Emily (she/her) is a senior from South Korea who moved to the United States as a small child. She ended up gin Tenafly, New Jersey with a brief stint in Georgia. Emily is majoring in Education and Psychology, and took many major changes to get there. This is her third year as a FLI Fellow, though she feels it has been much longer (maybe her entire life). She loves interacting with FLI first-years and students, so make sure to come up and say hi! She'll appreciate you forever for it :). Outside of the program, she spends her time knitting, crocheting, collaging, and generally channeling grandma energy in a 21-year-old body (and yes, she does indeed have a cat).

Furqan (he/him) is a senior from Long Island, New York, majoring in Psychology: Neuroscience and Religious Studies. You can find him on campus involved with Colby Muslim Society, Model UN, and in the Pugh Center making chai.

Brian (he/him) is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science. He is from Houston and is a Posse Scholar. He is involved in a capella as a member of the Colby Eight and many Pugh clubs. He is choosing to be a FLI Fellow because he is passionate about the program here at Colby; he had a pretty terrible first year, but through this program and his friends, he could drag himself across the finish line. He now wants to be in a position to offer support to FLI students like himself by making their quality of experience better and easier. 

Alfonso (he/him) is a double major in Government and Educational Studies. He is a rising sophomore coming from El Paso, TX. He is deeply connected with the student community and the impacts of its government on the general student body. As a Mexican first-generation low-income student, he cares for the sense of community and multiculturalism that the Pugh Center embodies throughout Colby. Alfonso is a FLI mentor because of his fond belief in caring for the community. He believes that through guidance and community building, we can take advantage of our individual potential and do our best to assist each other whenever. His experiences as a first-year have deeply impacted him; thus, he believes he should do his part in the community toward future freshmen. His favorite Colby memory was when he was making burgers with butter for his friends in Averill Lounge, which caused the fire alarm to go off and the security guard to come to the dorm. His first-year experience was jammed packed. One minute he was spending a weekend in Freeport, making chicken curry, or hosting Jackbox with over 20 people. A fun fact about him is that he is certified in  Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)!

Ruhama (he/him) is a senior majoring in Government with a concentration on Middle Eastern politics and International Law. At Colby, he has been involved in the FLI program, Campus Life, Colby’s Questbridge Chapter, and the Government Department’s Student Advisory Board. His favorite things to do are to travel and make fun of Emily’s stinky cat. 

Ari (she/her/ella) is a sophomore from Houston, TX, studying Education and Government. She is a mentor because it's important that new students have a peer they can reach out to informally. She wants to not only be a better advocate for the FLI + INT community, but she wants to help new FLI/INT students find their own voices and learn to become their own biggest advocates. Her favorite Colby memory was when Dreezy gave her the mic to sing "Close to You" and got on stage with her at the Pugh Block Party! Ari's First-Year experience was riddled with challenges she could have never anticipated. It didn't go as planned, but she met many new people, learned to self-advocate, and taught herself to embrace her evolving personality and the difficulties that came with change. A fun fact about Ari is that she would jump off a cliff to see 6LACK in concert :). 

Jouanna (she/her) is a sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in Anthropology and Spanish.  She is so excited for her first year as a mentor. On campus, she is a CCAK mentor, on the Womxn of Color Alliance board, and vice president of Vuvuzela. She can't wait to meet you all!

Natalia (she/her) is a senior and POSSE Scholar from Houston, Texas majoring in Anthropology and East Asian Studies. She is excited to be a FLI Mentor and to offer the kind of support that would’ve helped her in her first year. She has grown to appreciate so much of Colby and Maine that she would love to share with you. She is thrilled to be a mentor and be able to both facilitate and witness first years have memories like the ones she cherishes now. One of her favorite memories at Colby has been choreographing and dancing at the Colby Dancers show. A fun fact about her is that she is trilingual (English, Spanish, Mandarin) and is coming back to Colby in the fall after a full year abroad in Taiwan. 

Vivian is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and Studio Arts (but that's likely to change). She chose to be a FLI Mentor because she wants to help FLI students navigate through their first year of college, as they may lack the outside support, knowledge, or resources that are key to many who are first-generation college students. She met so many amazing people during her first year and believes that the FLI Program is a great way to kindle these relationships.

