Student Profiles

2016 Rowe Scholar: Lianna Morales

Posted on August 15, 2016September 26, 2016 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Lianna Morales is an Allied Health Science major from Danbury, CT where she graduated from Danbury High School. She earned her Certified Nursing Assistant license as a high school student and spent two years working at a nursing home. She also interned at Danbury Hospital, shadowing nurses and doctors on the labor and delivery unit. These experiences taught her the importance of a good bedside manner and increased her interest in becoming a pediatrician. Lianna has traveled to nine different countries and her life’s goal is to add to that list and travel the world exploring new places.

2016 Rowe Scholar: Neha Rana

Posted on August 11, 2016September 26, 2016 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Neha Rana’s parents were born in India but she was born and raised in Danbury, CT where she graduated from Danbury High School, though she speaks Gujarati, an Indian dialect. Neha is an Allied Health Sciences major and a Biological Sciences minor who hopes to pursue a career as a physician’s assistant with a concentration in cardiac. In pursuit of this goal she has spent the past two years working as a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home in Ridgefield, CT. There she assists residents in the rehab, long term care, and dementia units, working to help those admitted in critical states return home in a stable and healthy condition. She also helps long term residents with the activities of daily living.

2016 Rowe Scholar: Shanique Stewart

Posted on August 11, 2016September 26, 2016 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Born in Jamaica, Shanique Stewart moved to the United States when she was two and grew up in Waterbury, CT where she graduated from Waterbury Arts Magnet High School. Though she is now a Nutritional Science major and a Sports Nutrition minor, Shanique started college thinking she would go into fashion as a designer. She says that now she couldn’t imagine herself not going into the medical field. Shanique has a passion for fitness and health and hopes to become a physical therapist. She currently works as a dietary aide in a nursing home, which helps her to experience dietary needs and restrictions for different conditions. Shanique spent this summer in Cape Town, South Africa interning at Maitland Cottage, a children’s orthopedic hospital. She hopes to continue her world travels.

2016 Rowe Scholar: Taina Quiles

Posted on August 11, 2016September 14, 2016 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Taina Quiles is from Willimantic, CT where she attended Windham High School and played on the field hockey team. She hopes to join club field hockey at UConn, where she will major in Biological Sciences with a pre-med focus. Last summer Taina had the chance to participate in the Project SEED program at UConn, working with a graduate student to create gold nanoparticle slides that can potentially be used as a substrate for a biosensor to detect antigens and proteins. She hopes to study abroad before she graduates.

2016 Rowe Scholar: Tanya Miller

Posted on August 10, 2016September 26, 2016 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Tanya Miller is from Southbury, CT, where she graduated from Pomperaug High School, though both of her parents are originally from the Czech Republic. Tanya will be majoring in Allied Health Sciences with the ultimate goal of working in pediatrics. As a member of HCOP, Tanya has had the opportunity to take part in the Junior and Senior Doctors Academies, the High School Mini Medical/Dental School Program, and the High School Student Research Apprentice Program, the latter affording her the chance to work on a biological software program called V-Cell at the Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling. Tanya enjoys running and hopes to eventually take part in a half-marathon.

2016 Rowe Scholar: John Ogando

Posted on August 10, 2016September 14, 2016 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Both of John Ogando’s parents are from the Dominican Republic, but John was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Waterbury, CT, where he graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. Though John has played baseball for ten years, he still found the time to log over 500 hours of service at the emergency department of his local hospital. He will be an Allied Health Sciences major at UConn.

2016 Rowe Scholar: Isabella Rendon

Posted on August 10, 2016September 26, 2016 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Isabella Rendon hails from Ridgefield, CT where she graduated from Ridgefield High School after playing varsity tennis for three years. She was co-captain of the team her senior year and played number one doubles with the other captain. As one of the top 16 doubles teams they made the all-state team in the Connecticut state tennis tournament. Isabella hopes to continue to play club tennis at UConn, where she’ll be a Nursing major. Besides playing tennis in high school Isabella also volunteered as an ambassador for a local hospital, which allowed her to develop her communication skills and learn about the type of environment in which she hopes to one day work.

2016 Rowe Scholar: Alexa Friedman

Posted on August 10, 2016September 26, 2016 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Alexa Friedman grew up in Westchester, NY, graduated from Walter Panas High School, and now lives in Niantic, CT. Alexa originally became interested in health and medicine when her grandmother, who was diagnosed with late stage brain cancer, became the sole survivor of a group of 50 who were given an experimental treatment. Alexa is now in the Individualized Major program with a major called Human Health Sciences and minors in Biological Sciences and Human Rights. She is interested in the intersection of human rights and access to healthcare and spent this summer living in Lima, Peru and interning for a non-profit called MEDLIFE, which works to bring medicine and education to low income families everywhere. Alexa created curriculum and educational materials, supervised medical clinics, translated medical Spanish, and worked on project sites. This experience developed Alexa’s passion for travel and she hopes to visit all of South America before starting a full time job.

2015 Rowe Scholar: Akua Owusu

Posted on September 3, 2015September 16, 2015 by

Akua Owusu is originally from Ghana, where she attended Wesley Girls’ High School. She has just finished her sophomore year of college at the UConn Waterbury campus, where she received the Wendell Hoang Award for excellence in Organic Chemistry, of which she is very proud. A molecular and cell biology major, Akua is looking forward to a career in cardiology. She has shadowed in an emergency department and works as a CNA in hospitals, nursing homes, and adult living communities. In 2012 she had the opportunity to observe brain surgery at KATH Hospital in Ghana. When Akua isn’t working or shadowing, she enjoys spending time with her family.

2015 Rowe Scholar: Sarah Ollayos

Posted on September 3, 2015September 16, 2015 by

Sarah Ollayos is from Southbury, CT, where she graduated from Pomperaug Regional High School. She has dedicated herself to living a healthy lifestyle and as such has participated in numerous road races and works in a fitness center. She is a nutritional sciences major and will be applying to the didactic program this year.