Extracurriculars
My extracurricular activities range from undergraduate research to athletics.
Athletics:
Gator Women's Club Volleyball: 2021-2023
Gator Club Beach Volleyball: 2024
Volleyball has been a huge part of my life since I was 10 years old! It helps me balance and is a great stress-reliever. My favorite tournaments have been traveling to Phoenix, Arizona for the National Collegiate Club Volleyball Tournament and traveling to Anna Maria Island in Tampa for a beach volleyball tournament. Team sports have highly contributed to my ability to work well in a fast-paced and collaborative environment.
Undergraduate Research
UF Cancer and Genetics Research Complex
Vermerris Lab: February 2023 - May 2024
Jain Lab: June 2023 - Present
At the Vermerris Lab, I worked with a post-doctoral researcher on characterizing the sorghum genome. Our goal was to identify genes that could be upregulated or downregulated to make the process of converting sorghum to biofuel more efficient.
At the Jain Lab, I conduct my own honors thesis research on antibacterial resistance in E. coli. Additionally, I assisted with research on developing a new version of prime editing. In the fall, I will be assisting with research on developing at-home HIV test kits using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.
Internship Experience:
Research Intern with AdventHealth Celebration
Summer 2024
Through my research internship with AdventHealth Celebration, I have gained immense public health knowledge and got to experience health education in the real world. AdventHealth is a group of hospitals across the nation, and I worked with one of their locations in Orlando, Florida. Through collaborating with my mentor in the Department of Health Education, I developed a 35-page guidebook. The book outlines AdventHealth Celebration's Medical Pipeline event, where they bring in students from Osceola County schools to learn about healthcare careers. We hope that my guidebook will convince other hospitals to implement the same program on their campuses.
Volunteer Experience:
Volunteer Community Healthcare Worker
UF Healthstreet - Summer 2022
UF Healthstreet was one of my first real public health experiences as an undergraduate. Healthstreet is a community engagement program that provides resources and assistance to low-income and uninsured populations in Alachua County. During my time at Healthstreet, I helped run the free clothing and toiletry closet, provide free Narcan to community members, and recruit for UF research studies. I helped to educate these populations on resources available to them and on Narcan use. I am grateful for this experience, as it solidified my choice to pursue public health and give back to my community.
