December 17, 2013
Kevin Smith will be majoring in Biomedical Engineering at UConn while also taking courses required for the pre-med track. A resident of South Windsor, Connecticut, his career goals stem from a stint he spent in the hospital as a young child. Kevin also has an interest in math and science and graduated from South Windsor High School, where he participated in Model UN.
Julian Rose has conducted research in Dr. Nair’s lab at the UConn Health Center, where he electrospun nanofibers for tissue regeneration. Julian has been involved in a couple of UCHC’s Health Career Opportunity Programs, including the Junior Doctor’s Academy and the Mini-Medical/Dental Program, which allowed him to attend lectures by physicians, surgeons, and other professionals in the health fields. A resident of Farmington, Connecticut, Julian graduated from Farmington High School, where he won a state championship for Class LL soccer. He will be attending UConn as a Biomedical Engineering major.
Shanicka Reynolds was born in Queens but has spent most of her life in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where she graduated from Bloomfield High School. She has taken part in UCHC’s Health Career Opportunities Programs, both Junior and Senior Doctors Academy. As a member of the Summer Research Apprentice Program Shanicka dissected over 55 mice in six weeks as she conducted research in Dr. Roger Thrall’s lab on white blood cells in Allergic Airway Diseased Mice.
Oghenefejiro Okifo, who goes by ‘Fejiro’, was born in the Bronx but has lived in Naugatuck, Connecticut since the age of 12, graduating from Naugatuck High School. Majoring in Biological Sciences, Fejiro has been inspired by the plight of a family member to focus on noninvasive medical procedures and medical problems that require treatment currently involving extreme pain, long recovery times, and high medical costs. Through her experiences shadowing at Silver Springs Care Center and her church, Fejiro has developed an interest in working with the elderly and ways in which to use technology to cater to their special needs. A member of the varsity dance team, in her free time Fejiro loves to learn new techniques and types of dance.
Kimloan Le is originally from Nha Trang, Vietnam, but has lived in East Hartford, Connecticut since the age of three. During vacations in Vietnam, Kimloan has shadowed a local pharmacist and interviewed the pharmacist’s colleagues to learn about the differences between pharmacy practices in countries with governments as diverse as America’s and Vietnam’s. A graduate of East Hartford High School, Kimloan plans to earn a joint PharmD/MBA degree. With an ear for languages, Kimloan is fascinated by the uniqueness and specifics of each sound. Already multilingual, she hopes to learn Arabic and Russian by travelling to experience the languages and cultures first-hand.
Chevaughn Wellington is from Bloomfield, Connecticut. She graduated cum laude from the Ethel Walker School with high honors, an achievement she’s very proud of because of all the hard work it entailed. Though Chevaughn likes to sing and do community service on behalf of children, she’ll be pursuing her interests in public health, women’s studies, global issues, and molecular and cell biology while at UConn. She hopes to become a doctor and was inspired to do so by an experience she had shadowing an OB/GYN, the specialty which she will practice.
Selena Vazquez was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut but currently resides in West Hartford where she graduated from William H. Hall High School. A biological sciences major, Selena’s interest in the health fields is a very personal one as she and her family serve as a foster home for newborn babies. Selena is a participant in the mini-medical/dental lecture program provided by UConn and is working with UConn’s Pre-College Enrichment Program this summer.
Catherine Skeggs is from Avon, Connecticut and is a graduate of Avon High School and the Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science. As a participant in the Pre-College Enrichment Program, Catherine conducted research in Dr. Richard Bruno’s lab to develop a procedure that measures the concentration of vitamin E in blood plasma. She has also conducted stem cell research at Central Connecticut State University with the UConn/Aetna High School Research Apprentice Program. Catherine enjoys horseback riding and volunteers as an assistant for a therapeutic riding organization. She is majoring in biomedical engineering because she is inspired by medical advances that change lives and hopes to contribute to such advances in the future.
Alicia Robinson is from Hartford, Connecticut and is a graduate of Simsbury High School. After working with a nurse and learning about her career, Alicia feels that she has a good grasp of the many steps it takes to be successful in the medical field and wants to become a pediatrician. A biological sciences major, Alicia loves to sing because it provides her with a form of self-expression.
Klair Lubonja is originally from Tirana, Albania but now calls Newington, Connecticut his hometown. He attended the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford, Connecticut and was part of the UConn Health Center’s High School Apprenticeship Program, the UConn Epidemiology Program, and UConn’s Pre-College Enrichment Program. He credits these programs with helping him to both grow as a person and gain an understanding of what being a part of the medical field is really like. Klair’s interest is in medicine, specifically cardiology, and he will be majoring in molecular and cell biology. He also enjoys spending time outdoors and loves swimming.