We are thrilled to introduce you to our team that will be supporting our students this summer!
Becki Baker
Director of Pre-College Programs
pronouns: she/her
Becki has worked in youth programming for over 20 years. She holds degrees in History and Political Science from University of Missouri-Columbia and Art History from University of Missouri-St. Louis as well as a certificate in Marketing from WashU. Becki has also completed the College Advising Program through Teachers College at Columbia University. Becki spent ten summers working for Camp Highlander in Mills River, North Carolina, five of which were as program director for summer and year-round educational programming before joining WashU in 2010. Becki is an active member in the American Camp Association and Association for Pre-College Program Directors. Becki is an advocate for college access. She is dedicated to providing personalized advising experiences to ensure students are prepared for college success.
Becki grew up in St. Charles, Missouri where she now lives with her husband and 5 year-old daughter. She is an avid baker and enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors. She loves documentaries and is a voracious reader of biographies, memoirs, and historical fiction, though most of her reading these days is spent on pre-school favorites like The Little Blue Truck, Grumpy Monkey, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Jakyla Willis
Program Supervisor
pronouns: she/her
Jakyla is an alumna of WashU who currently works in behavioral health. In undergrad, Jakyla majored in African and African American Studies and enjoyed taking psychology classes. Both focuses helped broaden her knowledge on two subjects she finds extremely fascinating as well as important. As a Trio scholar, she was able to flourish in her classes while serving three years on Harambee Christian Ministries Executive Team.
In her free time, she enjoys reading books, discussing television characters, and listening to music. Two unique hobbies of hers include making digital designs and social media marketing.
She is an advocate for the youth who she hopes to continue working with, preferably in the
healthcare field. Most of all, Jakyla hopes to use her future degree(s) and experience to help
children in marginalized communities. This will be Jakyla's third summer with our programs.
Tori Harwell
Program Supervisor
pronouns: they/them and she/her
Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Tori Harwell double majored in African and African Americans and Environmental Analysis; they are excited to help people imagine and implement climate change mitigation tactics. At WashU, Tori travelled across the world to complete research, including Belgium, South Africa, the UK, and Ghana, for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellowship and Summer Undergraduate Research Award.
Beyond classes and work, she's a passionate artist choosing multimedia, including poetry and painting, to communicate with others. When not crafting verses, they are hiking, finding serenity in nature's embrace. Her academic and personal pursuits reflect a zest for life, balancing adventure, creativity, and cultural immersion. As a recent graduate, Tori is excited for the next journey as a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford in the fall.
Christian Smalls
Program Supervisor
pronouns: she/her
Christian is a WashU alumna who received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences. She currently works in Behavioral Health at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and will be returning to WashU’s Brown School of Social Work in the Fall to begin her Master of Social Work. During her time at WashU, Christian enjoyed volunteering in the greater St. Louis community, working as a nanny, and being a leader for Overflow Christian Ministries on campus.
In her free time, Christian enjoys hiking, reading, building her music library, and crocheting. Christian is passionate about making meaningful connections with the people around her and hopes to use her education and experiences to continue to be an advocate for child and adolescent mental health.
Addie Larson
Administrative Coordinator
pronouns: she/her
Addie has been an Administrative Coordinator in the Arts & Sciences College Office for 1.5 years where she supports various programs such as Phi Beta Kappa, A&S Recognition Ceremony, and Pre-College Programs. Addie's long-term goals are to go back to school to earn her MSW and become a therapist. In her free time, Addie enjoys tending to, and learning about, her various house plants as well as spending time with her husband, 3.5-year-old toddler and 2 crazy dogs.
Gavin Yao
Program Assistant
pronouns: he/him
Gavin is a senior double majoring in Environmental Biology and Film Production at WashU with a minor in Business. He wants to make majestic nature documentaries and create a biodegradable plastic start-up for a sustainable future. Gavin is super friendly, and he is always ready to help where there is need. Making a better day for others and contributing to the community he loves is a big part of Gavin’s purpose in life. He loves to play basketball, plays a little bit of card magic, and he is getting better at skateboarding (currently he can Ollie and is working towards a kick-flip). He is excited to get to know everyone and he is here to support and pass on good vibes.
Lé-Anne Johnson
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Lé-Anne is a senior at WashU from Westchester, New York. She is majoring in Film and Media Studies with a Production concentration. She has been involved in creative activities such as piano, singing, film, and photography from a young age and is always interested in learning a new creative hobby. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, curating Spotify playlists, crocheting, watching silly TV shows, and thrifting. She is president of the club, Noir, which is WashU's first multimedia affinity community for Black creatives. Lé-Anne is also a photographer and has been a shoot coordinator for student-run magazine, Strike Magazine STL, so she is definitely your person for any creative pursuits!
