Mentor Program

Joanna Zeng (Class of 2024) is from Xiamen, China. She is a senior majoring in Anthropology and Media Cultural Studies with a passion in social work and public health field. Joanna enjoys traveling (to all museums and aquariums), baking, bouldering and spending time with nature and animals. She started working with the ISP in the summer of 2022.

Nibia Becerra Santillan (Class of 2025) is from Callao, Peru. She was born and raised in Peru, but finished high school in Arusha, Tanzania. She is a Biology and Statistics major, with an interest in environmental justice and conservation. Nibia loves dancing (especially Traditional Peruvian dances), journalling, spending time with loved ones, and trying new things. She looks forward to meeting new students through the mentorship program and as a program assistant at the ISP office.

Ko Horiuchi (Class of 2025) is from Tokyo, Japan, but has also lived in London, UK. He is a Psychology major who loves to play around with coding and spreadsheets. Ko enjoys playing the violin and is currently teaching himself the piano. He also likes drawing (sketches and watercolours) and taking photographs. He started working with the ISP in the summer of 2022.

Minseo Kim (Class of 2025) is a senior majoring in Economics and Religious Studies. She was born in Seoul, South Korea, but grew up in multiple states in America. She enjoys reading, watching television, and hanging out with friends and family in her free time. She also likes exploring cafes and walking around nature parks. She is so excited to meet everyone this fall and help her mentees adjust to their new life at Mac.

Putri Cahyudi (Class of 2025) is a senior from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Central Java, Indonesia. She’s a Political Science and International Studies major. During her free time she enjoys reading, writing, and going on walks. She’s looking forward to meeting everyone in the Fall!

Maya Harrison (Class of 2025) is a senior from Salem, Oregon. She is majoring in international studies and minoring in environmental studies and potentially Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys any outdoor activity (especially hiking), reading, cooking, traveling, and exploring new places with friends. She can’t wait to meet everyone in the fall and welcome the new students to Mac!

Albert Ahn (Class of 2025) grew up in Texas until his family moved to Busan, South Korea where he calls home now. He hopes his unique experience will best help both incoming international & domestic students. He is majoring in Neuroscience with a concentration in Community & Global Health. In the Mac community, he is a board member of Macalester First Aid. In his free time, he loves cycling, photography, work out in Leonard Center, playing basketball, cooking Korean food, playing card games.

Cynthia Zhang (Class of 2025) is a rising senior originally from Tianjin, China. She is double majoring in Economics and Statistics. She enjoys movies, music, traveling, doing handcrafts, and cooking. She also like exploring good restaurants and cafes. She is excited to get to know and support everyone!

Rana Rishmawi (Class of 2025) is from Bethlehem, Palestine. She is majoring in geology and statistics at Macalester. Rana is a musician, she plays the Qanun, a Middle Eastern instrument that has around 80 strings! She is a member of the Asian Music Ensemble at Macalester, where they play songs from all around Asia and especially the Middle East. Rana loves going on long walks, collecting cool rocks (geology major!!), as well as cooking and baking food from home.

Cindy (Taiyu) Yan (Class of 2025) is from Shanghai, China. She majors in psychology and minors in anthropology. A fun thing to note is she has a pet parrot. Her dream is to open a mental clinic and become a psychological counselor in the future. In her spare time, Cindy loves listening to music, singing karaoke, and reading. She is excited to meet you guys in the fall and help you to adapt to life in America and college life at Macalester.

Linh Nguyen (Class of 2026) is a junior majoring in Economics and International Studies, minoring in Mathematics. She is from Dak Lak – a major coffee producer of Vietnam so naturally, Linh loves coffee and likes to explore the cafe scene of St. Paul with friends. She also calls Singapore home where she attended high school. Linh enjoys reading, having conversations with friends on random topics, and walking around campus. Linh started working in the ISP in the spring of 2023.

Xander Hall (Class of 2026) is a Junior from Oslo, Norway, but also has ties to the US and UK. He is majoring in mathematics and economics, but is also passionate about environmental issues, hoping to focus his studies there. He loves learning new things, and will tell you all about them if you let him. Sports are a major interest, with Xander being on the club rugby, volleyball, and ultimate frisbee teams. Otherwise he loves reading, hiking, and board games, and would love to play some with incoming students!

Yosephine Manihuruk (Class of 2026) is originally from Riau, Indonesia but also calls Singapore home. She is double majoring in International Studies and Data Science, with a Political Science minor. She enjoys a lot of different things and adopts a new hobby every month. Recently, she got into rock climbing and bouldering. Previously, Muaythai. So, feel free to share your interest and hobby to her because she is always down to try new stuff. She looks forward to meeting and getting to know everyone as a mentor!

