Peer Liaisons

Peer liaisons are upperclassmen who help connect first-year students to the wealth of support and programming initiatives based in the LGBTQ Resource Center, the University Chaplain’s Office, the Office of International Students and Scholars, the Afro-American Cultural Center, the Asian American Cultural Center, the La Casa Latino Cultural Center, the Native American Cultural Center, and the Student Accessibility Services Office This program will rely on the resources available at each center, and the peer liaisons will serve as a resource for first-year students and guide them to the services they need. Below are Davenport’s peer liasions. 

Afro-American Cultural Center

Lauren Okine, Davenport College ‘25

lauren.okine@yale.edu

Hello! My name is Lauren and I am a sophomore in Davenport doubling majoring in Psychology and African American Studies. My family is from Ghana, West Africa. Outside of being a peer liaison for the House, I work at a developmental psychology research lab and am a mentor for Urban Improvement Corps. I also enjoy drinking kiwi strawberry Snapple, traveling, and reading good books!

Asian American Cultural Center

Valentina Guo,  Branford College ‘24

valentina.guo@yale.edu

I’m Valentina (she/her), a junior studying Computer Science and Economics in Branford. My hometown is Brooklyn, NY and I will be the Asian American Cultural Center Peer Liaison (PL) for Davenport College this year. Outside of being a PL, I’m involved with the Chinese American Students Association, Yale Alternative Investments, and enjoy playing badminton!

La Casa Cultural Center

Jesus Ramos, Davenport College ‘25

jesus.ramos@yale.edu

¡Hola amigxs! My name is Jesus Ramos (he/him/él) and I am a sophomore in Davenport College majoring in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (with a potential double major in Political Science) on the pre-law track. Oxnard, California is the dear place I call home and I proudly identify as Mexican-American. On campus, I am involved as a community coordinator and advising fellow for Matriculate, an organization that works with first-generation and/or low-income students like myself. I am also working as a Davenport College Office Aide and actively involved in MEChA. Academics aside, I love to socialize, binge watch Netflix (+anime), and I am a big coffee fan (Koffee so far is the best but it is a bit of a walk). A quick fun fact about me is that I have 4 dogs and 1 cat at home, I am a huge animal lover!!! I am super excited to meet each and every one of you :D Please feel free to reach out if you want to have a quick chat about anything!

LGBTQ Resource Center

Esha Akhtar, Silliman College ‘25

esha.akhtar@yale.edu

 

Native American Cultural Center

Mara Gutierrez, Pierson College ‘25

mara.gutierrez@yale.edu

Hello! My name is Mara. I am Diné, Trinidadian, Indian, and Mexican. I am a sophomore. I am in NISAY and Lux Improvitas! I currently live in Texas. My dad was in the military so I have also lived in Colorado and Virginia. If I’m not in class you can find me in the NACC doing work or procrastinating from doing work. I’m super excited to be a NACC PL!

Office of International Students & Scholars

Ritik Chamola, Jonathan Edwards College ‘24
 
Hello everyone! My name is Ritik and I’m a junior in JE double majoring in Computer Science and Global Affairs. On campus, I’ve been involved with everything from Club Swim, Design for America, Migration Alliance, to the Malaysian and Singaporean Association! You can normally find me grinding p-sets and chugging cortados in the Silliman Acorn or swimming in Payne Whitney. I also love learning new languages and speak about six fluently. Hit me if you want to explore food joints around New Haven.

Student Accessibility Services Office

Sara Dzigurski, Pierson College ‘24
sara.dzigurski@yale.edu

Sara Dzigurski (she/her), is a junior (‘24) in Pierson College, originally from Los Angeles. She is majoring in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (MB&B), with a concentration in biochemistry and on the pre-med track. She is the SAS PL for Pierson and Davenport Colleges. 
Outside of being an SAS PL, Sara does research in the MB&B department on the presence and functional effects of RNA modifications. On campus, she is involved with the Women in Science at Yale (WISAY) organization, and she also volunteers with the American Red Cross at Yale and at the HAVEN Free Clinic. Sara enjoys being outside during her free-time, and she specifically enjoys hiking, running, and walking (both around campus and in nature!) In addition to spending time in nature, she loves going to coffee shops around New Haven and baking gluten-free pastries. She is looking forward to being an SAS Peer Liaison and is excited to work with the class of 2026!