Graduate Affiliates 2024-2025

Graduate Affilates (GAs) are graduate students at Yale who are associated with Silliman. Many of them are former Yale College students and Sillimanders! They will be hosting events throughout the semester, but also are available for support and advice. Feel free to reach out to them if you ever want to meet up!

Astrid Hengartner (Head GA)

• Undergrad Institution: Yale (Silliman!)
• Undergrad Major: Neuroscience
• Current Grad Program: Medical School
• Favorite things to do: I love hiking, skiing, backpacking, guitar, film photography, and propagating my plants!
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: I’m currently reading Klara and the Sun and listening to Gracie Abrams on repeat.
• My email: astrid.hengartner@yale.edu

Nicole Odzer 

• Undergrad Institution:  Yale (Silliman ‘20!)
• Undergrad Major:  Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
• Current Grad Program:  Medical School
• Favorite things to do:  I really love cooking, making fun coffee drinks, reading (new hobby), and going for walks or hikes when the weather is nice!
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to:  The Bear, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and lots of Noah Kahan
• My email: nicole.odzer@yale.edu

Sarah Zhao

• Undergrad Institution: University of Richmond
• Undergrad Major(s): Psychology and Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Business Analytics
• Current Grad Program: Master of Asset Management
• Favorite things to do: Dancing and preparing performance with my dance buddies!
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: started trying to listen to podcasts
• My email: sarah.zhao.yz2347@yale.edu

Cindy Khanh Nguyen

• Undergrad Institution: Yale College
• Undergrad Major: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
• Current Grad Program: Yale School of Medicine
• Favorite things to do: Eat (especially ice cream) and cook new foods, play pickleball, watch TV shows and movies, do yoga and pilates, explore Connecticut and New England when I have the opportunity
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Watching Ted Lasso, reading Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, and listening to Olivia Rodrigo
• My email: cindykhanh.nguyen@yale.edu

Caitlin Le

• Undergrad Institution: UC San Diego
• Undergrad Major: Mechanical engineering
• Current grad program: PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
• Favorite things to do: Play ice hockey, play video games, bake desserts
• What I’m watching: Gilmore Girls
• My email: caitlin.le@yale.edu

Ross Puritty

• Undergrad Institution: United States Military Academy at West Point
• Undergrad Major(s): Chinese Language
• Current Grad Program: Law School
• Favorite things to do: Generally being outdoors (usually running or walking my two wiener dogs)
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Currently watching Invasion on Apple TV (love sci-fi), reading Wind/Pinball by Murakami, and listening to UK rap.
• My email: ross.puritty@yale.edu

Ross Martin

• Undergrad Institution: Bowling Green State University
• Undergrad Major(s): Philosophy, Politics, Economics & Law 
• Current Grad Program:  PhD at the School of the Environment
• Favorite things to do: I love to backpack, make food with friends, do botanical experiments in my garden, play recreational sports and watch football on Sundays. Recently I’ve also been learning how to hunt whitetail. I also love to converse– Let’s talk about what you’re interested in!
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Watching: Youtube videos that help me manage my backyard chickens. Reading: Wilderness in the American Mind by Roderick Nash Listening to: Bob Marley, Tyler Childers, and The Killers 
• My email:  ross.martin@yale.edu

Lyndon Ji

• Undergrad Institution: Yale (SM’16!)
• Undergrad Major(s): Math
• Current Grad Program: Piano, DMA (fake doctor)
• Favorite things to do: Brewing coffee in various ways (though currently quite boring, mainly with a v60), sleeping (not after coffee; I don’t have that superpower), losing at Catan and other board games (including Go and Wingspan), and attempting to train my cat. I also still occasionally play SSBM on Slippi, if anyone knows what that is.
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: sadly, not much, but recent tunes include Stella by Starlight and Down by the Riverside. 
• My email: lyndon.ji@yale.edu

Isha Singh

• Undergrad Institution:  Ashoka University, India
• Undergrad Major: Computer Science
• Current Grad Program: MSc. in Computer Science
• Favorite things to do: Swim, explore (walking trails, restaurants, music; you name it!), learn random facts from YouTube and trick ChatGPT
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Rewatching everything Marvel, reading The Midnight Library, and listening to basically everything but mostly rock music
• My email: isha.singh@yale.edu

Kishore Chundi

• Undergrad Institution: Yale College
• Undergrad Major(s): Philosophy
• Current Grad Program: Yale Law School
• Favorite things to do: Cooking, watching and playing sports, hiking, going down Wikipedia rabbitholes
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Watching Great British Baking Show and White Collar, reading too many cases for law school
• My email: kishore.chundi@yale.edu

Luis Ramirez

• Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Irvine
• Undergraduate major: Mechanical Engineering
• Current grad program: Mechanical Engineering PhD
• Favorite things to do: Run, hike, sail, photography, and eat
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Rewatching How I met your mother for the 3rd time
• Email: luis.ramirez@yale.edu

