Your Welcome Leaders 2016-17

Welcome Week 2016

Welcome Leaders are a critical part of Fall Welcome Week at Cowell College!

Cowell Welcome Leaders (WLs) are a committed group of volunteer students, who assist new Cowell frosh and transfer students during Fall Move-In and Welcome Week. WLs work cooperatively with residential and college staff to help new students meet each other, learn about resources, and become a part of Cowell's vibrant community. WLs also help with college-wide programs throughout the year.

If you have a question, idea, or want to get involved, Welcome Leaders are here to help. Learn a bit about your 2016-17 WLs below. They share their interests, fun facts, and what they remember from when they were new to campus. We look forward to meeting you!

Meet your Welcome Leaders

Alice Malmberg
Hey everyone! My name is Alice and I'm an out-of-state student from Reston, Virginia near Washington, DC. I'm a third year student double majoring in Politics and Feminist Studies, so come find me if you're into that kind of stuff and we can have long feminist rants together. I was a Welcome Leader last year, and my experience was so amazing that I HAD to come back and do it again. Welcome Week is a lot of fun because there's always something going on and it's really easy to meet new people. Believe me -- when I first came to college, I was definitely a little bit nervous, but there is something here for everyone and it is so easy to get involved. Right now, I'm a member of Cowell Senate, work for the Alumni Office, and volunteer as a photographer for Cowell. My favorite part about Cowell is how open and friendly everyone here is! You should come find me if you're interested in traveling, writing, photography, or social justice. I love meeting new people, so come say hi! I promise I don't bite!
Casey Fitzgerald
I am from San Francisco Bay Area, specifically San Mateo. I am a 4th year Earth and Planetary Science major with an Astronomy minor. My hobbies are Astronomy, photography, and sports. During Welcome Week, I am looking forward to making the time more special for all the new incoming students. My favorite memory of Welcome Week is meeting all my friends that I still have today. UCSC is special to me because there are not many places where you get a view of the redwood forest and the ocean. Also, I grew up coming to the Santa Cruz area many times, making lots of great memories; as a UCSC student I've created many more. My favorite thing about campus is finding all the secret paths to get around. After a year and a half of college, I had to switch majors. Believe it or not, more people switch majors than you think. What I wish I'd have known earlier about school are all the different resources that can help you with your academics. Not many people know that I am a huge sports fan. Here at UCSC, I am involved in intramural sports and I’m a photographer for many of Cowell’s events. I also volunteer regularly with UCSC’s Student Volunteer Center. Come talk to me about sports, fun places to hang out around campus, and even Astronomy conspiracy theories. Honestly, come and talk to me about anything.
Cassidy Huse
I was born and raised in Temecula, CA, but I live in Ventura CA; however, I started out at UCSC as an out-of-state student because I went to high school in Arizona. I am very excited to have some fun this Welcome Week playing lots of games with the new students and other Welcome Leaders. The best part of my Welcome Week was karaoke night. I love to sing and dance and crochet too. At UCSC, I am a music and theater double major and a dance minor. When it comes to our school, I wish I had learned how to utilize the buses earlier, but other than that I love how easy it is to make friends around every corner at UCSC and especially Cowell. Something interesting about me is that I have seven siblings! My favorite person in the world is my mom because she encourages me to reach my dreams and helps me to get there any way she can.
Dhairat Parlikar
I am from San Marcos in San Diego County, down in Southern California. I’m the first of many cousins and siblings to attend college and I’m majoring in Legal Studies with a minor in Biology. I really like to play basketball, write short stories, and play video games (especially NBA 2K)! I go to sleep at 10:30 every night and wake up at 5:30 every morning (I know, extreme, right?). I’m really looking forward to getting to know the new students and help them ease into college life! My favorite sport is basketball; I enjoy playing it and follow the NBA
religiously! I even volunteer as an assistant coach for the UCSC Men’s basketball team. The best thing about UCSC would be the outdoorsy feeling it gives you while staying here. The best thing about living at Cowell is that it is very close to the express store and the bigger classrooms on campus. During my Welcome Week, we had a program called “Fast Friends” and it really helped me open up and meet new people without the fear of awkward silence.
Hannah Meyer
I am from Folsom, California--a Sacramento County suburb. I love to play guitar, discover new music, make art, and conversate with people. I made a few amazing, lasting friendships during Welcome Week when I was a frosh, so I’m excited to get to know more people during Welcome Week this year. I love that people generally at UCSC are super friendly, but my favorite thing about this campus is that when I need some time alone with my thoughts, the forest is only minutes away. I am ridiculously into nature. Plants are the coolest. My favorite plant is a fern, which is awesome because this campus is covered with them. I love that there are so many amazing views to be appreciated in and around Cowell. Come ask me about my favorite hidden gems and I’ll gladly share them with you; I wish I had found them earlier. I’m a psych major, I’m vegan, and I love animals way more than most people would consider “normal”- but who wants to be normal anyway? I am a part of Cowell Senate, I’m a tour guide, I’ve played on the lacrosse team, and I staff the Cowell Entertainment Co-op. Come talk to me about animals, plants, getting involved at Cowell, or about the meaning of life--it’s all fair game. :)
