About Us

Stan Cherian - Director of Orientation and New Student Programs

Stan is a native of Philadelphia and now a proud Brooklynite. He received a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy, and a master's in higher education administration from Temple University. Before coming to Hofstra, Stan worked at St. Joseph's University as the assistant director of student activities, and at Temple University's Student Activities Office as the assistant director. In 2001, Stan joined the Hofstra staff of the Student Activities Office as the assistant director, where he was the advisor to the Student Government Association and the Hofstra yearbook, Nexus. He was the director of Orientation and New Student Programs from 2006-2009, and has now rejoined the Student Leadership and Engagement office. Currently, he oversees New Student Orientation, class programming, and graduate student organizations.

Cassandra Larson - Assistant Director for Orientation and New Student Programs

Cassie grew up moving between places including Maine, Italy, Thailand, Virginia, and now Long Island. She joined the ONSP team in January 2022 as the Assistant Director of Orientation and New Student Programs. In this role, she is responsible for coordinating summer and winter orientation and new student transition and class programming, and advising undergraduate performance organizations. Cassie received her bachelor's in global affairs and master's in higher education and student development at George Mason University. Prior to coming to Hofstra, she worked at Mason organizing orientation and engagement programming for international students. In her free time, Cassie enjoys exploring new places, reading (favorite genre: fantasy), working out, and hanging out with her dog, Bixby.

Vanessa Wright - Graduate Assistant for Orientation and New Student Programs

Vanessa was born and raised in Jamaica. She migrated to the United States in 2012 and attended Notre Dame of Maryland University for her undergraduate studies, where she received a bachelor’s degree in biology. After completing her degree, Vanessa completed an internship with the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team, where she assisted clients by providing disaster relief services in the central Maryland region. By working with the community, she was motivated to pursue a master’s degree in public health to help promote and protect people's health. Before coming to Hofstra, Vanessa worked as an Orientation Leader at Notre Dame; this position provided her with the necessary skills to assist with Orientation and New Student Programming. Vanessa is excited to be a part of the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement team.