Kristen Tam

• Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 
• Undergraduate major: Environmental Science  
• Current grad program: Yale School of the Environment (YSE), Masters of Environmental Science (MESc)
• Favorite things to do: Anything outdoors in the sun (I literally photosynthesize) filled with deep conversations with people (don’t be taken back if I ask deep questions to get to know you)! I love long runs, rock climbing (indoor and outdoor), hiking mountains (just did Kilimanjaro this summer :)), and planning trips and hangouts with friends. Since coming to Yale I’ve been on the tennis and pickleball grind (neither of which I’ve ever done but want to get better at!), and am learning Mandarin again for the first time since high school! 
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Listening: 95% of the time you’ll find me listening to Christian worship music by Sovereign Grace, CityAlight and Keith & Kristyn Getty :). Reading: the book of Luke in the Bible. Watching: I don’t watch TV or movies!
• Email: Kristen.tam@yale.edu

Jacqueline Ihnat

• Undergraduate Institution: University of Missouri-Columbia
• Undergraduate major: Business Administration, Minor in Spanish
• Current grad program: School of Medicine
• Favorite things to do: run, bake cakes, hang out with my pet turtle
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Talk (the artist)
• Email: jacqueline.ihnat@yale.edu

Campbell Mitchell

• Undergraduate institution: Western Connecticut State University
• Undergraduate Major: Social Sciences 
• Current grad program: MPH in Social & Behavioral Sciences, US Health Justice Concentration
• Favorite things to do: Writing, strategy games, exploring new things with friends
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Rewatching The Owl House and Game Changer, reading (Un)Doing Diabetes: Representation, Disability, Culture, and listening to Pete Seeger and Rammstein 
• Email: campbell.mitchell@yale.edu

Carlos Garcia Perez

• Undergraduate Institution: Harvard College (Quincy House)
• Undergraduate major: Government
• Current grad program: Law School
• Favorite things to do: I love spending time with my wife and seven-month-old daughter. I also love hiking, camping, and playing pickleball.
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: I’m currently watching Attack on Titan, listening to “The Legal Analyst,” and reading a lot of cases!
• Email: carlos.garciaperez@yale.edu

Ana Greenberg

• Undergraduate Institution: Yale College (Silliman 2022)
• Undergraduate major: Neuroscience
• Current grad program: Yale School of Medicine
• Favorite things to do: play squash, explore new restaurants in New Haven, and any sort of artistic / DIY project.
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: rewatching The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Email: ana.greenberg@yale.edu

Carlisle Topping

• Undergraduate Institution: Columbia University
• Undergraduate major: Biology
• Current grad program: School of Medicine, MS5
• Favorite things to do: Ski, hike, listen to music, grab coffee & pastries from Atticus Market 
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Love Island USA season 6, Fourth Wing, Mt. Joy 
• Email: carlisle.topping@yale.edu

Heidi Katter

• Undergraduate Institution: Yale (Silliman!)
• Undergraduate Major: History
• Current Grad Program: PhD in History
• Favorite things to do: Hiking, canoeing, swimming, snowshoeing, browsing local bookstores, and playing board games! 
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Watching Free Solo, reading Lev Grossman’s The Bright Sword, and listening to folk music. 
• Email: heidi.katter@yale.edu

Nitika Khaitan

• Undergraduate Institution: Yale (Silliman!) ’16
• Undergraduate major: Humanities
• Current grad program: PhD, History
• Favorite things to do: Coral reef documentaries, dancing, board games, beaches (especially with limestone cliffs), word games, travel and deep hang-outs with friends
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: The Expanse! It’s an incredibly well-thought-out sci-fi show and has a dedicated fan base, making for lots of fun Reddit-scrolling after every episode
• Email: nitika.khaitan@yale.edu

Pranjal Drall

• Undergrad Institution: Grinnell College
• Undergrad Major: Economics and Math
• Current Grad Program: JD (Law School) + PhD in Finance (I’ll be here for a while…)
• Favorite things to do: Playing tennis, watching movies, rooting for the Green Bay Packers
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: watching Industry, listening to Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers, reading Knausgaard. 
• My email: pranjal.drall@yale.edu

Jordan Foster

• Undergraduate Institution: Sarah Lawrence College
• Undergraduate major: Psychology, Neuroscience
• Current grad program: PhD in Clinical Psychology 
• Favorite things to do: Exploring New Haven’s food scene with friends, doing yoga, dancing, watching (and sometimes participating in) theatre 
• What I’m watching, reading, listening to: Watching Shōgun, reading Ninth House, listening to Beyoncé or the new Glass Animals album 
• Email: jordan.foster@yale.edu

Stephanie Horsfall

• Undergraduate Institution: Yale (Silliman ‘21!)
• Undergraduate Major: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
• Current Grad Program: PhD in Public Health (Health Policy and Management)
• Favorite things to do: Walking and exploring cities, going to any form of live music event, and dancing
• What I’m watching, reading, and listening to: watching Love is Blind and listening to a lot of dance/pop/R&B artists (think Kaytranada, Tinashe, and Khamari)
• Email: stephanie.horsfall@yale.edu