Yufei Song

Co-President

Yufei Song is a sophomore in Liberal Studies Core with intentions to pursue a BA in Politics and a Minor in Dance. She spent the last few years working as an outdoor environmental educator in Toronto, developing programs with hands-on nature activities to educate the public about biodiverse ecosystems. She led nature-focused programs, hikes, and workshops for both children and adults to promote environmental awareness and encourage citizen science. Yufei is an expert in bird identification, invasive species removal, and handling deadly venomous snakes—or just corn snakes and garter snakes lol :) She is passionate about protecting the environment and animals through policy, fueling her interest in pursuing environmental law. Back home, Yufei has a golden retriever and four cats, with Bella always making the funniest faces (as pictured above)!

Micah Sagar

Co-President

Micah is a junior majoring in Environmental Studies and architecture/urban design studies. Originally from Kentucky, she grew up surrounded by agricultural communities and animals, which instilled in her a deep reverence for nonhuman animals. Kentucky’s long tradition of land stewardship—articulated through the writings of Wendell Berry and Bell Hooks—has deeply shaped her academic and artistic pursuits. Drawing inspiration from these thinkers, her work seeks to explore how urban spaces can be reimagined to foster interspecies connections and more compassionate forms of coexistence. Through design and other art forms, her work aims to soften the hard edges of the built environment and create shared, life-affirming spaces for humans and nonhumans alike.

Julia Miranda

Head of Communications and Director Musical Events

Julia is a junior in the College of Arts and Science majoring in politics. More specifically, she is interested in barriers to equality in developing countries, integrating music with social change, and most recently, policymaking and animal rights. Having grown up fostering injured birds, going to local animal shelters to walk dogs, and serving as president of the animal rights club at her high school, she has always loved and cared for the humane treatment of animals and is excited to be part of ARC to better understand the ways in which she can make an impact and help others do the same. She hopes to use her organizational, strategic, and community organizing strengths in collaborating with other animal rights-based organizations, coordinating music festivals, and expanding the ARC community's outreach.

Jasmin Rostamirad

Branding team

Jasmin is a sophomore at Gallatin, studying education, arts, and psychology. She loves riding horses, hiking, and being outside—and misses the nature back home in Toronto a lot! She's super passionate about helping animals and the environment, loves volunteering at community gardens, and spends her free time by the pier or exploring new parks. She can't wait to grow up and buy herself two or three orange cats.

Laila Vasquez

Head of Communications

Laila is a sophomore at NYU. She is an NYC native from the Bronx, studying environmental studies and hopefully minoring in animal studies soon! She works at the New York Botanical Garden where she pursues her love for nature and teaches visitors about the environment through hands-on activities!

Melissa He (she/her)

Volunteer Events Director

Melissa is a junior in Gallatin, studying conservation science, animal studies, public policy, and arts. She grew up with many non-human family members surrounding, and she has committed to being the voice for the voiceless. Melissa has worked with The Ocean Foundation for coral reef conservations, and she also loved working with shelters. In her spare time, she has run a social media account in Mandarin regarding animal rights for four years. She recently joined WATR lab and the ARC, where she loves being in community with the most loving people! And of course, she loves her furry family members (Morris and Riffle) more than anything.

Caya van der Sluis

Leadership Team - Food Systems and Head of Vegan Team

Caya is a Dutch Fulbright student in the M.A. Animal Studies program at NYU. Ever since she had her first course in animal studies years ago, she has been in love with this academic field. Everything she has learned about non-human animals as a result has made her more passionate about fighting for their lives and happiness. She has been a vegan for six years now, and combined with her previous master’s in agroecology, her biggest interest lies with nonhuman animals in our food system and how we can improve their lives and end their exploitation. As a result, she’s responsible for ARC’s projects that are linked to food and the environment.

Erika Martinez

Head of Events

Erika is a senior at the College of Arts and Science, majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Animal Studies. She is passionate about integrating policy work with environmental issues while incorporating animal ethics concerns, and she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in this field. She enjoys exploring diverse ecosystems, particularly marine environments, and observing nonhuman animal behavior.

Originally from a small rural town in Michigan, Erika developed a deep appreciation for interspecies interactions and relationships with animals. Now, as a nearly decade-long resident of NYC, she has gained extensive experience in business management, including overseeing operations for a large, successful company and coordinating client schedules for high-profile events such as the Met Gala. With strong communication, planning, resourcefulness, and organizational skills, she is excited to contribute to future event-planning efforts for the ARC.

Nora Teter

Advisor

Nora loves being with animals and thinking her way toward their worlds. She has worked on cage diving boats with white sharks and guided dives with Cape fur seals and cow sharks. She is an M.A student in the Animal Studies Department at NYU where she is developing a thesis around integrating release into modern forms of captivity. For her research on captive animal ethics, she has conducted participant observation in the 4-H youth livestock program and at institutions including the New York Aquarium, the Prospect Park Zoo and Wildlife Images (Grants Pass, OR). She is a member of the WATR lab and recently completed research looking at what conventional zoos can learn from the wildlife rehabilitation and release model. She is particularly interested in storytelling and community building as an approach to questions of animal rights and welfare, and is currently working on an initiative to reimagine our relationship to "pest" animals.

