Campus-wide, there is a team of staff, faculty, and peer leaders eager to make your first year the best it can be. Think of it as a web of support, each resource linked to the next to ensure that you’re fully supported throughout your journey at Tulane. Learn about some of the people and offices ready to support you in our Friends of the First-Year student guide below!
First-Year Five
Ian Raines (him/him) is one of five second-year students sharing their experiences in the First-Year Five.
What They Do: These five sophomores are your student guides to the ultimate first-year experience!
How To Connect With Them: Follow along with their stories and advice on Instagram @firstyear.tulane.
As students who’ve been in your shoes, these five sophomores are here to help you feel at home as you navigate life at Tulane and in New Orleans. By sharing advice and personal stories, the First-Year Five will show you what it means to be part of the Tulane community.
Wave Leader
Jordan Shumate (she/her) is one of over 100 student staff members who support Hullabaloo Hello.
What They Do: Wave Leaders are the welcoming committee of the orientation experience and serve as a resource, guide and mentor as you transition into Tulane!
When To Connect With Them: Through Hullabaloo Hello and beyond, you can go to your Wave Leader for advice about campus life, academics, and anything else on your mind.
First-Year Seminar Peer Mentor
Alice Qiang (she/her) is one of 125 peer mentors, placed in every TIDE and COLQ seminar course.
What They Do: During your first semester at Tulane, Peer Mentors provide a foundation of support by helping students connect with different campus resources and opportunities for academic exploration.
When To Connect With Them: Anytime you need to connect to a campus resource, find your people, or want a lunch partner.
How To Make an Appointment: Catch them in your TIDES or Honors Colloquium – your Peer Mentor will attend every class!
First-Year Seminar Faculty
Dr. Ebony Perro, Senior Professor of Practice (she/her), is one of 134 First-Year Seminar Faculty.
What They Do: TIDES and Honors Colloquia faculty are more than just classroom instructors. Through engaging course content, they provide an introduction to the academic rigor and interdisciplinary education of Tulane and give guidance on how to excel as a student.
They also introduce you to the New Orleans community with field trips, classroom speakers, and class conversations
When To Connect With Them: All faculty, not just first-year seminar faculty, are a great resource for when you have a question about the course material or assignments, need help academically, or are interested in exploring opportunities in your major of interest.
How To Make an Appointment: Stay after your seminar class to ask them a question or visit them during their office hours, which can be found on your TIDES or COLQ syllabus.
Residential Faculty Mentor
Jimmy Huck, Administrative Associate Professor, Latin American Studies (he/him), is one of 16 RFMs in the first-year residence halls.
What They Do: Residential Faculty Mentors support your transition to the academic and social communities of the university through programs and office hours held right in your residence hall.
When To Connect With Them: Whenever you have a question about a major, are looking for an academic resource, or want to chat about life in New Orleans.
How To Make an Appointment: Stop by their office hours in your hall or look out for emails from one of your RFMs inviting you to one of their events.
Resident Advisor
Macy Granger (she/her) is one of 154 student Resident Advisors who live in the halls with fellow students.
What They Do: RAs help build community by planning events, offering support, and answering questions about college life. They’re trained to handle minor issues, connect you to campus resources, and make sure everyone feels safe and respected. Your RA is a friendly go-to person as you get settled at Tulane!
When To Connect With Them: If you have questions, concerns, or want to talk with a fellow student about something that's on your mind, they are here to help!
How To Make an Appointment: Just stop by their room! An RA is available on every floor.
Resident Director
Sayyam Hamza (he/him) is one of 12 full -time, professional staff Resident Directors who live on-campus.
What They Do: RDs create a safe, supportive, and welcoming community for students. They supervise the Resident Advisors (RAs), handle emergencies or conflicts, and are a great resource for getting involved or finding help on campus. Think of your RD as someone who’s here to support your success both inside and outside the classroom.
When To Connect With Them: If you live on-campus and need help with your living situation, want to get involved in Community Government, or need support from a staff member who's just next door.
How To Make an Appointment: Find your RD below and email them to make an appointment.
