Victoria Tillman 

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR 

cnsmentor.victoria@austin.utexas.edu

Victoria is a Junior Biochemistry major with a certificate in Spanish for Medical Professions 

Hometown: Houston, TX

Favorite class at UT and why: My favorite class was organic chemistry lab! I so enjoyed applying all of the concepts I had learned in general chemistry and organic chemistry in a practical setting. It genuinely reignited my zeal for learning.

One thing you wish you would have known as a freshman: Do not be discouraged when things don’t go the way you thought they would. Keep looking for ways to improve, and eventually something will click into place. Things not working out at first is not a testament to your worth, and it doesn’t mean this is how life will always be. If it needs to happen for you, then it will! In the meantime, be forgiving and gentle toward yourself. Onwards you go!

Student Organizations involved in: Fearless Leadership Institute (FLI) and ALDPES

Alyssa Oropez

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR 

cnsmentor.alyssa@austin.utexas.edu

Farai Mubvumba

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR

cnsmentor.farai@austin.utexas.edu

Farai is a graduating Biochemistry major with an ASL minor, pursuing pre-med.

Hometown: Vernon, Texas

Favorite class at UT and why: My favourite class was General Chemistry until I was acquainted with Organic Chemistry. O-Chem is essentially a puzzle game with a ton of rules and nuances. One is allowed to be creative, and the possibilities are endless! The molecular structures are pretty cute too.

One thing you wish you would have known as a freshman: The University has a plethora of scholarship/research opportunities. Anything you can and can’t imagine is probably out there. I wish this had been made aware to me because there are things I realized too late I wanted to join.

Student Organizations involved in: I love to sing and to listen to music. I am a member of the Voices of Afrika (acapella group), Korean Music Association, Chi Kappa Phi Service Organization, and I’m involved with my church, Joshua Church.

Matthew Maberry

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR 

cnsmentor.matthew@austin.utexas.edu

Jessica Chuang

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR

cnsmentor.jessica@austin.utexas.edu

Jessica is a junior Biochemistry major. 

Hometown: Houston, TX

Favorite class at UT and why: My favorite class was Introductory to Psychology (301) because even though the class was taught online, the lectures were always done in an interesting manner. I also enjoyed taking many personality tests because it felt like I was learning more about myself each class! 

One thing you wish you would have known as a freshman:  I wish I joined more organizations and went to more office hours! 

Student Organizations involved in: Women in Medicine 

Gabrielle Edwards

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR 

cnsmentor.gabrielle@austin.utexas.edu

Gabrielle is a recent graduate of CNS with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology.

Hometown: Albuquerque, NM

Favorite class at UT and why: Intro to Hip Hop (T D 302T)!  Dance was a fun way to get out of my comfort zone and away from the usual grind of lecture-style science courses.  It was also a small class that did a fantastic job of fostering community and friendship; all while teaching a love and appreciation for the art of marginalized groups.

One thing you wish you would have known as a freshman: Burnout is real.  Be sure to take time for and take care of yourself, have fun, and enjoy the time that you have at college!

Student Organizations involved in: I was previously the VP and President for Women in Medicine. 

Liany Serrano Oviedo

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR

lds2826@my.utexas.edu

Liany is Junior Public Health Major pursuing pre-med. 

Hometown: Fulshear, TX

Favorite class at UT and why: Bioethics. I liked it bc I got to learn about how ethics and philosophy should be applied to science so we’re making the most informed decisions moving forward with all the new innovations in AI and healthcare. 

One thing you wish you would have known as a freshman: Don't be afraid to fail in low stakes situations! Learning how to be wrong and turning it into something constructive is the key to progress.

Student Organizations involved in: LHPO which is latinx health proffesionals, I’m an officer for S.M.I.L.E which is students making an impact through empathy, UVA which is undergraduate Venezuelan association, and I’m a social chair for LCA which is part of the multicultural engagement center.

Raiyyan Siddiqui

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR

cnsmentor.raiyyan@austin.utexas.edu

Raiyyan is a Junior Neuroscience major.

Hometown: Richardson, TX

Favorite class at UT and why: As a neuroscience major, I am somewhat biased in saying this, but Neural Systems I has been my favorite class at UT so far. The course is incredibly interesting and covers numerous aspects of the brain and nervous system at multiple levels. In addition, it gave me a great foundation of knowledge for my other upper-division neuroscience courses.

One thing you wish you would have known as a freshman: Have a weekly schedule for each of your classes. This schedule should include a precursory glance at material (skimming a textbook chapter for key vocab/looking at learning outcomes), attending lecture (or viewing a prerecorded lecture/doing assigned reading), and then doing practice problems or flashcards of some kind depending on the class. Taking a methodical approach to learning content that has you pass over the material multiple times makes it such that you've already done most of the work when it is time to begin studying for an exam.

Student Organizations involved in: I am a member of Alpha Phi Sigma, a pre-health honor society. I am also an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Michael Mauk. 

Mason Chng

COLLEGE READINESS MENTOR

cnsmentor.mason@austin.utexas.edu

Mason is a Math major. 

Hometown: Singapore

Favorite class at UT and why: My favorite class at UT was Introduction to Linguistics. Even though class may not be part of my major, I had a great time learning about languages and I even made great bonds with my peers in the class. The professor for the class, professor Karolin Obert, has also made the class very enjoyable to be in.

One thing you wish you would have known as a freshman: I wish I knew that help was always just around the corner whenever I needed it to help with the stress that I was feeling.