Pierson Aides

Eesha Bodapati (she/her) is from Mumbai, India and is double majoring in Cognitive Science and South Asian Studies. On campus, she is involved with the Women’s Leadership Initiative and Yale Kalaa. She also works as an aide in the Pierson Office and has served as a peer liaison for the Office of International Students and Scholars in the past. In her free time, you can find her hanging out on Cross Campus, spending too much on boba from Loose Leaf, or looking for dogs to befriend. She is super excited about being a FroCo and can’t wait to welcome new first years to Yale and the best residential college!

Kiana Flores

Kiana (she/her) is from the great city of New Haven and is majoring in Political Science with a concentration in environment and climate change while pursuing a Chinese language certificate. Outside of class, Kiana sits on New Haven’s city council as the Ward 1 Alder, works in the Pierson Office, and leads weekly tours as a Yale tour guide. 

When she’s not chilling in her common room, you can find her chatting in the Pierson dining hall for way too long or walking around campus with her headphones blasting. 

She is super excited to welcome the class of 2028 and share her love of Pierson and New Haven with them!

Marcus Lisman is a senior from Orlando, Florida. He is majoring in Computer Science and Economics and is working towards a Spanish language certificate. At Yale, he is a Head Advising Fellow for Matriculate, President and Captain of the Yale Club Running Team, a TA for CS50, and a tutor for CodeHaven. In his free time, you can find him running around New Haven while training for a marathon, working on his watch company, or watching Premier League soccer, especially Newcastle United.

Ashley is a proud Chicana in her senior year from Stockton, California although her second home is Mexico! She is majoring in Ethnicity, Race, & Migration at Yale and is also a prospective Political Science major. Over the summer she participated in a fellowship at the California State Capital and simultaneously interned for KIVU Immigration Law Firm, whom she continues to work for. On campus, you can watch her dance with Sabrosura: Yale’s Premier Latin Dance Team or DanceWorks! During her free time, she’s constantly watching flight prices for her next trip, planning another trip that most likely will not make it out of the group chat, or taking night walks with some hot chocolate

Cormac Thorpe 

Cormac (he/him) grew up in New York City and studies Global Affairs and Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations. On campus, he is involved in the Peace & Dialogue Leadership Initiative, the Yale Review of International Studies, and Yale Outdoors. In his free time, you can find him backpacking, playing board games, or listening to new music.

Trace Whitmire 

Trace Whitmire is a Senior from Grove Oak, Alabama, and he is majoring in Film & Media Studies. At home, Trace can be found hitting the (small, rural) town with his friends and helping his parents maintain their family-owned cattle farm. At Yale, Trace is the Web/Design aide for Pierson, and he helps design flyers for events and keep up the Pierson website. He has also served as one of the Pierson student kitchen managers and is a Pierson FroCo! Around campus, Trace is involved with Yale’s rural student alliance (RSAY), the screenwriting syndicate, and the Yale Film Society. 

Trace would love to direct music videos, work on social media production teams, or work with Disney and other similar media companies to increase plus-size and LGBTQ+ representation in children’s media—or hopefully a mix of all three! His time at Yale has fostered many award show/red carpet/new music video watch parties, countless hours lounging in the Pierson courtyard, and even his recent co-presidency of a campus-wide Bananagrams tournament (in collaboration with, among many others, fellow Pierson Aide & FroCo Kiana Flores!).

Juniors:

Nayel Nelson-Young

Nayel Nelson-Young is a junior from Brooklyn, New York. She is a Psychology and Theater Studies major with a sincere interest in studying Japanese and all things dance. Most of her time is dedicated to her work as a member of Steppin Out and preparing for her next show. You can usually find her practicing for her next audition or in the dance studio preparing her next choreographed piece.