Peer Mentor Profiles
Fall 2024 Peer Mentors
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Alex Licea- PII & Psychology
Hey y'all! I'm Alex, a fourth-year student from San Antonio, TX, pursuing a double major in Psychology and Plan II, along with a minor in Health Communications and Business Administrations. As a first-generation student, I love helping other students with their educational journey. When I'm not studying for classes, you'll probably find me in the gym training for a powerlifting competition, planning my next vacation, or with my baby kitty Thor!
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Anjali Cherukuri- PII & Informatics
Welcome Plan II '28! I'm Anjali Cherukuri, a third-year student from Flower Mound, TX majoring in Plan II and Informatics, minoring in Business & Risk Management on the pre-law track. I'm involved with several student groups on campus including Project Yellow (a mental health awareness and volunteering org), UT Student Foundation, and my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. Outside of classes and student organizations, I love to explore Austin's food truck scene, add new vinyl records to my collection, and attend concerts with friends! I am super excited to meet y'all and be a resource for anything you need with UT, Plan II, student life, or really anything!
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Ashley Smith- PII & International Relations & Global Studies
My name is Ashley (she/her), I am a Senior from Tyler, Texas majoring in Plan II and IRG. I am also pursuing a certificate in public policy through the Bridging Disciplines Program with the hope of going to graduate school for public affairs or international policy. At UT, I have spent my time volunteering with the Plan II KIPP program, serving on Liberal Arts Council, working with the Innovations for Peace & Development Lab, and completing public sector internships. I am a major fan of women’s sports, niche podcasts, and reviewing Austin’s coffee shops, and I am looking forward to being a Peer Mentor this fall!
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Ava McGuire-PII & Biology
Hey y’all! I' Ava (she/her), a senior from Austin, TX majoring in PII & Biology, with a minor in English. This past summer I biked from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska with Texas 4000 for Cancer (I’m actually writing this less than a month before I leave, but ask me about it, I’m sure I won’t shut up about it). I’m currently interning with the Blanton Museum of Art’s Education department, and I’m a high school biology tutor & a member of AISD’s School Health Advisory Council. I’ll be writing my thesis this year, somewhere within the intersection of queer & disability studies. I love hiking, swimming in cold water (Barton Springs!), reading, seeing local live music, dance, art, visiting nearby state parks, & biking, sometimes running, creative approaches to education, catching frogs, two-stepping, PLAY, & laughing a lot. I’m super excited to meet y’all, reach out to me or say hi if you see me around campus!
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Ben Aguillon- PII, Government & Philosophy
Hi Y’all! My name is Ben and I am from San Antonio, Texas. I’m currently a junior studying Plan II, Government, and Philosophy, with a minor in Spanish on the pre-law track. During my time here at UT I have been active on campus, working in Student Government, Innovations for Peace and Development, and the plan II Kipp program. I am a major fan of mitski, traveling, beekeeping, and playing poker. I became a peer mentor because I wanted to help others through the challenges which everyone experiences when adjusting to college, but especially those unique to plan II. I am excited to meet you all!
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Caroline Parnell- PII & Biochemistry
Hey, I’m Caroline Parnell (she/her). I am a senior from Houston studying biochemistry with a minor in history. My favorite things I’ve done at UT have been studying cultural memory with Dr. Steve Hoelscher in Vienna, winning nine IM championship t-shirts (and counting), and tying my classmates together with yarn and making them run around to think about relationships in Leah Cox’s Plan II junior seminar. This summer I walked 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago (funded by Plan II’s Rowe Koehl Travel Grant). I’m excited to write my thesis this fall, using dance theory to analyze movement through Holocaust memorials as a form of embodied, cultural, and collective memory. My favorite football teams are the Longhorns and the Kansas City Chiefs (although I was born and raised an Aggie). I love to run, play soccer, hike, two-step, and pretend to be a lizard & sun on rocks.
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Dylan Gross- PII & Business
Hi! My name is Dylan Gross and I’m a senior from Scarsdale, NY in Plan II studying Sustainability Studies and Business. One of my favorite things about Austin is being able to try new restaurants, and I would be so excited to share some of my favorite places. On campus, I’m involved with a few different organizations, including Alpha Epsilon Phi and Sustainability Investment Group. When I’m not in school, I love going for runs along Ladybird and going to concerts with friends. I am so excited to be your peer mentor and help guide you through freshman year. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you ever want to bond over being an out-of-stater or just hang out and grab coffee!
