Meet the Team

Assistant Director of Residential Life
& Coordinator of First-Year Experience

I started working at Amherst College in August 2016. Before coming to Amherst College, I received my Masters of Education in Student Affairs with a certificate in Social Justice Education from Iowa State University. Before graduate school, I attended college at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

I am passionate about helping college students grow and develop into the people they aspire to be! I believe that new generations of young folks continue to make the world a better and more equitable place. I am especially grateful that I get to work with first-year experience because I want to insure that all first year students have access to important resources, feel welcomed, and find support within the Amherst College community. I am thrilled that I get to be a part of your journey! 

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Rick A. Lopez

Rick A. Lopez

Professor of History and Environmental Studies; Dean of New Students; Chair of Latinx and Latin Amer Studies

Chapin Hall

Dean of New Students
Professor of History and Environmental Studies
Chair of Latinx and Latin American Studies (LLAS)

Originally from El Paso, Texas, I graduated from Amherst College in 1993. After working at the J. Paul Getty Museum in California, as an archaeologist in New Mexico and then a middle school teacher in Texas, I completed my PhD in Latin American history at Yale University while living in Connecticut, Mexico City, and the southern Mexican state of Guerrero. I taught briefly at Northwestern University before returning to Amherst College to teach in 2002. At Amherst College I was a founding member of the Environmental Studies department and the Latinx and Latin American Studies (LLAS) program. As Dean of New Students I am devoted to helping students of all backgrounds thrive personally and academically as members of the Amherst College community. 

Pronouns: he/him/his

Elliot Vann (First-Year Experience Student Coordinator)

Picture of First-Year Experience Student Coordinator, Elliot Vann. Elliot is in front of a white wall, wearing a plaid button up and a NASA logo shirt. Elliot has glasses and short brown curly hair.

Hi! My name is Elliot (he/him/his) and I am am so excited to be a part of the First Year Experience! I love sociology, history, and math. A Colorado native, I love to be outside whenever I can. Hope to meet you soon!

Monica Gamon (First-Year Experience Student Coordinator)

Picture of First-Year Experience Student Coordinator, Monica Gamon who is in front of a white wall, wearing a black coat, pink sweater and has brown curly hair.

Hi! My name is Monica Gamon (she/her/hers), and I'm from Chicago. I'm a Political Science major, and I'm involed with La Causa, La Casa, and Questbridge. Hope to meet you soon!

Beyoncé Haseley-Ayende (First-Year Experience Student Coordinator)

Picture of First-Year Experience Student Coordinator, Beyonce Haseley-Ayende, standing in front of a white wall. She is wearing a dark blue shirt and jacket with a Fieldston School logo. She has dark brown curly hair in a bun.

Hi my name is Beyonce Haseley-Ayende and I'm from Westchester County, NY. I am currently a sophmore, majoring in Political Science and Black Studies. I am involved in Amherst's Black Student Union, Women's Club Soccer, and the Annual Fund's Phonathon. I look forward to engaging in great conversations with you all and making the First Year Experience Program as informative and fun as possible!