Margaret Beltrami
Program Assistant
Pronouns: she/her
Margaret is a sophomore double majoring in Educational Studies and Environmental Analysis as well as minoring in French. Outside of class, she is a part of WashU’s triathlon club, run club, and GGO club (an organization that brings environmental education to local STL elementary schools), and will serve as a WUSA (Washington University Student Associate) this upcoming fall. Some of her other interests include baking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends!
Tavia Liu
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Tavia, a sophomore at WashU, is majoring in Global Studies and Mathematics & Computer Science. She's passionate about celebrating diverse cultures and joining in campus organizations like the Lunar New Year Festival. Tavia also expresses her creativity through dance as a member of the WashU Dance Collective, specializing in modern and contemporary styles. She is dedicated to building connections within the student community and is a First Year International Leader this fall. In her leisure time, she enjoys learning Italian, indulging in Italian cuisine, watching movies, and taking photographs!
Ariel Chavez
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Ariel is a sophomore double majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing and Latin American Studies. She is from Buckeye, AZ, and participated in the Creative Writing Institute Pre-College Program and is excited to assist with them this year. She is a member of Taylor Stars and is a bear ambassador on campus, giving tours and assisting with campus events. Ariel is a huge fan of poetry along with plants and has a collection of over 16 plants at home.
Roses Wong
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Roses is a senior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Women Gender Sexuality Studies. She is a first generation Latinx student from Tucson, Arizona. She attended WashU's Pre-College Program through the STEP College Prep program when she was in high school and is excited to spend her second summer assisting with the program. She is part of Deneb STARS and is a Trio Scholar. She currently works at the Chabad House on campus preparing food for the Shabbat meals and works as a Registered Behavior Technician who provides home-therapy for children with Autism. In her free time, Roses likes to cook, play video games, read, build puzzles, watch sitcoms, and forage.
Izzy Lourie
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Izzy is a sophomore studying English and psychology. Her home is Atlanta, Georgia and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She attended Arts & Science’s Creative Immersion Institute program as a high schooler and is excited to return to the Precollege Program as staff! In her spare time, Izzy loves to read, volunteer at the animal shelter, do arts and crafts, and play games with friends.
Anna Zhang
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Anna is a sophomore majoring in Psychology and minoring in Educational Studies. She is from Beijing, China. Anna now works as a research assistant in the Diversity Science lab and as a teaching assistant at the WashU Nursery School (she loves the kids there!). In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, going to animal shelters to pet dogs and cats (because she misses her cat Pocket back home so much), and spending quality time with friends and family.
Maria Contreras
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Maria is a junior majoring in Computer Science and Math and minoring in Italian. She also speaks Spanish! She was born and raised in Colombia but currently lives in Houston. Maria is a member of WuFuego, a latin dance team. She also performed in the salsa group for Carnaval, the ALAS annual cultural show. As you may see, Maria really enjoys dancing, although this was her first time ever performing. Some other things she enjoys are Jubilee videos on YouTube, cooking, coding and solving puzzles. She also likes working out in her free time and even works for the rec center.
Julian Trejo
Program Assistant
pronouns he/him
Julian is a junior double majoring in Secondary Education and Psychology. Julian is from Springdale, Arkansas, and he hopes to one day become a teacher and soccer coach back home in order to support underprivileged students in turning their college aspirations into reality. As a Questbridge Scholar, Julian understands the difficulties, fears, and insecurities felt by underprivileged and first-generation college students transitioning to Wash U. After gaining research experience in an Education Department lab his freshman year, Julian also understands the importance of belonging for students.
On campus, Julian is active with the Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) organization and is proud to share his Mexican heritage in everything he does. He is also a Catholic Student Center (CSC) regular and hopes to attend 11am mass over the summer with anyone willing to join him! In his free time, Julian loves to play sports — especially soccer! Over the summer, you’ll likely find him watching the Copa America/Euros games or playing soccer. Feel free to join him if that interests you!
Ryane Engle
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Ryane is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, majoring in Economics with a minor in French. On campus she is involved in WashU’s Emergency Support Team and The Mic, a stand-up comedy club. Ryane also works as a WashU Student Associate helping freshmen acclimate to their first semester in college. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, playing board games, and watching comedy tv shows.
Aria Sline
Program Assistant
pronouns: she/her
Aria is a senior and cheerleader at WashU. She is a Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology major with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience and a minor in Legal Studies. In her free time she likes to play piano, do her nails, go to the gym, and read. She also has a podcast and a live talk show, where she can be found discussing topic pertaining to intersectional feminism and social equity. She has one Pomeranian puppy and a twin brother and older sister. This will be Aria's third summer with our programs. Feel free to reach out and chat anytime!
