Meet the 2024 Dwight Hall Student Executive Committee!

The Dwight Hall Student Executive Committee (ExComm) recently announced its election results for 2024. Having taken office at the beginning of the spring semester, the new members are excited to serve as leaders and representatives of Dwight Hall. 

Read on to meet the new ExComm!

Emily Zhang ’25, Senior Co-Coordinator

Emily Zhang (she/her) is the Senior Co-Coordinator on this year’s ExComm. She is a junior from Massachusetts majoring in Ethics, Politics, and Economics with a statistics certificate. She is Timothy Dwight College’s biggest fan, a public transportation enthusiast, and lover of stone fruit.

What are you most looking forward to this year? In my third and final year on Dwight Hall’s ExComm, I want to spend this last year hearing every one of your stories. I want to connect people and see what a flourishing public service scene looks like on campus!

Rena Liu ’26, Junior Co-Coordinator

Rena is the Junior Co-Coordinator on ExComm. She is a sophomore in Branford majoring in Sociology, a Megan Thee Stallion fan, and an 80%+ dark chocolate enthusiast. Outside of ExComm, she collaborates with community members through income tax preparation with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and works on small claims with the Yale Association for Small Claims Assistance (YASCA).

What are you most looking forward to this year? ExComm is a chance to organize Yale’s resources to make student service initiatives more efficient and effective. Ultimately, I hope this is a way to give back to New Haven. 

Ruyi (Xin) Lu ’26, Financial Coordinator

Ruyi was born and raised in Queens, NYC and is passionate about advocacy and organizing for underserved communities. She is excited to continue this passion as Financial Coordinator!

What are you most looking forward to this year? I am most hopeful in increasing the financial empowerment and resources of each student group.

Catalina Mahe ’26, Financial Coordinator

Catalina is a sophomore from New Jersey in Silliman College majoring in Global Affairs. In her new role as Co-Financial Coordinator, she looks forward to working with member groups to ensure each has the funding they need to fulfill their service mission! Outside of schoolwork, she enjoys participating in Moot Court, working with the Dwight Hall Socially Responsible Investment Fund (DHSRI), and going coffee shop-hopping with friends. 

What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m looking forward to collaborating with member groups and hosting info sessions about the Dwight Hall Campus and Community Fund application process. 

Vy Nguyen ’27, Communications Coordinator

Vy (pronounced like the letter) is a first-year in Pierson College who is looking to major in English with a Writing Concentration. When she’s not baking with boxed mix or updating her Letterboxd, Vy can be found coaching high school debate with the New Haven Urban Debate League and writing short screenplays that may (or may not) be based on true events from her life. As a Communications Coordinator, she looks forward to combining her love for graphic design and iPad-doodling with community service. 

What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m excited to give our social media audiences a glimpse into Dwight Hall member groups and their work, hopefully encouraging students to take advantage of service opportunities!

Amadie Gajanaike ’26, Communications Coordinator

Amadie is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles and a Communications Coordinator for Dwight Hall. As an Electrical Engineering major, she loves to engage with Yale’s Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (Flux et Veritas!) and create games in Amoriem Labs. When she is not designing for the South Asian Society and Yale’s International Student Organization (ISO), Amadie is getting Sunday brunch with her fellow Sri Lankans at Yale.

What are you most looking forward to this year? I am looking forward to advancing ExComm’s outreach to New Haven local organizations for our next editorial issues.

Avery DeWitt ’26, Institutional Service Coordinator

Avery is a sophomore in Branford studying the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health. They were an Engagement Coordinator on ExComm during Fall 2023 and are looking forward to being an Institutional Service Coordinator for 2024! She loves crocheting and anything lime-flavored, and can’t wait to work on all sorts of projects this year with everyone.

What are you most looking forward to this year? This year, I would love to engage more directly with community partners and improve and diversify the ways we provide support (as well as reducing the burden on community partners as much as possible in correspondence). Furthermore, I want to see what we could do to ease the flow between students in search of ways to get involved with Dwight Hall and opportunities that are sustainable and suitable.

