Greetings from Your O-Team!
Each first-year seminar also has an upper-class student mentor called an O-Team Leader to work with you as well. This student focuses on your out-of-class experience and connecting you to others and resources across campus. Throughout the summer and during Orientation, your O-Team Leader will be in contact and will be happy to answer your questions.
Hello! I’m Omnia Basha, a senior studying biology and business and a Roanoke native. I’m thrilled to be your friendly Orientation-Team Leader as you begin your journey at HU. Whether you need help with academics, information about campus resources, or just someone to chat with, I’m here for you. I’ve been in your shoes, so I understand the questions and concerns you may have, and if I don’t have the answers, I’ll gladly help you find someone who does!
In addition to being an O-Team Leader, I serve as the traditions chair for the Hollins Activity Board (HAB), which means I’m dedicated to creating memorable and enjoyable experiences during your time here. So, count on me to make your journey at HU special!
If you ever have any questions, concerns, or just want to talk, please feel free to email me at bashaoa@hollins.edu. I’m looking forward to meeting you!
Hello! My name is Hailee Brandt, and I am from Coachella Valley, California. I am a junior majoring in history as well as pursuing the G(alleries)L(ibraries)A(rchives)M(useums) certificate. This year I will be one of the tutors at the writing center, so please pop in at any time! In my free time I enjoy playing games with my friends, researching, watching shows, and anything involving cute stationary. If you ever need to contact me, my email is brandthe@hollins.edu and my Instagram is @luvbrandt. I’m looking forward to meeting you soon!
Hello! I’m Nova Correro and I’m so jazzed to be an O-Team leader this year! I am a junior environmental science major. Hollins has been a beautiful place to live, and I can’t wait for you to experience that too! Most days you can find me lurking around Dana on the second floor or haunting the library. I’m a big horror fan (my favorites are The Descent and The VVitch) and always up for recommendations. Outside of class I work at a pharmacy and for fun I like to eat out (an unfortunate amount). I recommend Taste of Asia, Sakura #9, Nawab, and Mi Tapatía Taqueria. I can’t wait to meet you! If you have any movie recommendations or just want to chat, you can email me at correronp@hollins.edu!
Hello! My name is Mikaela Durch, I’m a rising junior majoring in creative writing. My pronouns are she/her, and I’m from Hilo, Hawai’i. I like to crochet, read, and cry to sappy movies. If you have any questions or just want to get started on making friends, please feel free to reach out to my email: durchm@hollins.edu. I’m excited to see you all this fall!!
Hi! My name is Alexa Hulse (she/they) and I am from Charlotte, North Carolina, but Roanoke has definitely become the place I call “home” over the past three years. I am a rising senior majoring in gender and women’s studies. During my senior year, I am looking forward to being one of the co-presidents of Near East Fine Arts (NEFA), the arts specialty house on campus where I have lived since the second semester of my first year. I also help lead Hollins’ Jewish Students Alliance, I am an editor for Cargoes literary magazine, and I help plan events for Arts Association and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA). I have also spent the past two years interning for Lilith Magazine, a Jewish feminist magazine based out of NYC. In my free time, I love having a good conversation with friends on the East porch, working on a photo project in the darkroom, and searching for new coffee spots in the Roanoke Valley (Sweet Donkey is my favorite right now!). It feels like it was only yesterday when I was about to start my journey at Hollins, and I am so excited for you all to experience the “Hollins magic” when you arrive on campus this fall! The transition to college is super exciting but can also bring a lot of changes—I am always happy to answer any questions you may have about student life, dorm living, Roanoke, etc., or just chat about the Hollins experience (can you tell I’m a Gemini?). You can reach me by email (hulseab@hollins.edu) or on Instagram (@alexabhulse). I can’t wait to connect in the coming weeks/months!
Hello everyone! My name is Jillianne Junio and I am excited to be your O-Team Leader! I am a rising junior from Upstate New York majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry. I am involved with many organizations on campus including being Student Government Association vice president, a member of the Hollins Activity Board, SGA BIPOC Subcommittee, and a dance instructor for the K-Pop+ Club. I enjoy watching crime shows or K-Dramas, shopping, drinking boba, or eating frozen yogurt. If you want to chat or have any questions, feel free to email me at junioj@hollins.edu. I can’t wait to meet all of you!
Hello! My name is Anna Langenberger (she/they) and I am so excited to be an Orientation-Team
Leader this year! I’m a rising sophomore from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am an elementary education major and a theatre minor. On campus, I’m an active member of HSTA (Hollins Student Theatre Association) and have participated in Hollins choir. I am also a member of Kappa Delta Psi, the honors society for education majors. When I’m not on stage or studying, you will find me curled up under a blanket watching a Disney film or off campus enjoying downtown Roanoke and all it has to offer. I’m always here if you need a stuffed animal to cuddle with or a hug. I LOVE hugs! I look forward to sharing the Hollins campus and Roanoke Valley with you soon! Feel free to reach out to chat or ask questions through my email: langenbergerae@hollins.edu , or my Instagram: @audition_anna. Levavi Oculos!
