Meet the Scholars

Sabrina Abboud

Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Major: International Affairs
Minor: Arabic or Communications Media
Career Goals: Lawyer specializing in international and human rights law, including extradition; communications work for a non-profit organization; cultural outreach
Research_interests: My research interests include the use of rape as a tool of warfare, ethnic conflict, policy regarding child soldiers, and the efficacy of international law.                
Community Involvement: Arabic Culture and Language Association; Arabic Outreach Program; Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society                
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
Favorite Meal: My mom's amazing chicken and brown rice (my favorite comfort food), with a cup of perfectly-brewed tea

Ava Adriani

Hometown: Spring Hill, FL
Major: Biology
Minor:
Career Goals: Ideally I’d love to be conducting some form of medical research after graduating. I’m not exactly sure in what field yet but I am highly motivated to learn more about the professional research field.
Research_interests: I’m interested in many topics some of which include, immunology, virology, genetics, pharmacy, and public health
Community Involvement: I am a part of the Torch Society, DevLUp, and the Presidential Scholars Service Board, CHAW Food for Thought Pantry
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Little Life by: Hanya Yanagihara
Favorite Meal: Korean BBQ

Danny Alex

Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Biological Sciences and Community Health.  I conducted a poster presentation on "Genetic Engineering of Cell Cycle Genes in Pancreatic Beta Cells" at the Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by Florida State University in April of 2024.
Community Involvement: Student Council on Undergraduate Research and Creativity, UROP, Tennis, Pre-Med Organizations, FSU Nandana, South Asian Student Association, Asian American Student Union, Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity Inc., Tallahassee Primary Care Associates, HCA Capital Hospital.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Fighter
Favorite Meal: Naan and Butter Chicken

Henry Amador

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor:
Career Goals: Physician (Emergency or Surgeon)
Research_interests: Biology, Lipid Based Molecular Recognition, Lenhert Lab
Community Involvement: Catholic Student Union, UROP, ForwardFSU, SSTRIDE Connect, Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Hidden Life
Favorite Meal: Anything my Mom cooks

Ainsley Amendola

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Human Resource Management
Minor:
Career Goals: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a hospital system
Research_interests: UROP- Beginning Teacher’s Use of a High Leverage Practice During Math; Pre-Health & Social Sciences
Community Involvement: Phi Mu Fraternity, The Torch Society, UROP, Dance Marathon
Last Book, Show, or Movie: 10 Things I Hate About You
Favorite Meal: Chicken Tenders & Fries

Grady Anderson

Hometown: Fruitland Park, Florida
Major: Political Science and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Minor: Research Intensive Bachelor's Certificate
Career Goals: Political Scientist and University Administrator.
Research_interests: Public opinion, political polarization, survey methodology, education policy, higher education.  Grady Anderson has held two research assistantships this academic year. Working under Dr. Modi in the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, he has contributed to their project which seeks to examine the impact of political polarization on critical thinking skills of college students. He and Dr. Modi are currently planning their experimental design, and are expecting to start running the experiment in Fall 2024. Additionally, Grady has served as a research assistant in the Office of the Provost. In this role, he has contributed to the university's accreditation efforts. Specifically, he has contributed to the university's Quality Enhancement Plan, especially in the area of doctoral student success.
Community Involvement: Research Assistant, Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences; Applied Politics and Policy Learning Experience; Research Assistant, Office of the Provost; Office of Governmental Affairs; Honors Colloquium Leader; Unconquered By Debt, tabled around campus; Office of Governmental Affairs, developed a student body survey, conducted policy analysis, assisted in the creation of legislative stances for the Student Government Association.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Real Housewives of New York City
Favorite Meal: Chicken hibachi and boba

Loriz Arencibia

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Theatre & Commercial Entrepreneurship
Minor:
Career Goals: I would like to take over my parents' business and eventually sell it. With the money we make I want to start a new business that creates media surrounding peoples' emotional development. Eventually I would like to write and direct my own TV sitcom.
Research_interests: Through UROP, Loriz worked in a textile lab collecting the physiological responses that a mannikin (ANDI) had to the personal protective equipment of construction workers. The purpose of the research was to see if the apparel would help reduce heat stress.
Community Involvement: Student Government, Freshman Leadership Institute, Special Olympics.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Stranger
Favorite Meal: A cheese plate from Cheese Course. I absolutely love cheese!

Senna Armstrong

Hometown: Gainesville, Florida
Major: African American Studies and Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Work for the Innocence Project
Research_interests: Studying the effects of different systems and practices on minority communities
Community Involvement: College Democrats and WIPS
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Favorite Meal: Sushi

John Askew he/him

Hometown: Draper, UT
Major: Psychology
Minor: Philosophy/Sociology
Career Goals: John's primary interest is a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Afterward, he intends to practice as a therapist.
Research_interests: John's research is focused on how social forces impact individual and communal well-being, especially in how they serve as either a risk or protective factor for mental health issues. John aided in study focused on how mode of presentation impacts perceptions of political polarization from April to September of 2023, through the Political Psychology Lab at the University of Cambridge, under Principle Investigator Dr Lee de-Wit. Additionally, he designed, performed, and analyzed qualitative content analysis of a large free-response dataset of opinions about polarization using manual coding, AI coding, and various procedures in R. He extensively collaborated with researchers at the University of Cambridge and presented conducted research. Through FSU's own Laboratory for the Study and Prevention of Suicide-Related Conditions and Behaviors, under Principle Investigator Dr. Thomas Joiner, John has worked with R to assist in performing advanced statistical techniques such as structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis to better understand the risk factors, treatment approaches, and differential impacts (based on diverse identity status) of suicide. He also conducts in-person C-SSRS suicide risk interviews and is currently being trained to administer suicide risk assessments and gather physiological data on a project assessing how clinician-patient physiological synchrony can indicate effective psychotherapy. His responsibilities also include managing IRB submission and modification process for several lab studies. He also started a self-guided Honors in the Major undergraduate thesis focused on parental correlates (in Right-wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation) of suicidal intent/internalizing disorders in diverse/LGBTQ+ individuals.
Community Involvement: ESA SEEDS (Ecology Club), Herpetology Club, Psychology Club, Swing Dancing Club, Coastal Plains Institute (monitoring the presence of amphibian species in ephemeral wetlands), United Faculty of Florida (helping to organize union membership renewal), G4 (Recycling prior to football games). 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Mismeasure of Man by Steven Jay Gould
Favorite Meal: Any seafood, or enchiladas!

Cara Axelrod

Hometown: Sunrise, Florida
Major: Psychology and Sociology
Minor: Statistics
Career Goals: Earn a Ph.D in Psychology and become a researcher & professor
Research_interests: Neuroscience, Social Psychology, Family Relationships
Community Involvement: Presenter at the 25th Annual Congress on Women's Health, Hands of Hope, Hillel
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
Favorite Meal: Eggs, Bacon, and Toast

Matthew Azuara

Hometown: Guilford, CT
Major: Meteorology
Minor:
Career Goals: Undecided, but hopefully something meteorology-related!
Research_interests: Meteorology, fire weather, climate change/greenhouse gas emissions, working with data/code.  Matthew worked on analyzing the EPA database for greenhouse gases and comparing these estimates with values produced by a satellite fire detection method produced by other members of Matthew's research team. This work also included producing visualizations for a research symposium with the possibility of them being published in the future. The team was led by Christopher Holmes, who works in FSU's Meteorology department, and Matthew will continue working with this team on the same project over the summer.
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars, Cubing Club, UROP, Unconquered by Debt, Kearney Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Sweater Weather Sudoku - Will Shortz
Favorite Meal: Garlic bread, or Suwannee's cinnamon sticks.

Patrick Ball

Hometown: Vestavia Hills, AL
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: A career in biomedical research
Research_interests: Cell biology, immunology, oncology, drug development, food and nutrition science. For UROP, I am working in a lab that is identifying the mechanisms responsible for the immune response in plants.
Community Involvement: UROP, FSU Swim Club, Alpha Chi Sigma Chemistry Fraternity
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Gentleman in Moscow
Favorite Meal: Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

Alyssa Balliett

Hometown: Lake Wales, Florida
Major: Philosophy
Minor: Psychology
Career Goals: Law
Research_interests: Sociology and Educational Theory (social behavioral trends specifically in an academic setting)
Community Involvement: church organizations, volunteering, lacrosse, and UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Tao Te Ching (Lao Tzu Edition)
Favorite Meal: Chicken Alfredo

James Banks

Hometown: Pensacola, FL
Major: Political Science
Minor: Economics
Career Goals: Corporate Lawyer, Politician
Research_interests: Political Polarization, Human Psychology, Sports
Community Involvement: UROP, Greek Life, Intramural Sports
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Favorite Meal: Medium rare steak with yellow rice and broccoli

James Barberis

Hometown: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Major: Digital Media Production
Minor:
Career Goals: Director, Writer, etc. 
Research_interests: Film, mental health
Community Involvement: Beta Theta Pi
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite Meal: Cheesecake Factory Chicken Samosas

Emma Barrett she/her

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Political Science, International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: Professor in Political Science
Research_interests: Political Behavior studies: Political polarization, mis/disinformation, political informedness and political apathy, new media.  This summer, Emma will be conducting an Honors in the Major thesis under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Ballard to study affective polarization among US citizens. Currently, Emma hopes to conduct her own survey (either through Amazon Mechanical Turk or by drawing data from sources like YouGov or the American National Election Studies) to study how the animus generated from party identification affects American's perceptions of members of the opposite party. Emma hopes to use this research as a writing sample for PhD program applications.
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars Service Board, Social Science Scholars, Honors Colloquium Leader, Engage 100 Leader, Academic Trainer (University Housing), FSU Pottery Studio,
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Favorite Meal: Dairy Queen Blizzards

Noah Bartfield

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Biomedical Physics, Statistics
Career Goals: MD-Ph.D researcher and clinician
Research_interests: Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Molecular Biology
Community Involvement: ARO VP of Finance, Biology Learning Assistant
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Future of Humanity - Michio Kaku
Favorite Meal: Lamb Chops  

Wesley Baum

Hometown: Brooksville, FL
Major: Entrepreneurship
Minor:
Career Goals: AI startup founder
Research_interests: Artificial Intelligence
Community Involvement: I go to sailing club.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Goodwill Hunting
Favorite Meal: Elk jerky

Dexter Bell

Hometown: Sanford, Florida
Major: Risk Management-Insurance & Management Information Systems
Minor: English & Business Analytics
Career Goals: Build a personal brand around innovative design, operations, and subject matter expertise.
Research_interests: Identifying and exploring a major concern towards the policy holder surplus held by the domestic, state, and national insurers within the Florida insurance market.
Community Involvement: The President's Ambassadors, Presidential Scholars Executive Board, The Office of the President, Gamma Iota Sigma, Garnet and Gold Key, FSU Consulting Group, and the Seneff Scholars program.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Favorite Meal: Channa Masala with Tofu

Rain Bellamy she/her

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Sport Management and Media/Communication Studies
Minor:
Career Goals: Entertainment Lawyer and Sports Agent
Research_interests: Language & Infrastructure
Community Involvement: The Kappa Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Class Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Garnet & Gold Key, Second Harvest of the Big Bend (sorted cans and assembled food boxes), Salvation Army (sorted donations and refilled the floor stock), Red Cross (sorted and reorganized files), Big Bend (volunteered in their annual 5k event).
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Favorite Meal: Rigatoni D

Olivia Bergeron-Oakes

Hometown: Coral Springs, Florida
Major: Biology and Psychology
Minor:
Career Goals: Genetic Counseling
Research_interests: I am interested in researching literature, psychology, and neurobiology.
Community Involvement: Peace Jam
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Favorite Meal: My homemade sweet potato gnocchi in sage butter sauce

Dillon Bezehertny

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Major: Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Work on political campaigns to some degree, run for office, write policy... something in politics.
Research_interests: Anything political
Community Involvement: Secular Student Alliance, UROP 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Favorite Meal: Chori-pollo

Elijah Bishop

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Major: Political Science and Business
Minor:
Career Goals: Corporate Lawyer and Entrepreneur
Research_interests: Political discourse, social media influence, and unemployment
Community Involvement: ARO, CSU, Boy Scouts of America
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane
Favorite Meal: My mom's meatloaf 

Kyleigh Bishop

Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience
Minor: STEM Entrepreneurship
Career Goals: My career goals are to attend medical school and eventually become a surgeon.
Research_interests: Pre-health and Social Sciences; Women’s mental health.
Community Involvement: The Torch Society, Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-med Fraternity,  Power of WE, The Alzheimer's Project, and Second Harvest.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: New Girl
Favorite Meal: Pad Thai & Sushi

Mia Biton

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Theatre and Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: To work as a performer or in government.
Research_interests: Intersectional Feminism, Gendered-Racial Socialization, Discipline Gap, Feminist Rhetoric through Music, Musicians and Race.  Through her UROP research project with mentor Brittany Barron, Mia researched the different kinds of feminist rhetoric certain female artists used to contribute to their personal definitions of feminism.
Community Involvement: Jewish Student Union, Strike Magazine, Delta Gamma, Presidential Scholars, Kearney Center, Delta Gamma and Sigma Phi Epsilon Sandwich making for the unhoused community.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Maggie Nelson's Bluets
Favorite Meal: Sushi!

Annie Blanchard she/her

Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA
Major: Criminology and Public Relations with a Political Science minor
Minor:
Career Goals:
Research_interests: Understanding injustices present in the American prison system.  Annie's UROP project was As If We Were Already Free: Unmaking the Myths of American Justice.
Community Involvement: Phi Aloha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy Student Leadership Council, Academic Recruitment Organization, Women’s Glee, University Ambassadors, Global Scholars Program
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Favorite Meal: Home cooked shrimp and grits!

Laura Blank

Hometown: Sunrise, Florida
Major: Human Resource Management and Psychology
Minor: Economics
Career Goals: Industrial-organizational psychology, or professor within the field of organizational behavior
Research_interests: My research interests include social psychology, especially pertaining to group dynamics and productivity, and industrial-organizational psychology.                
Community Involvement: Habitat for Humanity board member; Academic Recruitment Organization; Honors Delegates; University Ambassadors               
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Favorite Meal: Mac and cheese

Jack Blasbaig

Hometown: Ponte Vedra, FL
Major: Political Science
Minor: History
Career Goals: Lawyer
Research_interests: History and past sociopolitical events and their impact on current events
Community Involvement: Blitz all club, intramural volleyball, history club, chess club, sports analytics club
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The last book I read was “Bag Man”
Favorite Meal: Pasta!

Blake Bole

Hometown: Lithia, FL
Major: Finance and STEM Entrepreneurship
Minor: Applied Physics
Career Goals: Corporate/Fiscal Law
Research_interests: Electricity and Electronics.  Blake's research journey from Summer 2023 to Spring 2024 has been focused on Dye Sensitized Solar Cells, conducted through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). Under the mentorship of Professor Simon Foo at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Blake delved into this fascinating area of study. His research aimed to explore the efficiency and potential applications of dye sensitized solar cells, a promising alternative to traditional silicon-based solar cells. The research was conducted internally at FSU, providing Blake with ample resources and support from the academic community. Throughout the process, Blake found his research both enjoyable and intellectually stimulating. His findings have contributed to a deeper understanding of dye sensitized solar cells, laying a solid foundation for further advancements in the field. Looking ahead, Blake plans to dedicate his upcoming summer to writing a research paper based on his findings. This paper aims to be published, thereby disseminating the results to a wider audience and contributing to the body of knowledge in solar cell technology. Additionally, Blake intends to expand the scope of his research, exploring new avenues and potential applications of dye sensitized solar cells for a more sustainable future.
Community Involvement: Intercollegiate Varsity Debate, Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity, Interfraternity Council, Unconquered by Debt, Food for Thought Pantry, American Cancer Society.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean
Favorite Meal: Shrimp Tacos from this offroad shack in Homosassa

William Boose

Hometown: Naples, Florida
Major: History
Minor: Spanish
Career Goals: State Department or professor of history
Research_interests: My research interests include colonial Latin America, William Walker, and folklore.                
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization, Founder and President; Honors Delegates; Undergraduate History Student Association, Vice President; intramural sports: flag football, basketball, sand volleyball, kickball, dodgeball, frisbee   
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Wheel of Time series by James Oliver Rigney Jr.
Favorite Meal: Olive Garden with Insomnia Cookies for desert

Ashley Boudreaux

Hometown: Sarasota, Florida
Major: Creative Writing & Humanities Dual-Degree
Minor: French
Career Goals: Ashley is unsure what her exact career goals are, although she knows that she would like to work in the literary field. She follows the philosophy that dedicating oneself to one's passions will result in career doors opening, as long as one remains dedicated and tenacious. She plans to continue working within her field and letting a career reveal itself to her.
Research_interests: Feminist Performance Art of the 1970's, Feminist Economics.
Community Involvement: Southeast Review, Calvin's Coffee House, Presidential Scholars, Mental Health Council, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Favorite Meal: Sushi and Boba

Whitney Bouk

Hometown: Gulf Breeze, FL
Major: Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Whitney plans to go to law school after undergraduate, and hopes to start a business one day. She wants to explore the different areas of law, and has interests in intellectual property and mass tort litigation.
Research_interests: Whitney is interested in researching the various areas of law and the interconnections between law and business.  Whitney conducted research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, working under Professor Rima Nathan at the FSU College of Law on a project determining the legal needs of the low-income elderly population across Florida. The research seeks to fill a lack of recent information about the legal needs of this often underrepresented population and help determine where resources should be focused as well as if there are any barriers currently hindering the ease of access to the resources that already exist. She plans to continue this research through the summer and into the next year.
Community Involvement: Women in Business, Torch Society, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Favorite Meal: Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

Emma Brown

Hometown: Ellicott City, MD
Major: Criminology and Middle Eastern Studies
Minor: Psychology
Career Goals: Emma's career goal is to become a public defender. As a first-generation American, Emma grew up seeing how important learning other languages was and unifying people as much as possible. This fueled her passion to learn Arabic and Spanish in school. She hopes to use this in her law career, so that she can help others and be a constant source of comfort during the alienating judicial process.
Research_interests: Victimization, the private prison system, and juvenile law.  Emma conducted a research project titled "Developmental Pathways Explaining Repeat Victimization: The Influence of Delinquent Friendships." Alongside Myunghee You, she conducted a literature review to analyze victimization and how it continues later in life. This research was conducted through FSU and they concluded the research with legislature recommendations.
Community Involvement: Student Senate (as an Arts and Sciences Senator), The Torch Society, Women's Student Union, Women in Pre-Law, The Animal Society, Habitat for Humanity, women's workout group CHAARG.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Secret History by Donna Tart
Favorite Meal: The falafel wrap I order in Washington, D.C.

