Peer Liaisons

Upon entrance to Yale, all first-year students are assigned a counselor called a FroCo whose main purpose is to serve as a guide and mentor. Native students are each assigned a Peer Liaison to provide additional support - addressing the issues and concerns more specific to being a Native student at Yale. PLs also have programmed special bonding events such as the celebrated Baking & Bonding events.

The Peer Liaisons are open to answer any questions concerning life at Yale. Their principle responsibility is to facilitate new students' successful transition into college. They serve as a source of support to ensure each mentee's academic, personal, and social success during the first year in New Haven. They hold bonding events and are around the NACC to talk with you about concerns, whether they be about Native identity, coursework, or social life.

Contact Head Peer Liaison Reid Hightower, '26, and Sunni Parisien, '25 with any questions. 

 

Kala‘i Anderson (He/Him)

Berkeley College '25

Major: Ethnicity, Race, & Migration

Aloha everybody, my name is Kala‘i Anderson and I am currently a junior in Berkeley College. I'm aiming for a degree in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration however this is subject to change as I am interested in many subjects. I'm from a small town on the island of Maui called Makawao where I live with my family and grandparents. Some fun facts about myself are that I have a twin brother, I play piano, and I worked as a kayak tour guide this past summer.

Sunni Parisien (She/They)

Pauli Murray College '25

Major: Ethnicity, Race, & Migration and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies

Sunni Parisien (she/they) is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa (Anishinaabe) from Belcourt, North Dakota. A third year in Pauli Murray college, they are interested in studying Ethnicity, Race, & Migration and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. In her free hours, she can be found adventuring to every coffee and book shop in New Haven, wistfully looking at pictures of her cat Penelope, and napping the amount of time equivalent to an elder’s. If you see them on campus, say hi and ask for a dad joke. You are guaranteed to regret it or your money back!

Ivy Pete (She/They)

Grace Hopper College '26

Major: Ethnicity, Race, & Migration

Ivy Pete is a Paiute and Blackfeet student activist studying Ethnicity, Race, and Migration. Ivy's heritage is central to her work; she led the movement to retire her high school's derogatory "Indian" mascot and championed the passage of legislation in Washington State to regulate the use of Native American names, symbols, and imagery in public schools. At 18, Ivy was named a 2022 Champion for Change and the ACLU of Washington's Youth Activist of the year. Over the summer of 2023, Ivy worked for the Spokane Tribal Network as a Forager and Gardener in their Food Sovereignty Program. In this role, she deepened her passions for land-based community work and storytelling. She is honored and humbled to serve as an advocate for her people and empower other Indigenous young people to do the same in and outside of educational spaces. 

 

 

Reid Hightower (He/Him)

Benjamin Franklin '26

Major: Chemical Engineering

Hi! My name is Reid Hightower and I'm a second-year in Benjamin Franklin studying Chemical Engineering. My family is from the Ohkay Owingeh pueblo in New Mexico but I was born and raised in Las Vegas. Outside of class, I'm involved with the YSO, STARS, and the NACC through AISES and NISAY. In my free time I enjoy practicing the tuba, exercising with my friends, and hanging out at the NACC. 

Makayla Suina
Pronouns: She/her
Major: History and Education Studies
 
Hi everyone! My name is Makayla and I am a junior in Morse College majoring in History and receiving a certificate in Education Studies. I am from Cochiti Pueblo and Santa Ana Pueblo in New Mexico. I grew up in Cochiti where I live with my mom and grandparents. Outside of class and the NACC, I’m involved in YPI (Yale Policy Institute), NISAY, Common Closet Pop Up under Yale Sustainability, and volunteer with Yale Votes. Last semester, I helped coordinate and co-moderated a panel on language pedagogy on the Keres language. Huge shout-out to the NACC and Education Studies Department. You can catch me around campus with a silly drink in hand and headphones on listening to one of my perfectly crafted Spotify playlist. 
Megan Blackwell, '26
 
Pronouns: She/her
 
Major: American Studies, Political Science
 

Megan is a senior in Silliman majoring in Political Science and American Studies. From Albuquerque, New Mexico, she is Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Omaha. She loves the community she's found at the NACC during her time at Yale. In addition to her involvement with the NACC, she works with the Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project, works for the Gruber Program at Yale Law School, and has a radio show with her friend that is 75% of her personality. She loves hiking, playing the bass, and (re)watching Criminal Minds. Reach out any time at megan.blackwell@yale.edu!

 

Taylor Dineyazhe, '27

Pronouns: she/her

Major:  Environmental Studies (EVST)

Yá’át’ééh everyone! My name is Taylor Dineyazhe I’m a sophomore in Ezra Stiles (GFM!!) if you know you know. I was born and raised in Gallup, NM, just outside the Navajo Nation. Growing up next to the Navajo Nation my whole life is what sparked my interest in Environmental Studies. It has made me develop a strong passion for environmental sustainability, water security, and those in my community. Aside from that, I love to spend my free time going on runs, grabbing a sweet treat, or thrifting.