Advising Services—Peer Advisers
Meet our Peer Advisers
Peer Advisors help students declare majors and make connections with faculty, review research opportunities, and explore study abroad and options for independent and interdisciplinary study.
| BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING | |
|---|---|
 Matthew Hazelett |
Hello! My name is Matthew Hazelett and I am a senior majoring in Biomedical Engineering. I am in the Signals and Systems Track and plan to go into a PhD program for Neuroengineering. I have spent the past two years working in a research lab in the Medical Center. In the BME Department, I TA for two BME courses (201P and 210) and serve as the Business Manager for the Biomedical Engineering Society. Feel free to contact me at mhazelet@u.rochester.edu if you have any questions regarding the BME curriculum or would like to meet up to discuss your future plans! |
 Catherine Polyakov |
Hello! My name is Catherine Polyakov, but I go by “Rina”. I am currently a senior in Biomedical Engineering and am in the Cell and Tissue Engineering track. I am also minoring in Chemical Engineering, Biology, and Studio Arts. I spent the last semester in Jerusalem studying at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design – best 6 months of my life! At the University of Rochester I am president of Engineers for a Sustainable World and I TA various classes (right now BME 201). Please contact me at cpolyako@u.rochester.edu to meet with me! |
| BUSINESS | |
 Ran Bi |
Hello! My name is Bonnie Bee and I am a senior double majoring in Business and Music. I am from SIngapore, which is not only exactly 24 hours ahead of Rochester time, but also takes about 24 hours to get to by flight. I started out as an Economics and Business Strategy major but when the business major was first offered in my sophomore year, I switched immediately. The Business Major curriculum is, to me, a great foundational training to the business world. Courses are practical and applicable to many fields, and are taught by either professors of the Economics department or the Simon School of Business. Since I have gone through almost all of the requirements of the major, I am confident that I will be able to offer you with some help regarding the Business Major, as well as other related academic concerns. Look forward to meeting with you! |
 Alexandre David |
Hi! My name is Alexandre David but most people call me Alex. I am a Mechanical Engineering and Business major and have also been involved in various campus organizations including GreenSpace, Engineers for a Sustainable World, Sigma Beta Rho Fraternity Inc., and EcoReps. I am excited to be part of the Peer Advising Program! I have spent a large amount of my life traveling the world and consider myself very fortunate to have had those experiences. The past two summers I have worked at engineering companies doing both marketing work, as well as market research and analysis. I work at Starbucks and the IT Computer store during the school year so feel free to come say hi! I also spend about 10 hours a week doing non-profit work. I check my email religiously so if you ever have a question or want to grab coffee and discuss, just send me an email! |
| ECONOMICS | |
 Michael Dymond |
My name is Michael Dymond and I am a senior Economics major. I can work with students interested in both Economics and Financial Economics. I serve as the Students' Association Treasurer; I am an Resident Adviser, a member of Delta Upsilon/Order of Omega, and a Student Alumni Ambassador. Economics Department Experience/Favorite Courses: Teaching Assistant (Economics 108), Labor Economics and Environmental Economics. What you recommend doing the most: Make the most out of your courses--ask questions on topics you are curious about, read the books and articles on the reading list, discuss the topics outside of the course, take the courses seriously and enjoy them. Get involved as a Teaching Assistant, in independent research, or just attend some of the speakers the department brings in. Finally, network with alumni from the school and the department, see what they're doing, find what you want to do. Feel free to contact me at mdymond@u.rochester.edu, 518-588-2303 or on Mondays from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM in Gleason Library (By appointment or email at any time too). |
 Yuefeng Liang |
Hey there! My name is Yuefeng Liang (I usually go by Franco) and I couldn't be more excited to be one of your economics peer advisers. I'm a fourth year Economics and Mathematics double major. I first became interested in economics when I managed to apply principles of economics to daily life. Meanwhile, the language of mathematics fascinated me when it came to epsilon-delta proofs in my first calculus course. It's been a long process choosing my major, but after exploring various courses in both fields, I finally decided on pursuing a double major. I'd like to help you declare majors or select courses with my experience. For my future path, I'm intending to pursue a graduate degree in Statistics. From the summer of 2012, I started to work as a research assistant in two labs, one in economics and the other in biostatistics. If you're also interested in undergraduate research, do not hesitate to ask me about such opportunities. For the past two years, I've been involved in departments of biology, economics, and mathematics as a teaching assistant, Society of Undergraduate Mathematics Students (SUMS) as a business manager, Friends of Strong as a volunteer for Golisano Children's Hospital, and a certified public accountants company as an intern. Please feel free to ask me about balancing coursework, research, internship or anything else. I like visiting colleges around the U.S., having Cantonese dim sum, watching Digimon from seasons 1 to 6, and I love to chat with people. If you'd like to make an appointment, please send an email to: yliang5@u.rochester.edu, or simply show up on Tuesday or Thursday 7-9pm at Carlson 1st floor and start up a conversation. I'm looking forward to chatting with all of you! |
