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About Us

We are dedicated to supporting first-year and transfer students throughout their first year at Cornell University, as well as upper-level students serving in student leadership positions within Orientation and the Tatkon Center. We work together with our colleagues throughout Student & Campus Life to support the student experience. 

Meet the Tatkon Center for New Students Staff

Kevin Perry

Director, Tatkon Center for New Students

201 Robert Purcell Community Center

Joining in 2022, Kevin Perry has over nine years of experience in student affairs, the last five years in first-year experience and orientation. Prior to Cornell, Kevin served as the inaugural Associate Director of New Student and Transition Programs at Ithaca College, where he led the transition of the college's Orientation program from several summer sessions to a single fall session.

Taylor Bouraad

Assistant Director for First-Year Experience, Tatkon Center for New Students

201 Robert Purcell Community Center

Joining in March 2022, Taylor Bouraad has over six years of experience in student affairs, with the past four years working at Cornell University as a residence hall director for the Mews & Loving House community. Taylor has a passion for supporting new students as they navigate the ambiguity of their first year at Cornell while encouraging them to explore the multi-dimensional pieces of their identity. Taylor is currently a Master of Public Health candidate here at Cornell and attended Stony Brook University where she earned her B.S. in Marine Vertebrate Biology and her M.A.

Emilee Saigh

Assistant Director of New Student Orientation, Tatkon Center for New Students

201 Robert Purcell Community Center

Emilee joined the Tatkon Center for New Students in June 2022 after earning her M.Ed. in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia. Her experiences at Georgia Southern University (B.S. Public Relations) in housing, admissions, and orientation programs empowered her to seek a career in student affairs. Emilee’s student support and supervision philosophies are informed by her work with the UGA Pride Center, serving on NODA Region VI and NODA Annual Conference planning committees, and working with and training three orientation teams.