Featured Beacons
Ysabel Muñoz ’21 shows off her Brandeis pride.
Whether they are volunteers, athletes, mentors, artists, performers or scholars, the Brandeis Beacons are pillars of excellence.
They are students committed to making a difference and getting to know their passions, talents and interests, both inside and outside the classroom.
A native of Connecticut, Casey plans to major in history and minor in creativity, the arts and social transformation, and theater. She volunteers at the Brandeis admissions office; is part of the improv comedy group Bad Grammer (sic); is an active member of Brandeis J Street U; and is a co-president of Hold Thy Peace, the student-run classic theater company. Casey also intends to perform in as many theater productions as possible during her time at Brandeis. In her free time, she enjoys playing ukulele and eating her most favorite food, the tomato.
Priya, who lives in Westford, Massachusetts, plans to major in biology and Health: Science, Society and Policy, with a minor in chemistry, on a pre-med track. She works at the Marder Lab, the life sciences lab of biology professor Eve Marder, and is involved with the Brandeis Bhangra dance team, Student Health Advisory Committee, Namaskar e-board and the Indian classical dance team. When she's not trying out new dance styles to de-stress from the brutal #PreMedLyfe, Priya loves napping in the library and exploring Moody Street.
Rachel, a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is majoring in film, television and interactive media, with a minor in politics and business. Along with being a Beacon, she serves on the Undergraduate Student Union Senate, is a member of the Women of Color Alliance and attends many Brandeis events. In her free time, Rachel enjoys going to the gym with friends, watching basketball and listening to music.
Ysabel plans to major in biology and Health: Science, Society and Policy, following the pre-med track. Aside from being a Beacon, she is an admissions ambassador and volunteers by teaching science to elementary school students with the Waltham Group. Ysabel is a Californian at heart, but enjoyed her first East Coast winter, especially the snow. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, rock-climbing and watching “Parks and Recreation.”
Cyril, who plans to major in biology on the pre-med track, aspires to be a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. He’s from the Bronx, New York, and his parents were born in Nigeria. Cyril is active in the Brandeis African Students Organization, the Brandeis Black Students Organization and the Minority Association for Pre-Med Students. In his free time, he loves listening to all genres of music, including rap, trap, R&B, pop, dubstep, EDM and African.
Emilia, a native of Atlanta, plans to major in neuroscience. During her time at Brandeis, she has served as a phonathon volunteer, an office assistant in the Heller School dean's office and a Waltham Group coordinator for Kids Connection. She is also an active member of the Cru Brandeis Christian Fellowship.
Aerionna is currently studying computer science and intends to minor in Spanish. While she is, of course, a Brandeis Beacon, she is also involved in many other groups on campus. She is an Atlanta Posse 7 scholar, a dancer in the Rebelle Dance Group, a participant in BITMAP and an assistant choreographer for the Toxic Auxiliary Dance Team. She aspires to be civil rights litigator, a child advocate and a politician.
Richard is majoring in sociology and English, with minors in creativity, the arts and social transformation; and sexuality and queer studies. They co-run TransDeis, the campus' transgender group, and lead spiritual services at Hillel. Outside of Brandeis, Richard has a fellowship with Keshet, a Boston-based Jewish LBGQT organization, designing programming for teens. They plan to apply this range of expertise by working for a nonprofit, teaching, doing research or being a book editor.