Meet Your 2024-25 Student Leaders

Peer Mentors are current NYU Steinhardt students who help new students with their transition to college life. During NYU Welcome, Peer Mentors host programming, and in the fall, they will co-facilitate New Student Seminar with departmental instructors.

Before starting your studies, see NYU Steinhardt through their eyes via Instagram. Once you activate your NYU email, you'll be added to your department's Google Group. This message board is where you can get fast answers to your questions about registration and student life in your specific department. 

Applied Psychology

Jaylene Barreto (she/her/hers) is a rising senior majoring in Applied Psychology. She was born and raised in New York City, specifically Manhattan, and resides in the East side of Harlem. Her favorite things to do include listening to music, taking long walks, and spending time with her dog. She recently studied abroad in London this past semester and has grown a love for travel.

Lettie Huang (She/her/hers) Lettie Hunang is a spring-admitted student and a rising junior in Applied Psychology hoping to pursue a master’s in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness. She was born and raised in Nanjing, China. She went to high school at Basis International School Hangzhou. She is also a research assistant in Family and Children Experience Success Lab and a teaching assistant in Intro to Psychology class under CAS. She loves playing guitar, teaching, traveling, working out, reading, and exploring new restaurants around NYU. She likes to meet new people, feel free to reach out to her!

Risa Vargas (she/her/they/them) is a rising junior majoring in Applied Psychology and pursuing a minor in Creative Writing. She hopes to obtain her Master’s in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness and integrate her knowledge into a fiction novel. She grew up in Tampa, Florida. Through studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she speaks proficient Spanish, though is still building her skills. Her favorite activities include listening to music, writing, and watching reality TV.

Ritvik Kammend (he/him/his)  is a rising senior majoring in Applied Psychology with minors in Business Studies and Chemistry on the pre-health track. He was born in Bay Ridge but spent most of his life growing up outside of Dallas, Texas. Ritvik's hobbies include exploring new places, swimming, and going for walks. He’s always down for a good time, and he loves to meet new people.

Rose Bechayda is a rising junior in Applied Psychology. She is a Spring 2023 transfer. She was born and raised in Saipan. She is Filipino, fluent in Tagalog, and is a first generation college immigrant student. She loves making playlists, playing guitar, photography, the ocean, coffee, boba, and reading. Please always feel free to say hi, she loves meeting new people!

Solana Cordova (she/her/hers) is a rising sophomore majoring in Applied Psychology hoping to eventually get her master’s in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness. She was born in Australia, then lived in Brooklyn for a while, but has spent most of her life in Salt Lake City, Utah. She loves knitting, yoga, going to concerts, and reviewing movies on Letterboxd.

Art and Art Professions

Akanksha Somani (she/her) is a first-year student from Mumbai, India, majoring in Studio Arts at Steinhardt. She is passionate about music, literature, pups, studying philosophy, traveling, good food and, of course, New York! 

Dyllan Gabriel (he/him/his) is a rising senior majoring in Studio Art. He was born in NYC, raised in Atlanta, and has spent time in Berlin and the Bay Area. Dyllan is a Libra and his favorite color is green.

Communicative Sciences and Disorders

Stefania Ruiz (she/her/hers) is a rising senior studying Communicative Sciences and Disorders. She was born and raised in Queens NY and commutes to campus. Outside of the classroom, she participates as a research assistant in the Acoustic Phonetics and Perception Lab (APPL). She is also involved in NYU’s NSSLHA chapter as President. In her free time, she loves to start a new crochet project, find a good book to read, or work on songs/poetry. She is so excited to welcome the new CSD students!

Education Studies

Richard Fang (he/him/his) is a rising senior double majoring in Education Studies and Data Science. He was born and raised in China and has been in New York for over two years. He is passionate about literature, philosophy, music, and films. He loves having conversations that explore deep meanings of all topics. In life, he loves cuisine and enjoys good food around the city. He loves kittens and wishes to have his own. For now, he is a fond collector of cat meme pictures and recognizes himself as a cyber cat owner. He is easygoing and always ready to help.

Media, Culture and Communication

Anyka Chakravarty (she/her/hers) Anyka Chakravarty is a junior majoring in Media, Culture and Communication and minoring in Spanish. She’s from Dubai. In her free time, you can find her reading, baking or drinking an iced Spanish latte.

Bergen Leafblad (he/him/his) is a rising sophomore majoring in Media, Culture, and Communication and pursuing a minor in the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. He was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and has loved life in the big city! Bergen loves thrifting, spending too much money on any type of iced drink, and obsessing over new music. 

Ella Londoño is a junior majoring in Media, Culture, and Communication and minoring in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology. At NYU, she is VP of Events & Production for Comm Club and an active member of Program Board’s Concerts Committee.

Jade Leong (she/her/hers) is a rising sophomore majoring in Media, Culture, and Communications and pursuing a double major in Computer Science. She grew up on Long Island. She loves trying new coffee shops and going on walks with friends.

