Meet the ESCAPE Team

ESCAPE Staff

Nicole Sandonato (she/her)

ESCAPE Program Director

Home: Boston, MA

Could talk about forever? Burnout prevention, Beyoncé, & creating spaces of authenticity.

Carolina Wesley, SFS’26 (she/her)

ESCAPE Retreat Coordinator

Home: Miami, FL & Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Could talk about forever? How being outside, food, and movement really do help the mind

Tasha Koch, SFS’27 (she/they)

ESCAPE Retreat Coordinator

Home: Eagan, MN

Could talk about forever? The Duomo, the importance of learning to mend things, and planning random fun events to hang out with friends

Val Echeverria, C’27 (she/her)

ESCAPE Outreach and Access Coordinator

Home: Chicago, IL & Durango, Mexico

Could talk about forever? Movement is medicine, diaphragmatic breathing, and how Grant Gustin is the only correct choice to play Barry Allen/The Flash

Ruby Gilmore, SFS’26 (she/her)

ESCAPE Student Musician

Home: New York, NY

Could talk about forever? Opera, songwriting, and the beauty of Hozier’s lyricism

ESCAPE Team 35 Leaders

Abby Henkel (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: Garwood, NJ

Could talk about forever? Emily Dickinson, the future of US politics, and soft rock music

Alex Homann (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: Bluffton, SC

Could talk about forever? My favorite TV shows, Quakers, and penguins

Alexandra Hamilton (she/her)

School of Foreign Service ’28

Home: Houston, TX

Could talk about forever? Olivia Rodrigo and the beach

Ally Rogers (she/her)

School of Foreign Service ’28

Home: Hershey, PA

Could talk about forever? Rom-coms, figure skating, and the University of Minnesota dance team

Amanda Bell (she/her)

School of Foreign Service ’28

Home: Austin, TX

Could talk about forever? Troye Sivan and the making of his music videos

Angela Sidhu (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’27

Home: Leesburg, VA

Could talk about forever? Charli XCX, staying active, and mangoes

Ang Zhao (they/them)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: Brooklyn, NYC

Could talk about forever? NYC transportation, Miraculous Ladybug, Minecraft, & golf

Archie Rivero (he/him)

School of Foreign Service ’27

Home: Miami, FL

Could talk about forever? My history-centered Wikipedia rabbitholes

Ariel Armas (he/him)

School of Foreign Service ’28

Home: Enid, OK & Guadalajara, Mexico

Could talk about forever? Twitter conspiracy theories and my NFL fantasy team

Ben Keenan

School of Foreign Service ’28

Home: Hellertown, PA

Could talk about forever? The Atlantic Puffin

Catherine Hughes (she/her)

School of Foreign Service ’27

Home: Calhoun, GA

Could talk about forever? The Hunger Games, Cowboy Carter, and SNL

Chiara Volpi (she/her)

School of Foreign Service ’28

Home: San Francisco, CA

Could talk about forever? Italian food and the bravo universe

Demetra Chudley (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: New York City

Could talk about forever? Sitcom structure, Greek mythology, and the perfect bagel

Elena Valdepenas (she/her)

School of Foreign Service ’28

Home: Singapore

Could talk about forever? Food, Harry Potter, Uniqlo

Ethan Bird (he/him)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: Laytonsville, MD

Could talk about forever? Déjà vu, good restaurants, and faith

Eva Andersen (she/her)

College of Arts and Science ’26

Home: Chatham, NY

Could talk about forever? Cooking shows

Hailey Ahn (she/they)

College of Arts and Sciences ’27

Home: North Potomac, MD

Could talk about forever? Brooklyn 99, Seventeen, etymology, dogs

Hannah Beil (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: Northfield, IL

Could talk about forever? Musical theater

Heather Begg (any pronouns)

School of Foreign Service ’28

Home: Northwood, MA

Could talk about forever? Fiction podcasts

Jessie Traxler (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’26

Home: Newton, MA

Could talk about forever? The Muppets, outdoor recreation, why country music is actually GOOD

Julianna Hughes (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: Los Angeles, CA

Could talk about forever? Baseball, Roman poetry, Los Angeles, and my family

Leo Ledlow (they/them)

School of Foreign Service ’27

Home: Washington, DC

Could talk about forever? Planes & airport logistics

Maggie Stephens (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’26

Home: Sturgeon Bay, WI

Could talk about forever? My home state of Wisconsin, religion, and public transportation

Maggie Lober (she/they)

School of Foreign Service ’26

Home: Wilmington, DE

Could talk about forever? Road trips and my latest craft project

Matt Gardiner (he/him)

College of Arts and Science ’26

Home: Seattle, WA

Could talk about forever? Mongolia, Premier League soccer, and thru-hiking trails

Michael Hsu (he/him)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: Koashiung, Taiwan

Could talk about forever? Strategy in Coup (board game)

Mila Rafaty (she/her)

College of Arts and Sciences ’28

Home: Laguna Beach, CA

Could talk about forever? Language preservation, and how society can defy language death

Rachel Rochford (she/her)

School of Foreign Service ’27

Home: Waterford, MI

Could talk about forever? Study abroad, Saturday Night Live, dorm room decoration

Rachel Zhang (she/her)

School of Foreign Service ’26

Home: Wynnewood, PA

Could talk about forever? Politics in My Little Pony, Gender Studies and fanfiction, and Philly Chinatown

Rebecca Zhu (she/her)

School of Health ’26

Home: Potomac, MD

Could talk about forever? Ice dance, Maryland the beautiful, Girls State, and how blessed I am to have grown up surrounded by strong women in sport