Hello! My name is Erin Masarjian and I am from Florida originally but have lived in Virginia for several years now. I am looking forward to being an O-Team Leader in the fall! I am a studio art major and have been practicing art for many years. I am a local artist and have shown work in a few galleries in the area. If I am not helping in the dining hall in Moody, I can be found napping on the couches around campus or in the beautiful but possible haunted art studios. I love the Hollins community and find everything so inspiring. I love to stroll around campus and just absorb all the beauty around me. There are a lot of wonderful things to do and explore around Hollins and I am excited to share our experiences together! Feel free to email me at masarjianed@hollins.edu about anything, Hollins, art, ghosts, pets, questions, and queries, and I will see what I can do!
Hey y’all! I’m Lee Merritt (they/she), and I’m over the moon to be an O-Team Leader this year!
I’m a rising junior and an international studies major. I’m from Luttrell, Tennessee, but Hollins has been my perfect home away from home. Outside of classes, you can find me running around organizing events for the Hollins Activity Board, chilling on the Mind, Body, Spirit porch, or fundraising for the class of 2025! Not to mention late night Cookout runs, lessons in Presser, and Monday night bingo always keep me on my toes! I can’t wait to meet y’all and help make Hollins your home! If you have any questions or just want to talk, please feel free to reach out to me at merrittar@hollins.edu. See y’all soon!
Hi everyone! My name is Kenidee Rabenstein (she/he), and I’m a rising sophomore from Lynchburg, Virginia. I’m super excited to meet all of you! I’m a psychology major and a creative writing minor. I’m currently the vice president of We Who Appreciate Anime (WA^2), and senator for Roarin’ Ink and Poetry (RIP)! I’m also a general member of Disabled Students Union (DSU), Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA), and The Young Writer’s Initiative (TYWI). I enjoy playing video games, writing, listening to music, watching anime, and character designing! You can typically find me in the apartment complex, by the Moody Student Center, or working at the alumnae relations office. If you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to email me at rabensteinkj@hollins.edu! I look forward to starting the year with you!
Hello, incoming class of 2027! My name is Chloe Samuel and I am very excited to be your Orientation-Team Leader! I am a commuting junior, and I am a double major in public health and applied economics. During my free time, I love to be outside. I do everything from hiking to kayaking and enjoy it all! You usually can find me sitting outside studying in the garden. I also play the cello in the Valley Chamber Orchestra, volunteer at the food pantry on campus, and am the president of the Public Health Club. I love the Hollins community and I am excited to share it with you! If you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to email me at samuelcj@hollins.edu.
Hello class of 2027! My name is Matilda Sieger (she/her), and I’m very excited to be your O- Team Leader! I’m from the Bronx, New York. I’m an English major, pursuing grade six-12 teacher’s licensure, and a dance minor. I’m also a writing tutor and am in our school’s choir. If I’m not in class, you’ll probably find me in the library, or on the porch of Main. When I’m free, I love to go to the movies, or take my cat Rosemary out on walks. I can’t wait to meet you all in the fall! If you have any questions, please reach out to my email, siegermi@hollins.edu, or my Insta, @swan.tilda.
Hi, everyone! My name is Lidia Soto Minter (she/her pronouns). I’m from Martinsville, Virginia, and I’m a rising senior here at Hollins. I’m majoring in English with a minor in film. I’m a member of the Hollins Activity Board (HAB), the school’s D&D club, Roll With It, and I’m the senator for the Young Adult/New Adult Book Club, which we like to call the YABC. In my free time, I enjoy reading, watching movies/TV shows, and spending time goofing around with my friends. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and introducing you to our wonderful campus life! You can email me at sotominterls@hollins.edu if you have any questions, concerns, or just want to talk!
Hi class of 2027! My name is Vivian Urda and I’m from Metro Detroit, Michigan. I’m a rising senior with a double major in international studies and Francophone studies. I am the club coordinator, Fencing Club captain, former president of de La Maison Francophone, and a member of the Hollins Activity Board. When I’m not occupied by one of these many activities, I enjoy sitting by the creek with friends crafting, or driving to nearby Carvin Creek to hike and hammock. As someone from a flat lake state, the mountains around campus are my favorite part of campus, and I miss them when I am not in Virginia. I look forward to sharing the Hollins campus and Roanoke Valley with you soon! Being here for three years has given me loads of experience navigating campus culture as well as life as a student, so if you have any questions at all feel free to drop me a line through my email: urdav@hollins.edu, or my Instagram: @urda_vi. Best of luck!
Hi! My name is Ti-Shawn Wellington, and I am a rising junior majoring in public health and biology. I am from Jamaica, and I live in New York. I consider myself a foodie. My go-to Greenberry’s order is an iced caramel vanilla latte with whipped cream and my favorite HUB order is Thai chili wings with onion rings. In my free time, I like to binge-watch completed TV series and documentaries. I am excited to meet all the new incoming students this fall. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at wellingtonta@hollins.edu.