Meet the 2023-2024 ICS Peer Academic Advisors
Wentao Chen (he/him/his)
Major: Computer Science and Engineering
Minor: Statistics
Year: 4th
Could you share a couple of fun facts about yourself?
I’m a big cat person, even though I’m actually a little bit allergic; I have two cats back home with my parents and they’re the most adorable things in the entire world! I’ve also lived in three different states in the U.S.: Georgia, Michigan and California, up in Davis. Before all that, I lived in China, but only until I was a little over a year old, so I was too young at the time to remember much of that part of my life.
Why did you decide to become a peer academic advisor?
I’ve had my own fair share of struggles and difficulties adjusting to the various stages of life as an undergraduate student, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the idea of being able to share about my own experiences and struggles and offer my own thoughts and advice to potentially be able to help other students navigate through this challenging but rewarding part of our lives is incredibly meaningful to me.
What has been your favorite part of being a peer academic advisor so far?
My favorite part of being a peer academic advisor so far has definitely been being able to help other students with whatever issues, questions, or concerns that they may have, especially during times like drop-in hours! Knowing that I’ve been able to help students, doing whatever I can to assist students as they navigate through this difficult journey as an undergraduate student, and make an impact, has been incredibly rewarding and fulfilling!
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
My biggest hope is that I’m able to make a positive impact on the ICS and UCI community, regardless of how big or small. I want to leave my time as an undergrad at UCI knowing that I’ve been able to make a positive impact on the lives of students, and the ICS and UCI community as a whole.
Mirelle George (she/her/hers)
Major: Software Engineering
Year: 3rd
Could you share a couple of fun facts about yourself?
I can say the alphabet backwards.
I love to bake and try out new desserts.
I play guitar and piano.
I love to travel.
Why did you decide to become a peer academic advisor?
I wanted to become a peer academic advisor to be able to help other students learn more about the resources that UCI and the School of ICS offers to have a successful undergraduate experience. I also wanted to integrate myself more in the school and community.
What has been your favorite part of being a peer academic advisor so far?
My favorite part of being a peer academic advisor so far has been meeting ICS students and being able to help them through workshops/appointments/drop-ins.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
I hope to help and connect with students in the school of ICS, as well as interact with the UCI community more.
Shreshta Kumar (she/her/hers)
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Management
Year: 3rd
Could you share a couple of fun facts about yourself?
I’ve lived outside of the country, in India, for over 3 years! Another fun fact about me is that I learned a classical Indian dance form called “Bharatnatyam” for over 10 years, starting from when I was 5 years old!
Why did you decide to become a peer academic advisor?
I have wanted to become a peer academic advisor ever since I became a UCI student because I have always loved helping my peers, whether it was in my classes or with other academic issues like course enrollment. I enjoy helping the people around me, so I wanted to broaden my reach, use my knowledge, and gain expertise to give back to the ICS community by becoming a PAA!
What has been your favorite part of being a peer academic advisor so far?
My favorite part of being a PAA has been encountering numerous people with different circumstances and working with them to solve their problems or provide the answers they need. Talking to students via drop-ins and appointments has exposed me to various types of issues and how to handle them. Additionally, helping students makes this role very rewarding!
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
As a PAA, I hope to help students in areas where I once struggled as an incoming student. College can be extremely difficult and overwhelming to navigate, so I aim to ease some students’ tension, even if it’s just by a small degree!
Zhiqing Liu (she/her)
Major: Business Information Management
Year: 3rd
Could you share a couple of fun facts about yourself?
My fun fact is that I really struggle to think of a fun fact when people ask for one.
Why did you decide to become a peer academic advisor?
I hope to communicate with more students from different cultures and countries.
What has been your favorite part of being a peer academic advisor so far?
The favorite part that I like is the drop-in session. Meeting with different students and answer their questions
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
I hope that every time I provide information, that [it] is useful and correct for students.
Wendy Sanka (she/her/hers)
Major: Informatics
Year: 4th
Could you share a couple of fun facts about yourself?
Some fun facts about me are that I love cats. So much so that I spend my weekends volunteering at a cat shelter. I also like to play video games, specifically Sims 4, which I have almost 1,000 hours of playtime on.
Why did you decide to become a peer academic advisor?
I wanted to become a peer academic advisor because I liked planning my own courses, so helping other people plan their courses sounded fun to me.
What has been your favorite part of being a peer academic advisor so far?
My favorite part of being a PAA so far is doing drop-ins. I know that it is beneficial for some people to speak to a counselor in person, so it is nice to be able to offer that and be able to see them look relieved after their questions are answered.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
I hope that I can help ease the stress of people who need help in course planning or having questions answered. I would like to be able to help people make sure that they can get all the classes they need so that they can successfully finish their degrees.
Yanran (Juno) Wang (she/her/hers)
Majors: Computer Science and Business Information Management
Year: 4th
Could you share a couple of fun facts about yourself?
I really love cats and I used to live with my cat when I was back in China. But I am actually allergic to cats. So everytime I play with my cat I wear a mask and glasses.
Why did you decide to become a peer academic advisor?
I want to meet new people :).
What has been your favorite part of being a peer academic advisor so far?
Get chances to talk with many peers.
What do you hope to accomplish in this role?
Help students come to me as much as possible :).