Peer Mentors

A set of four to six junior and senior MB&B majors serve as peer mentors for students who are considering or entering the MB&B major.  Peer mentors can give fellow students a sense of the experience of majoring in MB&B and practical advice on navigating the requirements and electives in our program. Peer mentors offer advice on which classes to take, experiences to consider and anything pertaining to the major. They can provide advice on how to take advantage of the many academic resources available to you, such as peer tutors, college tutors, teaching fellows, faculty office hours, etc.  Peer mentors also host informal community-building get-togethers in the department for prospective and current majors.  If you have not yet declared an MB&B major and want to be invited to these events, please email MBBUndergrad@yale.edu.

Please note that peer mentors supplement the MB&B faculty academic advisors.  You should meet one of the faculty advisors to discuss details of the MB&B degree requirements, to get your schedule or other official forms signed, and to get faculty-level advice on things like setting up an independent research experience, planning a scientific career, etc.

Peer mentors for 2024-2025 are:

Hannah Barsouk, hannah.barsouk@yale.edu, Class of 2025, Morse College

I am a junior in Morse College and B.S./M.S. candidate in MB&B. I conduct research at the Breaker Lab exploring the role of non-coding RNAs in stress response and regulation of gene expression in bacteria, and plan to pursue a PhD in biochemistry after graduation. I am also a peer tutor for MB&B biochemistry and am involved with Public School Interns (PSI) with Dwight Hall and the Yale Science Magazine. I would love to chat if you have any questions about the B.S./M.S. program, grad school, extracurriculars, or blue booking!

Faith Pena, faith.pena@yale.edu, Class of 2025, Ezra Stiles College

Nolyn Mjema, nolyn.mjema@yale.edu,Class of 2026

Hi everyone! I’m a junior in Morse College, originally from Oklahoma. I’m concentrating in Medicine and plan to pursue a career in the medical field. Currently, I work in Dr. Candice Paulsen’s lab, where I study the TRPA1 ion channel and the mutations associated with chronic pain and other health issues. Outside of academics and research, I’m a Coordinator at the Yale Community Kitchen, Vice President of Yale’s Black Men’s Union, and a volunteer with the Community Healthcare Van at the School of Medicine. I’m always happy to connect and meet new people, so feel free to reach out!