Aleyna Brown

Hometown: Draper, Virginia
Major: Flute Performance and Music Composition
Minor: Film Studies
Career Goals: Composer and Performer in international film orchestras; teacher of english as a foreign language    
Research_interests: My research interests include performance, pedagogy, musicology, ethnomusicology, and film scoring throughout history.  
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization Member; Flute Association; FSU Fundraising Chair        
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Favorite Meal: Smoothie

Noah Brown

Hometown: Marietta, GA
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Investment Banking
Research_interests: Physical Health and Neuroscience
Community Involvement: Yes, hurricane relief
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Revenge of the Sith
Favorite Meal: Steak

Bethany Brownrigg

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: Theatre
Minor: Art History
Career Goals: Arts administrator in the New York theatre scene; ideally specializing in casting/marketing/literary management
Research_interests: I am interested in research related to art history, theatre, and performance as a type of resistance
Community Involvement: Theatre with a Mission, Quincy Music Theatre, School of Theatre, Hall Council, Graphic Design Chair of Honors Student Association, UROP, Social Chair of Presidential Scholars
Last Book, Show, or Movie: "The House of the Spirits" by Isabel Allende
Favorite Meal: Avocado wrap; key lime pie; San Pellegrino Aranciata Rossa (or just a ton of french toast)

Christelle Bucag

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences: Pre-Clinical Professions
Minor:
Career Goals: Infectious Disease Specialist with concentration on Tropical Medicine or MD-PHD working in the public health sector
Research_interests: Chemistry, Biochemistry, Genetics, Sociology
Community Involvement: Honors Experience Program, NoleMed, Academic Recruitment Organization, Filipino Student Association, Capitill State, Indak, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Favorite Meal: Sinigang na Hipon with steamed rice

Kylie Bugbee

Hometown: Marietta, Georgia
Major: Exercise physiology
Minor: Psychology
Career Goals: Become an occupational therapist working in rehab
Research_interests: Climate change, tropical weather, marine life
Community Involvement: Student American Meteorological Society, Dance Marathon, Sorority
Last Book, Show, or Movie: To Write Love On Her Arms by Jamie Tworkowski
Favorite Meal: Grilled Cheese

Simone Burgin

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Major: International Affairs & a French/Spanish Co-Major
Minor: Math, Computer Science, and Women's Studies
Career Goals: Civil rights law focusing on criminal justice reform
Research_interests: Talibés in Senegal, colonialism and post-colonialism, abuses in the criminal justice system
Community Involvement: Amnesty International, and J Street U
Last Book, Show, or Movie: gods with a little g by Tupelo Hassman
Favorite Meal: Dolma

Travis Burhart

Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee
Major: Environment & Society, Geography
Minor: Statistics, Leadership Studies
Career Goals: Academia or curriculum development for leadership education programs
Research_interests: Outdoor education programs, leadership development and identity
Community Involvement: FSU Climbing Club, undergraduate research, University Ambassadors, Honors Delegates, Honors Colloquium Leader
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Favorite Meal: Stir fry and pizookies

Andrew Busenlener

Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Major: Voice Performance
Minor: French
Career Goals: Professor of Voice at a music university; Renowned performer in both Opera and Musical Theater.
Research_interests: Musicology, Music Therapy, Vocal Pedagogy, Education
Community Involvement: Reverb A Capella, Men's Glee Club, Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Favorite Meal: Crawfish Etouffee

Victoria Cabral

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy 
Research_interests: Human rights violations in Soviet satellite states and political tendencies in South America
Community Involvement: Dance Marathon Leader and Evolve magazine writer 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Looking for Alaska by John Green
Favorite Meal: Chips and Queso 

Charles Campbell he/him

Hometown: Winter Garden, FL
Major: Geography
Minor: Urban and Regional Planning
Career Goals: Charlie intends to pursue a Master's Degree in Geoprahic Information Science.  He is interested in a career in emergency management, mapping, natural hazard mitigation, or geospatial analysis.
Research_interests: Charlie researches development policy, failed development, and indigenous conceptions of resource extraction through the geography department.  In the summer of 2023, Charlie traveled to British Columbia, Canada, to work with Florida State University geography professor Tyler McCreary and University of Northern British Columbia professor Daniel Sims on their research project examining conceptions of wilderness and settler colonial failure in the traditional lands of the Tsek'ehne First Nation. This research is ongoing and Charlie remains on the project now. Charlie and fellow presidential scholar Emma Barrett published their second journal article together in the Southeastern Geographer. Titled Smokey Hollow: Circulations of Race and Value in Tallahassee, Florida, the work is a culmination of their UROP project research. Charlie is also pursuing an Honors Thesis titled Zombie Communities: An Exploration of Florida's Zombified Suburbs, in which he examines sense of place and failure Floridian suburban developments.
Community Involvement: Charlie has volunteered with Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity. Through this organization, he has participated in cleanups, fundraising efforts, and a wide variety of service projects targeting the community of Tallahassee.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Suburban Wild by Peter Friederici
Favorite Meal: Shiro Wot.

Estefania Cardenal

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Chief Financial Officer of a big and popular company
Research_interests: Business, Finance, Marketing, Psychology, Mental Health, Music.  The research project I was a part of this year was "Stand Up Branding: Does brand activism impact consumer attitudes and behaviors for every type of brand?" This project revolves around the question: does brand activism impact consumer attitudes and behaviors for every type of brand? Specifically, we will be studying hedonic versus utilitarian brands where hedonic brands are meant for pleasure such as Coca Cola or Maybelline where as utilitarian brands are more functional such as Bounty or Tide. You may also be curious as to what specifically brand activism is. Brand activism is when companies take a stance on a socio-political topic that aligns with their personal views. Brand activism is becoming more and more important because of society’s demands for larger and more powerful groups to speak up on current issues. This is quantitative based research and will be done, once approved by the IRB, through surveying a group of participants to identify both a hedonic and utilitarian brand that they have frequently purchased from. They are then asked about their knowledge on the part those brands play in brand activism and how their consumer behaviors might be impacted by their activism.  As mentioned, we are waiting for IRB approval for data collection, but once that is completed and we gather data, we will begin data analysis as well as begin the process of publishing this research. A gap in literature present in this subject is that it is a relatively new concept, making it difficult to use previous research as a precedent. Lastly, a way this study can be used in the future is for different brands to learn how to effectively use activism to further benefit them.
Community Involvement: UROP, FSU Women in Business, FSU Mental Health Council, Kappa Delta Sorority, Kearney Center, Unconquered By Debt, Food For Thought.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Glee
Favorite Meal: Sushi (the roll with the most ingredients on the menu) followed by Dulce De Leche ice cream

Aidan Carley he/him

Hometown: Boynton Beach, FL
Major: Biological Sciences and Sociology
Minor: Chemistry and Psychology
Career Goals: Primary Care Physician
Research_interests: Biology, Sociology, Psychology.  Aidan completed an Honors in the Major project analyzing the connections between CBD and a fatty diet on maternal behavior, alongside other health metrics. This work was conducted under supervision of Dr. Debra Fadool at FSU. Clinically relevant for a range of reasons, I hope to work closely with these issues in my future aspirations in healthcare.  He explored the connections between these two interventions as a way to better understand clinical interventions for the broader public.  Aidan's Honors Thesis was titled How Does the Interaction of Cannabidiol and an Obesogenic Environment Influence Maternal Behavior?
Community Involvement: Phi Delta Epsilon, FSU Food for Thought Pantry, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, Big Bend Hospice.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
Favorite Meal: Chicken parmesan

Henry Castellat

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: CEO of a Construction Company
Research_interests: 3D printing and AI Technology
Community Involvement: UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Kite Runner
Favorite Meal: Chicken Piccata

Sebastian Castro he/him

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: Go to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, researching energy sustainability. Following this, Sebastian's goal is to work for a national lab or in industry that aims to improve energy efficiency and practicability of new technologies.
Research_interests: Sebastian's research interests lie in energy sustainability. This includes electrochemical devices, catalysis, energy storage, and polymers for applications in sustainability.  In the Summer of 2023, Sebastian participated in Caltech's WAVE Fellows Program under Dr. Jonas Peters in the Resnick Sustainability Institute. In a collaboration with the Department of Energy's Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA), his project focused on the production of high-value chemical products made from carbon dioxide using electricity and a catalyst. He was able to find new sets of reaction conditions that make the most amount of product with the cheapest electrolyte mixture. Upon his return to Tallahassee, he began to conduct research in the Polymers for Advanced Energy Sustainability (PAES) lab under Dr. Daniel Hallinan Jr. He is leading his own project on polymer membranes for applications in seawater desalination, fuel cells, and batteries. The research can be used to model sustainable separations processes on larger scales. He will continue the project this Summer through the MagLab REU and the following academic year through Honors in the Major.
Community Involvement: Theta Tau, Student Engineering Leadership Board, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Tau Beta Pi, The Salvation Army.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: One Piece
Favorite Meal: Bandeja Paisa

Alexander Chang

Hometown: Glenridge, New Jersey
Major: Exploratory
Minor:
Career Goals: Computer Programmer
Research_interests: Soccer, Computer Programming, Mathematics, Religion
Community Involvement: Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, UROP, Honors Colloquium Leader, Academic Recruitment Organization (ARO) College Fair Chair
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Favorite Meal: Perkin's Kid Perks Rainbow Sprinkle Pancakes

Thomas Cherry

Hometown: Boynton Beach, FL
Major: Computational Science
Minor:
Career Goals: To pursue a career in which I can apply some of the most unique skills I have in the fields of math and computer science.
Research_interests: Anything in the realm of math and computer science.  Thomas participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program throughout his first year at FSU. He researched Large Language Models (LLMs), a tool in the field of artificial intelligence, supervised under Dr. Gordon Erlebacher and Dr. Nathan Crock. By performing experiments on these tools, he explored how their reasoning processes compare to those of humans.
Community Involvement: Cubing Club, Society of Undergraduate Mathematics Students, Association for Computing Machinery, Climbing Club, Kearney Center, Food for Thought Pantry, Food Recovery Network.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Lucky Scramble
Favorite Meal: Sushi

Samantha Chianese

Hometown: North Port, Florida
Major: Psychology and Creative Writing
Minor:
Career Goals: Doctorate in clinical psychology and work with anxiety, OCD, or reading disorders. I’d also love to get some poems and/or fiction published.
Research_interests: Currently researching reading disorders with a focus on screening and on making findings more accessible to parents and teachers, and I am also researching p-hacking countermeasures. For future endeavors, I would like to research anxiety disorders and OCD.
Community Involvement:  Be the Match on Campus; working for Dr. Richard Wagner, Dr. Fotena Zirps, Dr. Yaacov Petscher, and Dr. Chris Stanley at the Florida Center for Reading Research; Study Abroad in London; poetry and fiction readings at the Warehouse; Japanese Animation Club of Tallahassee; events at the ASLC; Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi; Phi Eta Sigma; Fellows lunches at the HSF building.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Musician's Secret by Litty Mathew
Favorite Meal: Dad's chicken marsala!

Diana Chirila

Hometown: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Healthcare, Cell and Molecular Biology, Model Organisms, Genomes
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars, UROP, Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Honor Society, Madhatter Knits Club, and The Alzheimer's Project.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Vanderpump Rules
Favorite Meal: Schnitzel with mashed potatoes

Kailen Christian

Hometown: Plant City, Florida
Major: Chem Engineering and Economics
Minor: Math, Chemistry, General Business, Global Citizenship Certificate
Career Goals: Kailen hopes to start out her career in pharmaceutical research and development or manufacturing, and eventually work up into a project management role.
Research_interests: Pharmaceuticals, maybe something in microeconomics, or color chemistry ( ie how do pottery glazes work, how (cellularly/ biophysically) have animals evolved to have bright colors)
Community Involvement: Freshman Leadership Institute, Student Engineering Leadership Board, Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity, National Society of Black Engineers, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend, Florida State University Student Foundation, FSAB x Camp Boggy Creek.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Infinite Powers by Steven Strogatz
Favorite Meal: Sushi

Erin Christopher

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
Major: Creative Writing
Minor: French and Film Studies
Career Goals: Attend graduate school for screenwriting. Publish a book, then eventually write for film, television, and/or video games.
Research_interests: Linguistics, Pop Culture, Modern Literature
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization, You're Not Alone (Executive Team Member), Spanish tutoring, Hall Council Floor Representative, Simple Charity (Leadership Team)
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Favorite Meal: Pizza

Anna Chumakov

Hometown: Ashland, MA
Major: Computer Science and Environmental Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Develop sustainable technology
Research_interests: Anna is currently working on a UROP Project with Dr. Yueyang Lu, investigating changes in sea levels and sea level anomaly (SLA). By gathering and analyzing satellite data and tide gauge data, Anna will work on quantifying the U.S. east coast sea level change (variability) at different time scales and identifying/understanding what physical processes impact the sea level change. Other research topics Anna is interested in include plant microbiology (which she studied at the Dangl Lab at UNC), sustainability, and reusable energy.
Community Involvement: Florida Association for Environmental Professionals (FAEP), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Women in Computer Science (WICS), Seminole Organic Garden, Environmental Service Program (ESP), Slavic Student Association (SSA)
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Book: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman; Shows: The Walking Dead and Gilmore Girls
Favorite Meal: my mom’s homemade meals + Pho

Andrew Clement

Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Major: Criminology
Minor:
Career Goals: Helping others and enjoying myself. My dream job is something in the FBI or CIA. 
Research_interests: Criminology/Psychology
Community Involvement:
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Favorite Meal: Chicken Fried Rice

Joseph Cofer he/him

Hometown: Ormond Beach, FL
Major: Finance, Marketing, Management Information Systems
Minor:
Career Goals: Joseph is pursuing triple Bachelor's Degrees in Finance, Marketing, and Management Information Systems. After founding a successful business at eleven years old, his interest in business strategy grew steadfast with a desire to understand the branding and financial operations of global firms. A recipient of the James M. Seneff Business Honors award, Joseph values mentorship of prominent industry leaders and continues to partake in experiential learning - such as an internship with the Secretary of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. Joseph values multifarious experience to advance financial analysis, predictive modeling, strategic consulting, and empathetic leadership skills - to explore global finance strategy and the international implications of firms in varying cultures.
Research_interests: I'm interested in international affairs and economics with a research interest on how developed countries can influence the economies of developing nations, and what effects this can have on populations.
Community Involvement: 75th Student Senate, 76th Student Senate, James M. Seneff Honors Scholars, The Torch Society, Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity, Inc., The FSU Consulting Group, College of Business Student Leadership Council, The Student Foundation, Garnet & Gold Key Leadership Honorary, Omicron Delta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The White Lotus
Favorite Meal: Ossu Bucco.

Shayna Cohen

Hometown: Coral Springs, Florida
Major: Criminology and Economics
Minor: English
Career Goals: Either join the FBI as a financial analyst or attend law school to study either criminal or international law
Research_interests: Comic books, LGBTQ+ rights, womens' literature,
Community Involvement: FSU Quizbowl, Regional Hall Council Conferences
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale: A Memoir By: Rachel Lloyd
Favorite Meal: French toast with strawberries, steak, and scrambled eggs

Syd Cole she/they

Hometown: Elkhorn, NE
Major: English and Sociology
Minor:
Career Goals: Not entirely sure.  Something in humanitarianism.
Research_interests: Environmentalism.  Syd works in the Center for Biological Diversity, so she is consistently doing research.  Her UROP project was on The Open Call Podcast.  She also wrote a Master's Thesis titled Women, Climate, Action: An Intersectional Analysis of Women's Agency in Climate Policy.
Community Involvement: FSU Athletics, Presidential Scholars Service Board, Seminole Organic Garden.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Favorite Meal: Sarma with Poğaça

Siera Condon

Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
Major: Music Therapy
Minor: Psychology and French
Career Goals: Music therapist in a hospital's NICU
Research_interests: My research interests include music therapy applications, neuroscience, and developmental disorders.                
Community Involvement: Sigma Alpha Iota; Board of Advisors for the College of Music; Alpha Mu Music Therapy Organization                
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo
Favorite Meal: Chicken tikka masala and Darjeeling tea

Ronan Connell

Hometown: Rowayton, CT
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Front office of an NFL franchise
Research_interests: Professional and collegiate football
Community Involvement: Social golf club, presidential scholars
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Thrawn and War Dogs
Favorite Meal: Enchiladas

Elianna Cooper

Hometown: Melbourne, Florida
Major: English Literature
Minor:
Career Goals: Lawyer specializing in international law and human rights
Research_interests: My research interests include topics surrounding literature and social justice issues, such as women's rights.
Community Involvement: Residential Conduct Board, Honors Legal Scholars, You're Not Alone (YNA), JStreet U
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Favorite Meal: Seared tuna and vegetables

Robert Cotter

Hometown: Tarpon Springs, Florida
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Research_interests: Alzheimer's Disease, neuronal death, neuropathology
Community Involvement: Owner and CEO of Nole Limits Tutoring, Garnet and Gold Key Member, and Pledge Class President and Dance Marathon Delegate of Theta Chi Fraternity
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Harold and the Purple Crayon
Favorite Meal: Suwannee Room goodness

Rian Covington he/him

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Entrepreneurship
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Cell/molecular biology. Cancer/disease research and access to healthcare for minorities.  Worked with Dr. Chelko on heart lab research studies.
Community Involvement: FSU Swimming & Diving, Phi Delta Epsilon, Food for Thought Pantry.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Outlier by Malcom Gladwell
Favorite Meal: Seafood boil

Kylie Cowley

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Majoring in finance, she hopes to take the next three years to explore different aspects of the business and financial world to find something that she is passionate about.
Research_interests: Feminist theory, music, and gender disparity.  Kylie worked with the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program and signed onto a project, along with another student, studying feminist themes within the Billboard Top 10 Female Artists of 2023 newest albums with PhD student Ashley Johns. Initially, a literature review was written, discussing preexisting research on feminism within the music industry and the gaps that are left to fill. The results found that the majority of studies were conducted predominantly on Rap and R&B music, with an emphasis on derogatory language use. Common themes of sexualization, degradation, and drug use were found among these genres. For the purpose of this project, this research is meant to expand upon these preexisting findings as well as explore other genres and even other languages to see if there are any overlapping themes.
Community Involvement: Kylie was heavily involved in the Cuban American Student Association (CASA), where she got to participate in the Cafecito and Espumita Mentorship Program. Within this program, she was paired with a mentor who was 2 years older than her and had similar interests and career goals. Throughout the semester, Kylie's mentor guided and encouraged her to get involved on campus in any way that she could and to take as many risks as possible. Kylie's mentor also assisted her in developing in her professional skills by editing her resume and taking headshots of her. All throughout this process, there was an emphasis on promoting Cuban culture and using that to connect with other students within the mentorship program and around campus as well. Kylie is very grateful for this program for allowing her the space to form relationships with people of her same cultural background and make the difficult transition from high school to college a little less intimidating. She also volunteered for the Kearney Center and FSU's Unconquered By Debt program.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Interstellar
Favorite Meal: Butter Chicken with Garlic Naan

Nicole Croom she/they

Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Major: Retail Entrepreneurship
Minor:
Career Goals: Fashion design and/or linguistics
Research_interests: Language (linguistics) and development of 3D objects
Community Involvement: Food packing and delivery for the sick and elderly, social/civic action campaigns, animal care, etc.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The instruction guide for building a shelving unit in my dorm room
Favorite Meal: A breakfast of turkey bacon, roti, white peaches, and persimmons.

Thomas Crowley

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Investment Banking
Research_interests: Finance and Healthcare
Community Involvement: I have been an active member of the securities society organization on campus, created community sport events to support startup 'KOMP', Greek Life (Light The Night blood cancer fundraiser), volunteer work at campus food pantry, and Torch Night recipiant
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Movie: The Godfather
Favorite Meal: Cheeseburger & fries

Michael Csernecky

Hometown: Theills, New York
Major: Exercise Physiology
Minor:
Career Goals: A doctor treating sports or overuse injuries 
Research_interests: Psychology, Nutrition, Health, Sports Injuries
Community Involvement: Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Where the Red Fern Grows By Wilson Rawls
Favorite Meal: Buffalo Chicken Bacon ranch pizza

Olivia Csernecky she/her

Hometown: Thiells, NY
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience
Minor: Chemistry and Psychology
Career Goals: Olivia's goal is to work in the healthcare field as a doctor. She is taking a gap year working as a medical assistant and she is applying to medical school this cycle.
Research_interests: Research on drug addiction, cancer, the brain, etc.  Olivia's UROP project was on Chemogenetic manipulation of nucleus accumbens medium spiny neurons in ketamine reinstatement. Olivia also participates in research as a research assistant in Dr. Dewan's lab at FSU. They study the olfactory system which is the system that controls how we smell. They are studying how the parts of the brain encode different scents and the mechanisms behind it in the brain. There is not a lot known about how we smell or why people smell different scents. Dr. Dewan's is one of the labs at the forefront studying these mechanisms to better understand not only the olfactory system but the overall brain.
Community Involvement: Best Buddies, Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Fraternity, Volunteer for Big Bend Hospice, Unconquered by Debt, Presidential Scholars Outreach Board, Research Assistant of Dr. Dewan Lab.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: New Girl
Favorite Meal: Chicken Parmigiana and Penne alla Vodka.

