Eden Rea-Hedrick (they/them)
eden.rea-hedrick@yale.edu

Degree: PhD
Department: English & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana

I am a fourth year graduate student from Indianapolis studying English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. My research interests broadly encompass disability, 20th-century Anglo-American fiction, film and media, queer theory, and the history of sexuality. Besides working as a Graduate Mentor for ASP, I am a Lead Writing Partner in the Yale College Writing Center. In the English department, I co-convene the Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies colloquium and serve on the Graduate Student Advisory Committee. Outside of Yale, I read voraciously, knit mediocrely, and am the proud pet parent of a spoiled shih tzu/yorkie mix named Wilkie Collins.

Meghanlata Gupta (she/her)
meghanlata.gupta@yale.edu

Degree: J.D.
Department: Yale Law School
Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI

I am a third-year law student from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I graduated from Yale College in 2021 with a BA in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and from the University of Oxford in 2022 with a master’s degree in US History. I enjoyed supporting my fellow students as an undergraduate mentor, and am excited to continue doing so in my role as a graduate student mentor. I am happy to speak with students about a variety of topics ranging from time management to choosing a major as well as questions about fellowships, graduate school, and law school. Outside of school, I love spending time with family and friends, drinking bubble tea, and watching tv.

Anthony Isenhour (he/him)
anthony.isenhour@yale.edu

I am a fifth year PhD student in Cell Biology from Placerville, California. I studied Biology and English at the University of Richmond. My current research investigates how proteins involved in maintaining integrity of the nucleus regulate the cell’s innate immune response to cytosolic DNA. Outside of research, I spend time on the Graduate Student Assembly advocating for graduate student needs. Outside of Yale, I spend time rock climbing, brewing beer, and hiking.

Ketty Kabengele (she/her)
ketty.kabengele@yale.edu

I am one of the Graduate Lead Academic Mentors and a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. I am a member of the Ogbunu Research Lab. I use experimental evolution to understand how viruses evolve in different ecological settings and how that influences disease. Apart from my scientific interests, I am interested in teaching and learning. I am interested in equitable, active, and collaborative teaching strategies that inspire students to think critically during their intellectual growth. I lead workshops on the fundamentals of equitable teaching for Yale Graduate students and Postdoctoral Fellows as a McDougal Fellow. During my time at Yale, I have also conducted summer seminars for the Yale African Scholars titled  ”Becoming A Scientist” and “Viruses All Around Us.”

Violet Kimble (she/her)
violet.kimble@yale.edu

Degree: PhD
Department: Cell Biology
Hometown: New Jersey

I am a fourh-year Ph.D. candidate currently enrolled in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (INP) and conducting my research in Dr. Nii Addy’s lab. My research interests revolve around exploring the potential role of L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) and ovarian hormones in regulating substance use and social behavior. Apart from my academic pursuits, I am a member of the Yale figure skating team, showcasing my talent on the ice. In addition, I contribute to the Yale BBS Diversity and Inclusion Collective (YBDIC) as an outreach fellow, organizing and hosting the BBS e-Lecture Series. Outside of my academic commitments, I am an enthusiastic runner who has been engaged in track and cross country since my early years, ultimately becoming a D3 athlete during college.

Tianna Mobley (she/her)
tianna.mobley@yale.edu

As a PhD student in History, my research focuses on race, slavery, and Indigeneity throughout Latin America during the early modern period. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with undergraduate students in the FGLI Thrive and Arts & Humanities Programs. On campus, I am involved in the Latin American History Working Group, Race & Slavery Working Group, BIPOC Grad Collective, and planning social programming for graduate students in the History Department. Off campus, I enjoy going on long walks with my minibernedoodle puppy named Onyx.

Victor Olmos (he/him)
victor.olmos@yale.edu

Degree: PhD
Department: Genetics
Hometown: California 

I am a sixth year graduate student in the Genetics department in Dr. Janghoo Lim’s lab. I am originally from California and identify as first generation and URM. I did my undergraduate and Masters at Stanford University where I studied stem cells and iPSCs in the Wernig Lab. Due to my family having Huntington’s disease, I study neurodegenerative genetic diseases with the goal of working at a company to find a cure/treatment. In my free time, I loves to play videogames, cuddle my cats, and go to NYC for the food.

Jae Kirkland Rice (he/him)
jkirkland.rice@yale.edu

Degree: PhD (expected Dec. 2024; M. Div. 2027)
Department: Comparative Literature (PhD); Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and the Institute of Sacred Music (M. Div.)
Hometown: Columbia, SC

This is my third year working with OEO! In previous years of OEO work, I have worked with Directed Studies and Humanities support programming, the Mellon Mays/Bouchet Fellows Program, and undergraduate mentoring. Outside of what I do at the OEO, I love going on long walks with my dog Sprocket in New Haven’s various parks, playing board and video games with friends, and weightlifting.

Amanda Rivera (she/her)
amanda.rivera@yale.edu

Degree: PhD
Department: American Studies
Hometown: East Brunswick, New Jersey

I am a fifth year PhD Candidate in American Studies from New Jersey. I’m also pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Ethnicity, Race and Migration. A third-generation Puerto Rican myself, my dissertation research combines history and anthropology to look at Puerto Ricans’ use of educational activism to negotiate their racialized, classed, and political belonging in New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut (including right here at Yale!), from the 1960s through present day. I work a lot with my own department, American Studies, as well as ER&M and Education Studies.

As a first-generation college graduate who pursued a nontraditional route, I’m passionate about being a safe space to discuss things like practicing self-care in academia, picking majors (especially in the humanities and social sciences), grad school, and writing. When I’m not writing my dissertation, I enjoy painting, listening to music, drinking boba, eating ice cream at Arethusa, and generally inflicting Puerto Rican history on others against their will.

Sandra Sandria (she/her)
sandra.sandria@yale.edu

I am a third year PhD student in the Cell Biology department and is originally from San Diego, California. I was a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry major at the University of California, Irvine (as well as a transfer student from my local community college MiraCosta). I am interested in using disease models such as skin fibrosis to investigate how cells respond to mechanical stimuli. Outside of the lab, I am interested in becoming a better mentor to other FGLI students, as well as a better educator and science communicator. Outside of Yale, I enjoy watching horror movies, writing short stories, eating ice cream, and petting dogs.

Sara Siwiecki (she/her)
sara.siwiecki@yale.edu

Ramona Teepe (she/her)
ramona.teepe@yale.edu

JoAnne Villagrana (she/her)
joanne.villagrana@yale.edu

Degree: PhD
Department: Genetics
Hometown: Atwater, CA

I am a 4th year graduate student working on identifying and understanding how genes are differentially regulated across the developing embryo versus placenta. I currently serve as my departments student representative for my cohort on the Genetics Student Executive Council. I have also enjoyed serving as a Teaching Fellow for BIO103 a couple of times. On my free time I spend time learning German, reading, practicing yoga, and walking my dog around New Haven.