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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jesus Bueno was born in Peru and graduated from Glastonbury High School. His areas of interest lie in biology and medicine, which he was exposed to as a four year participant in UConn’s Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP). Being an HCOP student provided him with medical and dental student mentors, the opportunity to visit the UConn Health Center, and the chance to learn how to take blood pressure and perform suturing techniques. In his free time he enjoys ballroom dancing.