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Elise De La Fuente- PII & Government
Hey everyone! My name is Elise De La Fuente and I am a senior majoring in Plan II and Government with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. I have lived in Austin my entire life and I am excited to help introduce y’all to both UT and the city! I am involved with Student Government and I have interned with different organizations around Austin such as the Travis County Democratic Party, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and the County Commissioners’ Office. In my free time I enjoy thrifting, trying new restaurants with friends, and watching Studio Ghibli movies.
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Emma Hamilton- PII & Government
Hi! I'm Emma, a born & raised Houstonian. I'm majoring in PII & Government, & pursuing my lifelong goal: Spanish & Portuguese fluency! I'm interested in environmental policy, my current aspiration is to work on international climate agreements as a Foreign Service Officer post graduation & service in the Peace Corps. At UT, I’ve worked with Innovations for Peace & Development researching the efficacy of intergovernmental peacekeeping projects & supported the Global (Dis) Information Lab in their effort to investigate the reasons behind belief in climate disinformation. Beyond the 40 acres, I volunteer at Casa Marianella tutoring refugee & asylee children. I can also be found listening to UpFirst, learning new country dancing lifts & baking unique cookie recipes (latest: salted dark chocolate miso). Can’t wait to host you all for dinner parties this fall!
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Jake Herman-PII & Psychology
Hey y’all! My name is Jake, and I’m a sophomore from Southlake, Texas majoring in PII & Psychology (and minoring in Law, Justice, and Society & Business) on the pre-law track! I’m involved in organizations such as The Walker Fellowship, The Daily Texan, and I’m one of this year’s Freshman Coordinators in P2SA. In my free time, I really enjoy exploring Austin, going to concerts, & watching video essays on Youtube. I’m so excited to get to know y’all as a peer mentor this year!
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Katie Wasserman- PII & Art History
Hi guys! I’m Katie, I’m a junior from Houston (the city part) majoring in PII & Art History with a minor in business. On campus, I’m a member of the Undergraduate Art History Association, Longhorn Club Swim team, Texas Belles, and my sorority. Outside of school, my interests are pretty diverse, but I love traveling, exploring Austin (hiking, finding coffee shops, and trying new restaurants are my favorite pastimes), finding new ways to stay active, & spending time with friends. I’m also obsessed with my cats (I have 6) & Dance Moms/Modern Family. In the future, I want to pursue a career as a museum director, ideally somewhere abroad! Feel free to reach out whenever! I can’t wait to meet everyone and see you all soon!
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Keerthi Chalamalasetty- PII & Economics
Hi! My name is Keerthi Chalamalasetty, and I’m a sophomore from Dallas, Texas, studying Government, Economics, and Plan II honors. On-campus, I serve as the secretary for the Texas Debate team and compete in cross-examination debate. Additionally, I am a research assistant for the Innovations for Peace and Development Research Lab. Within the Plan II community, I serve on the Plan II Director-Student Advisory Committee. Outside of school, I enjoy reading about history, philosophy, and memoirs. I am looking forward to meeting the new class of Plan II students and serving as a Plan II peer pod mentor this fall!
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Luke Schweizer- PII & Sustainability Studies
Hey guys! My name is Luke (he/him) & I’m junior from Dallas, Texas pursuing majors in PII & Sustainability Studies with a certificate in Elements of Computing. I’m hoping to go into the sustainability sector as an environmental consultant with a focus on sustainable development. Outside of school, I’m a member of the Texas Wranglers, the UT men’s basketball spirit organization, and an Advocacy Chair for the Plan II Students’ Association. With any other free time I can spare, I enjoy reading on the lawn (incredible place btw), running around Ladybird Lake, listening to random Youtubers’ podcasts, & hanging out with friends. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or say hi if you see me on campus! I’m so excited to meet y’all and show y’all how great UT and PII truly are!