Ashby Culpepper

Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
Major: Biochemistry (pre-dental)
Minor:
Career Goals: Dentist
Research_interests: Biology (mainly enzymes and field-work)
Community Involvement: Student Government, Basketball, Best Buddies, Unconquered by Debt,
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Forest Gump
Favorite Meal: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Zionne Cummings

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Media-Communications
Minor:
Career Goals: Creative Director, Radio Broadcasting, News Reporting
Research_interests: Firearms and Frustration: Exploring the Intersection of Involuntary Celibacy and Weapon Access
Community Involvement: Stitch, Offbeat Mag, Club Down Under, Seminole Productions
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Bodies Bodies Bodies
Favorite Meal: Cheese Patty and Coco Bread

Tafari D'Aguilar

Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: STEM Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Aerodynamics Certification
Career Goals: Aerospace Engineer/Researcher & Entrepreneur
Research_interests: Flash Graphene, Zero Emission Aircraft.  STEM Outreach Through Scaled Physical Depiction of Construction Power Line Safety Through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. This project is the creation of a display designed to showcase electricity's ability to arc towards a surface. To accomplish this, we need to make the display simultaneously entertaining and informative. The display's goal is to demonstrate the need for the safety zone that excavators and other vehicles with vertical components abide by when in close proximity to power lines. Therefore, we intend to create a diorama of a street-side construction project. This will involve an excavator which is in close proximity to a power line. The excavator will be remote controlled so that it can be operated from outside the diorama. We will raise the scooping arm up into and through the safety zone that designates how far a worker should keep machinery from a live power line to showcase the arcing electricity effect. Once complete, this display will be used to both garner interest in the research project as well as warn of the potential dangers of electricity, since you don't have to be in contact with a live wire for it to shock you.
Community Involvement: Progressive Black Man, Inc., Theta Tau Engineering Fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, CARE Royalty, Unconquered Scholars, Seminole Innovators, Kearney Center, UROP, CAPS, Theta Tau, Diamond in a Rock Foundation, St. Jude.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Hunter x Hunter
Favorite Meal: Egusi soup and Fufu

Gabriel d'Esterhazy

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Computer Engineering
Minor: Neuroscience
Career Goals: To research and develop a generation of cybernetic technology such as neural prosthetics and cognitively assisted robotics.
Research_interests: Robotics, neuroscience, and anything related to electrical or computer engineering.  I worked with Dr. Cheetham in the FSU-FAMU center for advanced power systems to work on a scale diorama that depicted construction near a power line in order to test the safety protocols that construction crews typically operate under.
Community Involvement: Mental health council, Scuba club, Film Club, Unconquered by Debt, The Kearney Center, Food for Thought Pantry.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Fisherman, John Langan
Favorite Meal: The grilled chese burrito from Taco Bell.

Emily Dailey

Hometown: Rockport, Massachusetts
Major: Environmental Science
Minor: Psychology & Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Studies
Career Goals: I'd like to work as an outdoor educator, either as an oceanographer or as a professional mariner.
Research_interests: Marine Debris and Ocean Plastics, Carbonate Chemistry and Interannual Variability in the South Pacific, Pro-Environmental Behavior and Social Norms
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars Executive Board, Honors in the Major, Global Scholars, Honors Peer Mentors, Honors Legal Scholars, Sea Education Association Alumna S278, FSU Rowing Club
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Into the Raging Sea by Rachel Slade
Favorite Meal:  Dunks iced coffee in a reusable cup - hold the straw.

Carson Dale

Hometown: Columbia, Missouri
Major: International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: Public policy for an environmental law firm or nuclear energy company.
Research_interests: Constitutional Law.  University of Missouri Constitutional Law Research on Libel Law in America with Professor John Wright during the Summer of 2023.
Community Involvement: ForwardFSU, Student Foundation, Student Government Association Executive Branch, Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity, Social Science Scholars Program, Honors Legal Scholars Program.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Shogun
Favorite Meal: Peanut Pad Thai

Teagan Danilowicz

Hometown: Boca Raton, Florida
Major: International Affairs and Public Relations
Minor: Sociology
Career Goals: I hope travel the world while working
Research_interests: Languages, cultures, and human rights
Community Involvement: March for Our Lives
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton
Favorite Meal: Rainbow Roll (Sushi)

Erica Darcy

Hometown: South Daytona, Florida
Major: Studio Art
Minor: Anthropology
Career Goals: Still not 100% sure, but have been looking into museum work as a future career!
Research_interests: Visual anthropology; how art represents history.
Community Involvement: Throughout the past year, Erica has been most involved with FSU's Film Committee at the ASLC. This organization is devoted to running the movies that run weekly in the theater, alongside deciding which movies will play. Twice a week, the committee holds meetings where students can attend - here, they are able to debate and vote on titles that may fit certain themes best.  Erica has also volunteered for Garnet and Gold Goes Green, where she collected recyclables throughout home basketball games, and cleaned up any recyclables left behind in the stands once the game ended, and Unconquered By Debt, where she tabled for the organization, handed out flyers to students, advocated for workshop attendance, and attended workshop.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Favorite Meal: BBQ Mac n Cheese

Emma Davis

Hometown: Macclenny, Florida
Major: History
Minor: Museum Studies and Public Administration
Career Goals: Work at a local museum or nonprofit organization and later publish my historical fiction novel(s)
Research_interests: Anything to do with 20th century American history. I'm especially interested in World War II through the Vietnam War era and women's military service during this time
Community Involvement: The Institute on World War II and the Human Experience, Chi Alpha, Students for Life, and University Housing (Academic Trainers)
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows
Favorite Meal: My mom's meatloaf with sautéed Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes 

Taylor Davis

Hometown: Navarre, Florida
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: To help people, particularly with environmental causes or the needs of developing countries
Research_interests: My research interests include sustainability and appropriate technology.                
Community Involvement: Wesley Foundation; EcoReps; Tau Beta Pi Honor Society            
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite Meal: 4 Rivers BBQ

Jackson De Jesus

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Biology and Finance
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Equity Research
Research_interests: Likability of a city through municipality bonds.  Research reconnected was looking at liability city through this patty bonds. As where we collected the various data points that could affect an individual decision and which ones affected the municipal bars of that region.
Community Involvement: Securities Society, PEVC club, pickleball club, The Kearney Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Great Alone
Favorite Meal: Mofongo con Churrasco

Jordyn Dees she/her

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Editing, Writing, and Media & Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Minor:
Career Goals: Museum curator, journalist, author, or other writing-related fields.
Research_interests: Women of color in literature and film, perspectives of historical narratives, the interdisciplinary nature of social studies, and more!  Jordyn's UROP project was The Empire of American Science: Photographic Narratives and Visual Evidence.
Community Involvement: Honors Experience Program, Academic Recruitment Organization, Her Campus, University Ambassadors.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Favorite Meal: Jerk chicken with rice and peas.

Sophia Deitrich

Hometown: Colts Neck, NJ
Major: Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences: Biomedical Sciences
Minor:
Career Goals: Trauma Surgeon
Research_interests: Mental Disorders and Emergency medicine.  Sophia undertook a rigorous meta-analysis research project this year, delving into the intricate relationship between spatial navigation and Parkinson's Disease. She meticulously reviewed numerous articles, deciphering trends and patterns amidst the scientific discourse. Her dedication showed valuable insights into how spatial navigation is impacted by Parkinson's. At the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Symposium, Soph presented her findings to other researchers and professors. Her presentation not only showcased her hard work but also sparked meaningful discussions among peers and mentors alike. Currently, Soph is crafting a comprehensive research paper, synthesizing her findings.
Community Involvement: Medical Response Unit Crew Chief, Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-medical Fraternity, Hispanic Latinx Student Union, The Kearney Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: One Day at a Time
Favorite Meal: Sub Sandwiches

Alexander DeLise

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Applied and Computational Mathematics
Minor: Interdisciplinary Sciences
Career Goals: I aspire to pursue a career in industry as an Operations Research Analyst, utilizing mathematical and analytical techniques to solve complex problems, optimize decision-making processes, and recommend efficient strategies for improving operations and achieving organizational goals.
Research_interests: Industrial Engineering and Operations Research through mathematical modeling, specifically linear programming. In his first year, Alexander participated in the Undergraduate Research Program at FSU to perform research at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He worked with his mentor Seyedreza Abazari, and the overseeing professor Dr. Arda Vanli on the research project Cost-Effective Location Allocation for COVID-19 Patient Assignment in Florida: A Data-Driven Approach. This research presents a mathematical model to decide the best location for healthcare facilities in Florida to minimize demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The model proposes a hybrid approach to minimize the cost of establishing the healthcare facilities at the candidate locations and the cost of travel to the healthcare facilities. To estimate the demand for healthcare facilities, the study incorporates hospital data from all 67 counties of Florida. Budgetary constraints ensure that the optimal solution does not exceed a threshold of money spent to establish the healthcare facilities, and travel constraints ensure that demand does not exceed a threshold for money spent to travel to the candidate locations.  The implications of this research include the potential to enhance healthcare resource allocation and accessibility during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic through strategic placement of facilities based on demand and cost considerations.
Community Involvement: Pi Mu Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society and Fraternity, Club Pickleball, and Club Bowling, Unconquered By Debt, FSU Department of Mathematics Math Fun Day, Kearney Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Favorite Meal: Ice Cream

Alex den Boggende

Hometown: Bradenton, FL
Major: Industrial Engineering
Minor: Entrepreneurship
Career Goals: Owner-Operator of an Industrial Engineering Firm
Research_interests: Woven carbon fiber and carbon nanotube (CNT) materials testing at the High-Performance Materials Institute in Innovation Park at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The end goal is to make a material to be used as an outer shell on spacecrafts which can more adequately handle the fast-moving particles of dust found in the atmosphere of the Moon, Mars, and other planets NASA is interested in exploring.
Community Involvement: Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), Seminole Striders, Food for Thought Pantry, FSU Volleyball enthusiast
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Smokey and the Bandit
Favorite Meal: A good smash burger and a Suwannee Room ice cream sandwich

Taegan Dennis

Hometown: Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Major: Anthropology, International Affairs, Spanish
Minor: Religion
Career Goals: Creating multimedia ethnography; applied anthropology
Research_interests: Visual anthropology; nationalism, migration, citizenship; US-Latin America relations and migration; urban anthropology
Community Involvement: Peace Jam, Amnesty International; Office of Digital Research and Scholarship
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
Favorite Meal: Probably tacos

Angelique Deville

Hometown: Prairieville, LA
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Discovering more about the medical field, whether through hands-on studies of cells or through developing technology to help healthcare treatment.  Angelique has been working in the eHealth Lab with Dr. Zhe He and Dr. Balu Bhasuran on evaluating large language models (LLMs) for accurate lab test question interpretation. She helped develop reference ranges for the LLMs to determine normal lab test results, annotated case studies, developed prompts based on the annotations, prompted multiple LLMs for differential diagnoses based on the provided information, recorded their responses, evaluated the diagnoses of the LLMs for correctness, and discovered how the LLMs use each of the provided lab test information to develop their diagnoses. Her team earned a $1 million grant to fund their future research, in which they aim to develop their own medical-based LLM to help those with lower health literacy, especially the elderly, understand their lab test results and diagnoses.
Community Involvement: Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society, Alpha Epsilon Delta, Filipino Student Association, Asian American Student Union, Cajun Navy Ground Force, FSU Biology Department, Who We Play For, FSU Office Accessibility Services, FSU Garnet and Gold Goes Green, Stavros Center, Habitat for Humanity, Apalachicola Riverkeeper, Kearney Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Blue Giant
Favorite Meal: Lechon and white rice.

William Dhana

Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician-Scientist
Research_interests: Oncology, cancer biology, cell and molecular biology.  At Johns Hopkins University's Whiting School of Engineering, Will worked with Professors Denis Wirtz and Ashley Kiemen under Lucie Dequiedt as a preceptor for a study on pancreatic cancer (PDAC) detection. Using a novel CNN, the team worked to uncover correlations between current methods and AI to detect pancreatic cancer lesions.  At FSU's own National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Will worked with Dr. Amrit Venkatesh to create deliverables and run NMR spectroscopic tests on solar cells and organic compounds.  At the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD, Will worked with Dr. Michael Gottesman and Preceptor Dr. Robert Robey in the Laboratory of Cell Biology of the NIH to research methods of drug delivery and fighting drug resistance among cancers.
Community Involvement: Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering, Academic Recruitment Organization, The Torch Society, The Student Council for Undergraduate Research and Creativity, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Medical Response Unit, FSU Snow.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Parasite (2019)
Favorite Meal: Bulgogi Tofu

Adriana Diaz

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Film
Minor:
Career Goals: I aim to be a film director, using cinema as a medium for political and social commentary.  I also aim to create a philanthropy centered on disability depictions in film.
Research_interests: I conducted research on Russian Director Alexander Sokurov. I studied his influence on the films of Raoul Peck. I cross-examined the themes of each director's respective films. I conducted research through UROP under the mentorship of Lisa Wakamiya. It was done through FSU. With Wakamiya, I will be constructing a video essay in the summer that analyzes my research more critically. I also aim to study climate gentrification in Miami.
Community Involvement: Aquila Entertainment, HLSU, Lambda Theta Alpha, After They Arrive, Food Pantry, FSU Animal Society, Unconquered by Debt
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Educated by Tara Westover
Favorite Meal: Steak and mashed potatoes

Fiona Dininger

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: Biochemistry
Minor:
Career Goals: Cancer Researcher
Research_interests: Health and Human Wellness.  As a research assistant at the Hickner Lab, Fiona has continued her investigation into the Impact of Resistance Training on Fat Modulation of Post-Menopausal Obese Women. Under Dr. Robert Hickner and Dr. Mostafa Ali, Fiona has assisted in gathering data and conducting a trial aiming to see if endurance training is an effective method of preventing diabetes through improving the metabolic flexibility of the participants. Through the use of fat biopsies, microdialysis, and more, this research project will be able to determine if participants have become better at switching between burning carbs and burning fat, a key preventor of developing diabetes. Fiona has assisted in performing microdialysis, laboratory prep work, teaching new lab assistants, fat biopsies, analyzing samples, training participants, analyzing data, and analyzing samples. This research was done internally at FSU and is still being conducted to determine the impacts. Fiona will continue with this research project in the coming years.
Community Involvement: Fiona was involved in many organizations this year including Alpha Chi Sigma Professional Chemistry Fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi Honors Fraternity, UROP Leader Training, and research in the Hickner Lab.  She also volunteered in the post-operative care ward at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, and assisted patients with basis tasks to aid in their recovery such as getting them water and helping them change.  In addition, she volunteered as a study group leader for organic chemistry 2 and helped answer questions and prepare students for their exams. Finally, she worked shifts tabling and at marketing minutes to help increase the financial literacy of FSU students and make them aware of the different opportunities on campus for Unconquered By Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Masters of the Air
Favorite Meal: Baked Potatoes.

Jessica Dixon

Hometown: Melbourne, Florida
Major: Cell and Molecular Neuroscience and Statistics
Minor:
Career Goals: Neuro-Lawyer or Neuroscience Researcher/Professor
Research_interests: Neuroscience, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Statistical Modeling
Community Involvement: Honors Experience Program Visiting Speakers Committee, Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Favorite Meal: Latkes

Alayja Dodd

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Criminology
Minor:
Career Goals: My goal is to be either a Forensic Psychologist or a Lawyer, ultimately either way I want to be apart of courtroom trial preparations.
Research_interests: I'm currently doing my UROP project on FBI Surveillance of Abortion Clinics in the 90s. I enjoy researching the historical backgrounds of current political issues, as I believe it provides insights to possible solutions.
Community Involvement: I have been volunteering with People Power of Florida to register students to vote. When my schedule lightens up, I'm planning on getting more involved with Surge, Fencing Club and Presidential Scholar Service Board.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Book: All Quiet on the Western Front. Movie: Death Becomes Her
Favorite Meal: Spicy Shrimp tacos and fries

Tyler Doherty

Hometown: Windermere, FL
Major: Marketing
Minor:
Career Goals: Behavioral analytics in the marketing field or something involving sports marketing.
Research_interests: Social psychology, behavior, marketing and advertising, sociology, societal patterns, social media.  Tyler participated in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program at FSU and was part of a research project under the mentorship of Dr. Vanessa Dennen. The project, titled "Social Media and Emotions", strived to observe how young adults feel about social media, especially relating to their time use. Serving as an undergraduate research assistant, Tyler helped the team sort through surveys and look for trends relating to social media platforms, uses, and feelings relating to time use. The team found that most people have negative feelings relating to their time use on TikTok, but had neutral or positive feelings when it came to platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit, etc.
Community Involvement: Best Buddies, TMIC, MHC, FSU's Food Pantry, Unconquered by Debt, Kearney Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Book: In the Dream House // Movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel // Show: Black Mirror
Favorite Meal: My mom's shrimp alfredo.

LJ Dunphy

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Meteorology and Computational Science
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Create computer models for forecasting hurricanes
Research_interests: Anything related to computer modeling in meteorology, and anything relating to tropical cyclones
Community Involvement: DevLUp, Stringin' It! Orchestra, American Meteorological Society, Catholic Student Union
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Jet Lag: The Game
Favorite Meal: Risotto

Elyse Duplantier

Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Major: Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician Assistant
Research_interests: Biology, psychology, neuroscience, anatomy
Community Involvement: Nu Rho Sci
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Favorite Meal: Margherita pizza

Julia Earnest she/her

Hometown: Jupiter, FL
Major: Exercise Physiology
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Genetics & Nutrition
Community Involvement: FSU Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), Sergeant Ernest I. Boots" Thomas VA Clinic", TMH Neurology/Neurosurgery & Outpatient Neurology Rehab Volunteer.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Wellness by Nathan Hill
Favorite Meal: Cozy Chili

Isabella Eaton she/her

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Biological Sciences and Public Health
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Bella has a career goal of being a pediatrician working for a charity that serves underprivileged health communities.
Research_interests: Studying how immunodeficiency's are treated in third world countries
Community Involvement: Disabled Student Union, ENDOverdose at FSU, Make Medicine Human, Tri-Alpha Honors Society, Level Dance Company, FSU Food for Thought Pantry, Unconquered By Debt, The Kearney Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Favorite Meal: Thai Spring Rolls

Carina Edwards

Hometown: Broward County, FL
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor:
Career Goals: Surgeon
Research_interests: History and Health
Community Involvement: International Mission Trips and Feeding the Homeless
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Great Gatsby
Favorite Meal: Chipotle

Ross Ellis

Hometown: Nazareth, PA
Major: Cyber-Criminology
Minor: Law and Philosophy
Career Goals: Law School, with hopes of joining a field of cyber and artificial intelligence crime.
Research_interests: Artificial Intelligence research, Business Analytics.  Through UROP, Ross was able to, through presidential scholars, participate in research by acting as research assistants to current and ongoing projects. After a series of interviews and trials, students like Ross were accepted into a research project on which they then worked the whole day. Ross is hoping to continue with the research.
Community Involvement: Sigma Chi Fraternity, Bicycle House Tallahassee, Food for Thought Pantry, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Gentlemen
Favorite Meal: A classic Mexican Burrito

Jack Engelhard

Hometown: Saint Louis, MO
Major: Sports Management
Minor: Maybe marketing not sure if I want a minor yet.
Career Goals: Become a sports agent.
Research_interests: Marketing
Community Involvement: Looking to join several communities including SMSA, AMA, and PAD
Last Book, Show, or Movie: How I met your mother
Favorite Meal: Steak Dinner

Mae Espinosa

Hometown: Miami Lakes, Florida
Major: Political Science, International Affairs, English
Minor: French, Communications
Career Goals: Lawyer  
Research_interests: Western European medieval literature; my thesis focuses on The Canterbury Tales and The Decameron
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholar Executive Board Cohort Representative
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Atonement by Ian McEwan
Favorite Meal: Grandma's rice and black beans

Sean Faletti he/him

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Creative Writing and Human Rights & Social Justice
Minor: Social Entrepreneurship and Art History
Career Goals: Writer, Musician, Bartender, or Professor (in no particular order).
Research_interests: Literature, Asian American culture.  Sean will be beginning a hybrid creative/analytical project on the Asian American kunstlerroman under the direction of Barbara Hamby for his Honors in the Major Thesis. This project explores the coming-of-age of the Asian American creative, and he will be interviewing Asian American artists and writing poems inspired by each interview. Sean will also conduct a literature review of Asian American artists' coming-of-age narratives to understand the intersections of the cultural and artistic identity.
Community Involvement: Asian American Student Union, South Asian Student Association, Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity, Inc., Student Government Association, Order of Omega, Garnet and Gold Key, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), Unconquered by Debt, North Florida Wildlife Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Favorite Meal: Lasagna or Palak Paneer.

