Scholars

Current Scholars

BAJO Muhammed. WAF AID-GC 2025 300x300. Sarah Lawrence Photo . IMG_0875

Hien Tran

Rutgers University

Class of 2024 Class of 2025

Class of 2024

Kristen Conners | Boston University

Kristen graduated from James Madison University where she studied Biomedical Illustration and Inequalities in the Biological Sciences, with minors in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies, Biology, and Sociology. After graduation, Kristen moved to Madrid, Spain, where she pursued a master’s degree in Bilingual and Multicultural Education and taught English at a secondary school. She is interested in addressing inequities in healthcare.

Shannon Gray | University of Pennsylvania

Shana graduated from Ohio State University where she received a degree in Molecular Genetics and Zoology. After graduation, she worked for two years as a clinical research assistant studying melanoma at the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Shana has volunteered for the Sexual Assault Response Network, helping survivors of sexual assault and providing services via in-person and telehealth. She has also volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Destini King | Rutgers University

Destini graduated from Drexel University where she received a degree in Biology. She also interned as a genetics research assistant and contributed to the research on sea turtle nesting habits while studying abroad in Equatorial Guinea. After graduation, Destini spent a year working as a Veterinary Assistant at a non-profit veterinary clinic before working as a GCA at Nemours Children’s Hospital. She has a wealth of volunteer experience, namely working as an education mentor with Minds Matter Philadelphia and volunteering as a crisis counselor with Crisis Text Line.

Angelia Manuelito | University of Pennsylvania

Angelia graduated from Columbia University where she received a degree in Evolutionary Biology of the Human Species. In high school, Angelia conducted a community-based research project on the benefits of genetic testing and population screening for the prevention of congenital diseases within indigenous communities. She is interested in addressing and repairing the relationship between western science and indigenous medicine allowing both to benefit from genetic technologies.

Ivana Moore | University of Maryland

Ivana graduated from Randolph Macon College where she received a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience with minors in Psychology and Biology. She holds a graduate degree in Biomedical Sciences with an emphasis in Biopsychology from Liberty University. While continuing her education, Ivana has worked in several medical offices with genetic counselors, volunteering at Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault (RCASA) and was a COVID-19 case investigator.

Ashana Neale | Boston University

Ashana graduated from Marist College where she received a degree in Biomedical Sciences. She was the Resident Assistant for her college’s newfound multicultural housing. Since graduating, Ashana has been a cancer GCA, psychosocial rehabilitation worker, and an intern with the Black Cancer Genes project. Ashana aspires to remedy the limited access and knowledge of genetic services among minorities.

Andy Peralta | Sarah Lawrence College

Andy graduated summa cum laude from Lehman College with a dual degree in Anthropology/Biology/Chemistry and Philosophy. As an undergraduate student, Andy worked as a TA and tutored Genetics, Organic Chemistry and Physics. After graduation he found a love of teaching and became a lecturer, focusing on Genetics, Human Anatomy and Physiology.

Dessiah Phillips | Sarah Lawrence College

Dessiah graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington where she received dual degrees in Biology and Psychology. She attended a summer undergraduate research program in genetics at Texas A & M. Since graduating, Dessiah has been working as a behavioral therapist for children with developmental disorders. She has interests in patient advocacy and hopes to use bioethics to provide safe advancements in genetics.

Stephanie Soto Mangandi | University of Maryland

Stephanie graduated from Harrisburg University of Science and Technology where she received a degree in Biotechnology. While at Harrisburg University she was President of the Latinx Student Association. Stephanie has an interest in clinical genetic research and patient outreach programs. She aims to be actively involved in progressive diversity efforts in understanding how environmental injustices can contribute to disparities in healthcare.

Hien Tran | Rutgers University

Hien graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she received a degree in Integrative Biology and participated in the Johns Hopkins Genetic Counseling internship program. For the past three years, Hien has worked at RACES as a hotline crisis volunteer. Her goal is to work towards helping minorities, immigrants and other underrepresented patient populations to become more aware and knowledgeable about genomic medicine.

Class of 2025

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.

About our scholars

They participate in all the regular coursework, fieldwork, research, and activities of their individual Master’s programs.

They are part of a dynamic cohort of scholars exploring issues of diversity and inclusion in the field of genetic counseling and medicine more broadly.

They are role models for future students from underrepresented communities who wish to become genetic counselors.

They contribute in outreach efforts to promote genetic counseling as a cutting-edge healthcare profession and support equity in healthcare.