The Peer Liaison Program was created to provide an additional layer of mentoring through a wealth of events and initiatives that aim to support first-year students through their transition to Yale College, especially those who belong to systematically minoritized groups. Peer Liaisons (PLs), are a select group of trained, caring upper-class student leaders affiliated with the residential colleges and one of these eight centers/offices: Afro-American Cultural Center, Asian American Cultural Center, Chaplain’s Office, La Casa Cultural: Latinx Cultural Center, Native American Cultural Center, Office of International Students & Scholars, Office of LGBTQ Resources, Student Accessibility Services. Each PL program is structured a little differently to meet the distinct needs of each community, but all are designed to help first-year students feel a sense of belonging on-campus.
Peer Liaisons
In their capacity as Peer Liaisons, selected upper-level students affiliated with certain Yale College communities provide invaluable mentorship to first-years.
Peer Liaisons
In their capacity as Peer Liaisons, selected upper-level students affiliated with certain Yale College communities provide invaluable mentorship to first-years.
Request a Peer Liaison
A Peer Liaison provides friendship, guidance, and advice to new students and assists with their transition to life on campus. Requests can be made on a rolling basis.
Apply to be a Peer Liaison
Interested students should review the position requirements and, if qualified, apply to be a Peer Liaison.
Peer Liaison Applicant Information
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, students must:
- Be rising Sophomores, Juniors or Seniors in good academic standing during both terms of the current academic year
- Possess the skills necessary to work on a team of students from varied backgrounds
- Demonstrate a good level of self-awareness, a commitment to serving others, and advocating for the needs of others
Duties and Expectations
Given the nature of the position and often unpredictable needs of First-Year students, it is impossible to anticipate all the duties that a Peer Liaison might be expected to perform, but the primary responsibilities are listed below. These duties will be explained in greater detail during Peer Liaison trainings, but if you have any concerns or reservations about your ability to fulfill these duties, be sure to contact the Peer Liaison Program Director, Dean Joliana Yee immediately. It is important to understand that any Peer Liaison who fails to fulfill any of these expectations may be subject to immediate dismissal from the program.
- Model exemplary conduct, abiding by the Undergraduate Regulations and the Community Compact
- Serve as role models to First-Year students whose experiences are often shaped by issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Serve as advisors and trusted mentors who establish a meaningful learning relationship with First-Year students
- Empower mentee(s) to be engaged, responsible, and proactive citizens at Yale
- Connect First-Year students to various resources both within the residential college, centers and across campus as appropriate
- Provide social, academic, and emotional support, in collaboration with other residential college peer leaders and in close consultation with professional and certified campus staff as needed
- Help ease First-Year students transition to life at Yale College
- Attend fully training sessions in the Spring and Fall as outlined in the Peer Liaison Contract received upon hire
Prioritization of Extracurricular Commitments
Serving as a Peer Liaison should be a student’s primary extracurricular activity. A Peer Liaison may not accept any other term-time employment beyond ten hours per week without first consulting with your center director/supervisor(s) and Peer Liaison Program Director. The same applies for any other significant extracurricular commitment that would demand more than ten hours per week. In case of any doubt whatsoever, consult your center director/supervisor(s) and Peer Liaison Program Director before accepting this appointment. Additionally, this is a year-long commitment. If you are thinking about studying abroad at any time in the academic year, please do not accept this position.
Peer Liaison Hiring Timeline
List of 2023-2024 Peer Liaisons
Afro-American Cultural Center
- CJ Akhigbe | Berkeley
- Adell Ateshim | Silliman
- Christian Bailey | JE
- Zada Brown | Trumbull
- Evan Bowman | TD
- Sosna Biniam | Silliman
- Dani Doss | Berkeley
- Munira Elbashir | Davenport
- Momona Hadish | Stiles
- Lauren Okine | Davenport
- Dami Oluwatade | Murray
- Jamarc Simon | Morse
- Kadidia Sylla | Pierson
- Kalvin Verner | Stiles
Asian American Cultural Center
- Aruna Balasubramanian | Saybrook
- Mark Chung | Trumbull
- Risha Chakraborty | Saybrook
- Xander Calicdan | Saybrook
- Satia Hatami | Saybrook
- Maiya Hossain | Davenport
- William Hin | Pierson
- Amy Jiang | Hopper
- Mahima Kodavati | Davenport
- Gaeun Lee | Berkeley
- Michelle Lee | Pierson
- Koosha Maleknia | TD
- Kirin Mueller | JE
- Tony Ruan | Franklin
- Zahra Yarali | Silliman
- Kai Zhang | Davenport
Chaplain’s Office
- CJ Akhigbe | Berkeley
- Zada Brown | Trumbull
- Eula Doele | Berkeley
- Momona Hadish | Stiles
- Melina Joseph | Branford
- Rita Malallah | Saybrook
- Sarah Mahmoud | Silliman
- Carla Rangel | Davenport
- Sabrina Zbar | Saybrook
La Casa Cultural
- Seung Min Baik | Branford
- Ava Boston | Saybrook
- Jonathan Balderas | Hopper
- Lily Perez | Branford
- Mayerling Colin | Silliman
- Eliana Cortez | Franklin
- Stephania Chavez Cisneros | Davenport
- Daena Rodriguez Rueda | Franklin
- Jessica Sanchez | Davenport
- Stephanie Montealegre | Saybrook
- Sita Kottilil | Davenport
- Lizbeth Lozano | Murray
- Karla Perdomo Nunez | Stiles
- Jesús Ramos | Davenport
- Daisy Sanchez | Trumbull
- Rebecca Sosa-Coba | Murray
Native American Cultural Center
- Kala'i Anderson | Berkeley
- Megan Blackwell | Silliman
- Micah Greyeyes | Berkeley
- Reid Hightower | Franklin
- Ivy Pete | Hopper
- Sunni Parisien | Murray
- Jordan Sahly | Trumbull
- Makayla Suina | Morse
Office of International Students & Scholars
- Mina Aral | Berkeley
- Dinara Bolat | Hopper
- Yuen Ning Chang | Branford
- Keya Gupta | Saybrook
- Getrude Jeruto | TD
- JeeHwan Kim | Stiles
- Gai Ogasawara | Hopper
- Awuor Onguru | Berkeley
- Hannah Qin | Trumbull
- Joe Thames | Franklin
Office of LGBTQ Resources
- Marshall Adams | Silliman
- Theia Chatelle | Hopper
- Roy Kohavi | Saybrook
- Lee Muita | Stiles
- Jamie Nicolas | Silliman
- Stephan Oliveira | Trumbull
- Arden Parrish | Silliman
Student Accessibility Services
- Sara Dzigurski | Pierson
- Chisom Ofomata | JE
- Alexis Sye | Murray
- Lusangelis Ramos | Saybrook
- K Wang | Branford