 Ruth Lindemann |
Hey guys, I'm very excited to be starting off my senior year as part of the new Peer Advising program at UR. I am an Economics major with minors in International Relations and Spanish. Last semester I studied abroad in Costa Rica, focusing on Spanish, and then I spent the summer volunteering at a daycare in Ecuador. I have been very lucky to do a lot of international traveling (in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America), and I hope to continue that. I am involved in a few different clubs on campus; I am the president of the Student Association for the Development of Arab Cultural Awareness, the Vice President of the Palestine Children's Relief Fund UR Chapter and I also play on the Women's Club Soccer team. I have held a few different part time jobs during college, including working for the Career Center and I am currently a TA for Professor Rizzo's Environmental Economics class. In my free time I enjoy running (I ran my first marathon last October), watching movies, cooking, listening to music, and spending time with my friends. After graduation I plan to work in Latin American development and eventually make it to graduate school. I very much look forward to meeting with other students and helping out in any way I can, so don't hesitate to contact me. I hold weekly office hours upstairs in the IT Center on: Monday 4-5, Tuesday 7-8, Wednesday 5-6 and am also available to meet by appointment: rlindem2@u.rochester.edu. |
 Jason Russell |
Hi! My name is Jason Russell and I am a senior from Detroit, Michigan, majoring in
Economics and Political Science. In the fall of my junior year I did the
Internships in Europe study abroad program in London, during which I interned
in the House of Commons and took classes at the University of Westminster. In between the academic years, I've had
internships in Washington, D.C. and Lansing, Michigan for prominent interest
groups focused on economic issues. Outside of classes, I'm involved on campus with the
Men's Glee Club, Urban Exploring, and College Republicans. I enjoy spending my spare time watching movies, reading, and watching sports. I'm available for advising on Wednesday from 5:30-7:30pm and Thursday 2:00-4:00pm (both in Gleason). Feel free to contact me: Jrusse14@u.rochester.edu.
|
 Alex Silverman |
Hey everyone! I'm Alex and I'm a senior majoring in Economics. I took my first economics course ever sophomore year and loved it. Since then, I've taken just about every economics course there is to take (actually, I'm missing a few), including an independent study on education spending. Over the summer I attended a public policy seminar with the Institute for Humane Studies, followed by an internship in a congressional office in DC. Both experiences helped solidify my interest in public policy in general, education and environmental policy (perhaps environmental education policy?) in particular. Lest you think I'm only about economics, I also play recreational soccer, basketball, and super smash brothers (every once in awhile ya just gotta let loose, ya know?). I hold “office hours”, but I'm also always checking my email if you ever have a quick question; I'll get back to you within a few hours. Please feel free to contact me or meet with me anytime, be it with a question about the economics curriculum, the U of R in general, or anything else, really. alexsilverman96@gmail.com |
 Qing Wang |
Hi, Everyone! I’m Qing Wang, a senior student with double major in Financial Economics with honor and Applied Mathematics as well as a minor in Business. Growing up in the southern part of China, which differs from Rochester in a lot of ways, I’m delighted to embrace the freshness, differences and adventure the world outside of my country has to offer. During the past three years, I sang as one of the first tenors at Men’s Glee Club, worked as a TA in Math Department, collaborated with my colleagues to initiate “Compass News”, explored various restaurants in town, gained hands-on experience from summer internships, and studied abroad at University of Oxford in England in junior year. Barely noticed that I’ve walked so far until I looked back, I already started to feel difficult to leave this lovely school. In the last year at UR, I’m thrilled to bring this exciting experience as one of the Economics Peer Advisers of Academic Support’s brand new program into my journey. Committing to building the connections between students, departments and the college, I’m happy to share my previous experiences and talk about topics on major and minor declaration, credits transfer, study abroad programs, research opportunities, and any other questions that you may have in mind. You can email me at: qwang22@u.rochester.edu or come see me in Gleason Library on Tuesday and Thursday: 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. (or schedule by email). |
| PSYCHOLOGY | |
 Abigail Perales |
I'm a senior from San Antonio, TX. I'm majoring in Psychology and have started my masters degree program at the Warner School of Education. In addition to being a Peer Advisor, I am currently a team leader for a community outreach group called UReading, which tutors kindergarten children. I'm also a teaching assistant for an undergraduate psychology course and have past research experience in developmental psychology. I'm currently the Vice President of Psi Chi, a national honor society for psychology. In my free time, I enjoy reading, running, and riding horses. As a first year Peer Advisor, I look forward to helping out my fellow peers! |
 Shouling Zhang |
