First-Year Counselors

Sheikh Nahiyan 

Head First-Year Counselor

Sheikh (he/him) is a Chemistry major and is originally from Ventnor City, NJ (two minutes away from Atlantic City). For the past two years, Sheikh has been one of the Co-Presidents of GREEN at Yale, Yale’s first action-based sustainability organization. Sheikh has also been Shareware Project Head, bringing Shareware to Berkeley and Silliman in the process and hoping to bring Shareware to Morse this year! Sheikh has also been involved in the public service scene by virtue of his leadership with the Yale Community Kitchen. At the moment, Sheikh conducts synthetic chemistry research in the Hazari Lab and is applying to graduate school this fall. You can usually find him attending class on Science Hill, grabbing a dirty chai from The Jitter Bus, or listening to culturally relevant pop music. In his free time, he loves to work out at Payne Whitney and spend time with his friends. He is looking forward to meeting everyone in the fall!!

Lauren Chong

Lauren (she/her) is double majoring in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (the BEST bio major) and Classical Civilization, with an interest in going to medical school in the future.  She is originally from Southern California and can talk for hours about how much she loves California. Passionate about social justice and public service, she dedicates her time giving back to the New Haven community through various service clubs and activities. Outside of academics, you’ll find her engrossed in a k-drama, learning different languages, and grabbing her favorite boba order at Loose Leaf. She is so excited to get to know all the new fresh-Morsels!

Diba Ghaed

Diba is from Bethesda, Maryland and studies Political Science, with a focus on ideas of democracy and citizenship. She will graduate as one of the first recipients of the new Persian Studies Certificate, an interdisciplinary certificate that combines aspects of Persian language and Middle Eastern history and politics. Diba is the former Events Director for Yale College Council, a position in which she planned and executed events for the entire Yale undergraduate body. At current, besides being a FroCo, Diba is the Co-Chief Aide for the Morse College Office. Besides academics, Diba enjoys reading (she’s read 40 books this year as of July!), listening to music (Phoebe Bridgers, RKS, Noah Kahan, Lorde …), and spending time with her friends!

Ramsay Goyal

Ramsay is an Urban Studies major, born and raised in Los Angeles! For two years, he served as the president of the Morse College Council and he is now a co-chief aide for Morse alongside Diba. Outside of Morse, Ramsay works for the Yale Admissions Office as a Recruitment Coordinator, answering questions, hosting panels, and coordinating events. He also serves as the Director of Events for Yale Model Congress and previously served as the mentor director for New Haven REACH. You can often find him studying on a high floor of the Sterling Library stacks, joining the Morse team in Payne Whitney Gym for an intramural pickleball game, or hiking to the top of East Rock Park for the best views of the city. 

Avery Long

Originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Avery (he/him) is a Chemistry major primarily interested in materials chemistry and sustainability. His current research in the Zimmerman Lab focuses on functionalizing gold nanoparticles for lead detection in water, and he is also interested in sustainable energy and metal and plastic recycling. He’s also pursuing a certificate in Advanced French Language Study. Outside of academics, his favorite thing to do is go dancing! Avery loves social dancing (swing is king), and he is a two-time Newbie Captain of the Yale Ballroom Dance Team. Avery has also organized with the Endowment Justice Coalition and written weekly Mini crosswords for the YDN. When he’s not in lab or on the dance floor, you can find him throwing a frisbee on cross campus, listening to anything from Classic Rock to Classical, eating way too many pancakes at brunch, and laughing with his friends. 

Lauren Moore

Lauren (she/her) is a senior majoring in Ethics, Politics, and Economics with a focus in law and social equity! She is from Lantana, Texas (though to non-Texans, she’ll just say “45 minutes outside of Dallas”). At Yale, Lauren has gotten a taste of everything there is to do on campus from being involved in Yale College Council, Mock Trial, the Herald, comedy, Congress (under Rep. DeLauro) to even musical theater as she most recently played Dorothy in Yale’s production of The Wiz! When she’s not in class or doing these things, you will most definitely find Lauren wreaking havoc in one of the many coffee shops on & off campus, hosting charcuterie nights + listening parties with friends, or having a laugh during weekly Scandal watches. She’s so excited to meet all of you in August :)

Desmon Pang

Desmond (he/him) is currently an Economics Major born in Charlotte, NC. Previously, he was a part of the Morse College Council (MCC). Currently, he serves as an Alumni Engagement Chair for the Chinese American Students Association (CASA). If not taking a nap or doing schoolwork, he spends most of his time creating random Spotify playlists, attending IMs, and taking trips to stores around New Haven. He looks forward to getting to know you all in the fall! 

Andrew Yang

Andy (he/him) is from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia and pursuing a major in Economics and a certificate in Computer Science. At Yale, he’s part of multiple organizations, including the Men’s Club Ultimate Frisbee team (Süperfly), Yale Undergraduate Diversified Investments (YUDI), and United Church of Westville (UCW). He’s also one of Morse’s intramural secretaries and loves competing for Morse. In his free time, Andy enjoys playing poker, cooking fusion food, listening to hyperpop, and taking naps in Bass Library.