Harley Berman
I am from a town just north of San Francisco called Mill Valley. I am excited to meet all of the incoming students and show them around this wonderful campus. Although I love many aspects of UCSC, my favorite thing is the endless number of hidden spots on campus in the woods and meadows where you can hang out with friends. My best memory from Welcome Week was waiting in line to get checked in; I was able to make a few friends there. One of those people actually ended up living down the hall from me! I see the others today at the dining hall and we still talk. My major is Robotics Engineering and I am considering a minor in Technology and Information Management. Something interesting about me is that I am colorblind. Chances are if I am asked what color something is, I’ll be wrong (so don't ask me to match your outfit for you). My favorite thing is music. I play and sing in a bluegrass band back at home as well as a blues-rock band. I am a huge fan of almost every genre of music, however my favorite bands include Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, B.B. King and so many more. I also have a large penny collection with well over 10,000 pennies, which I sorted out by hand. The one thing about UCSC that I wished I had known about earlier was all of the free tutoring opportunities on campus. ACE, MSI, and LSS are just three examples of some of the free tutoring I use on campus, however, there are even more resources offered. In fact, I plan to apply for a job as an MSI tutor next year.
Isabelle "Bow" Silos
I'm from the small town of Temecula, California. It's super boring and no one knows where it is, so it's fine if you don't either! I'm a third year Psychology major and the youngest in my family. Welcome Week was such an incredible time for me, I really felt like I was becoming independent. I met some amazing people at this time and we're still friends to this day. The best thing about Cowell is just how convenient it is, we've got the view, OPERS, and the gym (even though I hate going sometimes), and the
Bay Tree Bookstore is just a two minute walk away. Not only that, but I became amazingly close with the people who lived on my floor in the res hall. Something I really wish I had known was that it's okay to eat in the dining hall alone. Trust me, no one cares. I love video games, dance, and exploring new places. My favorite video game series is definitely The Legend of Zelda. Seriously, let's get together and talk about it, I can go on forever.
Katie Beary
I’m from the small town of Rohnert Park located up in Northern California. I’m a rising Literature major and have been involved in the First-Year Honors Program, Rainbow Theater (a multi-cultural theater troupe) and the slam poetry community. I love painting, lacrosse, and going to the beach or looking around the shops downtown in my free time. Cowell truly became my home when I started attending the open mics set up in the lounge—the space is nothing less than inviting and I was able to make a lot of friends while exploring my interests in spoken word. Overall, Welcome Week holds some of my best memories at UCSC so far because of the fun events, the friends I made, and all of the different opportunities I was able to explore. My favorite parts were probably karaoke and the outdoor movie night on Parrington House. I look forward to experiencing Welcome Week again and making it just as memorable of an experience for other incoming students.
Katie Reed
I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically Pleasanton. I'm about to start my third year at UC Santa Cruz and I'm majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Computer Science. UC Santa Cruz has allowed me to find and succeed in a specialized major and minor that interest me, which is amazing! Living at Cowell for two years has allowed me to easily attend on-campus events where I met new people and gained a sense of community within my college. I'm most looking forward to going on hikes during Welcome Week. Cowell is so close Pogonip city park and I'm excited to spread the word about the natural beauty that is all around us in UCSC! I am very involved in OPERS; I take a physical education class every quarter and love to go on the recreation trips!
Matthew González
Hey. What’s up? What’s güd? Me llamo Mathew González. I hail from the town of San Dimas, CA. My main hobby is seeking adventure. I seek adventures constantly. I adventure specifically in dancing, playing water polo, snowboarding, pretending to be a skater boy....and a bunch of other really neat things like climbing rocks. I am looking forward to meeting all kinds of new people during Welcome Week. Encounters with so many fresh faces is intimidating at times, but I think once the fear has infected everyone, a community can begin to build upon humble beginnings…..or maybe it won’t… I don’t know. Friendships will appear to be blossoming everywhere but to those who don’t find the sweet succulent friendships in the beginning I want you to remember that A’s are better than people… .and they also make friends. Knowledge is power I tell you. My favorite thing about Cowell is the upper lawn. The upper lawn is a hub for great conversations, frisbee and beautiful people.