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Max Stein- PII & History
My name is Max Stein and I’m a senior from Austin, Texas majoring in Plan II and History with a minor in Latin. On-campus, I’m a board member and curriculum leader for a service org called the Walker Fellowship and I’m active in my fraternity, Sigma Alpha Mu. Outside of school, you can find me participating in basic dad activities like grilling and cooking, listening to rock music from my vinyl collection, religiously following the PGA tour (if you’re a LIV head we might have issues), pretending to be mediocre at intramural sports, and arguing about pretty much anything. As a native Austinite, I’m excited to show everyone the ins and outs of the best city in the country and hopefully get a little help discovering the best tacos and BBQ around.
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Olivia Gonzalez- PII Government
Hi y’all! My name is Olivia Gonzalez and I’m from McAllen, Texas. I am a junior Plan II and Government major with a minor in History on the pre-law track. I love live music, reading, cooking, and exploring Austin with my friends. After college I hope to pursue a career practicing appellant law with the goal of becoming a judge. I have interned with a few legal practices and will spend my summer interning for a congressman in DC at the capital. Out of school I was one of the founding members of the Young Professionals Board and Austin Pets Alive and the Vice President of the Zeta Tau Alpha chapter here at Texas! I am so excited to meet y’all and help with your transition to UT! Don’t hesitate to reach out. See you in the fall!!
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Reese Saliceti- PII & Sociology, Pre Law Track
Hi! I’m Reese, I am a second year from San Antonio TX, majoring in PII & Sociology on the pre-law track. I am also pursuing a minor in business in hopes of expanding my custom cake business @dulcecustomcakes. I love sweets & art, cake is the medium that allows me to combine the two. I will be spending this fall as a KIPP mentor, an RA in the honors quad, & involved in the Kendra Scott Womens in Entrepreneurship org. Outside of school & work you can find me running or working out, shopping at Urban, & spending time with my family including my 4 cats. I look forward to making you feel at home here on the 40 acres, please don't hesitate to reach out even to just chat about your week!
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Roopa Bindingnavele-PII & Math, Pre-Med Track
Hey everyone! My name is Roopa Bindingnavele! I’m a junior from Corpus Christi, Texas majoring in Math and Plan II on the pre-med track with a minor in History. I love cooking, baking, dancing, and watching movies/TV with friends! I am currently a research and teaching peer mentor in my FRI stream Microbe Hackers and I’m involved in several clubs including Texas Sunshines, Adavu Club, PIH Engage, and Kappa Rho! I am looking forward to helping introduce y’all to UT and Plan II! Please feel free to reach out, I am so excited to meet y’all!
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Shruthi Juttu- PII & Psychology,Pre-Med Track
Hi everyone! My name is Shruthi Juttu and I am a sophomore Plan II and Psychology major on the premed track! Some of the things I’m involved with on campus are Krewe tutoring, Operation KidDocs, and Texas THON. I also love traveling, going on walks, watching movies, reading(my fav right now is Normal People by Sally Rooney), and exploring Austin. I’m so excited to meet and to get to know y’all!!
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Wren Brumley- PII & Psychology
Hi guys! My name is Wren Brumley and I’m an Austin native going into my sophomore year here at UT. I’m majoring in Psychology and Plan II while also pursuing certificates in Pre-Health Professions and Spanish for Medical Professions. You can catch me spreading the word about Plan II Pre-Med Society as their Public Relations officer, or possibly in orgs like Global Medical Training and Alpha Epsilon Delta. I’m also proud to call Pi Beta Phi home within the Greek community and have enjoyed every minute of my experience in Younglife. You’ll likely spot me at any concert possible or at Town Lake with my friends. I am beyond excited to show y’all the ropes of Plan II, UT, and some hidden gems in our beloved Austin! Can’t wait to meet y’all!
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Yael Schuller- PII & Exercise Science
Hi everyone! My name is Yael Schuller, I am a Senior from Dallas Texas, and am majoring in Exercise Science and Plan II on the Pre-Physical Therapy track. When I am not in class you can find me volunteering with the KIPP mentoring program, being an active member in Alpha Epsilon Phi, exploring Austin's best local ice cream places or going on walks with my friends. I am most excited to be a Plan II peer mentor to help guide others through the common challenges that come with starting college but especially with adjusting to all that comes with being in Plan II. Please feel free to reach out to if you ever want to talk about balancing opposite classes, getting involved on campus, or if you just want to grab a sweet treat!
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