BRIAN BURBANK
Orientation Mentors
Brian Burbank is a rising junior from Washington, D.C. He attended St. Mark's Schooling Southborough, Mass., and chose HWS for its strong academic reputation and beautiful campus. He is double-majoring in Sociology and Africana Studies and is interested in working in admissions after he graduates. As a Resident Assistant and a member of the Hobart Men's Basketball Team, as well as several student groups, he is generally very busy on campus. In his free time, he enjoys writing poetry and is an amateur photographer.
KATHERINE COLEY
Orientation Central
Kate Coley is a rising junior at William Smith College. She is a French major and a potential double minor in Women’s Studies and Media and Society. She is from Buffalo, N.Y., and lives with her parents, brother Mark, and dog Molly. She is in the Teacher Education Program and hopes to become a French teacher one day. She is also involved with the Women’s Collective, William Smith Congress and the William Smith mentoring program. She also hopes to become an Institute for American Universities student ambassador to France. She studied abroad in Avignon, France, this past spring.
ANDREW DENNIS
Set-up & Logistics
Andrew Dennis is entering his senior year at Hobart College. He is very thankful for the opportunities both on and off campus that HWS has afforded him. He is a student leader and is currently entering his last semester of his term as Treasurer of Hobart Student Government. He is very involved with many other activities and clubs on campus and is frequently spending time on various community service related activities. He strives to be a positive and engaging member of the community and wants to extend his personal welcome to all the students in the classes of 2013!
CHRIS JENCO
Orientation Central
Chris grew up in Naperville, Ill., where he attended public school. He chose HWS because he wanted a school with a sense of community outside of the Midwest. Since arriving on campus, he has become involved with Hobart Student Government, the Hobart crew team, the Hobart rugby club, the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, the Inter-Fraternal Council, and many intramural sports. He is majoring in American Studies and minoring in English. He enjoys taking photography classes and has a deep passion for photography.
KELSEY LAGANA
Orientation Mentors
Kelsey Lagana is a rising senior at the Colleges. She is double majoring in Political Science and American Studies with a double minor in European Studies and Education. Throughout her college experience she has chosen to be involved with as many activities as possible but found her biggest passion to be in service work, whether it be service to the Colleges or to the greater Geneva community. It is through her journey at the Colleges that she has found this passion, and is proud to be a member of such a service-oriented community.
STEPHEN MANKER
Nighttime Activities & Service Learning
Having spent much of his life living in different places, Stephen would describe himself as independent, energetic and curious. He is proud to tell people at HWS that he is from the Midwest. He has held a number of interesting jobs from selling tea in Darjeeling, India, to selling fish in Cape Cod, Mass. He is returning to work at Pine Island Camp in Maine this summer as a counselor and trip leader. He is happiest when he is paddling in a kayak, hiking through mountains or fishing for tuna. He runs for the Hobart Cross Country team and recently completed his HWS EMS certification.
DENISE POLANCO
Nighttime Activities & Service Learning
Denise Polanco is a rising junior and very involved at HWS. She is currently a part of the Late Night Crew and is a board member of the Latin American Organization. She grew up in New York City so coming to HWS was a wonderful change of atmosphere. She is currently working towards a major in Psychology and a minor in PEHR. She enjoys learning about social justice issues and tying them into her increasing psychology knowledge. She aspires to be a high school guidance counselor, giving students the confidence and encouragement to succeed that she received as a student.
TAYLOR RAUFUS
International and Transfer Students
Taylor is a rising junior double majoring in Biology and German. He currently works for both Residential Education and Admissions and is a part of EMS team on campus. He wishes the incoming class the best of luck.
ALLISON SPERLING
Parents & Faculty
Allison is a rising senior at HWS, pursuing a double major in Public Policy and Spanish & Hispanic Studies with a minor in International Relations. She grew up in the very small city of Ogdensburg in Upstate New York. She loves to figure skate, swim, ski, play volleyball and be outside. One of her favorite things about HWS is spending time on the lake or quad in the spring time - it's absolutely gorgeous!
LAURA VALDMANIS
Food & Beverage
Laura Valdmanis is a rising senior with a major in German and double minoring in Math and International Relations. Her best experience at HWS was studying abroad in Tuebingen, Germany, during the spring of her sophomore year. She has been a member of Neighbor's Night and WS Rugby and was the Junior Class President. She is actively involved in America Reads and America Counts and is a tour guide on campus. She has participated in Alternative Spring Break programs to New Orleans, which inspired her to return and volunteer again. She has enjoyed her time at HWS and looks forward to helping introduce the classes of 2013 to HWS this fall.
ASHLEY YANG
Set-up & Logistics
Ashley is a rising junior with a major in History and a minor in Education from Rochester, NY. She has wanted to be a teacher since the age of 11 and is enrolled in the Teacher Certification program. Outside of academics, she is involved in Learn to Lead, Martini newspaper, Active Minds, and the Koshare Dance Collective. She enjoys ballet, reading, knitting, and psychoanalyzing Disney movies.
For more information about the Orientation Leaders or the Orientation program, contact Francesca Antonucci '10 and Chris Bramwell '11 at orientation@hws.edu or (315) 781-3041.