I am a mathematics major hoping to inch closer and closer to analytical truth but to be honest it has been extremely tough. The classes are hard and my test taking abilities are not what you would call excellent….or proficient. I panic, over think, and lose concentration. Lucky for me, the school has a resource center known as the DRC (Disability Resource Center). The DRC has been able to place me in test settings where I feel as comfortable as I can be along with a few extra moments necessary to finish my test. This is a great resource. As an incoming freshman I wish I had known that. The school offers many resources that many students fail to take advantage of, so just keep a heads up for events/activities/resources that the school offers. It could be a life-saver (aka grade-saver). I looking forward to meeting ya’ll. May the force be with you. Peace.
Patty Mendez
I am from Southern California, specifically San Marcos, in San Diego County. I love living at Cowell due to its proximity to the Pogonip Park trails. I am super excited to go on hikes during Welcome Week and meet others that love nature as much as I do. I am a Human Biology major; my academic interests are in immunobiology and I hope to go into the research field in the future. I am also involved in the ACE program and EOP. In my free time, I immerse myself in photography, ballet/ jazz dance, classic rock (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, etc.), painting, and reading. My first language is Spanish and I am a first generation student. Oh, and I have an immense love for cats.
Samantha Brito
My hometown is in Southern California more specifically Los Angeles, CA. I am a third year Legal Studies major, an EOP and first generation college student. I really enjoy singing and binge watching TV shows. Currently my favorite TV show is Orange Is the New Black. A random fact about me is that I am obsessed with sour candy! I love UCSC because we live in the forest and have an amazing view of the Bay right here at Cowell. Something I wish I would have known before coming to UCSC would have been that it's okay to change majors and that there is no shame in doing so! A fond memory I have of my Welcome Week is getting a good laugh out of Cowell Night Live — you'll see what I mean... (; I truly enjoy being involved on campus so I am part of Hermanos Unidos, Armenian Students Association, and Cowell Senate. I look forward to meeting ya'll at the great events we planned for ya'll during Welcome Week!
Sarah Adler
I am from San Francisco and am the oldest of four children. I am a second year Economics and Environmental Studies major and am interested in law school when I graduate college. I love Cowell because it is close to the gym and the view from my room is incredible! Welcome week is really fun because everyone is excited and you get to focus on making friends and doing fun activities on campus and around Santa Cruz. I am really excited to meet all the new people this Welcome Week. I love all the nature throughout the campus; you see so much wildlife just walking to class! I am on Cowell Senate (the student government for Cowell) and I am involved in the student union association (the student government for the whole school). My favorite foods are strawberries and popcorn and my favorite place downtown is a sandwich place called Zoccolis or Verve, a coffee shop. Also, I love to hike and do yoga and I'm learning to surf this summer!
Sophie Snider
I'm an Out-of-State student from Flagstaff, Arizona. It's my third year at UCSC and I'm double majoring in Sociology and Psychology. I've loved living in Cowell the past two years because of the incredible view and location. Welcome Week for me was a super fun time with so many amazing people. I loved how friendly and open everyone was to talk and learn about everyone around them. It's fun to see people today knowing we became friends during Welcome Week. Something I wish I had known is that college is not as intimidating as it seems. Everyone is super accepting and there are resources for everything. My favorite thing I've done at UCSC is the recreation trips through OPERS. I love being outside and going on an adventure whether it's hiking or just laying in the sun so these trips are amazing! You'll win my heart if you show me baby animal videos or make lots of puns (even if they're terrible).