2025-2026 Shriver LLC Student Leadership

Hi everyone! My name is Jahanavi Dhavala and I am currently a rising sophomore majoring in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology as well as one of the Peer Mentors for the 2025-2026 academic year! I am extremely excited to welcome all of you to the Shriver Floor! I was born in a small town in India, but I was raised in Dubai, and being at UMBC and the Shriver Program has given me some amazing opportunities. In my first semester, I served at Best Buddies, a care home for women with physical and mental disabilities, where I learned the importance of compassion, patience, and building trust through service. In my second semester, I joined Creative Coders at Arbutus Middle School, where I mentored young students in the basics of programming. It was so inspiring to see their confidence grow with each session. This year, I’m thrilled to return as the Student Leader for Creative Coders, and I can’t wait to expand the program and help even more students discover a love for tech! Outside of service, I’ll be stepping into the role of Tech Lead for the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Association this year, and continuing my research at the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology. I’ve also been fortunate to explore a few other research opportunities and had the chance to present at URCAD 2025, which was a really rewarding experience. Aside from academics, I love to go shopping, watch movies with my friends as well as do a lot of skincare in my free time! Being an international student, adjusting to a new country, culture, and academic system was overwhelming at first. But the Shriver Floor quickly became more than just a place to live—it became my community. Having peers who understood what it meant to start fresh and mentors who genuinely cared made all the difference. I’m so excited to return this year as a peer mentor and offer that same sense of belonging and support to others finding their way.

Hello Everyone! My name is Yonu Akanji (she/her) and I am so excited to be one of the Peer Mentors for the 25-26 academic year. A little bit about me: I am from Anne Arundel County but I was born in Nigeria and moved to the U.S when I was eight. Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to be a psychiatrist so at UMBC I’m a Psychology and Biological Sciences major. I also plan to pursue an MD-PhD later on as I’m passionate about both research and practical/clinical applications. Another thing I’m passionate about is service. In my first semester at UMBC I volunteered with Retriever Essentials, an on-campus food pantry that works to alleviate the immediate burdens of food insecurity in the UMBC community. I continued this work in my second semester and also joined Choice College Night, a program that supports at-risk youth by giving them opportunities to participate in enrichment activities. I plan to continue and deepen my involvement in both service sites as they’re very fulfilling for me. Outside of Shriver, this upcoming school year, I’m going to be a Research Assistant for the ACED Lab where I can further my interest in cognition and psychology! I also will be holding an E-board position as the secretary for SABAS (Students of Applied Behavioral Analysis Society), the Volunteer Connections Specialist for Red Cross Club, as well as continuing my involvement with Erickson Hall Community Council. I also will be a Student Leader for the Alternative Spring Break Program for the 2026 cohort. Overall, I love to get involved with event planning and participate in extracurriculars that align with my personal and professional goals. Aside from academics, I love spending time with my friends, trying new food places, cooking/baking, crocheting, reading books or webcomics, watching kdramas, and listening to music/curating playlists. I’m always up to try new things so if you have a cool hobby, share it! I’m looking forward to getting to know all of the new people on the floor and making new friends.

Hi everyone! My name is Rishika Bandi (she/her) and I am currently a sophmore Biology major looking to minor in Public Health as well as deciding between the Pre-PA or Pre-Med track to pursue! Last year I had the amazing opportunity to be a part of the 2024-2025 cohort in the Shriver LLC and it has opened so many experiences for me and gave me the chance to explore my communication skills. During the fall semester I volunteered at Arbutus Achievers where I tutored students from the local middle school, Arbutus Middle, with science, social studies, english, essentially every subject. Tutoring was something that come natural to me as I tutor my younger sister as well so this was a different experience seeing older students respond to my teaching. After that, I switched to Best Buddies my spring semester where I helped plan and execute activities for neurodivergent women. I believe Best Buddies was one of my newer experiences as it I was able to explore how to take on better communication skills and interpersonal skills than ever before. I highly recommend both. For the upcoming year, I am planning on working with Best Buddies again for the fall semester and am planning on working in a lab here on UMBC’s campus as well as serving as one of your DA’s. I cannot wait to meet each and every one of you, and I hope you have a great time on the floor!

Hello! My name is Angelie Colachagua and I am beyond excited to meet the upcoming Shriver cohort. I am a rising sophomore majoring in Social Work with a Psychology minor. My freshman year I served at Walden Circle, a local community center that aims to support elementary students in their academic and social-emotional growth. Meeting the group of kids and seeing them open up throughout the year was incredibly rewarding and truly cemented my passion for wanting to pursue pediatric care. Apart from Shriver, I also serve as the Public Relations officer for the Social Work Student Association (that hosts many service events open to all majors!) and Secretary for the Retriever Music Society, dedicated to cultivating an educational and creative space for all students interested in music. Some of my other interests include art, plants, and thrifting! I have met some of my closest friends through my work in Shriver and I implore you all to take full advantage of the opportunities this center provides you, both in terms of professional networking and by connecting with your dedicated and likeminded peers. I can’t wait to start this journey of mentorship with you all, if you are ever in need of guidance, support, or simply a listening ear, please feel free to reach out!

Hello everyone! My name is Joseph Hartlove (he/him) and I am from Montgomery County, Maryland. I am a rising sophomore in the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program who is majoring in Political Science and Global Studies, and I am very excited to be a peer mentor for the 2025-2026 academic year! In my first and second semesters at UMBC, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Great Kids Farm, an educational farm that elementary school students in Baltimore City Public Schools visit for field trips. This farm provides education about food, health, and sustainable environmental practices while also allowing the students to have a fun time! On campus, I am also involved in a variety of organizations. This includes being the Treasurer for the Erickson Hall Community Council, being a delegate for the school’s Model United Nations team, and being a member of the school’s Maryland Student Legislature. In addition, I am currently interning at the Women and Families Ascending Association (W.A.F.A.A.), a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to addressing domestic violence, mental health, and other social issues. Outside of academics, I love to spend time with friends and family, go to the gym, play basketball, and listen to music! As a freshman, the Shriver LLC supported me in a variety of ways, and I hope to continue building this strong community by offering this support to the incoming mentees. I am very excited to be a peer mentor and am looking forward to an amazing year!

Hi everyone! My name is Riya Koshy and I am so excited to be one of your peer mentors for the upcoming year! I am a rising sophomore majoring in Psychology with a minor in Public Health and am a part of the Honors College. As a member of the Shriver Floor I had the opportunity to serve at Retriever Essentials in my first semester at UMBC. Retriever Essentials is an on-campus food pantry that helps combat food insecurity at UMBC. During my second semester, I served at Best Buddies, which is a program that aims to foster one-on-one relationships with women who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. On campus, I am a research assistant for the CACHE Lab and the Social Media Representative for the DESIGN Movement. In my free time I love watching movies(thrillers and Indian films), reading mystery novels, and going shopping. I look forward to meeting all of you soon!!