FroCos

First-Year Counselors (known as FroCos) are seniors in Benjamin Franklin who have been chosen by the Dean and the Head of College to serve as residential counselors and advisers to first year students. FroCos live in residence with the first-years, sprinkled among their entryways, and are an integral part of Yale College’s advising structure. In addition to serving as an advising resource, they assist with assuring the safety and well-being of the incoming class and are closely supervised by the Dean. FroCos are assigned a “FroCo group” of between 12-16 students, but first-years are welcome and encouraged to get to know the whole team and to go to any FroCo with questions or concerns.

(Head FroCo)

Erin Sommers is a History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health major from Brooklyn. She is also pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at Yale in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Erin is passionate about reproductive and disability justice, health activism, harm reduction, and mutual aid. Some of her closest communities at Yale have been Community Health Educators, which she co-coordinated this past year, and Danceworks, which she choreographs for (and recommends that you all join!). Her favorite hobbies include dancing, photographing her two black cats, and watching Abbott Elementary. When Erin’s not in class or dancing, you can typically find her in the Head of College office, drinking tea and beating Maria Bouffard, Franklin’s Operations Manager, in a heated game of Scrabble or Bananagrams! Ask Maria about her wall of score sheets for more information on this rivalry. 
Hannah Barrios is a philosophy major from Tampa, Florida. She aspires to love running and some weeks succeeds. She grew up doing cheer and dance and plans to join the Yale Ballroom Dance Team this year (it’s never too late to try something new). She is happy to talk philosophy with anyone at any time. On that note, she loves to debate and was the chairman for a Yale Political Union party last year. On campus, Hannah works as an event aide, ethics tutor, and law library assistant. Over her summers she has studied abroad in Oxford, interned at Fermilab, and worked in DC. On her breaks, she loves reading, hiking, and baking (she and her mom have almost perfected the art of baked brie). She is also an avid plant enthusiast and has around 20 plants in her dorm at a time in Franklin. This summer she plans to grow vegetables and herbs while training for a half marathon. Hannah is so very excited to meet the incoming group of Franklinites and share her senior year with the class of 2028!

Dylan Council (he/him) is originally from a small cattle town called Hereford, Texas. At Yale, he studies Ethics, Politics, and Economics (EP&E), and Statistics and Data Science (S&DS). On campus, Dylan is a member of the Yale Policy Institute, and you can find him at most Intramural matches. His favorite spot on campus is Ingalls Rink, which hosts the Yale Women’s and Men’s hockey teams and IM broomball. Coming from a Title I high school, he is passionate about education practice and research, and hopes to make an impact on the lives of future generations through education. Dylan enjoys watching hockey, listening to country music, and playing sports (poorly). He is excited to meet the Class of 2028 and help guide them through their first year! 
Hanna DeBord is a Biomedical Engineering major and pre med student from Piney Creek, NC. She is involved with the Biomedical Engineering society and performs research in the Orthopedics department at the medical school, additionally she serves as the Lead Undergraduate assistant for the Technology division of Student Accessibility Services, and as an events and communications aide for Benjamin Franklin College. In her free time she plays Appalachian music (and loves to Jam with any music style) she also enjoys traveling and can provide great advice on world travel the affordable way. Hanna is also involved with campus ministries and leads at church camps back home in North Carolina during the summer. She is super excited to meet the class of 2028!
John Donovan is from Groton, Massachusetts, a small town home to more cows than people! He is an Art and Art History double major with a concentration in painting and printmaking. His awesome sister, Emma, just graduated high school, and they are besties. His mother is an art teacher at the Groton School, and she taught him how to paint. When John isn’t spending every minute on Adobe Photoshop, he enjoys reading, cooking, and sculpting pots at the ceramic’s studio. Over the summers, John enjoys teaching AP World History and Art History to high schoolers. He is super excited to be one of your 2024-2025 FroCos!
Himani Pattisam is originally from Dublin, Ohio and very passionate about all things Ohio and Midwest! At Yale, she is double majoring in History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health and Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, and she hopes to attend medical school and law school after graduation. On campus, Himani is an undergraduate research assistant in the Carlson Lab, investigating the mosquito taste system. She also volunteers at the HAVEN Free Clinic and IRIS, a refugee resettlement agency in New Haven. In her free time, she enjoys going out for ice cream with her friends (Ashley’s is the best!) and performing with Monst-RAAS-ity, Yale’s Raas and Garba dance group. She can’t wait to get to know you and welcome you all to Yale!
Tony Ruan is from the West Valley of Phoenix, Arizona completing a BA/MA in Political Science with a concentration in labor studies and is an Education Studies Scholar. A public school student at the time of the Red for Ed teacher strikes, he is particularly interested in labor politics. On campus, Tony has worked as a Peer Liaison for the Asian American Cultural Center, previously served as a Co-Moderator for the Asian American Students Alliance and Co-President for the Yale Policy Institute, and just completed a research project as a Dahl Research Scholar with the guidance of Professor Jacob Hacker. Beyond Yale, Tony has previously worked for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the U.S. Senate. He really enjoys York St. Noodle House and continues to be perpetually disappointed by the Phoenix Suns. Always feel welcome to say hi, he is thrilled to welcome in the class of 2028!”
Vivek Shah is from Denver, Colorado, majoring in Ethics, Politics, and Economics with a Certificate in Spanish Language. On campus, he sits on Dwight Hall’s Student Executive Committee – where helps manage over 50 of Yale’s social justice and public service Organizations. He is a lover of laughter, which manifests itself in his participation in the Purple Crayon – an improv group! He is also a lover of the law, and he hopes his experience in the Yale Mock Trial Association will get him into law school one day. Usually, you can find Vivek giggling way too loudly in Sterling Memorial Library with his friends or in the line for Donut Crazy. Vivek is absolutely ecstatic to welcome the Class of 2028, and he cannot wait to help make this place feel like home for them. 

Julian Suh-Toma was born and raised in Glendale, California. He is a sociology major and student in the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy, and pursues academic interests at intersections of gender violence, human trafficking, and law. Before becoming a FroCo, Julian has spent three years within student government (Yale College Council), as a First Year Rep, Senator, and most recently, as the elected student body president. He’s also served on the executive boards of the Yale Policy Institute (YPI), the Asian American Students Alliance (AASA), traveled to Taipei with Yale Model United Nations Taiwan, and conducted research on decision-making and cosmopolitanism in the 21st century. Lastly, he served for over two years as a Communication and Consent Educator (CCE), working to positively shift the campus sexual climate and reduce incidences of harm. Julian loves to do all things sports and recreation, and in his downtime, he plays midfield with Yale’s C2 Club Soccer team and avidly cheers on the Rams, Dodgers, and Clippers. He recently bought a turntable and can’t wait to listen to music with the class of ‘28 during duty nights (feel free to bring your records too)! He’s excited to meet the incoming first-years and see them through the year.
Mahdere Yared is a Cognitive Science major from South Florida and is on Yale’s Cross Country and Track & Field team. She is very familiar with mental health resources/organizations on campus and enjoys talking about them. On a random weeknight, you might find Mahdere at a YEESA (Yale Ethiopian and Eritrean Students Association) event, a students’ art performance, Ashley’s, Tibetan Kitchen, Tacos Los Gordos, or Starr Reference Room. This summer, Mahdere worked as a US Grant Teacher, where she taught 9th graders in New Haven, and enjoyed continuing to explore what the city has to offer. She loves music and dancing for fun whether part of Desta, Danceworks, or with friends. She is excited to be a Franklin FroCo and meet the class of 2028!