Hello everyone! My name is Shouling Zhang, and I am very excited to be one of your Peer Advisors this year. I am a senior undergraduate on the pre-medical track, double majoring in Microbiology and Psychology. I am from Long Island, New York, but I also spent a significant period of my childhood in the South. My main academic passions revolve around pediatrics, infectious diseases, autism, and global health. Within psychology, I am most interested in psychoneuroimmunology and the age-specific challenges faced by children in the areas of developmental and clinical psychology. I am an avid volleyball, figure-skating, and yoga enthusiast. My favorite color is blue and my favorite Starbucks drink is either a Vanilla Soy Chai or a Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha. I think ASL is one of the coolest languages in the world and that collaboration is essential for success. Please feel free to contact me with any advising questions or concerns you may have. I look forward to getting to know each of you based on your individual interests and goals, and I hope I can help you each achieve success as you explore the Rochester college experience! |
 Drue Sokol |
Hello! My name is Drue and I am a senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in English literature. I am originally from Albany, NY, which is not too far from Rochester! I am intending to go to graduate school for Industrial/Organizational Psychology and I am applying to schools for Fall 2013. On top of being a peer adviser, I am the photography editor for our campus newspaper, the Campus Times. I also serve on the Editorial Board for the newspaper as well. I have worked in a Social Psychology lab at UR for many years, doing research under Professor Elliot and his graduate students, even serving as lab coordinator for a year. I also have a ton of hobbies! I play the guitar, play tennis, I love to take photos and I have cooking competitions with my friends. As a peer adviser, I look forward to helping and supporting you with academic planning as well as answering any questions you may have about the Psychology department. Feel free to email me with any comments or concerns – I look forward to working with you during this academic year! |
 Kaitlyn Werner |
I'm currently a senior studying Psychology at the University of Rochester. With an emphasis on social psychology, specifically human motivation and self-determination theory, I've worked as a lab manager and research assistant on a variety of research projects, such as examining students' perception of teacher motivation and completing my thesis on how extrinsic aspirations (i.e., money, fame, and image) result in decreased quality of life. I'm currently interested in studying goals, health psychology, and school reform from a motivational perspective. I have also been a TA for a variety of psychology courses and will continue throughout the remainder of my senior year. Outside of school, I really enjoy biking, traveling, and reading. |
 Heather Winegrad |
Hi everyone! My name is Heather Winegrad. I am a senior at the U of R studying American Sign Language (ASL) and Psychology. I am currently the Events Coordinator of the ASL Club and work as a secretary in the ASL Department. I am also a research assistant in Project BRIDGE at the Mt. Hope Family Center. Recently, my studies have specifically turned towards child development. My research interests include attachment theory, interparental conflict, and child psychopathology. I am very excited to be apart of this program and look forward to working with everyone! |
| PUBLIC HEALTH-RELATED PROGRAMS: HEALTH, BEHAVIOR, & SOCIETY |
|
 Jodie Antoniadis |
Hi everyone! My name is Jodie Antoniadis, I'm a senior, majoring in Public Health (Health, Behavior, and Society) and minoring in Philosophy. I came to college having no idea what I wanted to major in, but I found the perfect fit for me with the Public Health department. I am very involved in the student group Colleges Against Cancer and have been on our annual Relay for Life committee for the past three years! In addition to being a peer advisor, I also work in the University's Financial Aid Office and UHS' Health Promotions Office. This past summer, I had an internship with a doctor at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and helped her design informational pamphlets for her patients at the high-risk ovarian cancer clinic. This was one of the many great ways I experienced public health outside of the classroom! I also love to shop and spend time with family and friends! I'm so excited to be a peer advisor! |
 Anisha Gundewar |
My name is Anisha, and I am a junior double majoring in Microbiology and Health, Behavior, and Society. I am a member of the GlobeMed University of Rochester executive board. Last year I took a gap year and spent time doing research at UMass Medical School and volunteering for a non-governmental organization in Peru. |
 Lalita Movva |
Hi everyone! My name is Lalita Movva and I'm from Saginaw, Michigan. I am a senior majoring in Health, Behavior, and Society and minoring in Psychology. I'm also pre-med and plan on eventually becoming a pediatric oncologist. During the Spring 2012 semester, I studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, where I took courses that allowed me to gain an international perspective on both public health and medicine. I have also greatly enjoyed my experiences being a research assistant for various psychology projects and am particularly interested in child and family psychology. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have! |
 Luke Slipski |
Hey guys, my name is Luke Slipski, and I'll be one of your peer advisers for the Health, Behavior and Society major this year. I'm looking forward to helping public health students more fully utilize the amazing opportunities we have here at the U of R. In a burgeoning field, Rochester has an incredible faculty doing public health work around the world. I will be your liaison to classes, independent studies, research, and career opportunities in Rochester and abroad. Since transferring to the U of R in my sophomore year, I've had amazing public health work experiences globally, from Rochester to Haiti to Germany to India. My coursework here has fostered my passion for global health work, health policy development, and social justice. I would be thrilled to talk with you about these and any other interests you may want to pursue! Please don't hesitate to get in touch! |
