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) Zoe Kanga calls New Orleans, Louisiana home, although she was born in New York and lived in Chicago until she was 9. She is an Environmental Studies major completing her concentration in environmental justice and sustainability. She is also completing a certificate in Chinese. She has spent her last three years at Yale heavily involved with the Office of Gender and Campus Culture as a Consent and Communication Educator (CCE), on the board of both the Yale Student Environmental Coalition and the Environmentalists of Color Collective, and on the secretariat of Yale Model African Union. Most of the time, you can find her in the Beanjamin, Kroon Hall, or in the Franklin dining hall. You may also see her on campus giving a tour, so make sure to shout “Happy Birthday” at her in true Yale tradition. In her free time, Zoe enjoys dancing, baking, trying new restaurants traveling to new places, and watching movies with friends. She can’t wait to be a FROCO and get to know her first-years.
Ryan Brinda is originally from a small, scenic mountain town called Lander, Wyoming. At Yale, he is a Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) major, and plans to attend medical school after a year (or two!) off after graduation. Prior to becoming a FroCo, Ryan planned events and sent pretty emails as the Benjamin Franklin College Council President, ran Bulldog Days and curated social media as the head recruitment coordinator at the Admissions Office, and occasionally splashed around with Yale Club Swimming. Ryan loves exploring New Haven’s incredible restaurants, searching for the best coconut latte in town (Jitter Bus and Koffee? are fan favorites!), and procrastinating by creating hyper-specific Spotify playlists. He also adores spending time outdoors and can be found making spontaneous jaunts to East Rock Park or feigning productivity on Cross Campus. Ryan is so excited to meet the newest class of Franklinites and support you all in the upcoming year!
Eve Chinea is a Global Affairs major from Washington State. On campus, she’s been most involved with residential college life as well as New Haven outreach. You could historically find her taking advantage of her swipe access into random college rooms to study rather than the numerous beautiful libraries but would advise against this method and would love to help you find your go-to spots. She loves reading, going to Salsa in Ninth Square, and convincing everyone she meets to visit the Pacific Northwest. She’s beyond excited to meet the class of 2027 and welcome you all to New Haven!
Alice Dyer is from Cambridge, Massachusetts, majoring in Psychology on the Neuroscience track. She’s a member of the class of 2024.5, and spent her semester off teaching first graders as a classroom assistant at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge. On campus, she works as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Dylan Gee in the Clinical Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab investigating the neural bases of early life trauma, adversity, and anxiety and stress disorders. A few of her favorite spots around Yale include Steep Cafe and the Beanjamin, as well as East Rock and Lake Wintergreen. She loves to run, read, play club lacrosse, photosynthesize outside, and eat ice cream. Alice is super excited to share this year with the class of 2027!
Ethan Fell is an Ethics, Politics & Economics major with a concentration in Criminal Legal Theory from Signal Mountain, Tennessee. On campus, Ethan is a member of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, as well as the Legal Aid Association, and he helps manage the Beanjamin coffee shop above Franklin’s dining hall. Sometime soon, he hopes to return to his hometown and teach in his old public school system before returning to law school in a few years. Ethan enjoys spending time outside, grabbing coffee with friends, and watching live music, comedy, and theatre performances on campus. He can’t wait to meet the class of 2027 and is so excited to serve as one of your 2023-2024 FroCos!
Gillian Gold is from Westchester, New York majoring in Cognitive Science and pursuing a Certificate in Computer Programming. On campus, she is a Research Assistant in the Clinical Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab (CANDLab) and an Undergraduate Learning Assistant (ULA) for CPSC 327: Object Oriented Programming. She has also been involved in Code Haven, a community service organization that provides weekly coding lessons to local public middle school students to increase accessibility to computer science. When Gillian isn’t exploring coffee shops or restaurants in New Haven, you can often find her in the Franklin courtyard, either doing work or hanging out with friends. She is looking forward to meeting the Class of 2027 and sharing her senior year with the new Franklinites!