Iliana Rios

Head of Branding and Advisor

Iliana is a recent graduate the College of Arts and Science, where she majored in Environmental Studies and minores in Animal Studies. She loves exploring the city and spotting urban wildlife. This year she looks forward to spreading the word about the Animal Rights Collective and joining other students in fostering compassion for animals. Iliana is currenly working with the Leave It Better Foundation, where she facilitates classroom discussions about the environment.

Alicia (allie) Abramson

Branding - Photography and Videography ​

Allie is a pre vet graduate student in the Animal Studies Department who helps create digital content for the ARC. She plans to attend vet school after finishing her graduate degree, and the bulk of her research revolves around veterinary medicine and an ethical consideration of shark treatment in the tourism and captive settings. She is also vet tech for birds and exotic animals at the Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine, a renowned practice and the only exclusive avian and exotic animal hospital in NYC. Passionate about shark conservation and protection, she's conducted participant ethnographic research at the New York Aquarium and has gone undercover to investigate shark hunting tournaments in Long Island.

Rosey Jones

Musical Events Director

Rosey Jones is an animal rights and environmental activist with education and experience in music business, management, audio, event planning, and creative utilization of the internet. She’s in a band called Dasi and has more than 4 years of experience managing bands + social media, running events, releasing original music, and growing and engaging audiences online. She’s been vegan for 6 years and has had a lifelong love and connection to nature. Through her music and events she aims to educate and empower younger generations, cultivate a sense of community and belonging, and inspire positive action towards environmental and social change.

Naveen Kumar Bhaskaran

Branding Team - Website

Naveen is a recent graduate with an Executive MBA at NYU Stern with a focus on Sustainability, AI, and Leadership & Change Management. He is fully dedicated to a vegan lifestyle, firmly believing that a world free of animal cruelty and exploitation is not just aspirational but should be the standard. Naveen enjoys exploring new vegan restaurants, traveling, and connecting with like-minded individuals. With nearly two decades of experience in technology, he aims to leverage his expertise and MBA to help organizations combat climate change and reduce their carbon footprint.

Elisa Matson

Branding Team - Social Media

Elisa is a recent graduate from NYU Global Liberal Studies where she studied politics, rights and development with a minor in french and law and society. This year she plans on completing her senior thesis on the artificial insemination of female cows and society’s treatment of bodies. She is the social media manager for the ARC and has been passionate about animal liberation since 3rd grade. Her dog, Bianca is her whole wide world.

Lucy Whitney

Advisor

Lucy is a recent graduate of NYU with a degree in Global Liberal Studies, concentrating in Sustainability, Health, and the Environment, whose passions include environmental education and fighting for a more just food system. She is an alumna of the New Roots Institute's Fellowship through which she worked on plant-based defaults with the Greener by Default Coalition at NYU. She is a Teaching Fellow at New Roots and a Campus Education Architect at Switch4Good, both positions that allow her to develop and deliver food and environment-centered curricula. She is also completing research about native bees and urban farming in NYC through a grant provided by Food4Thought. Outside of advocacy, she loves being outdoors and experimenting with new recipes!

Leilani Sandoval-Duran

Advisor

​Leilani is a senior double majoring in English Literature and Politics. She has been committed to a meat-free lifestyle for the past six years and loves supporting the rights and welfare of animals (especially her dog, Hunter, who is her #1 supporter and friend). She recently joined the WATR lab, and loves learning more about how, even as a college student, she can be dedicated to championing animal rights, and how that can be applied within her college community. She is looking forward to seeing people at future club events and is excited for this next year of Animal Rights Collective!

Alden Smathers​

Advisor

Alden is a recent NYU graduate who is passionate about veterinary medicine, animal behavior, and welfare. She majored in Anthropology with a minor in Animal Studies and Chemistry. Alden is also a member of the WATR lab where she is working on a systematic review of aquatic animal welfare in aquaponics. She leads farm tours and works with the Koi, Goldfish, and Mirror Carp at Oko Farms. Alden is looking forward to helping plan and organize events centered on decolonial approaches to conservation with the ARC.

Yair Atlas

Advisor

Yair is recent M.A. graduate from NYU's Bioethics department. He is passionate about creating a better world for non-human animals and believes that building communities of like-minded people is crucial in this goal. As an undergraduate, Yair collaborated with various student organizations and non-profits to foster a strong network of animal advocates on campus. Further, he's written about ethics of dietary choice, animal experimentation, and the value of animal lives.

Dania Castillo

Communications

Bio under contstruction

JessaRose Beeman

Advocacy Team

Bio under contstruction

Helena Sapperstein

Advocacy and Volunteering Team

Bio under contstruction

Ben Dibb

Musical Events

Bio under contstruction

Jojo Wren

Branding Team

Bio under contstruction

Laura Reynolds

Branding Team

Bio under contstruction

Rebekah Lee

Branding Team

Bio under contstruction

Sage Harley

Branding Team - Website

Bio under contstruction

Belle Pellechia

Bio under contstruction

Isabel Reed

Bio under contstruction

Maggie Munch

Bio under contstruction