Beja Puškášová (Class of 2026) is a rising junior majoring in English, as well as Theater & Dance. She is an international student from the Czech Republic. She enjoys having UWC conversations at lunch, learning languages and playing with sticks. She also likes cooking, going out for boba and drawing. She is looking forward to meeting her mentees and helping them adjust to their new life at Mac.

Wenhao (William) Wu (Class of 2026) is a junior majoring in biochemistry and minoring in philosophy. He was born in China, Jiangsu, and lived in Shanghai for many years before coming to Macalester College. He likes to spend a lot of time on thinking, from individual to social problem. He is very glad to share his thoughts with everyone. What’s more, he loves music and playing penbeat. He is excited to meet the cohort of international students.

Nanami Chesen (Class of 2026) is a rising junior from Shizuoka, Japan majoring in International Studies with minors in anthropology and media and cultural studies. She grew up in Japan for the most part, but has also lived in the US given that her father is American. In her free time, Nanami enjoys cooking, exploring new places on random walks, playing sports, and spending time with friends. She loves getting to know new people and can’t wait to meet the incoming international students !!

Rosie (Yuqing) Bai (Class of 2026) is from Beijing, China. They are majoring in Environmental Studies (and perhaps Political Science) with minors in Biology and Dance. They love contemporary dance and hiking in the wilderness and wish to do wildlife conservation for their whole life. They are looking forward to meeting new students through the ISP mentorship program 😀

Tim Delventhal (Class of 2026) calls Yamhill County, Oregon home while having familial connections to the state of Thüringen, Germany. He is a Geography major and a Food, Agriculture, and Society concentrator. He will also probably be at least an English minor. Outside of class he enjoys biking, hiking, creative writing, philosophy, and varying degrees of success in teaching himself piano. He loves learning from people all around the world and is excited to welcome incoming mentees this fall.

Sophia Segura (Class of 2027) is originally from North Carolina, USA, but spent her final two years of high school in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is an International Studies major and English minor, and might do a concentration in Human Rights if she can finesse her schedule well enough. Outside of class you’ll find her strolling around Mac’s neighborhood, listening to music, and practicing her ice skating skills (she’s determined to learn before leaving Minnesota). She can’t wait to work as a mentor and is excited to meet everyone this fall!

Ivy Lin (Class of 2027) is from Chengdu, China. She is from the class of 2027 majoring in Chemistry with an emphasis on Biochemistry. She likes playing the piano and watching animation in the free time, and also likes singing with her friends. She is looking forward to making new friends as a mentor.

Rutendo (Rue) Musharu (Class of 2027) was born and raised in Zimbabwe and studied in New Mexico before joining Macalester’s class of 2027. She is a Biology major with a Community and Global Health concentration. Rue is passionate about spoken word poetry, winning the Midwest Poetry Mash-Up, and is part of the African Music Ensemble. She enjoys singing, watching funny movies, and helping others. Rue began working at ISP in spring 2024.

Lily Li (Class of 2027) is from Beijing, China. She is interested in social sciences and is also considering Economics as a second major. Lily is a big foodie who loves cooking, baking, and exploring different places to eat. In her free time, she likes to hangout with friends, doing cosplay. She also enjoys chatting with different people very much!

Anna Fratto (Class of 2027) is a rising sophomore planning to major in Economics. She grew up in Los Angeles California and still isn’t a fan of the snow. She is on the Program Board, and will tell you to come to all their events. Additionally, she is in choir and the Hegemonocle (satire magazine)! In her free time she loves spending time with friends and getting food. Anna’s excited to meet you all and continue exploring the area!

Winnie Shi (Class of 2027) grew up in Shanghai, China. They are a sophomore majoring in Data Science and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They are a huge fan of traveling and cooking with friends, and their go-to ice cream flavors are milk and matcha. Their biggest wish is to open a shop in the future, such as an ice cream shop, bookstore, or flower shop. Despite the diverse categories of shops, you can see that Winnie just wants to give themself a really loooooong holiday. They can’t wait to meet their new mentees to help their transition to college life!!!

Viktorie Spurná (Class of 2027) goes by Vik for easier pronunciation purposes. She is a rising sophmore, class of 27. Vik is from the greatest and coolest place on Earth- Prague, Czech Republic. She is a declared political science major and hopes to double major in international studies. Vik’s likes include: constantly reminding everyone that she went to UWC East Africa in Tanzania, Cafe Mac’s cream cheese danishes (do not knock it until you tried it) and writing about herself in third person. Vik’s dislikes: choosing a photo for her mentor bio.

Aries Wu (Class of 2027) is originally from Taiyuan, China, currently residing in the lively city of Suzhou, double majoring in International Studies and Philosophy. In her free time, Baorun loves to dance, with a particular passion for jazz and K-pop. She always eager to connect and share experiences, looks forward to meeting new people and enriching their journey through the intersection of intellect and artistry.