Peer Mentors
About
Engineer Peers are upperclassmen students who help first year students feel welcome in the College of Engineering.
First Time First Year (FTFY) students are paired with a Peer through freshmen one credit seminar courses. A pair of Peers supports each first-year seminar section, and each Peer is assigned to two sections. The Peers connect with FTFY students through these seminars as well as through the social events that they host.
Sign up for an Engineering Peer mentor here.
Meet the Peers 2024-25
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Claudia Figueroa Pabón
Nasif Pervez '26
Major: Computer Engineering
Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Activities: Cybersecurity club, Resident Assistant, Society of Asians Scientists and Engineers (SASE)
Hobbies: Basketball, Badminton, Jiu Jitsu, Cooking and Baking
Fun fact: I love squirrels and would love one as a pet
Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Activities: Cybersecurity club, Resident Assistant, Society of Asians Scientists and Engineers (SASE)
Hobbies: Basketball, Badminton, Jiu Jitsu, Cooking and Baking
Fun fact: I love squirrels and would love one as a pet
Ann Nanyunja '26
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Ashland, MA
Activities: I am involved in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMEs)
Hobbies: Knitting, reading, running
Fun fact: I like listening to classical and instrumental music.
Hometown: Ashland, MA
Activities: I am involved in the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMEs)
Hobbies: Knitting, reading, running
Fun fact: I like listening to classical and instrumental music.
James Buckley '26
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Wakefield, Massachusetts
Activities: Ski Club, Engineers Without Borders, Smash UMA, Meditation Club
Hobbies: Going on Walks, Reading, Writing, Video Games
Fun fact: I'm very good at creating impressions of famous characters and celebrities!
Hometown: Wakefield, Massachusetts
Activities: Ski Club, Engineers Without Borders, Smash UMA, Meditation Club
Hobbies: Going on Walks, Reading, Writing, Video Games
Fun fact: I'm very good at creating impressions of famous characters and celebrities!
Nicole Aredes '27
Major: Civil Engineering
Hometown: Shrewsbury, MA
Activities: I am the vice president for WTS within Joint Transportation Organization (JTO), am a research assistant at UMass Transportation Center (UMTC), and am the secretary for SHPE (Leading Hispanics in STEM).
Hometown: Shrewsbury, MA
Activities: I am the vice president for WTS within Joint Transportation Organization (JTO), am a research assistant at UMass Transportation Center (UMTC), and am the secretary for SHPE (Leading Hispanics in STEM).
Amanda Kanashiro '26
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Lexington, MA
Plans for after graduation: I am planning on doing a 4+1 in BME and am interested in a broad range of topics including oncology, neuroengineering, gene therapy, clinical research, and medical devices.
Hometown: Lexington, MA
Plans for after graduation: I am planning on doing a 4+1 in BME and am interested in a broad range of topics including oncology, neuroengineering, gene therapy, clinical research, and medical devices.
Shafeena Uddin '26
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Activities: UMass MedTech Team, Research in the Moore Lab (Food Science), Work at the Fine Arts Center Box Office, Science Outreach Club Treasurer, Big Brothers Big Sisters, UMass Science Olympiad, UMass SASE + AWIS.
Activities: UMass MedTech Team, Research in the Moore Lab (Food Science), Work at the Fine Arts Center Box Office, Science Outreach Club Treasurer, Big Brothers Big Sisters, UMass Science Olympiad, UMass SASE + AWIS.
Valandy Pierre '27
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Everett, MA
Activities: Emerging Scholars Peer Leader at the Commonwealth Honors College
Hobbies: I like to crochet, read, play volleyball
Fun fact: I played lacrosse in high school
Hometown: Everett, MA
Activities: Emerging Scholars Peer Leader at the Commonwealth Honors College
Hobbies: I like to crochet, read, play volleyball
Fun fact: I played lacrosse in high school
Become A Peer!
Peers enroll in one or two courses which support their work; Engin 391P, Peer Leadership in Engineering, meets bi-weekly in the fall and provides the Peers training and support for their work, while Engin 391M, Special Topics in Mentoring, meets in the spring and builds the Peers’ ability and unders