Student Academic Resources

Darshana Banka 2022

Hi everyone! My name is Darshana Banka and I am a rising senior at Wesleyan. I attended high school in Mumbai, India. I am a Neuroscience & Behavior and Psychology double major. I am on the pre-medicine track. I have taken courses in Economics as well and I am interested in pursuing public health policy down the road. Outside of peer advising, I am a Research Assistant in a Molecular Biology and Biochemistry lab doing yeast genetics and the Wesleyan Media Project doing health media research. I am also a Peer Tutor through the Dean’s Peer Tutoring Program. Apart from these ventures, I am the Secretary of Shakti (South Asian Student Coalition), Project Coordinator of the Wesleyan Therapy Dogs, Clinic Escort at the Hartford GYN Center, Project Co-Director of AskWes, and Co-Founder of WeSanskriti (South Asian Classical Dance Team). Outside of campus life, I love to go hiking with my friends, travel, play the guitar, and cook. I am really excited to meet all of you in the fall either virtually or in person. If you have any questions about transition to college as an international student, academics, or simply just want to chat about life at Wesleyan, please feel free to reach out to me at dbanka@wesleyen.edu.

Belle Brown 2022 (Spring 2021)

Hi everyone! My name is Belle Brown and I’m part of the class of 2022, majoring in Government and Environmental Studies, with a minor in African American Studies. My hometown is Arlington, Virginia and I transferred to Wes as a sophomore from Emory University, so I’m here for you if you have any transfer related questions. Besides being a Peer Advisor, I’m also on the track team, work at Long Lane Farm, perform stand-up comedy with Awkward Silence, and am a member of WesACLU. In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors and cooking for my friends. Please don’t hesitate to reach out at bbrown03@wesleyan.edu with any questions or concerns you might have (again, especially about transferring!) or just to chat. Looking forward to getting to know you. Go Wes!

Cyann Byfield 2023

Hello everyone! My name is Cyann Byfield and I am a rising junior here at Wesleyan. My pronouns are she/her and I’m from Brooklyn, New York, and went to high school in the Financial District of Manhattan. I am a Sociology major and an African American Studies minor but I also enjoy taking American Government courses as frequently as possible. Currently, I am an Orientation Leader for New Student Orientation, and I’m a part of “Kalalu” the Caribbean dance team, which of one of the many dance teams on campus here at Wesleyan. I am also a member of the Women of Color collective, the Caribbean Student Association, and pre-pandemic I was an overnight host for prospective students. I am also a Prep for Prep alum which is a rigorous academic program for students of color in New York City, therefore I have years of experience in effectively completing intense academic work. One of my favorite things about Wesleyan is our campus, there’s nothing I love more than going for walks with my friends or just relaxing on Foss Hill. Other than being a full-time student at Wes, I love to do hair and makeup and I also love to cook and bake. Feel free to reach out anytime if you have questions or just need to chat cbyfield@wesleyan.edu!

Perri Easley 2023

Hey everybody! My name is Perri Easley, I am currently a rising junior at Wesleyan, and I am from Denville, New Jersey. At Wesleyan, I am an American Studies, French Studies Double Major with a minor in Film. I hope to pursue a career in media or politics soon. Outside of career advising, I am the Communications Assistant for the Fries Center for Global Studies. I also serve as one of the co-presidents of Wesleyan’s chapter of Active Minds, one of the nation’s leading mental health advocacy and awareness organizations, and a Board member of Wesleyan’s SOC Fashion Show committee. Aside from these commitments, I am very active in civic and community engagement efforts outside of the classroom, volunteering for several political campaigns and being affiliated with organizations like Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, Headcount, and Empower the Village. In my free time, I love spending time with friends and binge-watching TV shows. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about academic peer advising, Wesleyan, or life in general. You can reach me at peasley@wesleyan.edu.

Amy Guaman 2022

Hi everyone! My name is Amy Guaman, I am a rising senior from Queens, NYC and I am super excited to meet you all! I was born and raised in a diverse and vibrant city and still live there to this day, so as a Latina 🇪🇨 in NYC I never really felt like a “minority.” It was only when I came to Wesleyan that I began to feel like a minority and began to juggle the difficulties of imposter syndrome. It can be very difficult to face the day-to-day challenges that come with attending any university, especially as a student of color. That is why I am a huge advocate for therapy and other mental health resources. Wesleyan is amazing at offering various mental health outlets outside of therapy, such as workshops with CAPS, therapy dogs during finals week and even a mindfulness course that you can find on WesMaps. If you have any questions about these resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I would love to discuss them with you. And if you haven’t already guessed it, I am a psychology major, but I have also enjoyed taking several courses outside of my discipline such as in neuroscience, Italian and data science. I am also a member of WesRugby, the Basal Gang (Neuroscience Club), a Peer Tutor through the Dean’s Peer Tutoring Program and I have been a Peer Health Advocate for the Class of 2023. During my free time, I enjoy cooking, being outdoors, listening to music on the highest possible volume and traveling! I have enjoyed sharing a little about me, but I would love to hear about you! Please don’t hesitate to email me at aguaman@wesleyan.edu with any questions, concerns or just to chat. I am here as a resource for you, every question is important so please ask it and I look forward to meeting you all soon!