College Advisor
Patrick Long (he/him) is one of over 25 College Advisors working with full-time undergraduate students in Newcomb-Tulane College.
What They Do: Advisors are your partners in your academic journey. From helping you with your first semester registration to filing your graduation application, a college advisor will support you through each milestone.
When To Connect With Them: Connect with your advisor if you want to explore different academic programs, have academic concerns, wish to transfer credit, want to plan or review your course registration, or confirm your graduation requirements. Your advisor is instrumental in keeping you on track towards your intended graduating semester.
How To Make an Appointment: Visit the link below to explore the many ways you can connect with College Advising.
Advising is a collaborative partnership that maximizes the individual potential of students by sharing information, tools, and resources that empower students to make informed decisions about creating appropriate academic and career plans to achieve their academic, career, and life goals.
Pre-Law & Pre-Health Advisor
Duc Huynh (he/him) is one of two pre-professional advisors.
What They Do: Whether you're pursuing a life-long passion or just starting to explore career options, Tulane's pre-law and pre-health advisors can talk with you about skills, activities, and achievements that will prepare you to be a competitive applicant to law school, medical school, or other health professions schools.
When To Connect With Them: Planning for pre-law and pre-health career paths starts early, so students should meet with advisors during their first semester at Tulane.
How To Make an Appointment: Visit the link below to meet with a pre-law or pre-health advisor.
Career Coach
Sammy Stevens (she/her) is one of a team of Career Coaches, Career Educators, and Career Peer Advisors.
What They Do: Career coaches can help you explore your individual strengths and paths, build strategies for finding jobs or internships, actualize the job search process, and connect you with alumni and mentors in the industries you're most interested.
When To Connect With Them: There's so much that goes into making a career plan. Whether you're still exploring your options or committed to a specific career path, you can schedule an appointment with a career coach to begin creating your individualized plan as early as freshman year.
How To Connect With Them: First-year students can also engage with NTC Career Services by taking our 1-credit career course Exploring Majors and Careers (CRDV: 1060) or participate in our 4-week networking sprint called Career Launch. Drop-in coaching is with our career peers in the 1st floor Mussafer Hall lobby, and attend any of our events and programming that we host throughout the year – all of which can be found on Handshake and career.tulane.edu!
Success Coach
Katherine Hague (she/her) is one of five professional success coaches and ten peer success leaders.
What They Do: Coaches work with students through a strengths-based approach and a belief that every student learns and process information differently. Coaches offer support in social, academic, and professional success. Coaches help students explore habits, strategies, or beliefs they want to refine to create their desired results.
When To Connect With Them: Students can be in contact with a coach at any point in their Tulane journey. You may want a coach to help you establish routines at the start of the semester. You may want to meet with a coach to help you prepare for finals. Some students utilize coaching throughout the academic year to help connect to their passions and purpose.
How To Make an Appointment: Visit the link below to make an appointment with a success coach or peer success leader.
Success Coaching also includes Peer Success Leaders, a group of highly motivated students who assist their peers through the academic and social challenges of college.
Academic Learning & Tutoring Center
Jasmine Kiley (she/her) is one of 45 Supplemental Instruction Leaders. They are part of the ALTC team, which includes 30 tutors and 15 writing coaches.
What They Do: The Academic Learning & Tutoring Center is your partner for academic success. Whether you are looking for a place to study between classes, a teaching assistant from the Math Center, a tutor for Organic Chemistry, or a writing coach who understands APA formatting, the ALTC can help.
When To Connect With Them: When you want to get ahead on your courses, review with your classmates, or ask questions of a peer who excelled in the class when they were enrolled.
How To Make an Appointment: Download the Penji app or go to penjiapp.com and log in with your Tulane email and password.
The Academic Learning and Tutoring Center offers a wide range of services. Following are the highlights, so you can choose the one that's right for you!
The Academic Writing Center connects students with trained peer tutors who specialize in writing skills. Writing tutors collaborate with you on content, organization, grammar, and idea generation.
