New Undergraduate Student Orientation

Meet the Orientation Leaders!

Orientation Leaders (OL's) will serve as your guides to Brandeis! You will receive an email from your assigned OL prior to your arrival, but you are welcome to reach out to any of the OL's with questions. When you arrive on-campus, you will join your Orientation group (your OL and some of your peers) for portions of the Orientation program. Don't hesitate to ask the OL's questions you have about Brandeis!

Midyear 2024 Orientation Leader Team

Photo of Jessica Freedberg
Jessica Freedberg

Pronouns: she/her
Class of 2024
Majors/Minors: Double major in Politics and International and Global Studies; Minor in History
Hometown: Denver, CO
My favorite thing about Brandeis is: The community. Throughout my past 3 years Brandeis has become my second home and it is all because of the people.

Photo of Zac Gondelman
Zac Gondelman
Orientation Leader

Pronouns: he/they
Class of 2026
Majors/Minors: NEJS (Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)
Hometown: Boston, MA
Something I wish I knew when I started my Brandeis journey: Don't stress too much! Everyone is nervous and everything will work out.

Photo of Madeline Logan
Madeline Logan
Orientation Leader

Pronouns: she/her
Class of 2024
Majors/Minors: ENVS (Environmental Studies) & Studio Art
Hometown: Foxboro, MA
Something I wish I knew when I started my Brandeis journey: It's okay if your plans change!

Photo of Zach Mayer
Zach Mayer

Pronouns: he/him
Class of 2025
Majors/Minors: Politics, History, and American Studies majors & Legal Studies, History of Ideas, and Social Justice/Social Policy (SJSP) minors
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
My favorite thing about Brandeis is: The people! The community at Brandeis is something I never could have expected, and it's just unreal how amazing everyone is.

Photo of Katelynn Quartson
Katelynn Quartson
Orientation Leader

Pronouns: she/her
Class Year: 2026
Majors/Minors: Biology and Women & Gender Studies
Hometown: Bronx, NY
My favorite thing about Brandeis is: All of the clubs and campus activities!

Photo of Greg Roitbourd
Greg Roitbourd
Orientation Leader

Pronouns: any
Class of 2026
Majors/Minors: Physics and Theater Arts Major & Creative Writing and Math Minor
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
My favorite thing about Brandeis is: The connections I've made here! I love my friends and I am glad to have met people in many different academic and social spheres and fields.

Photo of Esther Rubin
Esther Rubin
Orientation Leader

Pronouns: she/her
Class of 2026
Majors/Minors: Education Studies and Psychology major & Education Studies minor
Hometown: New Delhi, India
Something I wish I knew when I started my Brandeis journey: It's okay to be unsure about things: your major, your friends, your classes. But ask for help and it will be ok!

Photo of Wesley Wei
Wesley Wei

Pronouns: he/him
Class of 2026
Majors/Minors: Economics major & Legal Studies, Math and possibly Psychology minor
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
My favorite thing about Brandeis is: Its diverse and inclusive student body; Brandeis students and faculty never make me feel out of place!

Photo of Rachel Weiss
Rachel Weiss
Orientation Leader

Pronouns: she/her
Class of 2026
Majors/Minors: Applied Mathematics
Hometown: San Clemente, CA
Something I wish I knew when I started my Brandeis journey: Not trying and not asking for what you need, want, or are questioning can hold you back from amazing opportunities and people.

Photo of Gabby Wernick
Gabby Wernick
Orientation Leader

Pronouns: she/her
Class of 2025
Majors/Minors: Neuroscience and Biology major & Chemistry, Psychology and Politics minor
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
My favorite thing about Brandeis is: The resources available for both science and humanities students. I am currently majoring in biology and neuroscience but am still able to take courses that I'm interested in and become a politics minor. I do research and TA (Teacher's Assistant) for STEM classes and am still able to venture into the humanities, which is a facet unique to Brandeis in its variety of opportunities.

Meet the Transfer & Exchange Student Orientation Leaders!
If you are joining us as a Transfer or Exchange student, you will have one of the OL's below.

Transfer & Exchange Student Orientation Leaders

Photo of Kaija Grisham
Kaija Grisham

Pronouns: Any
Class of 2024
Majors/Minors: Anthropology, Economics & Film, Television and Interactive Media Studies
Hometown: Anchorage, AK
My favorite thing about Brandeis is: The amazing communities I have found and been part of building and the diverse academic opportunities I have had.

Photo of Andie Sheinbaum
Andie Sheinbaum
Orientation Leader

Pronouns: she/her
Class of 2024
Majors/Minors: Environmental Studies major & English and Legal Studies minors
Hometown: Aurora, CO
My favorite thing about Brandeis is: The passion and warmth of its students!

Orientation Support Staff positions are held by current first year students - members of your class - who are interested in learning more about the Orientation Leader position and want to connect with their peers and answer questions from a current first year student perspective.

Orientation Support Staff

Photo of Coco Trentalancia
Coco Trentalancia
Orientation Support Team

Pronouns: she/her/hers
Class of 2027
Anticipated Major/Minor: Major - Education Studies; Minor - Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (AAPI)
Hometown: New York, NY
Something I wish I knew when I started my Brandeis journey: Everyone really supports and cares about you. It is not like high school and you do not feel such a high sense of competition and a need to win. Everyone helps one another and building that sense of community is always a win!