Orientation Staff
Greg Overend
Executive Director for Student Engagement, Leadership, and Orientation
Bartels Hall
(203) 932-7430
GOverend@newhaven.edu
Andrew Mayer
Associate Director for Leadership Development
Bartels Hall
(203) 931-2910
AMayer@newhaven.edu
Orientation Coordinators
Jordan Bernard '21
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Psychology with a concentration in Forensic Psychology. Minor: English
Hometown: Manahawkin, New Jersey
It's okay to wait to get involved; it's important to give yourself time to adjust to college.
Christina Genovese '20
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: English-writing, Communications-Journalism
Hometown: Orange, CT
To take risks and step out of your comfort zone, college is a time to find yourself and enjoy what you are doing along the journey.
Martina Ibrahim '21
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Criminal Justice Iinvestigative Services; National Security Intel Security; Arabic Literature Minor
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Appreciate the things that stand out the most out about you.
Ian Maloney '20
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Major: Criminal Justice - Investigative Services
Hometown: Trumbull, CT
Join a club or get otherwise involved as early as possible!
Orientation Leaders
Wahdat Abbas '21
Pronouns: He/His/Him
Major: Chemical Engineering, Chemistry
Hometown: Webster, MA
Do not be intimidated by the campus/workload in your first semester, you will get used to it and it‚ it'll get easier. Get involved on campus it helps.
Rachel Adler '22
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: National Security
Hometown: Nesconset, NY
One piece of advice I would offer to first-year students would be to make time for yourself as I went through first semester trying to become heavily involved on campus while trying to achieve good grades which was not a good balance. Second semester, I was able to find a healthy balance between school, campus involvement and hanging out with friends, while having some time to myself.
Drew Becker '22
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Major: Forensic Science
Hometown: Staten Island, NY
There are no new human experiences. Everything you will go through - all the ups and downs - will have happened before; no matter how lonely you feel, there will be people who can relate to you and who understand what you're going through. You are never as alone as you might feel.
Chynna Blair '21
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Forensic Psychology
Hometown: Queens, NY
Don't be afraid to get involved, you will have a bunch of free time that you won't expect you will have so put yourself out there!
Mikey Calabrese '21
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Major: Sport Management
Hometown: Torrington, CT
My one piece of advice to offer to a first year student is make friends and connections everywhere you go! In the future you never know who you may be working with or what others might be involved in so it is always great to start building a network now!
Miriam Cohen '21
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Community/Clinical Psychology, English Minor and Business Management Minor
Hometown: Ellington, CT
The friends you have freshmen year may not be the same friends you have when you graduate, or even when you become a sophomore, and that's totally okay!
Jill Fiore '22
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Criminal Justice - Investigative Services, Minor in Legal Studies
Hometown: Wakefield, MA
It's not the end of the world if you don't get along or aren't best friends with your roommates
Gabriela Granados '21
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Forensic Psychology; Minor: Race and Ethnic Studies
Hometown: West New York, NJ
Don't be scared of getting involved on campus.
Sarah Licata '22
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Nutrition and Dietetics, Minor in Psychology
Hometown: Florida, NY
Keep up with your assignments and you'll have more free time! Don't wait until the last minute
Logan Melo '21
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Major: Global Studies
Hometown: Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
It's okay to not succeed, everything happens for a reason and things will work out in the end.
Sanduni Muhandiramge '22
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Criminal Justice - Investigative Services, Minor in Sociology
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
The one piece of advice that I would definitely offer to a first-year student, especially one that wants to be involved, is that it is certainly okay to not have everything planned or figured out. It's much better to ask questions and seek information before diving head first into any responsibilities. Reach out to student-leaders, and even though there is going to be a lot of information thrown at you, it is only because it's important and relevant. Take the transition into college one day at a time. You don't need to hit the ground running right away.
Angelo Prevosto '21
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Major: Communications - Public Relations and Journalism
Hometown: Selden, NY
Coming into college can be extremely intimidating, but just know everyone is in the same situation as you. Recognize that you are not alone and make the most out of your college experience, take every opportunity.
Jocelyn Reed-Dubose '22
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Hospitality and Tourism Management - Hotel and Resort Management
Hometown: The Bronx, NY
Trust your struggle, your first year is going to be filled with ups and downs but its what you take from it that matters.
Ketyann Salem-Rosario '21
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Forensic Psychology
Hometown: Montclair, NJ
It's ok not to find where you belong and who you belong with your first semester of college. It takes time to find your place and there is no problem with that.
Dayana Solano '22
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Criminal Justice, Investigative Services; Minor: Arabic Literature Studies
Hometown: East Newark, New Jersey
Don't overwhelm yourself your first semester by joining so many RSO's! Being involved is great, but get yourself familiarized with campus first and check out organizations that are different from your own interests now.
Daniel Stott '21
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Major: Criminal Justice - Investigative Services, National Security - Intelligence Analysis
Hometown: Shelton, CT
I would advise first-year students to step out of their comfort zone. That is one of the best ways to get involved on campus and to find their group(s) of friends. It also allows them to network with employers, faculty, and other students that could benefit them in their search for internships/jobs and their future careers. It can be very uncomfortable and stressful at first, especially with our diverse University community, but they can learn a lot from people who are from different backgrounds, have different experiences, and identify differently than themselves and the people they have been surrounded by for the first 17/18/19 years of their life.
Kymia Thomas '21
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Major: Civil Engineering
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Branch out and find where you are comfortable at! There are places to find homes all over campus.
Gabriel Velazquez '20
Pronouns: He/His/Him
Major: Sport Management
Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico
You may feel like a stranger at first and going back home might be the easiest and fastest solution to not feel like one. However, if you put yourself out there and expose yourself to all the opportunities the campus has to offer its only a matter of time before you feel like your at home and that feeling of being a stranger is all but a distant memory.