Alumni News

Rowe Alumni Spotlight: Romoye Sohan

Romoye Sohan

UConn Year of Graduation (Undergraduate): 2021
Undergraduate Major(s): Biological Sciences
Currently Employed By: UConn Health Graduate School
Updates: Since graduating from UConn, I have been grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of the 2023 Young Innovative Investigators Program (YIIP) Cohort under the Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering. I am currently in the final semester of the 2-year master’s program and will be graduating in May 2023 with my Master’s in Biomedical Sciences. I spent the past two years working in a Vascular Biology lab that focuses on prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in prostate cancer. This program has allowed me extensive exposure to both bench and clinical research, allowing me to hone in on my lab skillset and build a greater understanding of the science behind medicine as I aspire towards my goal of medical school.

Rowe Alumni Spotlight: Tanya Miller

Tanya Miller

UConn Year of Graduation (Undergraduate): 2022
Undergraduate Major(s): Physiology and Neurobiology
Currently Employed By: UConn Pre-Medical & Pre-Dental Advising Office
Updates: Currently I’m a nursing student and will graduate with my Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) this August. Once I pass my boards, I’ll officially be a licensed registered nurse. In addition to my current studies at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, I’ve continued working part-time for my undergrad’s Pre-Medical & Pre-Dental Advising Office. Through this role, I’ve grown my passion as a mentor, a communicator, and a social media creator. This ties in nicely with the social media account @nursetmillz. I love sharing pieces of my nursing journey with others and answering questions about nursing school. I want to use my platform to help highlight each healthcare professional’s unique role by sharing my friends’ stories and understanding why they chose X over Y or vice versa. I hope these posts will help others choose the career path that’s best for them before investing their time and money into any particular road. 

Rowe Alumni Spotlight: Yvette Oppong

Yvette Oppong

UConn Year of Graduation (Undergraduate): 2021
Undergraduate Major(s): Environmental Studies, B.A
Currently Employed By: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Updates: I am currently a post-baccalaureate trainee at the NIEHS where I am working with Dr. Chandra Jackson in the Social & Environmental Determinants of Health Equity Group in the Epidemiology Branch. In this role, I currently assist postdocs on current projects, activities, and manuscripts, as well as attend seminars.

Rowe Alumni Spotlight: Leonela Villegas

Dr. Leonela Villegas

UConn Year of Graduation (Undergraduate): 2012
Undergraduate Major(s): Chemical Engineering
Currently Employed By:
Updates: I finished my Pediatrics Residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in June 2019! I decided to stay at CHOP and pursue my Pediatric Nephrology fellowship with a focus on global health.

Rowe Alumni Spotlight: Alexa Friedman

UConn Year of Graduation (Undergraduate): 2018
Undergraduate Major(s): Individualized: Health Human Sciences
Currently Employed By:
Updates: Entering the second year of my doctoral program and I am working on a manuscript, an F31 grant application and a Ford Foundation fellowship application! Also running my fifth half this upcoming November which is relevant since Rowe inadvertently introduced me to running (thank you Tanya!)

Rowe Alumni Spotlight: Sharon Cherian

Sharon Cherian at her White Coat Ceremony.

UConn Year of Graduation (Undergraduate): 2018
Undergraduate Major(s): Cognitive Science
Currently Employed By:
Updates: After graduating from UConn in 2018, I moved to West Virginia and started medical school at WVSOM. I am currently in my second year here and life has changed quite a bit. I went from being super involved with clubs and extracurricular activities in undergrad, and now most of my time is spent studying. Academics can be tough but I love learning clinical skills and applying what we are learning to real life situations. I am involved with a few organizations at my school, including being VP of the National Osteopathic Women Physicians Association (NOWPA). Other than that, nothing else is new, besides the fact that most of this year will be me preparing for my national board exams in May/June. If anyone wants to learn more about osteopathic medicine or applying to DO schools I am happy to help!

Rowe Alumni Spotlight: Christina Jiang

Christina Jiang at her White Coat Ceremony.

UConn Year of Graduation (Undergraduate): 2017
Undergraduate Major(s): Molecular and Cell Biology, Nutritional Sciences
Currently Employed By:
Updates: I am currently a first-year in medical school. In the past 2 years, I completed a M.S. in Nutritional Sciences at UConn and worked as a medical scribe for Scribe America. I have worked in the emergency departments at St. Mary’s and St. Francis. I was a Project Manager for Scribe America at UConn where I helped establish the scribe program at UConn Dermatology. I also worked in Internal Medicine, Orthopedics, and ENT at UConn. During my master’s degree, I also worked as a tutor for the UConn athletes and a Starbucks barista.