Nelly (she/her) is a sophomore majoring in Biology with a concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biology and minoring in African American Studies and Sociology. I am a Posse Scholar from the diverse and bustling city of Texas, Houston #citygirlsup. She would describe her first-year experience as one with much exploration and growth. She has also met the best people whom she now calls family. The challenges she encountered birthed so much growth externally and internally for herself. In addition, she explored so many things outside of my comfort zone, and ultimately, she liked the different things she explored. 

Jessica (she/her) is a sophomore from Montgomery County, Maryland, majoring in Sociology and African American Studies and minoring in WGSS. At Colby, you can catch her hanging out at the Pugh, with her friends at a dining hall, or the senior apartments with sunglasses on.  She always has a song to put you on to, so ask her for recommendations!

Cynthia (she/her) is a sophomore from Bedford, Massachusetts, majoring in Global Studies and Art History and minoring in Computer Science. She likes reading, shopping, all things cute, and fruity drinks. She also enjoys traveling and taking pictures of everything (especially squirrels). She wants to continue meeting members of the FLI community- who she believes are among Colby's loveliest and most unique people. Her favorite memory at Colby is dropping her math class. A fun fact about her is that she has over a thousand wins in Word Hunt. 

Tullia (she/her) is a senior on track to complete a major in Sociology. She was initially born in Congo and immigrated to the US in the early 200s, and is currently a resident of Vermont. The reason she became a FLI Mentor was to assist in providing the support and guidance that she experienced during her freshmen year. Tullia's mentor was a great point of reference when she had questions ranging from choosing a major to how to properly participate in the room draw process. She hopes to be a guiding hand in students' transition to college! Her favorite memories at Colby have resulted from the amazing friends she has grown to be in the community with over the years. Through their support, her time at Colby has been bearable :). Her biggest advice is to surround yourself with people that bring you joy! A fun fact about her is that she doesn't like bananas, but LOVES plantains!

Ruby (she/her) is a sophomore from Northern Arizona majoring in Spanish and minoring in Japanese. She was active in the Colby Art Club and QuestBridge Club during her first year. This year she will be the Questbridge Librarian. She is studying languages because she wants to become a translator. FLI was a huge support for her; she wanted to give back to the FLI community and help others like herself. She had an extremely difficult first year, and the Pugh community was a big support. Thanks to FLI, she found many close friends and met a variety of people so that she could feel comfortable on campus.

Alex (he/him) is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and Statistics. He was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, but his family is originally from Ecuador. Some of his favorite things to do are learning to cook, playing frisbee, and solving puzzles. He decided to become a mentor because he wanted to give back to the community that helped him and to guide others just like his mentor. Alex's favorite Colby memory was going to South Carolina with the frisbee team for spring break. His first-year experience was tough but a lot of fun as he settled into Colby. A fun fact about Alex is that he can solve the Rubik's cube. 

Jay (any/all pronouns) is a junior majoring in STS and WGSS and minoring in Russian Language and Culture. They will be working as an intro bio LA and a FLI Mentor. They are a proud and avid participant in Colby Dancers, Club Volleyball, the QuestBridge Chapter, the Pugh, and (soon because I finally made time) the Critical Indigenous Studies Initiative. They spend their free time (when they have it) being creative (~painting~), cooking, going for walks, and being silly with their friends. They hope to leave Colby with the skills and resources to address inequality as it is generated and relates to STEM (think health care, surveillance, etc.) by centering marginalized communities and addressing their needs.

Bianca (she/her) is a junior majoring in Environmental Science and Music. She likes sunny days, being emo, and good food. Bianca also works for the Sexual Violence Prevention Program and WMHB (Colby Radio). She signed up to be a mentor because her mentor really supported her through the past two years, and she wanted to give back. The Colby Music Incubator Halloween Concert this past year, where she dressed up, enjoyed candy and music, and saw shooting stars for the first time! Her first-year experience was difficult, but her FLI mentor and the Pugh Community gave her the support she needed to get through it. A fun fact about Bianca is that she's a Questbridge scholar!

Alexis (she/her) is a sophomore from Orlando, Florida, majoring in Microbiology and minoring in WGSS and African American Studies. She is really excited to be a FLI Mentor for the first time and cannot wait to meet everyone! She loves hanging out in the Pugh, impulse shopping, and K-pop in her free time. She decided to be a FLI Mentor because she wants to become someone who can provide security and reassurance to incoming students. She wants to help and encourage students unsure about the college environment and guide those with loads of questions as she did.