Marina Farulla

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Political Science and Psychology
Minor: Law and Philosophy
Career Goals: After completing my undergraduate studies, I plan to attend law school where I will be studying either constiutional or criminal law. I aspire to build a career in the legal and judiciary sectors of government. Ultimately, I hope to work as a judge, potentially rising to be a justice of a(or the) supreme court or Attorney General, where I can play a significant role to the shaping and enforcement of the law at the highest levels for the betterment of our society.
Research_interests: My research interests include law, education, and social equity, with a particular focus on how resource availability affects students beginning in elementary school. I am also very intrigued by gender dynamics and differences in political engagement and behavior. Through UROP, I am currently working with Dr. Jennifer Copp and Maria Diaz Mize on Criminal Justice research that is investigating violations of due process in several counties in North Florida.
Community Involvement: I am currently involved in the Cuban American Student Association, Women in Government, Hispanic/Latin Student Union, Legal Student Services, International English Honor Society, and the Legislative Certification Program.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Movie: Just Friends, Book: Love Unwritten, Show: Gilmore Girls
Favorite Meal: Rice/mashed potatoes with picadillo(ground beef)

Javier Fernandez

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Pre-Media/Communication Studies
Minor:
Career Goals: Real Estate developer or broadcasting
Research_interests: Real Estate or sports. I would like to research real estate development and what makes a property profitable, while being at a fair price for the community. I'm also doing research on sports gambling and how the apps are designed to be addictive to users.
Community Involvement: UROP, Seminole Productions, KOMP sports, Real Estate Society, Intramural Sports
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Good Will Hunting
Favorite Meal: Steak

Mia Ferris

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Marketing
Minor:
Career Goals: Going to law school to become and attorney, or work in digital marketing for a firm.
Research_interests: What incentivizes people to actively perform and engage in research. My UROP project will help FSU's research facilities facilitate their projects more efficiently and effectively.
Community Involvement: ForwardFSU, UROP, Greek Life - Phi Mu Sorority
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Babel: Written by RF Kuang
Favorite Meal: Korean BBK

Eryn Files

Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
Major: International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: Human Rights Advocacy, Law Firm Partner
Research_interests: Prison Reform/Recidivism, Children’s Rights/Education Access, Cultural Studies. I am currently working with the OMNI Institute, an organization dedicated to cultural research and tolerance awareness, to launch their Soul Clap publication. This year’s inaugural edition explores the theme of Black Joy and Nature, featuring literature reviews and interviews of older Black community members in foreign nations.
Community Involvement: FSU Involvement - Presidential Scholars, CARE QUEST Scholars, Honors Legal Scholars, After They Arrive (Refugee Settlement Group), OMNI Institute Social Media Developer, Intervarsity Black Campus Ministries, NAACP Member, Corazón Latin Dance Class, Engage TLH Volunteer; Community Involvement - LDM Church Youth Ministry Leader, FECA Youth State Representative
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Favorite Meal: My Mom's Pineapple Chicken and Coconut Red Beans and Rice

Carson Flowers

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Major: Exploratory
Minor:
Career Goals: Enter a career I enjoy
Research_interests: Business
Community Involvement: Beta Theta Pi 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Favorite Meal: A Chipotle Bowl

Jack Folwell he/him

Hometown: St. Augustine, FL
Major: Physical Science & Political Science
Minor: Math & Economics
Career Goals: Work in science policy
Research_interests: Public erosion of trust in scientists and other experts.
Community Involvement: Student Government Association, Garnet & Gold Key Leadership Honorary, Phi Beta Kappa, Delta Sigma Phi, Honors Student Association, Society of Physics Students, National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Unconquered by Debt, Relay for Life.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old
Favorite Meal: Macaroni

Taylor Foor

Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama
Major: Applied Math and Actuarial Science
Minor: Meteorology and Business
Career Goals: Actuary or other business profession
Research_interests: I am researching data sources for use in HWind Scientific's hurricane analyses.                 
Community Involvement: UROP Colloquium leader, Academic Recruitment Organization, Future Seminole Actuaries, Garnet and Gold Scholar Society
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
Favorite Meal: My mom's homemade enchiladas. 

Christianna Ford

Hometown: Albany, GA
Major: Public Relations and Marketing
Minor: Spanish
Career Goals: Creative Director or run my own marketing firm
Research_interests: Social Media, Healthcare, and Marketing.  Christianna had the chance to be included in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) during the 2023-2024 academic year under Dr. Marcos Vasconcelos, a Computation Engineering Professor at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The research was about the effect of social media algorithms and recommender systems on consumer private preferences.
Community Involvement: Division of Undergraduate Studies Student Leadership Council, Freshman Leadership Institute, CHAARG, BSU
Last Book, Show, or Movie: 27 Dresses
Favorite Meal: Shrimp Alfredo

Maddox Fox

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: FInance
Minor:
Career Goals: I plan to pursue a joint JD/MBA degree.
Research_interests: My UROP project is Reading and Feeling in Japanese Literature and dives into Japanese cultural themes presented in works that have been translated into English.
Community Involvement: Yes, I am a member of the Catholic Student Union and a peer buddy at Best Buddies.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The last book I read was Make Your Bed by William McRaven and the last movie I watched was Now You See Me.
Favorite Meal: Chicken Parm

Sarah Foy

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Major: Social Science Education
Minor: Masters in Curriculum and Instruction
Career Goals: I aim to be a passionate educator with the ability to bring positive, sustainable change to the leadership and administrative side of education within the United States.
Research_interests: Education, Data-driven instruction, Curriculum, Education Policy, Education Demographics.
Community Involvement: N2UPF Higher Education Leadership Program, Delta Zeta Sorority, FSU Fraternity and Sorority Life, FSU Student Government Association, FSU University Ambassadors, FSU Light the Night.  I also worked with Neighborly in Tallahassee a bit throughout this semester. Every Tuesday morning, they have a group called the Breakfast Brigade that goes out to labor pools in Tallahassee and feeds breakfast to those who may otherwise miss out on free meal programs.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The UnXplained
Favorite Meal: The Suwannee Room!

David Frazier

Hometown: Apollo Beach, FL
Major: Political Science
Minor: Music
Career Goals: After completing law school, David Frazier aims to serve as a Judge Advocate General in the Navy. Following his military service, he aspires to become a judge, ultimately working toward his long-term ambition of serving as a Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
Research_interests: David is passionate about legal research, particularly in exploring complex legal questions and driving meaningful change through his work. His current undergraduate research project, titled Examining Hope as a Moderator Between Racial Microaggressions and Anxiety, investigates the role of hope as a moderator in mitigating the psychological impact of racial microaggressions on anxiety. This project combines his interests in social justice and mental health, and he aims to apply the insights gained to his future legal career, where he hopes to address systemic issues and promote equity through legal reforms.
Community Involvement: Marching Chiefs Big 8 Drumline, Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, Baptist Collegiate Ministry
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Unbroken
Favorite Meal: Chick-fil-A lol

Amelie Galbraith

Hometown: Jupiter, FL
Major: Creative Writing and Media Communication Studies
Minor:
Career Goals: To work in journalism or publishing and become an author
Research_interests: Anything furthering the field of Special Education, researching chromosomal abnormalities, or surrounding disability advocacy
Community Involvement: Club Downunder Public Relations Intern, Presidential Scholars, UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Nobody Wants This
Favorite Meal: Roast beef with all the trimmings!

Anarelis Galvez Marquez

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Philosophy and Political Science Double Major
Minor:
Career Goals: Attorney
Research_interests: Media and Culture
Community Involvement: I’ve joined Mock Trial as a witness and HER Campus as a Staff Writer, and I was also selected as a Torch Knight Recipient
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The last show I watched was The Haunting of Hill House
Favorite Meal: A Pan-seared Pork Filet on a bed of white rice

Giovanna Garcia

Hometown: Miami, Florida
Major: International Affairs and Political Science
Minor: Portuguese and History
Career Goals: International Human Rights Law
Research_interests: Global Conflict, Human Rights, Domestic Politics
Community Involvement: Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, FSU College Democrats
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
Favorite Meal: Churrasco with Arroz and Maduros

Ella Garcia

Hometown: Mount Dora, Florida
Major: Political Science and English
Minor: Pursuing a Degree in Three/More in Four Master's Degree in Applied American Politics and Policy
Career Goals: Ella aspires to become a civil rights lawyer and pursue a career advocating for environmental equity in both law and policy. Additionally, she hopes to become a published author and obtain a Doctorate!
Research_interests: Ella's research interests include environmental justice, felony disenfranchisement, and the history of U.S. led involuntary sterilization in Latino communities.  Ella was recently accepted into the Honors in the Major Program, which she will begin in the Fall of 2024. Ella hopes to study environmental justice movements, particularly how they gain momentum, span ideological differences, and overcome obstacles. Under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher Reenock, Ella will examine how marginalized communities in Florida protested against sugar cane burning and how they were treated by the government in comparison to well-resourced groups.
Community Involvement: Ella's main campus involvements for this year have been in Student Senate and the APPLE Program at Florida State University.  Ella also volunteered with FSU Votes and Unconquered by Debt throughout the Spring Semester, where she helped table at events, and assist in student civic engagement.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Favorite Meal: Unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks from Olive Garden

Rickerson Geneus

Hometown: Margate, FL
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: Opthalmologist
Research_interests: Anything related to the heart, eyes, programming, and engineering.  The research I have done this year with UROP is developing an AI to scan heart cells to notice differences in their sacromeres (little units that make up the muscles of the heart) as they react to different drugs. Supervising Faculty: Dr. Chistopher Solis.  Research was done internally.
Community Involvement: Progressive Black Men, Black Men in Medicine, Kearney Center, Food for Thought Pantry.  
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Vinland Saga
Favorite Meal: Haitian Macaroni (Macaroni Au Gratin)

Ann George

Hometown: Exeter, NH
Major: Economics
Minor:
Career Goals: Corporate/Medicinal Law
Research_interests: Social Sciences/Economics: Currently, I am assisting conducting research concerning the Economics of Education in the Early 20th Century
Community Involvement: Asian-American Student Union, South Asian Student Union, FSU Health Educated Asian Leaders
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Toy Story 2
Favorite Meal: Chicken Tenders and Fries

Ben Gibson

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Major: Physics
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Physics professor
Research_interests: I am interested in resesarching theoretical astrophysics and grand unified theory.
Community Involvement: Marching Chiefs
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Favorite Meal: Steak, lobster or crab, baked potatoes, and salad

Meghan Gilmore

Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
Major: Instrumental Music Education
Minor:
Career Goals: Middle School Band Director 
Research_interests: Social Media, Pedagogy, Education
Community Involvement: Tuba Euphonium Studio Member, Concert Band
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
Favorite Meal: Fettuccini Alfredo

Jacob Goldstein-Greenwood

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Psychology
Minor: Statistics, Mathematics, and French
Career Goals: Academia
Research_interests: I study moral psychology: I'm interested in why we perceive certain actions and people as good or bad, and why we help some people and animals but hurt others. My recent research has examined moral dilemma judgments, person perception, and the connections between moral decision-making and regret.
Community Involvement: Moral and Social Processing Lab (2015-2019); Editor-in-Chief of The Owl (2018-2019); Assistant Director of SCURC (2018-2019); Chair, Presidential Scholars Program Executive Board (2016-2018); Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Colloquium Leader (2017-2019)
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Transit by Rachel Cusk
Favorite Meal: Coffee, home fries, and toast with jam

Jorge Gonazalez

Hometown: Miami, Florida
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Software Engineer  
Research_interests: I am a research assistant at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory working with uranium crystal growth and optimization.                 
Community Involvement: Association for Computing Machinery; Hillel                
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Favorite Meal: Pizza

Stephanie Gonzalez

Hometown: Cooper City, Florida
Major: Psychology
Minor: Biological Science
Career Goals: Pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology, conduct research, and own a private practice
Research_interests: Risk factors for suicide, epigenetic mechanisms of trauma, child development
Community Involvement: Phocus Photography Club, DIS
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Tenth of December by George Saunders
Favorite Meal: Colombian empanadas

Maddox Goodman

Hometown: Hollywood, FL
Major: English: Editing, Writing, and Media
Minor:
Career Goals: Criminal Defense Lawyer
Research_interests: The Rosenstrasse Protests.  This research involved searching for information on the survivors from The Rosenstrasse Protest. The protest involved non-jewish women protesting against their Jewish husbands being taken away from them during the Holocaust in Berlin. With this information that has been found, a database is created on the Rosenstrasse Foundation website. The faculty involved was Liam Wirsansky and Dr. Nathan Stoltzfus. The research was done in collaboration with the Rosenstrasse Foundation and the Department of History at FSU.
Community Involvement: Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Honors Legal Scholars, Food for Thought Panty, FSU Hillel
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Survivor
Favorite Meal: A home-cooked meal from my Mom.

Jalisia Goodman

Hometown: Perrysburg, Ohio
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience
Minor: French
Career Goals: Neonatologist or neonatal neurosurgeon 
Research_interests: Maternal and fetal medicine, infant and newborn development, neuroscience
Community Involvement: Fundraising & Community Service chair for FSU Women's Rugby Club, Black Women in Medicine Inc., W.E.B. Du Bois Honor Society and FSU Medical Response Unit 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Favorite Meal: Stewed conch, peas and rice, and potato salad

Ben Gordon

Hometown: Merritt Island, Florida
Major: Psychology
Minor:
Career Goals: Get a Ph.D. and become involved in clinical psychology research.
Research_interests: Psychology and neuroscience, especially as it relates to sexuality and brain development.
Community Involvement: Member of Buddhist Student Association and You're Not Alone (YNA) e-board member
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Candide by Voltaire
Favorite Meal: Burritos doused with an unholy amount of hot sauce--or alternatively pho (also with an unholy amount of hot sauce)

Joseph Goyette

Hometown: Salem, MA
Major: Biological Science
Minor:
Career Goals: I'd like to go to work at a Biotech company in Boston someday, particularly working with genetic engineering.
Research_interests: I'm particularly interested in plant biology and understanding plant function at the cellular level.
Community Involvement: Hiking Club, CSU, Outdoor Pursuits, UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Godfather at the Student Life Cinema
Favorite Meal: Neapolitan Margherita Pizza

Chable Graddy

Hometown: Windemere, FL
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Become a CFO of a Fortune 500 company.
Research_interests: Business, Crime, Religion,
Community Involvement: IM Sports, UROP, FSU Exploratory Program
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Narcos
Favorite Meal: Orange Chicken

Natalie Griffiths she/her

Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Genetics, immunology, virology, epidemiology.  Health Information-Seeking Behavior of Pregnant Women.
Community Involvement: The Torch Society, Big Bend Hospice, Smitten with Kittens Cat Rescue.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Star Trek: Voyager
Favorite Meal: Chicken Tender sub from Publix

Matias Gruen

Hometown: Guaynabo, PR
Major: Geography
Minor: Urban and Regional Planning
Career Goals: Urban Planner with a concentration on Transportation
Research_interests: Gentrification in modern society, Historical Urban Planning, politics and human geography.  Matias did his UROP project on the barriers youth face in running for political office.
Community Involvement: UROP, Club Tennis, Intramural Volleyball, Esports Club, DEI Institution, Torch Society, Film Club, Unconquered by Debt, Habitat for Humanity.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Dance Moms
Favorite Meal: Pastelon de Amarillos

Joe Guidubaldi

Hometown: Port Orange, Florida
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Chemistry, Psychology, and Spanish
Career Goals: Medicine, both practicing and research
Research_interests: The role our brain plays in our development, both physically and psychologically. Specific focuses in: depression, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and brain cancers
Community Involvement: You're Not Alone (YNA), Research, Neuroscience Undergraduate Student Association (NUSA), North Florida Chapter of Society for Neuroscience, Academic Recruitment Organization (ARO), Marching Chiefs
Last Book, Show, or Movie: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Favorite Meal: Anything in the realm of breakfast food.

Jamie Guterman she/her

Hometown: Fort Myers, FL
Major: Information, Communication, & Technology
Minor: Innovation
Career Goals: Creative Technologist (entertainment, experiential marketing, etc).
Research_interests: Human-centered design.  Jamie's UROP project was on The Empire of American Science.
Community Involvement: Power of WE, Seminole Innovators, Students & Technology in Academia, Research, & Service (STARS) at Montford Middle School, Unconquered By Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Favorite Meal: My grandma's matzo ball soup!

Sheridan Hager

Hometown: Sarasota, Florida
Major: Exercise Physiology
Minor:
Career Goals: Practice holistic, integrative medicine as a primary care physician & promote education and resources for healthy living through public-access platforms
Research_interests: Medical Sociology; Nutrition & Lifestyle-Based Interventions on Metabolic Processes & Disease Prevention; the Practice of Mindfulness; Effectiveness of Gender-Based Medicine
Community Involvement: Phi Mu & Panhellenic, Senior Class Council, Raw FSU, American Medical Student Association  
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
Favorite Meal: Mac & Cheese

Mia Harrell

Hometown: Sebastian, FL
Major: Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences: Biomedical Sciences
Minor:
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Biochemistry! I am currently working with Dr. Jordan on his project “Uncovering mediators of nutritional effects on metabolic gene expression in health and disease”. The inspiration for this project stems from investigating the effect of overconsumption on the body and how this contributes to obesity. Dr. Jordan plans to develop a localized medication that specifically targets the transcription factors responsible for fat storage in the liver as a way to counteract obesity. My role in the lab will be helping to research these transcription factors and develop methods to test the role of the factors, using mice, in vivo.
Community Involvement: UROP and I hope to become more involved as the year goes on!
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde
Favorite Meal: Hot pot!

Will Harrison

Hometown: Cumming, Georgia
Major: Film BFA in Production
Minor:
Career Goals: Work for an outdoor-based media house 
Research_interests: I am interested in environmental studies.
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization Board Member; F2F Initiative (Composting at FSU)
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Culture Making by Andy Crouch
Favorite Meal: Stouffer's Lasagna

Grace Hayes

Hometown: Barrington, Illinois
Major: Choral Music Education
Minor:
Career Goals: To be Director of Choral Activities at a college or university
Research_interests: Music history, classical music and musical theatre, social justice issues, Armenian history & issues
Community Involvement: AcaBelles (FSU's all-female acapella group), Honors Student Association, National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association
Last Book, Show, or Movie:
Favorite Meal: Pad Thai or mac and cheese!

Christinia Hayworth

Hometown: Clearwater, Florida
Major: Psychology & Social Work
Minor:
Career Goals: Neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) or certified nurse-midwife
Research_interests: Social and environmental effects on healthcare outcomes, neuropathy, affective neuroscience
Community Involvement: UROP Leader, Clinical Medical Assistant, and a lab manager in Department of Psychology
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Wildflowers in the Median by Agnes Furey and Leonard Scovens
Favorite Meal: Red curry with tofu and brown rice. Or bananas with peanut butter

Nicholas Hearing

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Major: International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: U.S. Foreign Service Officer
Research_interests: Global Politics, Conflict, and Conflict Resolution
Community Involvement: Global Peace Exchange, Global Scholars, ARO
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Favorite Meal: A large bowl of strawberry yogurt with granola

Nicole Heim

Hometown: Cranford, New Jersey
Major: Biology
Minor: Mathematics and Spanish
Career Goals: Veterinarian
Research_interests: Biology, Animal Science, Neuroscience, Psychology, Ecology
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization (ARO), Honors Colloquium Leader, Pre-Veterinary Club
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel
Favorite Meal: Joe's Grown Up Adult Mac and Cheese from an Irish pub back home

Antwane Henderson

Hometown: Panama City, Florida
Major: Finance and International Affairs
Minor: German
Career Goals: Foreign Service, eventually transitioning to domestic politics 
Research_interests: Human Rights, Global Politics, Business
Community Involvement: UROP, Pride Student Union
Last Book, Show, or Movie: This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski
Favorite Meal: Pasta

Lance Hendrickson they/them

Hometown: West Chester, PA
Major: Environmental Science
Minor: EOAS Studies
Career Goals: Anything I can do to improve the world, whether that's working with the EPA or working with a company to reduce their impact on the environment, or in research; ideally, something involving fieldwork.
Research_interests: Ecology, evolution, urban planning.
Community Involvement: SEEDS (Ecology club), Tabletop club, Unconquered by Debt, Food Network Recovery.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Locked Tomb
Favorite Meal: Potato latkes.

