First-Year Counselors

Addison Beer

Addison (he/they) is from Concord, North Carolina. He’s majoring in Cognitive Science, but is also pursuing a language certificate in Italian. Academically, he’s especially interested in the cognitive science of communication and the broader societal impacts of individual cognitive processes. On campus, they’ve been an executive board member of humor publication The Yale Record, as well as published articles in the Yale Daily News. He also co-hosts a live radio show through Yale’s student radio organization WYBC. In his free time, he loves skateboarding, playing chess, Super Smash Bros., and listening to music. You can often find them listening to a mix of indie pop, hyper pop, folk, hip-hop, 80s, and whatever else catches their ear! He’s incredibly excited to meet the class of 2026 and welcome them with open arms to the best residential college on campus.

Addison’s $0.02: Try not to view things simply based on how much use you think you will get out of them. Whether it’s deciding your major, extracurriculars, or courses you want to take, it can be easy to just focus on what you think will help you get ahead, but you should consider what interests you and makes you happy! Branch out, try new things, and don’t get bogged down in what you think you “should” do versus what you want to do.

Allie (she/her/hers) is from Mamaroneck, NY, where she lives with three younger siblings and two dogs. At Yale, she is a cognitive science major and also pre-med. She has worked in both a neurogenetics lab at the Yale Child Study Center cognitive science lab where she got to investigate social learning in dogs (and also play with the dogs!). Outside of class, she has been involved in New Haven REACH, Code Haven, and Danceworks! She would love to talk to you about starting something new (like dance was for her!) at Yale. During COVID, Allie took a gap year and worked as an EMT and as a barista at a bagel shop. She has also worked as an Undergraduate Learning Assistant for an intro computer science course and as a manager of the JE Buttery!  If you’re ever looking for Allie, you’ll probably find her in the JE dining hall - it has food, friends, and a place to charge her computer, so there really isn’t a reason to be anywhere else. If she isn’t there, she might be baking, running, reading the Harry Potter books for the millionth time, or sitting on a bench in the courtyard (regardless of the weather). Many of Allie’s favorite Yale memories are from JE, and she cannot wait to introduce a new class into a community that has been so special to her!

Allie’s $0.02: One of the things I have loved most about the people I’ve met here is that everyone has so many different interests and talents. Find something new to try, maybe something that you wished you had more time for during high school. Go see what your suitemates and friends are involved in, and you might find a new passion. Be open to things you never thought you’d try - they will help you grow!

Gemma Yoo

Gemma Yoo (she/her) is a rising senior in Jonathan Edwards College born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota (and happy to point people to where that is!). She is pursuing a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a certificate in Education Studies. Both her activities and classes at Yale have scattered all over the map, from a very brief stab at playing the carillon bells to her current work with the Irish laboratory researching citrus plants. For most of the past nine years, Gemma has spent part of her summer at a Korean language immersion camp, first as a camper and now as a counselor, and hopes to spend time in South Korea after graduation. In her best, least TikTok-filled free time, you can find Gemma reading the New York Times’ Tiny Love Stories, hiking while obsessively taking nature photos, and trying New Haven’s restaurants and concerts with friends. She is so excited to meet the class of 2026 and to see all the amazing passions they pursue! 

Gemma’s $0.02: Ask for help early and often! One of the best personal strengths is to know what you need and to be able to accept that help from other people. Don’t let nerves or shame get in the way. Letting people know when you need something helps build relationships, and there are many, many people at Yale who want to support you!

Josh Vargas

Josh (he/they) is from Southern California. You might hear this described as either Southern California, “an hour outside of LA,” Riverside, or the Inland Empire depending on the day. They are majoring in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration after a long (fun and necessary) first two years of jumping from major to major and are planning on attending law school. Josh is involved in everything JE. He is the current VP of Jonathan Edwards College Council, a JE Housing Representative (HoCo), a JE Buttery worker, and is now a JE FroCo! Outside of JE, Josh has been involved with Matriculate, SNUGS (Special Needs Undergraduate Swim Lessons), New Haven Reads, Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, and Yale Radio WYBCx. He is a huge music and film snob, a closeted gamer, and a proud FGLI student. They love running, hiking, thrifting, going to art museums, and they constantly miss the beach. Josh is excited to continue JE’s legacy of having the best FroCo team with the best first years from the best residential college.

Josh’s $0.02: You will hear a lot as a first year (even from me) that you should be careful not to overcommit yourself. It is common for first years to excitedly sign up for a dozen extracurriculars and then struggle to juggle club responsibilities with social and academic, all while making the transition to college life. However, my hot take is that I think you should jump right in and never stop trying to get your most out of your time at Yale. You should (over)commit yourself in a way that leaves time for personal, social, and academic responsibilities, but don’t be afraid to try everything and anything even if it’s just to find out that you hate it.

Mariana Vargas

Mariana’s $0.02: Take your time exploring things! Yale is a wonderful place filled with so many opportunities, but sometimes that can feel overwhelming. Don’t feel pressured to know exactly what you want to do, try clubs or classes that you otherwise would never do, and if you are feeling overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to reach out to people, whether that be your friends, Froco, PL, or your dean. Take your time and find joy in the little moments!

Natasha Ambriz-Villela

Natasha (they/them) was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA. They are majoring in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration with a Certificate in Education Studies. At Yale, Natasha has been involved in everything from serving as editor-in-chief of Broad Recognition (Yale’s intersectional feminist publication!) to dancing with Ballet Folklórico, leading workshops as a Communication and Consent Educator, working in the writing center, and serving as a counselor for Cultural Connections. This past summer, Natasha taught 8th grade writing in San Francisco and hopes to continue working to become a teacher in the future. In their free time, you can find them drinking a ginger snap latte at Koffee, catching up on the latest season of Grey’s Anatomy, or basking in the sun on Cross Campus (weather permitting). Ask them about being first generation/low-income, picking a major, and finding the best tattoo artists in New Haven!

Sandi Amezcua Rocha

Sandi (she/they) grew up in El Monte, California but calls home Atlixco (MX), Uricho (MX), and Los Angeles. She is an environmental studies major focusing on biodiversity and conservation.

Sandi loves to center community and educational efforts around interdisciplinary conservation science and cultural practices. She took a gap year to live with family and conduct an Indigenous environmental history of her ancestral lake in Michoacan, Mexico. On campus, Sandi is involved with the Indigenous community at Yale. She loves to cook her traditional food as well as try new recipes at the Native American Cultural Center (NACC) and La Casa while sharing stories or music with others. When she’s not cooking or eating, she’s learning and thinking about the relationships between Indigenous food sovereignty and environmental conservation. Community and academics aside, Sandi is also a dance teacher for Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Yale and a first-generation low-income academic strategies mentor for Yale’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

Sandi’s $0.02: You may be overwhelmed with the myriad of options of everything at Yale but know that there is no “right way to do” Yale. Stay curious with an open mind and you will be surprised with what you find and how you’ll grow. With so many opportunities, people, and change, remember to be gentle with yourself and ask for help.