Graduate Affiliates

Graduate Affiliate Program

The graduate affiliate program (GAP) functions as a bridge to bring Yale College undergraduates and Yale University graduate and professional students together. A dynamic group of enthusiastic graduate and professional students is affiliated with Saybrook College for the academic year (find their bios and contact information below). Our graduate affiliates will be visible and available to give advice, mentoring support, and share ideas on every aspect of life over meals in the dining hall – just join them at the Grad Affiliate table or by e-mail if you have specific questions you would like to ask. Grad Affiliates also participate in everyday life at Saybrook by supporting the SAC (Student Activities Committee) in organizing various activities and social events and as advisors to SCC clubs or committees. Saybrugians are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the graduate affiliates’ perspective on applications for fellowships or professional schools, presentation skills, or life after college in general.

Henry Jacob: Head and Resident Graduate Affiliate

Henry (he/him) is a third-year History Ph.D. student and, just as importantly, a Saybrugian through and through. Born and raised in New Haven, he has come to see SY as a second home. In his third year as Resident and Head Grad Affiliate, Henry seeks to continue serving as a friend and resource for Saybrugians.

He speaks with students daily in the dining hall or in his shared office (P22) about personal and academic matters. In particular, Henry is happy to chat about the wonderful resources Yale has to offer. He has advised many undergraduates about career paths, fellowships, and related topics.

Henry also runs the Mellon Forum on Tuesday evenings, a special event for seniors to share their research and celebrate our community. It is always a true pleasure for him to see a Saybrook class come together at Biggs House to support each other.

After coming out of his long retirement from soccer and cross country, Henry also tries to aid our college’s perennial quest for the Tyng Cup.

Above all, Henry aspires to do everything he can to make every Saybrugian feel as if this college is their home, too!

Keneane Belay Keneane is a first-year J.D. candidate at Yale Law School. She is from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, but grew up moving all around the world. She has lived in Ethiopia, Kenya, Massachusetts, Texas, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. In law school, she is interested in issues of human and children’s rights, education law, and international law. She graduated from Yale College, where she was Saybrook ‘23. She enjoys drawing, jazz, and crosswords. She is excited to be back in SY and serve as a resource for Saybrugians about all things Yale and beyond! Feel free to reach out to her at keneane.belay@yale.edu.

Jess Graham Jess (she/her) is excited for her third year as a graduate affiliate! She is a fourth-year computational biology and bioinformatics Ph.D. student. Originally from Arizona, she loves living in New Haven and is happy to share suggestions for things to do around the area. In her downtime, Jess loves to crochet, watch horror movies, attend hot air balloon festivals (there are a surprising number in New England!), and spend time outdoors. Please reach out if you want to chat about academics, applying to grad school, New Haven, or anything else!

Trent Kannegieter Trent is a 2L at Yale Law School originally from Daphne, Alabama, USA. He was a member of Saybrook’s Class of 2021, where he proudly contributed to multiple victorious Tyng Cup campaigns. Before law school, he worked on the founding executive team of a machine learning company that was acquired by John Deere. He also earned a master’s degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China as a Schwarzman Scholar. He’d love to talk to any Saybrugians interested in learning more about law school, postgraduate fellowships, roles in tech, college football, or anything else on your mind!

Kyle King Kyle is a second-year medical student at the Yale School of Medicine and a graduate of Saybrook College (Class of 2024). Kyle is happy to talk about all things medicine, science, psychology, Saybrook, or Florida. Come by most study breaks with the grad affiliates, and you’ll get to see Kyle heckle Henry for an hour.

Giacomo Marino Giacomo is a first-year PhD student in Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics at Yale. Originally from Brunswick, Maine, he studied neuroscience and computer science at Brown University. After graduating, he worked in New York City as a software engineer at Mount Sinai before beginning his doctoral studies. Outside of academics, he enjoys running, playing soccer and guitar, and cooking (especially Italian food). Feel free to reach out anytime (giacomo.marino@yale.edu).

Galia Newberger Galia is a 1L at Yale Law School and longtime Saybrook loyalist (class of 2024!). Last year, she studied Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge as the King’s-Yale Scholar. At the Law School, she is involved in the Capital Assistance Project, the Yale Law and Policy Review, the American Constitution Society, and the Yale Jewish Law Students’ Association. Originally from Chicago, Galia loves the Chicago Bears, yoga, running, and trying the Atticus croissant-of-the-month. She is so excited to be back in the Saybrook community and is happy to discuss anything from fellowships to law school to restaurant recommendations. You can email her at galia.newberger@yale.edu

Isabel Perozek Isabel is a first year at Yale Divinity School pursuing a Master of Arts in Religion with a concentration in Ethics. She graduated from Amherst College in 2025 with degrees in Biology and Religion, and plans to pursue medical school after YDS. Originally from Boston, MA, she loves baking bread, the NYT Mini, and just about anything outside (hiking, running, beach, skiing, etc.!). Looking forward to being a part of this community, and happy to chat in the meantime about religion, biology, grad school, or anything in between: isabel.perozek@yale.edu

Leonardo Sanchez-Noya Leonardo is a first-year Healthcare Management student at the Yale School of Public Health and a proud Saybrugian from the class of 2018. Originally from Miami, he spent the last few years in NYC working in life sciences and pharma consulting before finding his way back to the Saybrook courtyard. He is especially interested in value‑based care and how new care models can make the healthcare system more equitable and efficient. Outside of class, you can usually find him biking around New Haven, tending to an unreasonable number of houseplants, or cooking something elaborate for no reason at all. As an undergrad, Leonardo served as Saybrook’s freshman Olympics captain, sat on student government, and, fun fact, was around when Professor Near first arrived as Head of College. He is excited to reconnect with the community and is always happy to chat about healthcare, grad school applications, or any of his hobbies. Feel free to reach out by email.

Ayush Sanghavi Ayush (he/him) is Saybrook’s Mellon Fellow, undertaking a two-year non-degree program at Yale. Joining Saybrook after graduating with a Law degree from the University of Cambridge, his focus at Yale is on legal tech, AI ethics and the policing of hip-hop music. In his free time, Ayush enjoys thrifting, sketching and following football (especially Arsenal!) and cricket.

Kavya Shetty Kavya is a third-year Theater Management MFA candidate at the School of Drama. Storytelling and theater have been central to Kavya’s life for as long as she can remember, and she now wants to help produce stories that capture a diversity of experiences and audiences. Kavya completed her undergrad in St. Paul, Minnesota, studying Theatre, Applied Math & Statistics, and Philosophy. She was lucky to continue to call the Twin Cities home for the four years following and spent most of her days doing a mix of quantitative financial research and working in various theaters around the cities. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, playing soccer, listening to music, and trying out new TV shows. She’s thrilled to be a part of the Saybrook community this year and can’t wait to meet everyone! Please don’t hesitate to reach out (kavya.shetty@yale.edu) — whether it’s arts-related, stats-related, or anything in general!

Stephan Sveshnikov Stephan graduated as a Saybrugian in 2018 and later worked as a cheesemaker in the Appalachian Mountains, traveled to Russia on a Fulbright, and conducted an Eastern Orthodox church choir in Salt Lake City. He’s now back in New Haven as a PhD Candidate in history. In addition to an academic interest in Russian history and philosophy, he loves music, food, and getting outdoors as often as possible. Contact Stepan if you’re interested in Saybrew, the Saybrook brewing club!