Gabe Herschelman he/him

Hometown: Raleigh, NC
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Species Interactions.  Gabe's UROP project was on Understanding Fishing in Coral Reef Ecosystems.
Community Involvement: The Torch Society, Department of Chemistry, Leon County Humane Society.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Favorite Meal: Octopus

Brylee Hester she/her

Hometown: Port St. Lucie, FL
Major: Political Science and Interdisciplinary Social Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Work for a social service nonprofit, work on a campaign, or run for public office.
Research_interests: I would like to research how developing economies depend on child labor and how one could restructure the economy to dismantle child labor systems.  Brylee's UROP project was Drunk on Democracy: Investigating how religion and alcohol have influenced the image of a good American citizen.
Community Involvement: Kappa Kappa Gamma, Dance Marathon
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Becoming by Michelle Obama
Favorite Meal: Any kind of gluten free pasta

Grace Hickey

Hometown: Niceville, Florida
Major: Cell and Molecular Neuroscience, Computational Science
Minor: Chemistry and Mathematics
Career Goals: Computational neuroscience researcher.
Research_interests: Grace's primary research interests are in social and developmental neuroscience, computational neuroscience, and neurotoxicology.  Grace conducted research as a Directed Individual Study (DIS) student at FSU this year under Dr. Elizabeth Hammock. In the fall semester, she finished work on her project from the previous year on oxytocin, an important hormone in social behavior, as an anti-inflammatory to cultured microglial cells, which are the innate immune cells of the brain. In the spring, Grace has been pursuing a project on the expression of oxytocin in mouse vaginal cells. Both of these projects have implications for our understandings of social behaviors, especially in regards to matters like neurodevelopment, birth, and maternal behaviors.  In the summer, Grace will be conducting research with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base. The work will be focusing on understanding and modeling the visual systems of insects.
Community Involvement: Grace has been involved with FSU's Swing Dance Club and FSU's ESA S.E.E.D.S chapter, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, FSU Mathematics Department, and Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky
Favorite Meal: My mom's chili.

Gabriella Hinks

Hometown: Winter Garden, Florida
Major: Combined Bachelors to Masters in Biological Science
Minor: Chemistry and Psychology
Career Goals: Obtain my MD and possibly my Ph.D and work as a pediatric hematologist- oncologist in a hospital setting. I hope to eventually be the head of a pediatric ward or possibly an entire pediatric hospital. 
Research_interests: Molecular biology, genetics, cancer, neuroscience, and psychology
Community Involvement: Dance Marathon, Academic Recruitment Organization, University Ambassadors, and Learning Assistant for Biology 1 and Genetics
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Fourth State of Matter by Jo Ann Beard
Favorite Meal: Steak and roasted potatos

Brennan Hinson he/him

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: I want to work as a civil engineer for Disney's Imagineering team.
Research_interests: Engineering.
Community Involvement: Engage100, Pi Lambda Phi, ASCE, Kearney Center, EngageTLH, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: se7en
Favorite Meal: Steak and shrimp

Shannon Hodgon

Hometown: Athens, Georgia
Major: Communication Science and Disorders
Minor: Spanish and Business
Career Goals: Pediatric speech language pathologist
Research_interests: Research with the School of Communication Science and Disorders related to motor speech function.
Community Involvement: Women in Business logistics assistant; Academic Recruitment Organization; FSU CRU legacy group; Seminole Tap Tribe; NSSLHA
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Favorite Meal: BBQ

Elizabeth Hogan

Hometown: Keystone Heights, FL
Major: Biochemistry
Minor:
Career Goals: Medical Doctor (Radiologist)
Research_interests: Medicine, biology, and chemistry related research
Community Involvement: I've mostly been involved with several clubs, and I'm looking out for volunteer organizations to join
Last Book, Show, or Movie: All Quiet on the Western Front (the book)
Favorite Meal: Spaghetti

Margaret Hollis

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Meteorology
Minor: Mathematics and Physics
Career Goals: Research or National Weather Service
Research_interests: My research interests include weather and space. 
Community Involvement: FSU Weather Show; Catholic Student Union; North Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society/National Weather Association
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin and The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien.
Favorite Meal: Whataburger

Michael Hong

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences - Health Policy, Management, and Information; Psychology
Minor: Sociology in Health and Aging, IMS Concentration in Public Health Policy and Administration
Career Goals: Physician practicing hospital administration
Research_interests:  Interdisciplinary research ranging from clinical neuroscience/pharmacology to health policy. Specific research interests in CTE and skin disorders. 
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholar, Cohort 3 Representative; Honors Medical Scholars; Business of Medicine, Executive Board; Honors Student Association, former Director of Student Success
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Other Side of Normal by Jordan Smoller
Favorite Meal: Homecooked Korean food; alternatively, croissanwiches.

James Hudson IV

Hometown: Brandon, Florida
Major: Computer Engineering and Business Administration
Minor: Marketing
Career Goals: I want to run my own business.
Research_interests: technology and information
Community Involvement: entrepreneurship, financial literacy education, STEM education advocacy, travel, tennis, Star Wars, procrastination, and half glasses of water
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Florida State University Student Financial Responsibility Agreement
Favorite Meal: pulled corn beef brisket with South Carolina barbecue sauce, loaded baked potato, balsamic carrots, Mountain Dew, and banana pudding

Hima Humeda she/her

Hometown: Pensacola, FL
Major: Biology
Minor:
Career Goals: Physician hopefully a surgical physician
Research_interests: STEM cell research, gene expression, frontal lobe function
Community Involvement: Dance Marathon, Ronald McDonald House, Underpriveleged healthcare communities
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Midnight Library
Favorite Meal: Ramen Noodles

Sami Humeda he/him

Hometown: Pensacola, FL
Major: Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences
Minor:
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Biology and Chemistry.  Sami's UROP project was on contrasting how General Electric depicted their workers in unpublished photographs and articles in comparison to other major magazine corporations.
Community Involvement: Boys Town
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Shining
Favorite Meal: Sushi

Abril Hunter

Hometown: Belleville, Illinois
Major: Environmental Science and Policy
Minor: Urban and Regional Planning
Career Goals: Environmental Lobbyist for Private Humanitarian Organization
Research_interests: Water Pollution in Developing Nations, African-American Gentrification, Inequalities in the Legislative Process
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars Historian, Black Student Union, Florida Association of Environmental Professionals, Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Favorite Meal: Shrimp & Grits

Elizabeth Iaconis

Hometown: Londonderry, New Hampshire
Major: Social Entrepreneurship
Minor:
Career Goals: Peace Corps and Teach for America volunteerism before seeking employment with a socially conscious corporation or non-profit organization
Research_interests: Education, social justice, demographics, and economics
Community Involvement: CHAARG women's fitness organization, Academic Recruitment Organization, Honors Colloquium Leader fall 2020, Student Alumni Association
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Favorite Meal: Tortellini alfredo

Matthew Israel

Hometown: Bradenton, Florida
Major: Environmental Engineering
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Develop a saltwater distillation program to address the rising concern associated with freshwater over-exploitation
Research_interests: Military, sharks, land management, extreme weather, conservation and climate change
Community Involvement: Habitat For Humanity, Catholic Student Union and Simple Charity
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
Favorite Meal: My dad's chicken marsala

Sabrina Jacques

Hometown: Belle Grade, FL
Major: Nursing
Minor:
Career Goals: To become a nurse who is not drained but rather happy and living a fulfilling life.
Research_interests: The Dark Triad of Psychology, Marine Biology (shark/manta ray gestation), depression amongst low-income mothers, Caribbean women, health disparities, and cancer curing foods. Through UROP, I conducted research on the sexual and reproductive health disparities of Afro Caribbean women in the US.  I was supervised by my research mentor Brittany Lane, who also conducts research at the College of Nursing.
Community Involvement: National Society of Black Women in Medicine, Unconquered Scholars, Big Sister Little Sister, the Circus, Research Opportunities, and Studying Abroad.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: 90210
Favorite Meal: Haitian Spaghetti

Julia Jensen

Hometown: Clemson, South Carolina
Major: Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Work with NGO's to provide better aid programs to internally displaced persons and persons living in refugee camps
Research_interests: Finding out how effective international and domestic aid organisations are in reaching target populations in Myanmar.
Community Involvement: Honors Student Association Vice President, Tallahassee Community Chorus, Guardian ad Litem, Requiem of Defiance Chorus, English Language Conversation Partner 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Yes Minister by Jonathan Lynn
Favorite Meal: Tom Yam soup and taro bubble tea

Maddy Johnson

Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas
Major: International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies
Minor: Urban Planning and Development
Career Goals: Work with the UN and NGOs to make international education and development efforts more sustainable, ethical and culturally sensitive
Research_interests: Political science, History, Education
Community Involvement: College Democrats, ARO, Swing Dance Club, Marching Chiefs
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Favorite Meal: My dad's chicken pot pie and cornbread

Jaden Jones

Hometown: Miramar, Florida
Major: Nursing
Minor:
Career Goals: Nurse Anesthetist & CEO of a nursing NGO that visits less fortunate countries to provide medical care to children
Research_interests: Pediatric Health in Underdeveloped Countries & Intellectual Disorders in Children
Community Involvement: Big Brothers Big Sisters of The Big Bend
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Source of The River by Mary J. Fischer, Garvey Lundy, Camille Zubrinsky Charles, and Douglas Massey
Favorite Meal: American: Macaroni and Cheese & Jamaican: Stew Peas

Natalie Jones

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Biology and Art History
Minor: Mathematics, Chemistry, Film, and Japanese
Career Goals: OB/GYN and biomedical researcher
Research_interests: My research interests includes centromere and telomere regions of chromosomes and mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint. I am currenty working to uncover the role of dam1 complex in yeast cells. I also research Japanese art, cinema, and photography of the post-WWII era.
Community Involvement: American Medical Women's Association; Undergraduate Art History Association treasurer; Advocates for World Health; MEDLIFE; Alpha Chi Sigma; Tribeta Honor Society; Belly Dancers at FSU                
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Favorite Meal: My grandma's knedliky (Slovak boiled bread) and carrot sauce

Gavin Jordan

Hometown: Powell, OH
Major: Finance Pre-Law
Minor: Political Science (soon)
Career Goals: Attorney/ politician
Research_interests: Voting patterns, legal ramifications of legislation
Community Involvement: I have pledged a fraternity
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The last movie I watched was Good Will Hunting
Favorite Meal: Octopus Sushi

Ancy Jose

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Major: Humanities and Creative Writing
Minor: Psychology
Career Goals: Law School & Novel Author
Research_interests: Immigration, International Subjects, Education, Humanities, Human Rights, Culture, Environment, Pollution, Demography, Climate/Weather, Language, English, Plants, Genetics, Psychology, really anything
Community Involvement: Tutoring, Stress relief, mini-counseling & mediation, Asian American Student Union, Filipino Student Association, Japanese Langauge and Culture Association, Chinese American Student Association, Korean American Student Association, UROP, Vietnamese Student Association, Navigators, The Hallyu Wave Club, Belly Dancing, Mr. & Miss AASU
Last Book, Show, or Movie: I can't remember
Favorite Meal: Chicken Curry Stew + Palappam (Indian Pancake), a lot of Indian food basically

Alastair Jurs

Hometown: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Major: Criminology
Minor: Political science
Career Goals: To become a Federal agent or prosecutor.
Research_interests: I am extremely interested in terrorism, religion, and government. My current UROP project is focusing on anti-government terror groups throughout history.
Community Involvement: I have extensive experience with habitat for humanity, various philanthropy through greek life, volunteering through presidential scholars, and plans for joining intramural sports.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Maze runner
Favorite Meal: Chicken Alfredo Pasta or fish tacos

Hannah Justus

Hometown: Naples, Florida
Major: English Literature, Psychology, French
Minor:
Career Goals: I want to serve as a public interest or civil rights attorney through a non-profit organization. After serving as an attoney, I would eventually like to become a law professor or run for a public office.
Research_interests: Biological Psychology, Linguistics, Constitutional law
Community Involvement: Dance Marathon, FSU Mock Trial, La Table Française, Presidential Scholars Executive Board - Cohort 5 Representative
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite Meal: Penne alla Vodka with peas

Samir Kanbar

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Computer Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Lead a tech company focused on pioneering
Research_interests: Machine Learning, Computer Science, Compilers, etc.
Community Involvement: Senate, KOMP (active social sports community for recreational and competitive athletes), Garnet and Gold Key
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Seinfeld (AKA best sitcom with the best jokes of all time)
Favorite Meal: Shawarma

Sneha Kapil

Hometown: St. Augustine, Florida
Major: Biochemistry and hopefully Sociology
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: MD/PhD
Research_interests: Targeted therapeutics
Community Involvement: Asian American Student Union, South Asian Student Association, DesiNoles
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Three Little Words by Ashles Rhodes-Courter
Favorite Meal: Chole Bhatura (indian chickpeas and thick flatbread)

Hannah Kelsey

Hometown: Saint Augustine, Florida
Major: Industrial Engineering
Minor: Math & Physics
Career Goals: Engineer/Business Owner
Research_interests: STEM Education, Industrial & Biomedical Engineering, Businesss
Community Involvement: Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, Honors Student Association, Society for Women Engineers
Last Book, Show, or Movie: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Favorite Meal: My mom's Christmas stuffing

Ahmed Kenawy

Hometown: Panama City, Florida
Major: Biochemistry and Middle Eastern Studies
Minor: Biological Sciences
Career Goals: I would like to become a neurosurgeon, in addition I want to be knowledgable in Arabic and studies of the Middle East.
Research_interests: Biochemistry, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Religion
Community Involvement: Muslim Student Association and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Dawn by Octavia Butler
Favorite Meal: All of my mom's cooking

Ishaa Khosla

Hometown: Weston, FL
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Psychology
Career Goals: Industrial-organizational psychologist
Research_interests: My research interests align with the work I'm conducting through UROP in a lab studying long-term episodic and autobiographical memory processes. The lab uses neuroimaging (fMRI) to observe brain activity during memory tasks and employs noninvasive brain stimulation (TMS) to modulate memory networks. I'm working on the false memory project, which explores the potential of TMS to correct false memories before they form. This research aims to extend TMS applications beyond the medical realm, contributing to our understanding of memory formation and manipulation.
Community Involvement: Club Down Under Programming Intern, Campaign Committee and Blazer for Forward FSU (SGA), UROP Research Assistant, South Asian Student Association
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Favorite Meal: Pad Thai noodles!

Elisa Kim

Hometown: Wake Forest, North Carolina
Major: Neuroscience
Minor:
Career Goals: Not 100% sure yet, as of now psychiatry.  I would also love to eventually actually use my real estate license when I have more time.
Research_interests: Elisa's research interests in the past year have been in TMS in cognitive neuroscience and social psychology.  Elisa has been involved as a DIS student with 2 FSU labs this past year.  In the Nee lab, Elisa has been assisting with the TMS/Anhedonia project with participant transcranial magnet stimulation, helping with fMRI scans, and EEG data collection.  This research hopes to lead to novel, non-invasive treatment of sub-cortical dysfunction, an aspect of many psychiatric and neurological disorders.  In the March lab, Elisa has been assisting with several projects related to racial bias, utilizing technology such as fEMG, a VR shooter task, and force plates.  Through the dual implicit model, the research applies threat versus valence distinction to research areas such as prejudice, aiming to advance our understanding of information processing.
Community Involvement: International Programs; Presidential Scholars E&U Board; Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (Patient Experience dept.); Big Bend Hospice (patient companionship).
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh
Favorite Meal: Pasta

Katherine Kincaid

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Major: Vocal Performance
Minor: French
Career Goals: Professional singer/musician; involved in Broadway performances, recording, songwriting, composing, or directing musical performances
Research_interests: I would like to research how music affects the human brain and nervous system and how it can be used to help treat cases like Autism and Alzheimer's disease.
Community Involvement: FSU Opera and Opera Outreach productions, UKIRK worship leader, piano accompanying, Downtown Community Church member
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Davinci Code by Dan Brown
Favorite Meal: Ice cream!

Caswell King

Hometown: Atlanta, George
Major: Computer Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Undecided
Research_interests: Computer Technology
Community Involvement:
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite Meal: Chinese Beef and Broccoli

Julian Kingston

Hometown: Clinton, Mississippi
Major: Information Technology
Minor:
Career Goals: After working in the private sector or for the government I'd like to one day own a cyber security company.
Research_interests: Human-Computer Interaction, Bio-hacking, Cybernetics
Community Involvement: Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Science Fiction and The Abolition of Man: Finding C. S. Lewis in Sci-Fi Film and Television by Mark J. Boone
Favorite Meal: Breakfast Scramble Burger at The Den

Jimi Korec

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
Major: Political Science and Economics
Minor:
Career Goals: Law
Research_interests: Finance, Mass Incarceration.
Community Involvement: FSU Consulting Group, Center for Advancement of Human Rights, Student Senate.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Get Out
Favorite Meal: Sushi

Dylan Kramer

Hometown: Saint Petersburg, FL
Major: Exercise Physiology
Minor:
Career Goals: Orthopedic Surgery
Research_interests: Stem Cells and Cartilage Repair
Community Involvement: Fraternity and Sorority Life, Presidential Scholars, IM Athletics
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Impractical Jokers
Favorite Meal: Seafood Pasta

Justin Krumper

Hometown: Weston, Florida
Major: Finance and International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: Lawyer or lobbyist
Research_interests: My current research interests include business, sustainability, and politics.
Community Involvement: Phi Sigma Kappa
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz
Favorite Meal: Lobster bisque, Chipotle bowl, and a molten lava cake

Ally Kukanza she/her

Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Major: Economics
Minor:
Career Goals: Lawyer (family, corporate)
Research_interests: Mock Trial
Community Involvement: Teen Court, Tutoring, Soccer, Football, Kayak Tour Guide
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Prayer for Owen Meany
Favorite Meal: Chicken Tikka Masala

Ishani Kunala

Hometown: Pembroke Pines, FL
Major: Political Science & Finance
Minor: French
Career Goals: I hope to attend law school overseas, specifically in the U.K. or Canada, and pursue a legal career there. I am interested in corporate and constitutional law, though I am still exploring my options.
Research_interests: Through UROP, I will be working with research mentor William Perez to explore the concept of "happiness" in nineteenth-century antebellum America and its manifestations in religion and politics. Our research will examine how different groups in this period pursued happiness and responded to perceived threats to their ideals, focusing on the broader implications these views had for democracy.
Community Involvement: Vice President of Broward-Landis-Gilchrist Halls in the IRHC, UROP, Phi Alpha Delta, Presidential Scholars, South Asian Student Association,
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Impractical Jokers
Favorite Meal: Nashville Hot Chicken

Samantha Kunin

Hometown: Lakeland, Florida
Major: Economics, International Affairs
Minor: Arabic Studies
Career Goals: JD/MBA Global Sustainable Finance Analyst; Focus on Private/Public Sector Partnerships for Refugees
Research_interests: Labor Market Outcomes for Refugees in Host Communities, Comparative Efficiencies of Global Immigration Detention Methodologies, Relationship of Impact Investing and Humanitarian Crises 
Community Involvement: FSU Rowing Team, Executive Governor's Office of Policy & Budget Intern, Academic Recruitment Organization (ARO), Honors Legal Scholars, FSU Center for Global Engagement Intercultural Programs, FSU Honors Colloquium Leader, Garnet & Gold Key
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Dan & Chip Heath
Favorite Meal: Jim's Philly Cheesesteak

Patrick Laciuga

Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Major: Computer Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: To engage in research/hands on work with optimization of electrically programmed systems used in human/machine integration for both entertainment and health benefits (i.e., think musk's Neuralink or Facebook's Meta).
Research_interests: Computer Science/Engineering (although I am currently in civil engineering research with a computer science focused role).  I have been conducting research on analysis of pavement/asphalt binders with Dr. Michael Elwardany and other assistants from the colleges of Civil and Environmental engineering. My role began as optimization of calculation procedures for parameters related to load-displacement data of asphalt binders in a fracture strength test abbreviated as DENT. Since then I have refined the DENT project and am close to submitting for publication as a co-author, and I have also assisted Dr. Elwardany and assistants in FTIR imaging projects as well as temperature function modeling using programs written by myself in Python as-needed.
Community Involvement: Set building for plays, volunteer lifeguarding, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Imitation Game
Favorite Meal: Garlic chicken/sauce combo paired with white rice.

