan’s $0.02: Yale is a *rigorous academic institution*, but it’s also your home for the next four years. It’s easy to get bogged down focusing on academics and extracurriculars, but make sure to put just as much time and effort into building relationships and finding your campus community. Everything will probably be pretty overwhelming for the first couple of months, but make sure to walk around with an open mind and a kind heart, and you’re sure to surprise yourself with how many wonderful people you’ll be able to meet. Everyone’s Yale experience is different, but the best thing about Yale for me will always be the people, so keep that in mind as you begin to navigate this campus for yourself.
Jaspreet Kandola
Jaspreet Kandola (she/her) is currently majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology while also pursuing a dual-degree in Master’s of Public Health at YSPH. Although she was born in India, she attended elementary school in Italy and middle school and high school in Missouri. At Yale, she is actively engaged in Autism Spectrum Disorder research on campus, volunteers at the New Haven Free Clinic, and participates as a dancer for Yale Jashan Bhangra. During her free time, she enjoys binge-watching shows with her friends, staying active with workouts, and soaking up the outdoors!
Jaspreet’s $0.02: Snap photos of everything and anything! These four years will overflow with countless memories, so seize every moment, but also, don’t forget to be fully present in each one. And remember, embrace every opportunity! Yale is overflowing with diverse experiences and incredible people to connect with, so don’t hesitate to say yes, whether it’s to share a meal with someone new or any other opportunity that comes your way!
Allison Lee
Allison (she/her) is from Rockville, MD, but moved down to New Orleans, LA when she was ten years old. She is majoring in Ethics, Politics, and Economics and pursuing an Education Studies Certificate. Outside of class, Allison is a JE Aide and a part of JE’s College Council (JECC), previously serving as Head Aide and Vice President, respectively. She served one term as a Yale College Council (YCC) Senator and was a Vice Project Manager in Yale Alternative Investments (YAI). She is also a member of the Korean American Students at Yale (KASY). In her free time, she plays Go, dabbles in graphic design, indulges in romcoms, bakes sweet treats, and loves hanging out with friends! She’s excited to welcome the frosh and get to know the Class of 2028!
Allison’s $0.02: Immerse yourself in a community! Whether that is the JE community or another organization, find a place that you feel comfortable in and make it your own. There are so many places on campus that you can choose to dedicate yourself to. I believe that it’s better to be connected and committed to 2-3 extracurriculars than loosely associated with 10. The JE community will be the best place to start, and we’re excited to help you find other places on campus that you can call home.
Kamalu Ogata
Kamalu Ogata (he/him) grew up in Hawaii on the island of Oahu, and spends half of his time at Yale wishing he could return to warmer weather. Kamalu majors in Environmental Studies and is pursuing a French Language certificate and a certificate in Energy Studies. The definition of well rounded, he has coincidentally taken classes in each distributional requirement every year. Kamalu served as President of the Jonathan Edwards College Council (JECC) and is an Equipment Core Head for First-Year Outdoor Orientation Trips (FOOT). He is a member of the Yale Indigenous Peoples of Oceania (IPO), a recurring volunteer at the Yale Farm, and an active participant in the Yale Skateboarding Club group chat, although he has sadly never been able to attend a meet-up due to schedule conflicts. In his free time, catch Kamalu reading in a hammock, pretending to do homework in a library, visiting the Wooster Square farmer’s market, dominating IM cornhole with his fellow FroCo Jordan Hershman, going on walks with friends, taking a zip car twenty minutes out of New Haven to go cliff jumping, and wearing blue light glasses. Kamalu is stoked for his senior year, and he can’t wait to welcome the JE frosh to campus. JE SUX! Nobody else matters.
Kamalu’s $0.02: Textbooks are EXPENSIVE!!!, and many classes in my experience will only read through select chapters. If you prefer or are fine with digital copies of books for your classes, peruse the catalog of libgen.is to see if there is a free version available. I’ve saved myself close to a thousand dollars thanks to this $0.02, and hopefully it helps you guys out as well.
Maria Santibanez
Maria (she/her) is from the beautiful city of Houston, Texas. She is currently pursuing a major in Economics and an Education Studies certificate. During her time at Yale, Maria has served as both Artistic Director and Treasurer for Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Yale. In these roles, she built her choreography skills, managed the club’s finances, and remained deeply connected to her Mexican heritage. Additionally, for the past two years, Maria has been a Yale&You Counselor (YoCo), guiding first-generation, low-income (FGLI) students through Yale admissions. She’s excited to continue being a friendly face, offering her guidance as students navigate the intricacies of Yale. When she’s not studying, Maria finds joy in the simple pleasures of Yale life. Whether baking goods in the winter or admiring the JE tulips in the spring, Maria appreciates all the small moments with her friends.
Maria’s $0.02: Embrace every moment and every opportunity! Try the extracurriculars that interest you regardless of any prior experience. Explore the many restaurants in New Haven. But, above all, remember that college is not just about grades or majors—it’s about the rich experiences that shape your journey.