Who we are
Stories of U is a Mellon Foundation-funded grant project inviting members of the Union community to explore who they want to be through the power of reflection. It is a student-designed and student-run product. Our students include:
Ashlesha Bhagat is a sophomore Computer Science and Studio Arts Double major. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Concordiensis, the college newspaper as well as the treasurer for the ACM-W, the Computer Science Club, K-Pop Club and Anime Club. She is also involved in the Admissions office. Growing up, Ashlesha has always been a big bookworm and due to her extroverted personality, she loves talking and getting to know other people. In that way, Stories of U was the perfect project for her - it combined her love for both stories and people. She also thinks that reflection is important. We are always so caught up in our everyday lives that taking some time out and actually thinking what we want to do is what it means to reflect.
Hello, my name is Alma Moreno and I am a sophomore, undeclared for now but interested in Visual Arts, History, LACS, and Political Science. I am also interested in film, photography, and crochet. Clearly I have an interest in the study of people, and documenting that as well, and Stories of U is the perfect intersection of those passions for me. I am also a naturally reflective person, who spends a lot of time reflecting and likes to encourage others to do the same. Right now I am working on a Barbie Conversations Podcast series, focused on amplifying the voices of women in our Union community and fostering discussion pertaining to womanhood and the woman experience, inspired by the Barbie movie.
Hello, my name is Amy Aranda and I am a senior, with a double major in Sociology and Spanish with a minor in Anthropology. I am also a first-generation student part of the Advanced Opportunities Program (AOP). I am house manager of the intercultural theme house, Bronner. My other involvements around campus include being an ambassador for the Moses Viney Partnership, BSU, Sociology Club, member of Sigma Delta Tau, member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Society, a tour guide, and I work in the language center as a Spanish Conversation Partner/Mentor and more. I like to keep myself busy as you can see but Stories of U allows me to take a step back and reflect about my college experience so far. I am currently working on a podcast series in Spanglish (spanish and english) with Latina students to discuss our identity as first generation students and more. I am also working on a senior focused event alongside another Stories of U member, Laine. Stories of U provides a moment for reflection and digital narratives about our own stories as Union College students.
Hi! My name is Ellie Peterson and I am a sophomore here at Union. I am a Political Science major with an interdisciplinary minor of Politics in Media. I am involved with my Minerva, Wold, and like to take walks around campus when I can. I’ve always loved to hear other peoples’ experiences, so working with Stories of U has been a great experience for me. Right now, I am working on developing my minor through the Seward Interdisciplinary Fellowship Program, which has allowed me to take a deeper dive into my area of interest. With Stories of U, I am working with Haydn to create a project based around the first-year experience and reflecting on what first-years wished they would have known. I am very excited to be working on this project, and I hope we can make this school a more welcoming place for everyone.
Hi! My name is Haydn Russell and I’m a rising sophomore at Union College pursuing an Interdisciplinary Major in English and Political Science. Outside of academics, I’m the Head Community Advisor of West College, a brother of the Kappa Alpha Literary Society, and of course Stories of U, and my previous involvements also include working in the Office of Minerva Programs and the Office of Admissions. My focus in Stories of U is working with first-year students and learning about their experiences at Union. I’m very excited about our Stories of U Program and hope to encourage first-years to get involved!
My name is Jonathan Rust and I am a Junior here at Union College, I major in Economics and am a double minor in Psychology and Classics. For activities I played football for 2 and a half years at Union, and I am also involved with Stories of U. I host a podcast called Mind Over Matter: The Mental Game of Student Athletes. I am interested in talking about mental and spreading awareness of it. I have found that talking things out or having someone in your corner to talk to is the best medicine. That's why I enjoy working with Stories of U, it gives me the chance to learn and explore things that I would originally not experience and help others. I always love a good story!
Hi, my name is Sienna Dunham! I am a junior here at Union and I am a biology major and Spanish minor. On campus, other than working with Stories of U, I proudly work in the OIA—in which I run an event I created called “Building Bridges”—, I’m a Community Peer Educator, a vice chair on the Honor Council, and a member of ODK. My role in Stories of U has largely been part of expanding our networking, by involving faculty, the President’s Office, and the Board of Trustees. I’ve done a lot of work focusing on women belonging to Union and am currently working on the Half-Way There Celebration with the sophomore class dean. I want as many people involved as possible, as I truly believe that this work is beneficial to everyone!