Allison Lang

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Major: Political Science and International Affairs
Minor: French
Career Goals: Civil servant/public diplomacy
Research_interests: My research interests include global/domestic politics and minority representation.
Community Involvement: Honors Delegates; Academic Recruitment Organization; UROP; FURC
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
Favorite Meal: Sushi and an Oreo milkshake 

Daniel Lang

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience Pre-Med
Minor:
Career Goals: Dermatologist
Research_interests: Stem field related studies, specifically including psychological research on action and thought or biological research on hormones.
Community Involvement: I have joined JSU (Jewish Student Union) and volunteered at the food for thought pantry
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The last book I read was Atomic Habits by James Clear and the last movie I watched was Deadpool vs Wolverine
Favorite Meal: Poke bowls

Sofia Lavidalie she/her

Hometown: Gonzales, LA
Major: English - Editing, Writing, and Media
Minor: Education
Career Goals: Professor
Research_interests: Education, child psychology, classic literature, gender studies, historical fiction.
Community Involvement: UROP, Honors Experience Program, FSU Childcare/Early Learning Center, PeaceJam, Unconquered by Debt
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Girls
Favorite Meal: The El Diablo quesadilla at Burrito Boarder

Aishat Lawal

Hometown: Saint Petersburg, FL
Major: English Editing, Writing, and Media
Minor: Film Studies
Career Goals: Playwright/Screenwriter/Director
Research_interests: The intersection of Social Justice and Film and Television
Community Involvement: Club Down Under Programming Intern, Fine Arts Ticket Office Agent, Student Life Center Cinema and Film Committee
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Young Mungo
Favorite Meal: Pho ( from Special Pho in my hometown)

Griffin Leckie

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: Law/foreign service/member of congress
Research_interests: Diplomacy, economics, healthcare policy, law
Community Involvement: Representing the College of Social Science and Public Policy in the SGA Senate and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Last Question by Isaac Asimov
Favorite Meal: Sushi (with cream cheese) and ice cream

Stephanie Leon

Hometown: Homestead, FL
Major: Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Planning to attend law school, I hope to use the next few years to explore the different areas of law and fields of interest I may have.
Research_interests: I've always had a passion for learning and a desire to understand more about history, and I appreciate doing research using unique and engaging methods. Currently, I am working alongside mentor Dr. Benjamin Gunter and with a cross-disciplinary research team to provide an evidence based foundation for reenacting Florida's crucial but little-known role in the American Revolution. This involves examining the American Revolution from a Loyalist perspective and learning how to make history come to life, by looking into records and artifacts from 250 years ago.
Community Involvement: Freshman Leadership Institute, Inter-Residence Hall Council, Senate's Legislative Certification Program, CARE, Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, Unconquered Scholars
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Grown Ups
Favorite Meal: Nicaraguan-Style Carne Asada

Yusong Liang

Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Major: Computer Science
Minor: Math
Career Goals: I want to double major in Cyber Criminology, and I want to get a master degree in business as well. I want to do something related to computer science, such as game developing, cyber security, or something related to business.
Research_interests: Game developing, AI, Machine learning models
Community Involvement: UROP, Devlup club / Seminole innovators/ ACM, Presidential Scholars Service Board, Torch Society, CHAW, Food for Thought Pantry
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Suits
Favorite Meal: Korean Barbecue /hot pot

Sydney Lindgren

Hometown: Bonita Springs, FL
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience
Minor: Chemistry and Biology
Career Goals: Physician Assistant
Research_interests: Psychology, Criminology, Public and Behavioral Health, and Social Sciences. UROP - “National Estimates of Police Assaults: Exploring New Data”
Community Involvement: FSU Pre-PA Club, FSU AED Pre-Health Professional Honor Society, Dance Marathon, and UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Staircase
Favorite Meal: Any Mexican food or a really good Caesar salad

William Lleonart he/him

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Accounting
Minor:
Career Goals: Not 100% sure, maybe pediatrician or something in business.
Research_interests: Psychology, Finance, Medicine
Community Involvement: ALPFA FSU, Seminole Organic Garden.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Metamorphosis
Favorite Meal: Churrasco

Julia Lobodzinski

Hometown: Pembroke Pines, FL
Major: Exploratory
Minor:
Career Goals: Intelligence Analyst
Research_interests: Julia is involved in a research project focused on creating a database of homicides involving disabled individuals killed by family members and caretakers in the United States. Julia’s role includes assisting the research team in collecting and analyzing information from various sources, such as media reports and newspapers, to identify and document cases of disabled homicide victims. Additionally, Julia contributes to writing research reports to raise awareness and inform policy discussions surrounding the safety and rights of disabled individuals.
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars, Catholic Student Union, UROP, Slavic Student Association
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Favorite Meal: Acai bowls

Carson Long he/him

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: French
Minor: Linguistics, Music
Career Goals: Language Teacher.
Research_interests: Education.  Carson wrote a short research paper about the removal of a conquistador statue in Popayán, Colombia and its afterlife on Google reviews under the direction of Dr. Aimée Boutin at FSU as part of an Honors Augmented course.
Community Involvement: The Francophone Club.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Ru by Kim Thuy
Favorite Meal: Fried halloumi wraps

Sasha Lopez

Hometown: Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Major: International Affairs and Business on the Pre-Law track
Minor:
Career Goals: Undecided, potentially something in law or international business and relations
Research_interests: Social Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Public Policy, Political Science. In UROP I am working as a research assistant on research project: Health Management: How the Environment and Energy Could Affect Health Outcomes and Hospital Financial Sustainability. The research I am conducting investigates how the intersection of health management, environmental policy, and energy usage presents a critical area of research. It explores the relationship between environmental conditions and health outcomes, particularly focusing on Medicare-funded hospitals. By integrating organizational theory, this research seeks to provide actionable recommendations for policymakers and healthcare administrators, helping to shape a future where healthcare institutions can thrive financially while promoting better health outcomes in the face of environmental challenges.
Community Involvement: Pi Beta Phi Sorority, UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Proposal
Favorite Meal: Sushi or a chicken caesar with fries

Jaime Lopez

Hometown: Miami, Florida
Major: International Affairs, Economics
Minor:
Career Goals: To work on the international political-economic realm
Research_interests: Effects of international incidents on other countries and facets of society, as well as correlatona between economic and political trends
Community Involvement: Honors Legal Scholars, ARO, undergraduate research, You're Not Alone (YNA)
Last Book, Show, or Movie: "Clear and Present Danger" by Tom Clancy
Favorite Meal: Anything Hispanic or barbecue. And Hispanic barbecue.

Asia Louis

Hometown: Memphis, TN
Major: Creative Writing and Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: I want to become a Novelist and a Financial Analyst.
Research_interests: I am interested in researching literature and its adaptions. I am also interested in researching how certain cultures are displayed in media to fit the western gaze.
Community Involvement: I have volunteered to do sustainable service on game days. I am also apart of the Writing Club.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Oshi no Ko
Favorite Meal: Jerk lamb

Trystan Loustau

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Major: Humanities
Minor: Psychology
Career Goals: PhD, Professor (thinking, discussing, and writing about interesting topics and media through the lenses of philosophy, ethics, culture, and social psycology), Ted Talk speaker, Published Author
Research_interests: Expressive Arts Therapy, Interdisciplinary Humanities, Studying literatures and media through interdisciplinary lenses
Community Involvement: Expressive Arts Engagement Organization, Equali-Tea Discussions Committee of the New Honors Experience
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van der Kolk, M.D
Favorite Meal: Moe's Burrito or Shrimp Alfredo that my mom makes

Lucie Lovato

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
Major: English Literature Media and Culture
Minor: Humanities: Religion and Gender Studies
Career Goals: Attorney
Research_interests: Women's Studies.  I was a research assistant for Danielle Wirsansky on the project Ungentlemanly Warfare which focused on the female spies of the SOE during World War II, specifically the French section. This was my UROP project and I concluded research in the summer.
Community Involvement: Phi Mu Fraternity, Dance Marathon, Honors Colloquium, Undergraduate Research, End It Movement, Recruitment Counselor, 1910 Honorary, Order of Omega, Dance Marathon.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Favorite Meal: Sushi

Enzo Lovera

Hometown: Southlake, TX
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Become a consultant at a Big Three firm.
Research_interests: American history, Financial development, and corporate law
Community Involvement: UROP, Honors, FMA
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Better Call Saul
Favorite Meal: Cane's Box Combo no slaw extra toast

Thomas Lovergen

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Major: Political Science and International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: Lawyer, Lobbyist
Research_interests: Public Policy, Campaigns
Community Involvement: Mock Trial, World Affairs Program, Student Government
Last Book, Show, or Movie: King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard
Favorite Meal: Grilled Chicken, Black Beans, and Rice

Tina Lu

Hometown: Winter Park, Florida
Major: Music Therapy
Minor:
Career Goals: Music Therapist and researcher on cross-cultural Music Therapy. Maybe specialize in Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy
Research_interests: Music for social change, development of music therapy in China, special education, international human rights
Community Involvement: InterVarsity, Asian American Student Union, LEAD, AASU Outreach Committee, Music Teacher National Association, Alpha Mu Alpha
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Instrumental: A Memoir of Madness, Medication, and Music by James Rhodes
Favorite Meal: Anything my mom cooks

Emma Lyon

Hometown: Houston, Texas
Major: Theatre and Biology (changing from Bio to Neuroscience in Fall 2018)
Minor: Entrepreneurship
Career Goals: Broadway dancer, singer, actress or film/tv actress. I love neuroscience too though, so I'd like to keep my options open!
Research_interests: Neuroscience, Biology, Psychology, Acting/Character Development
Community Involvement: Dance Marathon, Alpha Chi Omega, UROP, and am hoping to get involved in a couple of other organizations
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Phantoms of the Brain-Sandra Blakeslee and Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
Favorite Meal: BBQ ribs with sweet potatoes and corn on the cob

Shae Machlus

Hometown: Trinity, Florida
Major: Physics
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Become a processor development scientist at a quantum computer startup like D-Wave Systems
Research_interests: Quantum information science; condensed matter physics; materials science
Community Involvement: Mathematics society; intramural soccer; astronomy club; audio engineering club
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Shining by Stephen King
Favorite Meal: Whole wheat bagel with schmear and lox

Mallory Malman

Hometown: Boca Raton, Florida
Major: Philosophy
Minor:
Career Goals: Appellate Lawyer
Research_interests: Human Rights, Literature, Philosophy
Community Involvement: BrightCasters; an organization that teaches people mindfulness activities in order for them to become more positive.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
Favorite Meal: Lamb Chops

Aryan Manohar

Hometown: Lake Mary , Florida
Major: Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Lobbyist, campaign strategist, foreign diplomat, running for office
Research_interests: Environmental policy, statewide and local demographic change, food science
Community Involvement: ModelUN, mock trial, sustainability on campus, oven grate pizza
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Losing America by Robert Byrd
Favorite Meal: Varan bhat (dal rice)

Charlie Manuel

Hometown: Saint Augustine, FL
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: General Buisness
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: UROP, Chemistry Laboratory, Biology Laboratory, Biochemistry Laboratory.  Conducted a Meta Analysis Study.
Community Involvement: Medical Response Unit, Club Rugby, Crisis Textline, UROP, Unconquered by Debt, Cells, LA Program
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Lucy
Favorite Meal: Chipotle Bowl

Jonathan Marcus

Hometown: Madison, Alabama
Major: Meteorology
Minor: Environmental Science and Policy and Mathematics and Emergency Management Certificate Program
Career Goals: National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist
Research_interests: Cyclogensis, Weather Modeling Improvements, Weather Warning Communication and Systems, Cloud Seeding and Its Environmental Effects
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization, Campus Band, College Democrats at FSU, North Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society/National Weather Association, Research at COAPS
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Favorite Meal: Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla, extra ranch.

Justin Marquez

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Major: Physics and Applied Mathematics
Minor: Computer Science
Career Goals: Physics professor
Research_interests: Nuclear particle physics
Community Involvement: Society of Physics Students
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Skin Game by Jim Butcher
Favorite Meal: Picadillo con Arroz

Emma Martin

Hometown: London, United Kingdom
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: Engineer for the Hyperloop
Research_interests: Maps, Geography, Innovative Engineering Projects
Community Involvement: Amnesty International, Kickball
Last Book, Show, or Movie: How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Favorite Meal: Sushi Bowls 

John Massa

Hometown: Pembroke Pines, Florida
Major: Biology and Sociology
Minor: Spanish and Applied Mathematics
Career Goals: Neurologist
Research_interests: Autism, Spinal Cord Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries 
Community Involvement: IM Soccer, Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Favorite Meal: Media Noche

Karis Matheson

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience
Minor:
Career Goals: To pursue my masters degree and possibly research
Research_interests: I want to discover more about the connection between the brain and behavior and how diseases we see today play into that.
Community Involvement: IRHC and the Neuroscience Club
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean
Favorite Meal: Fried Tilapia

Addison Mathis

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Major: Editing, Writing, and Media; Psychology
Minor:
Career Goals: Higher education or journalism
Research_interests: Social psychology and cognition
Community Involvement: You're Not Alone (YNA), Intramural Kickball, Climbing Club, Calvin's Coffee House Barista
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Favorite Meal: Vegan pad thai

Collin May

Hometown: Lake Mary, FL
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Music, Math
Career Goals: I wish to be working for an engineering firm like NASA or Lockheed Martin, preferably in something having to do with space.
Research_interests: STEM/Music.  This last year I participated in a game development project based on teaching students how to create a healthy diet.
Community Involvement: Trumpet Studio, Marching Chiefs, Theta Tau, Big Bend Habitat for Humanity, The Kearney Center, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
Favorite Meal: Philly Cheesesteak or Tacos

Chris May

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience and Philosophy
Minor:
Career Goals: Earn a MD/PhD in order to become a Physician Scientist
Research_interests: Neuroscience, Psychology, Neuropathology, and Bioethics
Community Involvement: Neuroscience Undergraduate Student Association (NUSA), Nu Rho Psi, and UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Existentialism is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre
Favorite Meal: A Perfectly Grilled Cheese

James McAuley

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Physics
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Patent Attorney
Research_interests: Complex Data Analytics and Optimization Problems
Community Involvement: UROP, Society of Undergraduate Physics Students, La Societa' Italiana
Last Book, Show, or Movie: L'Étranger by Albert Camus
Favorite Meal: Bucatini all'amatriciana

Max McCammon

Hometown: Ocala, Florida
Major: Civil Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: Pursue a position of leadership with an engineering firm
Research_interests: Civil and electrical engineering
Community Involvement: UROP, Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Kite Runner by Hosseini
Favorite Meal: My mom's cinnamon coffee

Olivia McConnell

Hometown: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Major: International Affairs, Economics, French
Minor: Political Science
Career Goals: To work with international policy makers to implement social and economic development policies that address the root causes of human trafficking.
Research_interests: I am pursuing an honors in the major thesis on the impact of prostitution models on human trafficking in Europe. I hope to continue researching the root causes of human trafficking through my postgraduate studies and career.
Community Involvement: Cofounder and president of the student-led organization Migrant and Refugee Educational Alliance
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Favorite Meal: Everything. If it's the last time I will be eating I want it all, I don't feel like I would be picky

Liam McConnell

Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: I am looking forward to a career within the engineering field with a path that envisions management in the future.
Research_interests: Researching the different uses of materials in the designing process and the defining characteristics of different materials
Community Involvement: Recourse for Travel Allocations Committee, Men's Ultimate at FSU.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
Favorite Meal: McDonald's

Kendall McDonald

Hometown: Altamonte Springs, Florida
Major: Creative Writing
Minor: Psychology
Career Goals: Pursue a higher degree in poetry and work at a university publishing poetry that documents the experiences of different people globally
Research_interests: Artistic documentation of historical events and human experiences, particularly those surrounding marginalized groups
Community Involvement: Inter-Residence Hall Council, Coping Through College, Intervarsity Tallahassee
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Favorite Meal: Lasagna and garlic bread

Mallory McGovern

Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
Major: International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: Museum director/program coordinator, I am interested in working internationally. I would also like to end up teaching at some point.
Research_interests: Social movements, 1960s and 1970s history, art history, youth movements/popular culture
Community Involvement: TEDxFSU Speaker Coach and member of Planning Committee, UKirk
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Favorite Meal: Cheeseburger with french fries and a ton of ketchup

Kimberlee McMillin

Hometown: Bartow, Florida
Major: Political Science and Sociology
Minor: Political Philosophy, Statistics, English
Career Goals: Provide legal council to a non-profit in either Washington D.C. or here in Tallahassee
Research_interests: My research interest is primarily in social issues, such as women's rights.
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars Program Secretary; Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Colloquium Leader; Phi Beta Kappa    
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Favorite Meal: An egg, ham, and cheese sandwich on a bagel with cheese grits and sausage, along with a side of my mom's macaroni and cheese

Molly McQueeney

Hometown: Sarasota, Florida
Major: Economics and Social Work
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Human rights advocacy
Research_interests: Refugee integration, human rights, economic and social impacts of public policy
Community Involvement: Migrant and Refugee Outreach, Amnesty International, FSU Oldtime Ensemble, FSU Irish Ensemble, Research assistant in the College of Education, and J Street U
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Favorite Meal: Mac and Cheese with Bacon and Peas

Connor Meadows

Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN
Major: Finance
Minor: Spanish
Career Goals: Financial Manager/IB
Research_interests: Something in economics
Community Involvement: Greek life, security society, fma
Last Book, Show, or Movie: How to lose a guy in 10 days
Favorite Meal: steak and mashed potatoes

Andre Merchan-Revilla

Hometown: Miami, Florida
Major: Political Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Work as a private sector lawyer, with concentration in immigration or trial 
Research_interests: The ethicality and effectiveness of international law and policy, the modern political atmosphere, and social justice/equity
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Cabinet of Philosophical Mysteries by Roy Sorensen
Favorite Meal: Moe's Steak Burrito (extra queso), Marquesa (Venezuelan Dessert), and an Espresso shot

Taylor Merritt

Hometown: Pensacola, Florida
Major: Biology
Minor: Psychology and Chemistry
Career Goals: Primary care physician
Research_interests: I am interested in all biological, chemical, and psychological research that is focused on improving the quality of life and medical care for the overall population.                  
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholar Executive Leadership Council Secretary; Honors Medical Scholars Program; Undergraduate Research Ambassadors; American Medical Student Association; Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Favorite Meal: Chocolate fondue, or chocolate anything for that matter!