Ai-Li Hollander ’27, Membership Coordinator

Ai-Li Hollander is a first-year from Seattle, Washington and is serving as a Membership Coordinator. Ai-Li took a gap year with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), a government public service program, before college, and now loves playing on Mona (Yale’s Womxn Ultimate Frisbee team), and attempting to paint when she has time.

What are you most looking forward to this year? I am excited to learn more about the landscape of public service and social justice work in Yale and New Haven. I aim to support member groups as best as I can!

Vivek Shah ’25, Membership Coordinator

Vivek is a junior from Denver, Colorado pursuing a BA in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. Prior to joining Dwight Hall as a Membership Coordinator, Vivek was involved in a variety of public service activities, including internships with his governor and senator as well as extensive work with a Colorado-based children’s nonprofit. Currently, Vivek manages the youth board for that nonprofit and is an avid member of Dwight Hall’s Camp Kesem! Vivek is also very fond of his mock trial team and his improv group, The Purple Crayon of Yale. 

What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m very very excited about the prospect of meeting and working with other like-minded students who care about New Haven and about making an impact on their community. I cannot wait to get to know the students who run various Dwight Hall orgs, and I cannot wait to get to know the wonderful people on ExComm as well :). Broadly speaking, I’m looking forward to seeing how Dwight Hall can reach organizations who may not know that they are eligible for Dwight Hall funding, as well as looking at how we can increase our support for the organizations that already utilize our resources. 

Carrie Lange ’27, Membership Coordinator

Carrie Lange is a first-year in Saybrook and a Membership Coordinator. Carrie is Pre-Law and tentatively interested in studying Ethics, Politics, and Economics. 

What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m most looking forward to exploring partnerships to broaden the scope of the volunteer and social justice programs that Dwight Hall offers. 

Bintou Mustapha Leigh ’27, New Membership Coordinator

Bintou Leigh is a social justice writer and environmentalist from The Gambia. Having lived in seven different countries, she values the experiences and lessons that come with interacting with people from various backgrounds. Her values for forming meaningful connections with people drive her to contribute to improving the quality of life for people wherever she can.

What are you most looking forward to this year? I am looking forward to developing innovative community engagement activities and collaborating with other campus organizations to broaden the reach of community service at Yale.

Kristen Meola ’25.5, Alumni Engagement Coordinator

A native New Yorker, Kristen (Saybrook ‘25.5) is pursuing an Economics major and a certificate in Spanish. She is a proud member of the Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project Board (YHHAP), the Dwight Hall Board of Directors, Women in Economics, and Asian-ish. On the off chance that she isn’t in Bass Library, you might find Kristen taking unusually brisk walks, improvising on the violin, or teaching herself to play the guitar.

Allie Lopez ’27, Engagement Coordinator

Immersing myself in new cultures has always been a passion! In New Haven, I’ve had the chance to interact with unique communities, and as an Engagement Coordinator, I hope to provide a platform for their diverse experiences.

What are you most looking forward to this year? I am confident we will see more people involved with Dwight Hall’s initiatives than ever! I can’t wait to have a hand in supporting such inspiring campaigns.

Landon Bishop ’27, Engagement Coordinator

Landon is a first-year from New Orleans, Louisiana in Benjamin Franklin College. He is thinking of Ethics, Politics, and Economics as a potential major, but is still exploring. Outside of class, he is a proud member of the Yale Student Film Festival Advisory Committee, a Staff Reporter for the Yale Daily News, and a first-year representative for Benjamin Franklin College.

What are you most looking forward to this year? I’m excited to get to know everyone on ExComm 2024, begin planning projects that address the New Haven community–especially children in the public school system–and engage with Yalies of all classes to brainstorm and build new ideas!

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ExComm is elected every year by Dwight Hall’s Student Cabinet, which is comprised of representatives of every Dwight Hall student-led member group. Each year, the Cabinet elects a Student Executive Committee to fulfill the day-to-day operations of Dwight Hall. In addition to coordinating activities of the Hall, Cabinet acts as the moral and ethical deliberative body of Dwight Hall, voting in new member groups, debating service policy, and passing resolutions.

Dwight Hall’s ExComm is part of the Engage pillar of Dwight Hall’s Engage, Grow, and Advance program delivery model, supporting students as they forge trusted partnerships with New Haven neighborhoods, organizations, and agencies through community engaged service.