“Dedicated and Driven”- Meet the New MOCHA/WOCHA Cohorts |

Be sure to congratulate the new cohorts in Men of Character, Honor and Ambition (MOCHA) and Women of Character, Honor and Ambition (WOCHA) for 2026-2027.

Both MOCHA and WOCHA are one-year initiatives that are open to second through fifth year students. The programs include mentoring and monthly workshops with personal, cultural, academic, social, and professional themes.  This year, 20 students make up  MOCHA cohort 13. Fifteen students comprise WOCHA cohort 10.

Their official kick-off gathering was September 19^th which included an overview of the program and expectations, along with some “words of wisdom” from two RIT MOCHA and WOCHA alums.

Gena Willis, assistant director for Affinity Programs and Leadership Development says, 

“MOCHA/WOCHA helps students build confidence, connect with a supportive community, and develop the skills they need to succeed while in school, in life, and future careers.  These programs are designed to create opportunities for students to grow as leaders, learn from mentors, and prepare bright futures through intentional training guiding by our foundational pillars.”  Here are just some of the words Willis used to describe these students: “dedicated” “driven” “innovative” and “enthusiastic learners.”  

Meet MOCHA Cohort 13

Mohamed Amechtak, 3^rd year, cybersecurity, Mamadou Bah, 4^th year, web and mobile computing, Raphael Benjamin, 5^th year, robotics and manufacturing,  Dymajaz Brown, 2^nd year, accounting,  Ethan Coore, 4^th yr, accounting,  Gabriel De Souza, 4^th year, mechanical engineering,   Timi Erinle, 3^rd year, computer engineering,  Sirak Hagos, 3^rd year,mechanical engineering technology,   Daniel Hernandez, 2^nd year, civil engineering technology,  Mohammed (Sharif) Jafari, 4^th year, electrical engineering,  William Lin, 3^rd year, applied statistics and data analytics, Joshua Mugabi, 2^ndyear, electrical engineering, Jean-Charles Mve Mvondo, 5^th year, computer engineering, Nkodia Ndongala, 3^rd year, physics, Omarion Negron, 2^nd year, physics,  Patrick Oliver II, 4^th year, biomedical sciences,  Willie Sanders, 3^rd year, political science,  Gyan Taylor, 3^rd year, cybersecurity, Christopher West, 5^th year, software engineering and Joshua Vail, 2^nd year, computer engineering .

Meet WOCHA Cohort 10

Macca Abdi, 4th year, software engineering, Frances Mouangue, 2nd year, civil engineering technology, Afia Bidica, 4th year, software engineering, Ava Campos, 4th year, biotechnology and molecular bioscience,  Tori Charles, 2nd year, software engineering, Sway Issifou, 4th year, biomedical science,   Chaynj Jason, 4th year humanities, computing, and design, Aaliyah John, 4th year, humanities, computing, and design,  Kamyah Johnson, 4th year, psychology,  Mariella Kaddu Georgina , 3rd year, management information systems,  Giovanna Nelson, 3rd year, game design and development,  Anahy Ramirez, 5th year, humanities, computing, and design, Haneefa Wahab, 3rd year, biomedical science, Diara Williams, 3rd year, biochemistry and  Eliana Wyche, 2nd year, mechanical engineering.

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