Naomi Diesendruck (she/her) is a rising sophomore majoring in Media Culture and Communication. She was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, and moved to NYC when she was 17 to start college. Her favorite hobbies include playing soccer, trying new restaurants, exploring the city, listening to music, traveling, and snowboarding. She is the Communications Manager for Circle K, a club that empowers college students through service to local and global communities. 

Valentina Valencia (she/her/hers) is a rising sophomore majoring in Media, Culture and Communication and pursuing a minor in the Business of Entertainment, Media and Technology. She’s from White Plains, NY and is Colombian and Venezuelan. When she’s not in class you can find her enjoying a Strawberry Lemon Fruit Tea Shaker from Peet’s! She’s a big fan of The New York Times mini-games, taking advantage of the Movie Tuesday deals at her local AMC, and cooking with her friends! 

Vanessa Li (she/her/hers) is a junior double majoring in MCC and Psychology who transferred from the University of Pittsburgh and started her studies at NYU Paris. She was born in Shanghai, raised in Vancouver, but then returned to Shanghai to finish her high school studies. She enjoys going to concerts, taking walks and hanging out with her friends. 

Music and Performing Arts Professions

Dallas Knopp (she/her/hers) is a senior majoring in Music Business. She grew up in San Jose, California. Dallas can often be found attending live concerts or performing with her on-campus capella group. She is excited to continue getting to know the Music Business community as a returning peer mentor in the Fall.

Debra Amata (she/her/hers) Debra Amata is a junior double majoring in Woodwind Studies and Mathematics. She hails from the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and is a commuter student who loves spending time in the sun.

Emma Valerio (she/her) is a junior studying Educational Theatre and History. Originally from Italy, she currently calls Stamford, CT, home! She’s involved in theatre, arts, and activism clubs on campus and loves old lady-ish crafts like knitting and embroidery.

Joey Farrell (he/him/his) is a senior in Steinhardt’s Music Technology program with a minor in Computer Science who plans on pursuing a graduate degree at NYU researching the psychology of mixing. Outside of NYU, you can find him engineering, producing, and mixing for various NYC-based artists. He looks forward to meeting you and helping you adjust to life in New York!

Kalsey Colotl (she/her/hers) is a senior in Music Technology with a minor in Japanese at NYU, has a passion for live sound, audio restoration, and studio work, particularly Jazz, Pop-Rock, and K-pop. She is eager to assist the class of 2028 in adjusting to life at NYU.

Luca Millard-Kish is a rising sophomore in the Music Theory and Composition with a concentration in Screen Scoring. At NYU, Luca has enjoyed collaborating as a composer, arranger, and orchestrator on multiple student projects for film, dance, musical theater, and a cappella. Beyond music, Luca loves cooking, ultimate frisbee, and spending time back home in Seattle with family and friends hiking outdoors. Please feel free to reach out to ask questions about NYU, New York, music, and more!

Riley Palmer (He, Him) is a rising sophomore trombonist in the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, majoring in Instrumental Performance. Born in Tampa, FL, he has excelled in various classical and jazz ensembles and, when not performing, practicing, or obsessing over his favorite songs, enjoys running, baseball, and urban design.

Toby Chernesky (he/him) is a rising junior in the Vocal Performance Program with a concentration in Music Theater as well as a BEMT minor. From Flemington NJ, Toby has been seen in recent Steinhardt productions such as Pippin and Titanic, performs in drag under the persona Toast, works in the Steinhardt Costume Shop, and is a cat lover, Nintendo gamer, disco fan, and bedazzling enthusiast who loves producing and performing in concerts and cabarets with friends as much as he can!

Nutrition and Food Studies

Angela Ruan (she/her/hers) is a sophomore junior majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics and intending on pursuing a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies. Despite being born and raised in Austin, Texas, she loves the city. Her favorite things to do include baking and taking walks along Pier 45 at sunset. She is dedicated to her passion of becoming a Registered Dietitian and diversifying the field of nutrition.

Paris Whelan (she/her/hers) is a rising senior majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics and pursuing a minor in Psychology. She grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and while she loves the South, she is infatuated by the city where she can spend her time as a CorePower Yoga instructor, restaurant fanatic, and dog mommy, and continue her studies in the pursuit of a career as a Registered Dietitian.

Teaching and Learning

Ashley Wulff (she/her/hers) is a rising senior majoring in Childhood and Special Education and pursuing a minor in American Sign Language. She grew up on Long Island, NY and is a commuter and transfer student. She loves playing softball and spending time with her dog. 

Edgar Lara (he/him/his) is a Junior in Early Childhood and special Education at NYU. He is pursuing education at NYU because he wishes to give children the early education he could never have and also because he wants to be better than his 2nd-grade teacher. 

Helen Choi (she/her/hers) is a rising junior majoring in Chemistry Education and minoring in Social Entrepreneurship. She grew up in São Paulo and Los Angeles. She loves listening to music, playing golf, and exploring around NYC. Helen is super excited to meet and welcome new students to the T&L and NYU community!

Tatiana Agarwal (she/her/hers) is a rising sophomore majoring in Education Studies at NYU Steinhardt. She was born and raised in Long Island, New York. Some of her favorite things to do are shopping, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. She is looking forward to welcoming the class of 2028!

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