Sophia Miller

Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Either to attend medical school or conduct medical research
Research_interests: Methods to alleviate disability inclusion, and research pertaining to brain injury/trauma
Community Involvement: Member of a sorority, Women in STEM, UROP, and hopefully Leadership Board for Presidential Scholars
Last Book, Show, or Movie: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Favorite Meal: Sushi (especially if I’m not paying for it)

Kevin Miller he/him

Hometown: Fairfield, CT
Major: Economics
Minor:
Career Goals: Neurosurgeon
Research_interests: Hearing Loss, PTSD in Veterans, Brain Tumors, and Direct Primary Care.  Kevin's UROP project was on Emergent Literacy Training for Parents of Children with Hearing Loss.
Community Involvement: Boy Scouts of America, Catholic Student Union, and Nu Rho Psi
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Favorite Meal: My mom's homemade chili

Melanie Mitchell

Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience
Minor: Spanish and Chemistry + Global Citizenship Certificate
Career Goals: To attend Medical School upon graduation
Research_interests: Mental health and/or Environmental Science.  Currently applying for DIS.
Community Involvement: Sophomore President of Class Councils, Kappa Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority Inc., SISTUHS Inc., SAA Director of Homecoming Parade,  Chief, and Princess, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital - May 2023 - January 2024, Second Harvest, Alzheimer's Project - Summer 2024 - Future
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau
Favorite Meal: Indian Food! (Paneer makhni)

Alyson Mizanin

Hometown: Venice, FL
Major: Media/Communication Studies and Religion
Minor: Spanish
Career Goals: Broadcast Journalism
Research_interests: Social media, media representation, journalistic transparency.  Under the guidance of FSU religion professor Rebecca Peters, Alyson analyzed the ways in which female directors tend to uphold misogynistic tropes in their portrayals of female characters. She found that, although strides are being made in the industry to move past these flawed characterizations, they prevail regardless, given how difficult it is for movies that push these boundaries to succeed.
Community Involvement: FSView, PeaceJam, Circle-K International, Habitat for Humanity, Student Government, The Center for Leadership & Service, The Kearney Center, Leon County Humane Society, Goat House Farm, Tallahassee Marathon Medaling, Tallahassee Trunk or Treat, Champ's Chance, Unconquered by Debt, FSU Homecoming, Kiwanis Home Football Game Parking, Cajun Navy Hurricane Relief.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Favorite Meal: Mostaccioli

Matthew Molinari

Hometown: Platte City, Missouri
Major: Economics
Minor: Population Studies
Career Goals: An advisor for a firm, working for an economic thinktank, or working with the Census Bureau
Research_interests: Behavioral economics, youth culture, demography
Community Involvement: Vice President of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, Economics Club, and ARO
Last Book, Show, or Movie: House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies by Henry Jacoby
Favorite Meal: Taco Pizza

Susan Morales

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Major: Sociology and Political Science
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Lawyer 
Research_interests: Effectiveness of legislation on local community issues
Community Involvement: Honors Experience Program 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Women on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
Favorite Meal: Rice with black beans 

Lauren Moran

Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Major: Psychology and International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: Earn a Ph.D and work in the field of Humanitarian Work Psychology
Research_interests: Topics surrounding human behavior in the workplace (especially within the field of humanitarian aid), university curriculum development and assessment, and interpersonal interactions
Community Involvement: The Navigators, FSU Sailing Team, Simple Charity, Research with the Department of Undergraduate Studies, and Global Scholars
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Return by Hisham Matar
Favorite Meal: Orange chicken, rice, and veggies

Amaya Morene

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Anthropology
Minor:
Career Goals: Documentary Filmmaker working w/ Indigenous Cultures
Research_interests: Artifact Repatriation, African Diaspora War, Law, Evergreen Plantation Excavations, Mesoamerican Archaeology, Classical Mythology/Archaeology, Working with descendants of communities to create the change they want to see, How cultures interact with one another, and How the use of Photography/Video can be used to spread awareness.
Community Involvement: Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program(UROP), Anthropology Society FSU, Presidential Scholars, and the NAACP.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Favorite Meal: Pabellón Arepas with extra plantains

Luke Morrison

Hometown: Mineola, TX
Major: Hospitality and Tourism Management
Minor:
Career Goals: Luke does not have a goal for a specific job position in the future. Instead, he is exploring futures in his major pathway, Hospitality and Tourism Management.  He is researching internship and job opportunities in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry that he might find growth and interest in.  Luke's goal is to experiment with internship opportunities throughout these next three years that will provide the best opportunities for him to grow in the industry and major.
Research_interests: Music Education, Environmental science, Hospitality and Tourism Management.  Luke conducted his first undergraduate research project ever through UROP. His project focused on the perception of General Music Education. Luke worked under a mentor, Crystal Berner, who is pursuing a doctoral degree through the College of Music, and he worked alongside another student in the College of Music. Throughout their project, Crystal guided them through the basics of conducting research, teaching them about the different sections of a research paper, poster, or presentation. After learning the fundamentals of research, they began their project by studying other research similar to theirs, and then forming a plan. Luke, his partner, and his mentor organized and created an online questionnaire, that they released to pre-servce and in-service music teachers, in order to gauge their “perception” of general music education. The survey measured whether respondents’ thought music education was important, as well as if it should be required across certain grade levels in primary school. This research was done internally and was presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Community Involvement: Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity, FSU Interfraternity Council, Unconquered By Debt, Forward FSU (SGA), FSU Skate Club, FSU Hiking Club, Food For Thought Food Pantry, The Kearney Center, RENEW, Relay For Life, Homecoming Delegate for Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity for Homecoming 2024.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Great Gatsby
Favorite Meal: Beef and Cheese Chile Relleno with Verde Sauce. Or Cajun wings from Wingstop.

Ashley Moses

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: Biology and Psychology
Minor:
Career Goals: A professor with research specifically in behavioral neuroscience directed around neurological disorders
Research_interests: Anything and everything neuroscience, with a specific interest in neurological disorders and behavior
Community Involvement: Neuroscience Undergraduate Student Association, Energy Fellows, the Navigators (member and worship band), Bible study, intramural sports, Garnet and Gold Goes Green, ARO
Last Book, Show, or Movie: "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis
Favorite Meal: Any meal where my grandma's deviled eggs are involved

Sydney Mullen she/her

Hometown: Tarpon Springs, FL
Major: Criminology
Minor:
Career Goals: Something law related, possibly criminal law, or forensic psychology.
Research_interests: Psychology and Sociology.  Sydney's UROP project was on Investigation into the History of Race Relations in Tallahassee.
Community Involvement: Volunteered at the summer camp I went to as a kid, organized school events / clubs
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee
Favorite Meal: Chocolate cake

Cameron Mullin he/him

Hometown: Aurora, OH
Major: Finance and Philosophy
Minor:
Career Goals: Software product strategy/operations role.
Research_interests: Implications of behavioral/social psychology on financial markets.
Community Involvement: Financial Management Association, Seneff Honors Program, The Kearney Center.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Memento (2000)
Favorite Meal: Any smash burger

Alexia Mullings

Hometown: Loxahatchee, Florida
Major: Electrical Engineering
Minor: Spanish and Mathematics
Career Goals: I would like to work with the development and implementation of renewable energy sources.
Research_interests: I am interested in research various types of sustainable energy sources and ways to make them more efficient and economical.
Community Involvement: Hall Council, Academic Recruitment Organization, Eco-Reps, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Favorite Meal: My mom's gumbo

Collin Mungall

Hometown: Windermere, FL
Major: Finance and Management Information Systems
Minor: Computer Science
Career Goals: I am still undecided, but leaning towards personal financial planning. My goal is to work under an organization and earn my CFP so that I can eventually open my own company.
Research_interests: Financial skills for those with intellectual disabilities and general data analysis.  My research was focused on the ability to teach algebra to students with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism. We found that through quality instruction, not only can they learn the information, but they will also improve their quality of life based on these skills. The only limitations were the generalizability of it. I would like to thank my mentor, Deidre Gilley, for bringing me through this experience. I researched with her at the College of Education here at FSU.
Community Involvement: Financial Management Association, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Best Buddies, UROP, Project Annie, Kearney Center, Dance Marathon, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Great Gatsby
Favorite Meal: Truffle-Honey Chicken from Cheesecake Factory

Kennedy Murphy

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Double major in Political Science & Philosophy
Minor:
Career Goals: I aspire to be an international human rights attorney, ideally working for amnesty international or UNICEF.
Research_interests: Human rights, hate crimes, the criminal justice system. UROP project on “Homicides Targeting People With Disabilities.”
Community Involvement: I am currently running for a seat in the Student Senate with Surge. I also am involved in FSU’s moot court team and UROP.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Neuromancer by William Gibson
Favorite Meal: Medium rare ribeye

Erin Murphy

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida
Major: Computer Engineering
Minor: General Business
Career Goals: Computer Engineer
Research_interests: Human-computer interaction, machine learning, quantum computing, bioinformatics, food science
Community Involvement: FSU Beach Volleyball Team, Women in Leadership Development, UROP Research Assistant, FCA
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Search: How Google Transformed Our Culture by John Battelle
Favorite Meal: Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Ian Mutschler he/him

Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Major: Meteorology
Minor: Mathematics Minor
Career Goals: Work at a National Weather Service Office / The National Hurricane Center
Research_interests: Improving tropical cyclone forecasting, tropical cyclogenesis, rapid intensification of tropical cyclones, Tropical cyclone climatology, tropical cyclone dynamics and structure.  Ian conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Robert Hart, through the Honors in the Major program.  Ian's research investigated the climatology and common aspects of forecast failures in rapid intensification in Atlantic Hurricanes. Results showed that RI forecast failures occurred in environments with lower 500/700mb RH, lower raw SSTs, and higher raw 200mb PVU values, compared to RI forecast successes. The title of his Honors Thesis is Climatology and Common Aspects of Forecast Failures in Rapid Intensification of Atlantic Hurricanes.  There are many future opportunities, including investigating model guidance, more environmental variables, and investigating the implications in actual RI forecasting.
Community Involvement: North Florida Chapter of the American Meteorological Society/National Weather Association, FSU club Water Polo, Unconquered by Debt, Food for Thought Pantry, Seminole Organic Garden, Keep Tallahassee Beautiful, Tallahassee Science Festival.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Dune
Favorite Meal: My Mom’s homemade spaghetti and meatballs

Kaylyn Myers she/her

Hometown: Plantation, FL
Major: Biochemistry
Minor:
Career Goals: Anesthesiology
Research_interests: Biomedical Research, Chemistry
Community Involvement: Gold Award Girl Scout, National Honor Society
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Small Island by Andrea Levy
Favorite Meal: Caramelized Onion Macn' Cheese

Ryan Napoleon

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Insurance and Risk Management
Minor: Political Science
Career Goals: Ryan wants to pursue a career in the Insurance field. Directly after college, we plans to work with a big name insurance brokerage, in order to gain experience in the field. He then wants to start his own insurance brokerage practice.
Research_interests: Insurance and Poltiical Science.  This past year, Ryan worked on an Insurance and Risk Management/Political Science project through the RMI department. This project observed the potential correlations between Insurance Commissioners' jobs before and after their time in office, and the insurance rates/premiums that came out of their office. Insurance commissioners are either elected or appointed in every state, and they play a big role in regulating how much consumers in that respective state pay for insurance. Ryan's research statistically analyzed if an Insurance Commissioners job before and after their time in office had an effect on these prices. The results of this research indicate that insurance commissioners who has experience in the industry before their time in office generally produce lower insurance premiums or prices.
Community Involvement: Gamma Iota Sigma (FSU Insurance Fraternity),
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Succession
Favorite Meal: Sushi

Jack Nichols he/him

Hometown: Star, ID
Major: English Literature and Spanish
Minor: Math
Career Goals: In his own words, "Not quite sure yet..."
Research_interests: Rural education, academic policy, and statistical analysis.  Jack is currently working on an Honors Thesis, "From Bondage to Freedom," on prefigurative politics in Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer (2018), under advisor Dr. Maxine Lavon Montgomery.
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars Education and Unity Board, Torch Society,
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Gilmore Girls
Favorite Meal: Waffles

McKenna Oakley

Hometown: Hamilton, Ohio
Major: Creative Writing and Media/Communications Studies
Minor: Humanities and Religion
Career Goals: McKenna plans to either pursue an MFA in Creative Writing or a career in Social Media Content Creation and Management following her undergraduate years.
Research_interests: McKenna is interested in research that can inform her poetry, such as research on topics of identity, feminism, self-image, and faith systems.  During her freshman year, McKenna conducted a research project in FSU's Digital Postcard Archive that explored racial representation within the American fashion scene from the late 1800s to present day. This experience helped her develop integral humanities research skills, such as evaluating qualitative data. Her work in the Archive was supervised by Dr. Michael Neal of the English department. Throughout her sophomore year, McKenna has spent her time developing the rough draft and overall framework for the creative project that will serve as her Honors in the Major thesis for the 2024-2025 school year. This project will be a portfolio of original poetry adhering to a memoir/coming-of-age theme. McKenna has conducted extensive research in the work of other poets, such as Dorianne Laux, to inform this creative process. Her research thus far has been supervised by Dr. David Kirby of the English department, who will serve as her Honors in the Major faculty advisor.
Community Involvement: McKenna has served as a member of layout team for the Kudzu Magazine, a worldwide literary publication for undergraduate students, throughout both semesters of the 2023-2024 school year. Furthermore, McKenna has been an active member of the international English honor society known as Sigma Tau Delta. She attended the society's national Centennial Convention in Spring 2024 to present a portfolio of her original poetry.  McKenna also volunteered for the Food for Thought Pantry, breaking down and disposes of recycling materials, helping students check out their groceries, sorting through food donations, and taking inventory of food donations.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Immigrants' New Camera by Maryfrances Wagner
Favorite Meal: Just a quesadilla with lots of toppings inside.

Nia Ogletree she/they

Hometown: Tallahassee, FL
Major: Environmental Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Environmental scientist, Environmental Consultant
Research_interests: Water and Soil Quality, Natural Resources, Environmental & Human Relationships
Community Involvement: Climate Activism with GenCLEO, Youth Civic Engagement with Young Activists for Change
Last Book, Show, or Movie: This changes everything : capitalism vs. the climate
Favorite Meal: Thai Coconut Curry w Veggies

Madeline Oliva

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Studio Art/ Biology
Minor:
Career Goals: Something within the medical field
Research_interests: Biological/psychological music involving animals, or a project that involves my interests in the arts and sciences
Community Involvement: I have become involved with the Hispanic Student Union as a member of the Juana Bordas Mentorship program as well as the Fine Arts Leadership Council.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Midnight Mass
Favorite Meal: Rice and beans with a fried egg on top (maybe with some rare steak)

Rachel Olson

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: Editing, Writing, & Media and Classical Civilization
Minor:
Career Goals: Rachel has rather widespread goals and would be happy to be a technical writer, an editor, a creative writer, or work in a museum.
Research_interests: Rachel has research interests in early Tallahassee history, the ways that textual interpretations shift over time as new audiences reinterpret old media, and the history of mythology - specifically the myths of mystery cults and festivals - within ancient Greece.  Through her internship with Theater With a Mission's Dr. Benjamin Gunter and Ms. Idy Codington, Rachel spent the Summer of 2023 research into a series of Yellow Fever Epidemics in early Tallahassee, drawing connections between the reactions of people at the time and the reactions modern Tallahassee residents had during the COVID pandemic.
Community Involvement: Rachel is involved with the FSU Fencing Club.  Rachel has worked with Aunt Louise's Farm in October of 2023 when she helped run their Halloween Trunk or Treat event. She has also worked with Second Harvest of the Big Bend from August of 2023 - April 2024.  In that time she has packaged and sorted a variety of food donations and helped make calls for their food box donation service.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Our Wives Under the Sea
Favorite Meal: Shepherd's pie

Jesse Olsson

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Dual degree in physics/math
Minor: Computer science
Career Goals: Physics research
Research_interests: Condensed matter, nanophotonics
Community Involvement: Instrumental jazz, quiz bowl
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb
Favorite Meal: Fried grouper

Elizabeth Orraca

Hometown: Celebration, Florida
Major: Biology/Statistics
Minor: IDS/Math
Career Goals: Epidemiologist
Research_interests: Statistical Genetics, Health, Bioinformatics, Epidemiology.  Magnetic Molecules for Quantum Information Processing.  Through an online internship with the University of Colorado, Elizabeth researched the relationship between cognitive brain function and the progression of COPD, under Dr. Erin Austin.
Community Involvement: Seminole Organic Garden, Greenhouse Farms, Kappa Kappa Gamma.  Hunger Free America, Seminole Garden.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Midnight Library
Favorite Meal: Empanadas

Caroline Owen she/her

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: International Affairs
Minor:
Career Goals: I hope to be a diplomat to a Middle Eastern country/embassy.
Research_interests: I don’t plan to continue researching in the future, it’s not what I’m really interested in.  Caroline's UROP project was called Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Experience of Women Spies of the SOE in WWII.
Community Involvement: At FSU, I’m involved with the Presidential Scholars Diversity and Inclusion Board and I work with New Student and Family Programs as a 2021 Orientation Leader!
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
Favorite Meal: I love sushi, it’s probably my favorite meal to spend money on and enjoy with friends.

Spencer Owen

Hometown: Kennesaw, Georgia
Major: Exploratory
Minor:
Career Goals: Move to L.A. and hopefully get involved with film/TV
Research_interests: My research interests include virtual reality, liberal arts, and the humanities.
Community Involvement: Pride Union; Intramural Sports
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Myselfie by Shane Dawson
Favorite Meal: Grilled salmon with a can of coca-cola

Alexa Pappas

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Major: Psychology
Minor:
Career Goals: To become a licensed counselor
Research_interests: Social Psychology, Criminology, Abnormal Psychology
Community Involvement: UROP, ARO, MREA
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Favorite Meal: Breakfast food

Carter Parent

Hometown: Salem, OR
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Minor: Spanish
Career Goals: To go into Biomedical Engineering (Medical Device/ Prosthetics development).
Research_interests:  Pre-health topics, especially research that involves the Spanish language and health.  Carter has been conducting research with FSU Anthropology Professor Dr. Eric Shattuck on health care access of the Wixarika people of Mexico. Interviews of Indigenous patients and physicians were conducted in Jalisco, Mexico, and Carter has worked with his research team to produce various resources for Mexican physicians outlining the problem of Indigenous Health Inequality and possible solutions. Carter presented his research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in April.
Community Involvement: FSU Club Beach Volleyball Team, UROP, Sinfonia Orchestra, Unconquered By Debt, Seminole Organic Garden,
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Hacksaw Ridge
Favorite Meal: Al Pastor Tacos

Dhenu Patel

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Exercise Physiology
Minor: Biological Science and Chemistry
Career Goals: Physician 
Research_interests: Medicine, Biology, Cancer Research
Community Involvement: Honors Medical Scholars, MEDLIFE, Honors Student Association 
Last Book, Show, or Movie: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Favorite Meal: Mom's Homemade Indian Food

Georgina Patient

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Florida
Major: International Affairs
Minor: French
Career Goals: Career in diplomacy, hopefully working for the British Foreign Office
Research_interests: The treatment of and response to migrants and refugees in camps within Francophone countries, specifically examining the Calais Migrant Crisis
Community Involvement: Honors Student Association, College Democrats, J Street U, DWF Magazine
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
Favorite Meal: A big bowl of proper ramen

Danny Penzenstadler

Hometown: Denver, CO
Major: Pre-Biological Sciences on the Pre-Med Track
Minor:
Career Goals: Either become a Doctor or Physician's Assistant
Research_interests: I'm super interested in anything relating to social psychology or medicine.
Community Involvement: I'm currently involved with Best Buddies, Intramural Sports, Special Olympics, Catholic Student Union, UROP, and FSU Snow.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Deadpool & Wolverine
Favorite Meal: Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken

Juliana Perez Rivera

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Advertising
Minor: Spanish as of right now, but plans can change!
Career Goals: Work in copyright or contract law eventually, but work in an Advertising firm first
Research_interests: I really enjoy researching the role digital tools play in early childhood education, particularly how they can assist in the development of a childs Social Emotional Learning.
Community Involvement: I've joined my sorority, Tri Delta, and am applying for a position on its Academic Board. I'm currently fundraising for Dance Marathon and will participate in the event in March. I plan to apply to work for STRIKE magazine, and the AdClub.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Favorite Meal: Cheeseburger and crinkle cut fries

Gabriel Pfeuffer-Ferguson he/him

Hometown: Cantonment, FL
Major: Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Minor:
Career Goals: Politician
Research_interests: Educational Policy, Impacts of Professional Development on Teachers, Diversity and Inclusion within Schools.  Gabriel's UROP project was on Morphological Instruction: A Survey of Teacher and Speech Language Pathologists' Perceptions and Experiences.
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars Executive Board, Vietnamese Student Association, Best Buddies, Honors Experience Program, University Ambassadors
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Favorite Meal: My grandma’s Bánh Xèo and egg rolls

Chloe Philgreen

Hometown: Bucyrus, Kansas
Major: Public Relations and Literature, Media, and Culture
Minor:
Career Goals: I would like to be a Public Relations specialist, specifically working in the performing arts field. I also hope to work in Public Relations abroad at some point in my career.
Research_interests: Music, Non-Profits, Psychology, Environmental Impacts, Linguistics
Community Involvement: Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, Navigators, Freedom at FSU, Social Spear, ARO
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Favorite Meal: Grilled Chicken in Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce with roasted vegetables

Jordan Phillips

Hometown: Winter Garden, Florida
Major: Instrumental Music Education
Minor:
Career Goals: I plan on directing a band program in public school after graduating with my bachelor's degree. I eventually will attend graduate school to obtain a master's degree in music education or conducting as well as a doctorate in the same subjects. My ultimate career goal is to teach music at the university-level. 
Research_interests: Music education, saxophone pedagogy, musicology, film studies, history
Community Involvement: FSU Tri-State Band Festival Counselor and Opening Nights at FSU
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Contemporary Music Education by Clifford K. Madsen and Terry Lee Kuhn
Favorite Meal: Mom's Fettuccine Alfredo

Ben Pifer

Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Medicine, specializing in pathology
Research_interests: My research interests include virology, toxicology, pathology, and immunology.                
Community Involvement: FSU Quidditch; Campus Orchestra; Academic Recruitment Organization Chair; UROP leader; Tri-Beta Honors Biological Research Fraternity
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Favorite Meal: Chipotle

Christina Portuallo

Hometown: Flagler Beach, Florida
Major: History and Classics
Minor:
Career Goals: Civil rights lawyer or FBI
Research_interests: History, classics, and archaelogy
Community Involvement: Honors Legal Scholars, SGA Agency, and Amnesty International
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Favorite Meal: Chicken fajitas and ice cream

Nika Povelikin she/her

Hometown: New York City, New York
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor:
Career Goals: Herpetologist, evolutionary biologist, conservation biologist
Research_interests: Herpetology, evolution, conservation, ecology, phylogenomics, natural history
Community Involvement: Environmental education at the Wildlife Conservation Society
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Flamingo's Smile Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
Favorite Meal: Kale salad with brown rice, sweet potato, goat cheese, apple, and onion