Tucker Kelsch 2022

Hi! My name is Tucker Kelsch, and I am a rising Senior at Wes. I am a Government and Environmental Studies double major, but have been lucky enough to take advantage of the wide range of classes Wesleyan has to offer; some of my favorites are in Philosophy, Music, and the Natural Sciences. On campus, I am a member of the Men’s Soccer Team as well as a team representative on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and know about the importance of time management while navigating an active lifestyle. Beyond athletics, I am an active member of WesBuds, a student group that partners with IDD (Intellectually or Developmentally Disabled) students in Middletown, as well as a volunteer tutor with the Wesleyan University Middle School Tutoring Project. I’ve also found exciting extracurricular opportunities outside of Wesleyan, like my current role interning with the Arlington County Public Defender’s Office. I am excited to meet everyone this fall, and eager to become a resource to all who need it. Shout me out on campus, or shoot me an email tkelsch@wesleyan.edu if you’d like to connect!

Anya Kisicki 2022

Hi! My name is Anya Kisicki (she/her) and I’m a rising senior at Wesleyan. I hail from Phoenix, Arizona and I am double majoring in Government and in the College of Letters, a three-year multidisciplinary program that merges the studies of history, literature, and philosophy. I am also pursuing a minor in Film Studies. Outside of Peer Advising, I work at Wesleyan’s Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development to help plan student events on campus. You can also find me taking orders at the on-campus restaurant, WesWings, on Pocotopaug Lake with the Sailing Team, or in the 92 Theatre designing the lights for student-run theatre productions. Additionally, I am currently working to build a new campus group that focuses on creating space for non-cis males (womxn) interested in Film to network and hold campus-wide events. I am here as a resource for you, so if you have any questions at all about adjusting to life at Wesleyan, don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing me at akisicki@wesleyan.edu! I look forward to meeting you in the fall!

Quentin Tan 2022

Hi! My name is Quentin Tan and I am a rising senior from Penang, Malaysia. I am currently the only College of Letters and College and East Asian Studies double major student at Wesleyan – and quite possibly the first Cardinal to do so – so I am no stranger to unorthodox but all the more rewarding academic explorations! I studied abroad my sophomore spring in Osaka, Japan and stumbled upon the outbreak of COVID-19 – making what is already a challenging academic experience in itself even more so! On campus, I am a Writing Mentor for the Writing Workshop (an amazing resource for students which I could not possibly recommend more highly) and a copy editor for the Wesleyan Argus. Occasionally, you may also find me grooving as a pianist in a number of Second Stage musical productions. I am a great fan of reading books from all around the world – Camus’ The Plague being one of my recent favorites – and Japanese literature, especially, is my ice cream at 3 a.m., so I would love to have tea and talk about recent reads with you! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at htan03@wesleyan.edu, and I look forward to working with you in the fall!

Maya Verghese 2023

Hi! My name is Maya Verghese and I’m from Hamden, CT. I am a rising junior majoring in Psychology and Government with a minor in Education Studies. Most of my free time is spent working as the Financial Manager of the Wesleyan Argus and leading the Event Experience team for TEDxWesleyanU. I’m also a member of the Psychology Majors Committee and was a teaching assistant for introductory psychology. My path through Wesleyan, both academically and in terms of extracurriculars, has not always been clear. I’ve taken everything from Planetary Geology to Dance History, served on the WSA for a semester, worked for Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven, and developed Argus finances for a few years. I’ve absorbed and learned so much and am happy to share my experiences and advice (as well as talk through anything that’s weighing on your mind). I have many demanding jobs and responsibilities on campus. It took a lot of practice, so definitely reach out if you need any help organizing yourself and finding the right balance. I have a deep love for the intersection between psychology, public health, and international politics—finding joy in the crazy connections between seemingly distant disciplines. During the summers between school, I interned for a lab developing apps for people struggling with their mental health, worked with a professor to maintain enormous networks of social psychology resources, and helped with an online preschool for children of recent immigrants and refugees during the lockdown. Finding these opportunities was an adventure, and I’m happy to talk about the campus resources I’ve used and my experiences applying for jobs. In general, I’m here to help you make the most of Wesleyan’s resources (some hidden in plain sight), talk through problems, and find solutions. I’m always here to listen and make sure that you never feel overwhelmed or lost. You have people looking out for you! Never hesitate to reach out to me at mverghese@wesleyan.edu. Looking forward to meeting you!!

Andi Wiley 2022

Hi! My name is Andi Wiley and I am from Alameda, CA. I am a rising senior here at Wesleyan, class of 2022, double majoring in Economics and Psychology with a Writing Certificate. Initially, I was not sure what I wanted to study, so I explored many subjects taking full advantage of the wide variety of classes that Wes has to offer. In addition to peer advising, I am also a peer tutor on campus as well as a volunteer tutor for Wesleyan’s Center for Prison Education, which is a program that extends the Wesleyan community and resources to offer incarcerated individuals the opportunity to receive college credit. I am also passionate and actively involved with WesBuds, a student group partnership with the Middlesex Transition Academy (MTA), a school for students 18-22 with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Beyond academics, I am on the Wesleyan Women’s Soccer team, which has challenged my time management and organizational skills. Further, as a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, I understand the importance in balancing busy athletic schedules and rigorous academics. I am more than happy to answer questions, concerns, or to simply get to know you, so please reach out to me at anwiley@wesleyan.edu. Very much looking forward to the fall and meeting you all!