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2013 Rowe Scholar: Christian Gonzales

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Christian Gonzales is a biomedical engineering student who’s working on a Latino studies minor and who plans to go to medical school to be a surgeon. Originally from Lima, Peru Christian moved to Manchester, CT at age seven and ultimately graduated from Manchester High School. His Peruvian heritage and his experiences with UConn’s Medical Humanitarian Society have had an impact on his career goals. In Cusco, Peru Christian was able to shadow doctors and provide physicals, health education, and medical screenings. The fact that he had the chance to serve his home country was very impactful. In La Antigua, Guatemala he visited schools and orphanages to provide health education and volunteered at the Centro de Salud Santo Domingo Xenacoj. He has traveled with Public Health House on an alternative spring break to Atlanta, GA where he learned about caring for the disadvantaged and those with mental disabilities. Christian is a saxophonist in the UConn Marching Band who enjoys soccer, volleyball, juggling, and speed cubing.

2013 Rowe Scholar: John Garcia

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Originally from Colombia, John Garcia moved to Connecticut during middle school. A graduate of William H. Hall High School in West Hartford, CT, it was during high school that John began participating in UConn’s Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP), namely Junior Doctors Academy, Senior Doctors Academy, the Pre-College Enrichment Program, the Health Disparities Clinical Research Fellowship Program, and the Medical/Dental Preparatory Program. Because of these experiences John is now an allied health sciences major interested in pursuing a career in medicine, specifically in orthopedic or trauma surgery, and he works for HCOP as a counselor for their high school programs. He’s also a talented artist whose drawings have been made into tattoos.

2013 Rowe Scholar: Kristina Dortche

Posted on December 18, 2013February 26, 2014 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Kristina Dortche is a physiology and neurobiology major with an interest in emergency medicine. She credits three opportunities with galvanizing her interest in the health professions; shadowing in pediatrics, which clarified patient centered medicine for her; shadowing in adult emergency medicine, which provided a realistic perspective of hours worked and challenges faced; and the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program, which revealed to her the steps she needed to take to achieve her goals and when she needed to take them. A resident of New Haven, CT who graduated from Wilbur Cross High School, Kristina loves Latin dancing and has been learning dances such as the bachata and salsa since freshman year. She’s also an avid fan of film photography.

2013 Rowe Scholar: Samana Zaidi

Posted on December 18, 2013February 26, 2014 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Samana Zaidi was born and raised in Southington, CT and graduated from Southington High School. An avid reader who enjoys spending time with friends and family, Samana plans to be a physiology and neurobiology major following a pre-med track. Samana has participated in many of UConn’s Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP), the most recent being a research apprentice program during which she spent six weeks researching P. acnes and CRISPR mechanisms in microbiology labs. She also spent time looking at aquaporin channels within mussels.

2013 Rowe Scholar: Ankur Shah

Posted on December 18, 2013February 26, 2014 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Ankur Shah was born and raised in Danbury, CT. He began to gain an interest in medicine after completing a program at Yale University that allowed him to shadow medical students and doctors. After graduating from Danbury High School, Ankur will pursue a degree in biomedical engineering and then in dentistry. His ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between engineers and the professionals who use the tools engineers create.

2013 Rowe Scholar: Allison Prince

Posted on December 18, 2013February 26, 2014 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Allison Prince, from Torrington, CT, attended Torrington High School where she developed an interest in chemistry and biology. First introduced to the health professions on a field trip to a local hospital where she heard a nutritionist speak about her job, Allison now plans to pursue a major in dietetics and become a registered dietician. This is a nice complement to her interests in sports and an active lifestyle.

2013 Rowe Scholar: Carolina Reyes

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Carolina Reyes is originally from Mexico, a place she enjoys traveling to, and now resides in Wallingford, CT. She graduated from Lyman Hall High School where she was the class president for two years. After shadowing a physician at a ProHealth Center, Carolina decided to major in allied health sciences. She enjoys playing soccer and running.

2013 Rowe Scholar: Anurag Ojha

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Anurag Ojha was born in Biratnagar, Nepal but moved to West Hartford, CT when he was eight. A graduate of Conard High School, Anurag’s interests are science and soccer and he plans to major in biomedical engineering. Throughout his high school career he participated in JumpStart, Junior Doctor’s Academy, the High School Research Apprentice Program, and the Pre-College Enrichment Program, all offered by UConn’s Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP). During the High School Research Apprentice Program, Anurag conducted research on the role of the Nectin-Afadin complex in the early parietal endoderm cells in mice in the James Mulrooney Laboratory at Central Connecticut State University.

2013 Rowe Scholar: Nikhil Mistry

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Nikhil Mistry was born in Miami, FL but has lived in Trumbull, CT since the seventh grade. As a graduate of Trumbull High School, Nikhil spent his time learning about the health field and competing with Trumbull’s We the People team, which ranks eighth in the nation. He participated in the Mini-Medical/Dental Program at the UConn Health Center, which allowed him to attend lectures about the various branches of medicine and dentistry. A biology major who plans to become a dentist, he has shadowed multiple dentists and has participated in a high school research program called Discovery to Cure, at Yale University.

2013 Rowe Scholar: Christina Jiang

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Hoffmann, Jessamy

Originally from New York, NY, Christina Jiang was raised in Hamden, CT where she graduated from Sacred Heart Academy as her class’s valedictorian. While a high school student, Christina was a regular participant in Connecticut science fairs and school mission trips. The importance of community service is one of the reasons why she’s entering UConn as a molecular and cell biology major with an interest in pre-med and nutritional sciences. The other catalyst in Christina’s career decision-making was her membership in Healthy Adventures at Yale-New Haven Hospital, which allowed her to tour the hospital and learn about different branches of the medical field.