Charnice Hoegnifioh is a double major in Classical Civilization and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from the northern suburbs of Illinois and Virginia. On campus, Charnice is a mentor with Academic Strategies, blogs for the Office of Career Strategies, volunteers at the Haven Free Clinic, and conducts medical humanities research as an Edward A. Bouchet Fellow. She also has been a Peer Liaison for the Afro-American Cultural Center (affectionately known as The House) for the past two years. This summer, Charnice will be studying abroad in Greece, where she will learn more about museum studies and applications of scientific techniques for the analysis of ancient artifacts. She also will be visiting several museums and archaeological sites throughout Europe to research cosmetics in the Roman Empire. Charnice is a major foodie who is always happy to share New Haven restaurant recommendations (Ashley’s has the best ice cream!) or bake a delicious treat in the kitchen with you. She is super excited to meet the Franklinites in the Class of 2027 and, most of all, to be your FroCo!
James Lu Born in Fuzhou, China, little James migrated to the United States when he was five years old and has moved frequently since then, having lived in the states of Arizona, Florida, Virginia, and New York. His family, which consists of his parents, 14-year-old sister, and four-year-old brother, currently resides in Queens, New York in the neighborhood of Woodhaven. He is currently pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering, centered around research on improving microfluidic devices’ capabilities in detecting the physiological phenotypes of cancer cells. He is also active within the Christian/religious community at Yale, being an active member of the Christian Union. In his spare time, James loves creating hidden messages in his self-introductions and playing games such as Munchkins, Magic: the Gathering, Rimworld, and Pathfinder. He is currently attempting to teach himself how to draw (with some success) and enjoys boxing on the weekends as a way to keep himself active and healthy (with little success). He is very excited to meet the incoming students and hopes to create a welcoming environment for them. P.S. There is no hidden message
Maya Weldon-Lagrimas is a History/ Art double major from Stockton, California. In her academic and extracurriculars life she focuses on non-fiction storytelling and is an aspiring documentary filmmaker. She served as the video-journalism editor for the Yale Daily News for two years, and has made many short films during her time at Yale. Last year, she took two semesters off to gain industry experience as a freelance editor, cinematographer, and director. She is also a proud member of the Progressive Party and enjoys all forms of art making including pottery, sculpture, painting, photography, and animation. Next year she wants to try the best restaurants in the greater New Haven Area (Cracker Barrel pictured). She is super excited to meet the class of 2027 and see them through their first year.
Griffin Wilson is an English major from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He is particularly interested in the intersection between writing and history and enjoys historical fiction novels, biographies, and autobiographies. Griffin is an identical twin. His brother, Skyler, is also in Benjamin Franklin College. Should you encounter Griffin around Yale and receive a confused response to a wave or hello, chances are you have unwittingly aimed your greeting at his twin sibling. Griffin is a former student-athlete at Yale, forced to medically retire from the Ivy League Champion men’s Lacrosse team due to a laundry list of injuries. In September 2022, Griffin co-founded DoubleVision Software with his identical twin brother, Skyler, and their friend, Marisa. DoubleVision software is an Artificial Intelligence-powered e-commerce platform that helps automotive dealers reduce their obsolescence by optimizing parts inventory management. You will often find Griffin in the Franklin gym running on the treadmill or Olympic lifting on the platform. Otherwise, he can often be found savouring his meals in the welcoming atmosphere of the Franklin dining hall. In his spare time, Griffin is an avid runner and triathlete who has competed in both road and trail marathons and ultra-distance races. His passion for Muay Thai manifests through training sessions with a close friend and dedicated trainer back home in Victoria or watching ONE FC Muay Thai on TV. Lastly, a former high-level hockey player, Griffin is a die-hard fan of the Edmonton Oilers. Griffin is incredibly excited to meet the newest class of Franklenites and cannot wait to share his senior year with them.