Muhammed Bajo | Sarah Lawrence College
Muhammed is from Keneba, The Gambia, in West Africa. Muhammed graduated from Lehman College where he received a degree in Biology, with a Biomedical Science concentration and a minor in Psychology. During his undergraduate studies, Matthew worked as a peer mentor for Lehman’s Pathways to Student Success program. Since graduation, Muhammed has been working as a Case Manager for Care For the Homeless, where he held a variety of positions as an undergrad. He hopes to increase the accessibility of genetic testing and counseling to underrepresented communities and developing countries, worldwide, particularly his home country. In his free time, Muhammed enjoys spending time with friends and playing soccer. In particular, he supports one of the world’s premier soccer clubs, Manchester United. |
Timbria Burke | Boston University
Timbria is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and graduated from the University of Florida where she received a degree in Health Science with a minor in Public Health. During her senior spring break, Timbria traveled to Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, with P4H Global, where she helped create and present a health education curriculum. After graduating Timbria initially worked for the Florida DEO and DCF, assisting callers with COVID19 pandemic unemployment & food benefits. Timbria’s next position, a GCA for GeneDx, ended recently in preparation for the start of graduate school. She is interested in efforts surrounding health equity and literacy within historically disadvantaged communities. Timbria hopes to help increase diversity within genetic counseling for both patients and providers. |
Ariel Modeste | Sarah Lawrence College
Ariel is from Minneola, Florida, and graduated from LaGrange College where she received a degree in Biology with minors in Psychology and Chemistry. While Ariel was raised in Florida, she was born in Hawaii. Ariel played varsity indoor and beach volleyball throughout college and also worked as a tutor. Since graduating, Ariel has worked as a college math and science tutor and as a behavioral coach for VIBES Learning, a nonprofit organization focused on helping neurodivergent students build confidence and coping skills. In addition, Ariel worked as a virtual intern for GOLDEN, where her passion for increasing the visibility of the genetic counseling field to her community was solidified. Ariel is excited to be one of the Warren Alpert Foundation scholars and looks forward to working with her cohorts over the next two years. |
Matthew Nikzad | University of Maryland
Matthew grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, where his parents settled after immigrating from Iran. Matthew graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he received a degree in Cell Biology/Molecular Genetics and Psychology. Matthew is excited about fulfilling his high school dream, completing the Masters in Genetic Counseling program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. In his free time, Matthew enjoys playing the piano and board games. |
Jasmin Perkins | University of Maryland
Jasmin grew up in South Baltimore, a neighbor of the University of Baltimore’s campus. Jasmin graduated from Bowie State University where she received a degree in Biology. Since graduation, she has worked on a variety of projects, including infectious disease research with the National Institute of Health and sleep research with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Jasmin is excited about the opportunities the Warren Alpert Foundation scholarship will offer, particularly her goal of working with underrepresented groups and developing their knowledge of genetics and its impact on public health. Jasmin also hopes to establish genetic counseling training programs at HBCUs, allowing for increased diversity in the genetic counseling field. |
Jordan Peters | University of Pennsylvania
Jordan is from Anniston, Alabama, and graduated from Jacksonville State University with a B.S. in Biology. While at JSU Jordan conducted research on the potential functional impact of TREX1 gene VUS on autoimmunity. She also tutored several courses including Human Anatomy and Physiology, Genetics and Cell Biology. After graduation, Jordan spent a year working as an intern at the UNC Cancer & Adult Genetics Clinic. She is passionate about patient outreach and ensuring genetic and genomic services are fully accessible to under-resourced communities. Outside of school, Jordan enjoys cooking, journaling and listening to podcasts. |
Erika Pittman | Rutgers University
Erika is from Royal Oak, Michigan, and graduated from Wayne State University where she received a degree in Biological Sciences. As an undergraduate, Erika worked in the campus physiology research lab and also studied in Italy. Since graduating she has been working as an assistant in a preschool classroom. Erika has become more involved in volunteer work with Crisis Text Line and CARE House of Oakland County, an organization working with child abuse survivors. Erika is interested in reaching out to underserved populations with a goal of improving both their trust and their representation in the genetics’ field. |
Evelyn Ramirez | University of Pennsylvania
Evelyn is from Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022 with a bachelor’s in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a minor in Chemistry. While at UIUC, Evelyn cofounded a Latina sorority on her campus to promote the inclusion of underrepresented groups in higher education. She also volunteered with organizations such as Planned Parenthood to support access to affordable healthcare. After graduating, Evelyn accepted a position as a GCA at the University of Virginia. As a genetic counselor, she hopes to narrow the gaps in healthcare by making genetic counseling more accessible to minorities, especially non-English speaking patients. Evelyn enjoys cooking, crocheting, and hanging out with her cat. |
Nicole Sanchez | Rutgers University
Nicole is from Rialto California. Nicole graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles where she received a degree in Biology with a minor in Science Education. While living in Los Angeles, Nicole volunteered at a genetic counseling clinic where she was exposed to diverse communities and gained valuable experiences. She has a passion for helping underserved communities and hopes to build on this in her graduate studies. Nicole’s career goals are raising awareness of genetic counseling and advocating for underrepresented communities. |
Lupita Sanchez | Boston University
Lupita is from Richmond, California. Lupita graduated from Wesleyan University where she received a degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. After graduation, Lupita relocated to Boston to work as a research assistant at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and then transitioned to her role as a genetic testing coordinator at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Lupita is interested in bridging the gap between underserved populations and their access to genetic counseling services. |