The Language Learning Center (LLC) is a collaboration with the Language Department and the ALTC. Students can receive drop-in "office hours-style" support in a number of languages offered at Tulane from trained ALTC Tutors. There is no appointment necessary.
The Learning Studio is a dynamic space that supports active learning. Students may meet and study individually or in groups, use ancillary materials and learning aids, and get peer support. The 2 mini-studio rooms can be reserved for creating podcasts, taking tests like the LSAT, and conducting interviews, Zoom meetings, or working on group projects.
The Math Center is a space designed for students enrolled in difficult calculus and statistics courses. Study independently or with a group of friends, work out problems, and get helpful advice from math department teaching assistants.
Peer Tutors meet one-on-one with you in the ALTC to review class concepts, work practice problems, and answer questions. All tutors excelled in the courses in which they provide support.
Supplemental Instruction sessions are regularly scheduled, out-of-class, review sessions where students work collaboratively with a peer instructor in reading discussions, solving practice problems, and preparing for exams.
Therapist
Dr. Jinaki Flint (she/her) is one of 17 professional therapists, psychologists, and psychiatry staff.
What They Do: Their team of licensed and experienced psychologists, social workers, professional counselors, and psychiatrists foster developmental, personal, emotional, and academic growth by offering comprehensive therapy and psychiatry services, outreach and prevention programs, teletherapy resources, referral services, and consultative relationships throughout the Tulane community.
When To Connect With Them: Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) is an inclusive, confidential space for all undergraduate students to receive individual and group therapy, and/or psychiatry treatment for a variety of mental health concerns, to include mental health education, college adjustment concerns, stress management skills, or mental health concerns that may require medication, among other needs.
How To Make an Appointment:First appointments are brief initial consultation appointments. Same-day initial consultation appointments are also available.
Case Manager
Rachel Robertson (she/her) is one of five case managers.
What They Do: Many students experience difficult times during college, due to either academic or personal reasons. Common stressors include medical, mental health, personal or family crisis, illness, or injury. Case Management and Victim Support Services (CMVSS) is a one-stop resource for any Tulane student in need of support.
When To Connect With Them: You can connect with CMVSS for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, navigating a personal or academic barrier or crisis, if you have been the victim of a crime or an incident of bias of harassment, resource connection and coordination, and support and follow-up related to an illness, injury, and or/hospitalization.
How To Make an Appointment: To connect with a case manager: call 504-314-2160, email srss@tulane.edu, complete a concern report at www.tulane.edu/concerns, or stop by our office Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:00pm.
Resources for Specific First-Year Communities
First-Generation Students
TU Thrive provides first-generation students and students from limited-income backgrounds with holistic student support from deposit day through graduation and beyond. We provide academic and personal development resources while fostering meaningful connections within the university community to ensure that students feel prepared to reach their goals. Learn more at college.tulane.edu/thrive.
First-Year Honors Scholars
The First-Year Honors Scholars Experience is supported by NTC College Programs and provides academically gifted and intellectually curious students unique opportunities for exploration and immersion. Learn more at firstyear.tulane.edu/first-year-honors-scholars.
International Students
The Center for Global Education (CGE) provides support for undergraduate international students and for NTC students who study abroad through programs administered by our office. Learn more at cge.tulane.edu.
The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) is the designated office for immigration advising and support services for Tulane's international community. Learn more at oiss.tulane.edu.
Spring Scholars
Spring Scholars begin their time at Tulane in the spring after engaging in exploratory experiences during the fall semester. This cohort is supported by the NTC College Programs. Learn more at firstyear.tulane.edu/spring-scholars.
Students with Accessibility Needs
The Goldman Center for Student Accessibility seeks to eliminate barriers, advocate for inclusion, and ensure access for every members of the Tulane community, acknowledging that great minds think differently. Find them in the basement of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library, and learn more at accessibility.tulane.edu.
Transfer Students
Each year, about 175 transfer students arrive in the fall or spring. Transferring can be a big step, but we’re here to support you every step of the way. This cohort is supported by the NTC College Programs. Learn more at firstyear.tulane.edu/transfer-students.