John Powell

Hometown: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Major: Physics and Business
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Business consultant
Research_interests: My research interests include general business interactions and astrophysics.
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization member and Intramural Sports
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Complexity and the Arrow of Time, edited by Charles H. Lineweaver, Paul C. W. Davies, and Michael Ru
Favorite Meal: Mac and cheese

Caitlyn Primous she/her

Hometown: Marietta, GA
Major: Musical Theatre
Minor:
Career Goals: I want to be a composer/music director for Broadway shows.
Research_interests: Performing Arts, Music Therapy, Composition, Piano
Community Involvement: Side B Society
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Killing Eve
Favorite Meal: Hickory Fries

Bailey Propps

Hometown: Niceville, Florida
Major: Interdisciplinary Medical Science - Clinical Professions
Minor:
Career Goals: Pediatric Orthopedist
Research_interests: Medicine, Biology, Disorders
Community Involvement: Chi Omega, Dance Marathon, Cheers for Children
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
Favorite Meal: Spaghetti and meatballs

Chandler Pruett he/him

Hometown: Waxhaw, NC
Major: Meteorology & Statistics
Minor: Physics
Career Goals: My goal is to earn a PhD, join NOAA as a hurricane hunter, and then spend my late career years as a professor.
Research_interests: Severe Weather, Tropical Meteorology and Hazard Communication, Tropical cyclones and data assimilation.  Through UROP, Chandler researched fractional dimensions relating to meteorology equations.  In the Summer of 2023, he studied how sea level rise is impacting the amount of rain necessary for coastal flooding. Research was done externally and not under the supervision of a particular person. Chandler also completed an Honor's Thesis titled Climatology of Tropical Cyclone Reconnaissance Missions and Implications: When forecasting changes in Atlantic tropical cyclones, data availability is often a limiting factor due to the lack of observing systems in the Atlantic Ocean. Consequently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Air Force Reserves conduct flight missions to collect crucial information, such as wind speeds, to capture characteristics of tropical systems and aid models in forecast initialization. This study presented a comprehensive analysis of six years of reconnaissance flight missions to understand the observed structure of tropical cyclones. Utilizing a dataset of stepped frequency microwave radiometer observations, the analysis first cataloged the average frequencies of observations in specific windspeed intervals, as determined by the intensity of the tropical cyclones. Subsequently, the study chronologically evaluated the success rates of potential intersections of the gale-force wind threshold (GF-PIs), demonstrating that earlier GF-PIs are the most successful. The study also analyzed the statistical relationship between the number of successful GF-PIs and the peak wind speeds of the tropical cyclones. Although weak, the statistically significant inverse relationship indicates that reconnaissance missions more frequently fail to detect the gale-force wind extent in stronger hurricanes.
Community Involvement: RMS Meteorological Analyst, FSU Weather, FSU Navigators, FSU Hiking Club, FSU Climbing Club, North Florida Chapter of American Meteorological Society / National Weather Association, Cajun Navy, Unconquered by Debt, Second Harvest Food Bank.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Red Rising Saga
Favorite Meal: Teriyaki Salmon

Nami Pruitt

Hometown: Ormond Beach, Florida
Major: Environment and Society, International Affairs, and Political Science
Minor: Environment and Society
Career Goals: To work in environmental protection and conservation.
Research_interests: Geography, Sustainability, Environmental Science.  Nami's UROP project was on Sustainable Healthy Cities.
Community Involvement: Sierra Club, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Amnesty International.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
Favorite Meal: Yellow dal with naan bread

Blake Pu

Hometown: Orange Park, FL
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: After completing my undergrad I'd like to go to law school
Research_interests: Law, history, sociology, engineering, aerospace, mechanics, energy.  Conducted research on Selective Reporting in Chinese State media, with Qing Wang (PHD candidate), internally at FSU.
Community Involvement: Student Government Association - Student Senate, Honors Legal Scholars, Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers, Chinese American Student Organization, FSU Cheerleading, Phi Alpha Delta, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Fallout
Favorite Meal: cha siu bao (roast pork buns)

Merium Qureshi

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Art History (and Human Rights possibly)
Minor:
Career Goals: Museum curation/exhibitions or advocacy work
Research_interests: Art history and analysis, specifically looking at folk/indigenous art and textiles, cottage industry, and passage of traditional artistic practices.
Community Involvement: College of Fine Arts Leadership Council, Undergraduate Art History Association, UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Exhausted On a Cross by Najwan Darwish
Favorite Meal: Nihari and rasmalai

Samantha Randall

Hometown: New York, New York
Major: Public Relations
Minor: English, Political Science
Career Goals: Professional dancer as well as something science related
Research_interests: How scientific and anatomical knowledge help a dancer better understand the intricacies of their body and improve their overall performance.
Community Involvement: Student Senate, ForwardFSU, University Ambassadors, University Comms, Mental Health Council, Freshman Leadership Institute, Unconquered by Debt, Food For Thought Pantry.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: La La Land
Favorite Meal: New York pizza

Jill Rankin

Hometown: Marietta, Georgia
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Doctor or environmental engineer
Research_interests: My research interests include microbiology, medicine, and environmental engineering.
Community Involvement: Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Stand by Stephen King
Favorite Meal: A giant plate of every fruit imaginable

Brian Ransom

Hometown: Coral Gables, Florida
Major: Mathematics
Minor: Philosophy
Career Goals: Research Mathematician and Professor in addition to work in primary and secondary mathematics education reform.
Research_interests: Logic and Math Foundations, Discrete Math and Combinatorics, Theoretical Computer Science, Topology, Knot Theory, Geometry.
Community Involvement:
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Favorite Meal: Ice cream and birthday cake

Nadia Rassech she/her

Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Major: International Affairs and Middle Eastern Studies
Minor: Global Citizenship Certificate
Career Goals: Would like to study International Law, afterwards, Nadia is interested in a variety of fields (refugee advocacy, human rights work, foreign service).
Research_interests: Nadia is interested in studying international law, US foreign policy, human rights and refugee crises. In the summer of 2023, Nadia interned at a refugee aid organization in Halle, Germany. As a part of her role, she helped conduct research on the local refugee community. This included developing her understanding not only of international refugee law, but also of German policy towards refugees and refugee resettlement. She conducted interviews with various members of the Halle refugee community, utilizing her German and Arabic language skills, to better understand their stories, their arrival, their experiences with cultural and economic integration vs isolation in Halle, and other themes regarding their resettlement process. In the same summer, Nadia (along with four other members of the FSU Honors Program) conducted research on developing surveillance technologies used in Florida, and presented at the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights, a week-long program focused on human rights and technology, hosted at Oxford University, UK. This coming summer, Nadia will travel to Muscat, Oman, to conduct Honors in the Major research relating to refugeehood in countries (e.g. Oman) that have not ratified the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. Her project will look at how refugeehood has manifested in Omani national and Islamic legal discourses, and how this has supplemented/contradicted international refugee law. Her director is associate professor of History, Dr. Will Hanley, and committee members consist of Dr. Adam Gaiser in the Religions department, and Mark Schlakman from the law school.
Community Involvement: Middle East Center, Arabic Honor Society, Amnesty International, Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority, Social Science Scholars, Arabic Language House (Arabic LLC), International Rescue Committee (volunteer coordinator Oct 2022-present,  coordinate a team of ten volunteers to help with the integration of an Afghan refugee family, as well as tutor Afghan refugee students), Unconquered by Debt (fall 23-spring 24, tabling).
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Hit the Road
Favorite Meal: Sambosas!

Suzanne Raybuck

Hometown: St. Augustine, Florida
Major: Information Technology and Editing, Writing, and Media
Minor:
Career Goals: Information Systems Specialist or Technology Project Management
Research_interests: Digital Humanities, narrative structures, methodologies for implementing digital narratives
Community Involvement: Covalent Reality, Office of Digital Research and Scholarship
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Favorite Meal: Pulled pork, coleslaw and cornbread

Owen Ritter

Hometown: Hartland, WI
Major: Accounting, Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Undecided; Financial Management, Investment Banking, Insurance
Research_interests: Financial Literacy, Health Literacy.  Through UROP, Owen studied the financial barriers to accessing health care. It was done at FSU with Dr. Carli Culjat.
Community Involvement: Financial Management Association, Unconquered by Debt, Securities Society, Habitat for Humanity
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Money Heist
Favorite Meal: Burritos

Grace Robbins

Hometown: Sarasota, Florida
Major: Classical Civilizations & Classical Archaeology
Minor: English
Career Goals: Archival researcher/historian working with the National Park Service or some archaeological firm/museum to promote historic preservation and scholarship
Research_interests: Classical archaeology, digital humanities, the intersection of digital humanities and archaeology, historic preservation, languages 
Community Involvement: Office of Digital Research and Scholarship - InternFSU, FSU Irish Ensemble, Eta Sigma Phi Classics Honor Society, InterVarsity, and ARO
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Favorite Meal: Anything that mashed potatoes can accompany 

Grace Robinson she/her

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Grace plans on working as a financial analyst in the aerospace industry.
Research_interests: Universal Design, children with disabilities.  Playground Accessibility for Children with Disabilities.
Community Involvement: Alpha Chi Omega, Best Buddies, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Favorite Meal: Steak

Carlos Rodriguez

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Accountant, Lawyer, others
Research_interests: Agent Based Modeling
Community Involvement: Intramural sports
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Silent Patient (Book)
Favorite Meal: Anything Italian

Nora Romano

Hometown: Nolensville, TN
Major: Criminology and Psychology
Minor:
Career Goals: Criminal Psychologist or FBI Agent
Research_interests: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Crime within Indigenous Communities, Media and Crime Relations.  For her FSU UROP project, Nora conducted research with Dr. Davis Houck. Their project was entitled: "Writing His Life: The Life and Death of John Brown in Letters." The project consisted of discovering letters that John Brown wrote on death row and rhetorically analyzing them. Although they did not end up publishing a paper, Nora developed many skills through the process of researching: critical thinking, time management, and communication.  Nora will not be continuing research with this specific project, but she will keep in touch with her mentor, Dr. Houck. The second research project that Nora conducted was not through a program, but started from a simple email inquiring interest on a possible research study. The research is on crime within Indigenous communities -- specifically the Seminole Tribe of Florida -- and it is being led by the Dean of the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Dr. Thomas Blomberg. The research is very much in the beginning stages, and Nora hopes to continue this research in the form of a DIS in the following years.
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars, Marching Chiefs, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, Catholic Student Union, Synthesis Dance Co., Salt Company, Food For Thought Pantry, Kearney Center, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King
Favorite Meal: My mom's homemade fettuccine alfredo.

Olivia Rose

Hometown: Sarasota, Florida
Major: Psychology
Minor: Biology, Chemistry, and English
Career Goals: Neurological researcher and university professor
Research_interests: My research interests fall within the neurobiological underpinnings of disordered movement, with a primary focus on Tourette's syndrome.  Within this scope, I use neuroimaging techniques to gather data about abnormalities in oscillatory activity (patterns of neuronal firing) and sensory gating deficits; I also utilize neurostimulation techniques, such as transcranial alternating current stimulation, to directly manipulate neural oscillations.  Additional areas of interest include neuropharmacol
Community Involvement: UROP Leader; FSU yoga; Phi Beta Kappa; Garnet and Gold Scholar Society; Honors Peer Mentor
Last Book, Show, or Movie: No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre
Favorite Meal:  Shakshuka (a Middle Eastern dish of eggs poached in spiced tomatoes, peppers, and onions)

Sophie Rottenberg

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Major: Biology and International Affairs
Minor: Chemistry and Spanish
Career Goals: International trauma surgeon
Research_interests: I research oxytocin receptors in brain and behavior development in the Neuroscience Department under Dr. Elizabeth Hammock.                 
Community Involvement: Honors Student Association VP of Executive Affairs; UROP Leader; Presidential Scholar Executive Leadership Council Social Chair; Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Fraternity; Colloquium Leader for the Honors College; VP of the Academic Recruitment Organization; Garnet and Gold Scholar Society                
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Circle by Dave Eggers
Favorite Meal: Seaweed salad and panang curry

Zachary Roz

Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Nursing
Minor: Child Development
Career Goals: To become a pediatric critical care nurse practitioner
Research_interests: The effects of the caregiving of chronically ill children on parents
Community Involvement: Filipino student association, Asian student association
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Hunger Games
Favorite Meal: Poke Bowls

Leah Rumancik

Hometown: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Major: Actuarial Science and Statistics
Minor: Business and Italian Studies
Career Goals: Work for a property and casualty actuarial consulting firm
Research_interests: I am interested in the science of dreaming.                
Community Involvement: Future Seminole Actuaries Society; Kiteboarding Club treasurer; Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society   
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Il Bar Sotto Il Mare by Stefano Benini
Favorite Meal: Salmon and crab pinwheels from Publix

Marianne Ruschman

Hometown: Niceville, FL
Major: Criminology
Minor:
Career Goals: I want to work as an intelligence analyst or an attorney.
Research_interests: I am currently doing legal research on state and federal law regarding the use of psychedelics in religious ritual.
Community Involvement: I am a member of Phi Alpha Delta and Lambda Alpha Epsilon. I will soon start participating in prison ministry with the Catholic Student Union and Narcan distribution with CHAW as well.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The last book I read was "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, and the last movie I watched was The Godfather.
Favorite Meal: My favorite meal is sushi or chicken tikka masala.

Lauren Russell she/her

Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Major: Public Health
Minor:
Career Goals: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Research_interests: Infectious disease epidemiology, computer science, disease/health surveillance.  Lauren's UROP project was on Medical Applications of Exosomes.
Community Involvement: (current) FSU SHAP, Pschols diversity and inclusion board, (past) model un, math tutoring
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Dinner by Herman Koch
Favorite Meal: Quesadillas

Inam Sakinah

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Major: Biology and Interdisciplinary Social Science
Minor: Chemistry and Political Philosophy
Career Goals: Physician and policymaker leveraging medical and policy expertise to reform health care. 
Research_interests: Previously conducted research on the neurobiological mechanisms of social development and social science field studies on leadership, identity, and culture. Currently focused on exploring the role of social determinants in perpetuating health disparities in the U.S.
Community Involvement: Founding Chair, Student Diversity and Inclusion Council; Co-Founder and Director, CUSP: College for Unconquered Students Partnership; Global Ambassador; Intern for an educational development NGO in Ecuador; Delegate, Millennium Campus Conference at UN
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Favorite Meal: My mother's cooking

Amanda Schell

Hometown: Lakeland, Florida
Major: Statistics and International Affairs
Minor: Economics, Urban and Regional Planning, and Math
Career Goals: Statistician in the federal government
Research_interests: My research interests include statistics, criminology, and psychology.                
Community Involvement: Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Fraternity; Garnet and Gold Scholar Society; Presidential Scholar Executive Leadership Council Chair; Honors Colloquium Leader; Academic Recruitment Organization Treasurer; Reformed University Fellowship small group leader; intramural sports    
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail - but Some Don't by Nate Silver
Favorite Meal: Chick-fil-A fries, plain Wendy's baconator, Cherry Dr. Pepper, and vanilla cake with buttercream icing

Nickolas Schlax

Hometown: Jacksonville Beach, FL
Major: Environmental Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: My current goals are to do something within urban design. I would love to map, design, and organize city and building structure with an emphasis in sustainable practices.
Research_interests: I'm extremely interested in civil design, sustainable practices, and Alastair Jurs' eyes.
Community Involvement: Sigma Phi Epsilon, Intramural Sports, 2028 class rep?
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Book - The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Favorite Meal: Spicy chicken sandwich with fries

Nick Schwab he/him

Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Major: Media Communications Studies
Minor: French and Criminology
Career Goals: Nick wants to be a film/television writer/director.
Research_interests: Law.  For his UROP project Nick created A Comprehensive Mass Shooting Database.
Community Involvement: Sigma Phi Epsilon, Friday Night Live at FSU, Sustainable Tallahassee, Gretchen Everhart School, Project Annie, FSU Food Pantry.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Shogun
Favorite Meal: Veal Piccata

Gregory Seel

Hometown: Winter Park, Florida
Major: Electrical Engineering
Minor: Physics, Mathematics
Career Goals: Pursue my musical passions through my engineering passions, Amplifier Circuits.
Research_interests: My research interests include acoustics, wave phenomena, astrophysics, quantum theory, particle physics, and education.                
Community Involvement: Presbyterian University Center; Campus Blues Band                
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Favorite Meal: My own endlessly vile cooking

Olivia Seely

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Major: Environmental Engineering
Minor:
Career Goals: While she is still discovering the many opportunities within environmental engineering, Olivia was immediately grabbed by the idea of working on and improving wildlife bridges, geotechnical engineering, and in ephemeral wetland conservation.
Research_interests: Like with her career goals, she is still discovering new opportunities every day. However, in addition to the topics in her career goals, Olivia is interested in using the arts to promote engineering education, specifically using theatre to encourage young women to pursue engineering.  
Community Involvement: White Mouse Productions, the Environmental Service Program, Disabled Student Union, Unconquered By Debt, FSU Environmental Service Program (served as temporary fundraising chair, created some social media posts, removed invasive plants from local parks, helped build a butterfly garden for a local elementary school).
Last Book, Show, or Movie: What Bees Want: Beekeeping as Nature Intended
Favorite Meal: Spanakopita and Tiropita

Gabriel Segurola

Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Finance
Minor:
Career Goals: Real Estate Investor
Research_interests: Finance, Real Estate, and Sports.  I will be conducting more real estate investment research in the hopes to find a good formula to easily underwrite properties and provide affordable housing for countless communities.  I presented at the Research Symposium on the effects of sports gambling on society and the economy since it first really emerged in the US.
Community Involvement: AARP, Kearney Center, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Ozark
Favorite Meal: Korean BBQ

Tatum Shannon

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
Major: International Affairs and Chinese
Minor: Education, French
Career Goals: State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Research_interests: My research interests include the history and politics of East and Southeast Asia.                
Community Involvement: Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certificate, Center for  Intensive English Studies tutor, English Conversation Club Leader, EducationUSA Intern
Last Book, Show, or Movie: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Favorite Meal: Ice cream

Riley Sheehan

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Commercial Entrepreneurship
Minor: Hospitality
Career Goals: I plan to buy, flip and rent out houses with my parents, with the goal of one day opening my own animal daycare and grooming business.
Research_interests: Animals, Marketing
Community Involvement: I have become a member of Phi Mu, Phi mu’s Philanthropy team and FSU Cru
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Dirty Dancing
Favorite Meal: Sushi

Taylor Shelby

Hometown: Dunedin, Florida
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Mechanical engineer
Research_interests: My research interests include science, computer science, psychology, and robotics.
Community Involvement:
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Dance of Dragons by Kaitlyn Davis
Favorite Meal: Roast, as Mom makes it, with vegetables, soy sauce, mashed potatoes, and homemade chocolate pudding

Brent Shepherd

Hometown: Cooper City, Florida
Major: Biology and Environmental Science
Minor: Chemistry and Political Science
Career Goals: Commissioner of FWC/Wildlife Biologist 
Research_interests: Landscape ecology, sustainability, biodiveristy, and resource management 
Community Involvement: FSU Climbing Club, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Candide by Voltaire
Favorite Meal: Fried snapper 

Connor Sherman

Hometown: Trinity, Florida
Major: Actuarial Science and Economics
Minor: Business and History
Career Goals: PhD in Economics and risk analysis on stock portfolios
Research_interests: LGBT Income Inequalities and Economic Predispositions
Community Involvement: Presidential Scholars Class Representative, Academic Recruitment Organization
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Favorite Meal: Peanut Butter

Emily Shiel

Hometown: Pace, Florida
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Mathematics and Psychology
Career Goals: Pediatrician or Pediatric Surgeon 
Research_interests: Biotechnology, Chemistry, Biology, Neuroscience, and Psychology
Community Involvement: Your Not Alone(YNA), Honors Student Association, Academic Recruitment Organization (ARO), NAMI
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Favorite Meal: Blueberry Oatmeal

Daniel Siegel he/him

Hometown: Bethseda, MD
Major: English Literature, Media, and Culture
Minor: Communication
Career Goals: Daniel hopes to work in environmental communication and public outreach.
Research_interests: Daniel's research largely engages with English literature. He is especially interested in the intersections between literature and the environment, preferring to study books with environmental themes.
Community Involvement: FSU Men's Club Ultimate (DUF). FSU Sport Clubs Executive Council. Power of WE. GenCLEO. FSU Unconquered by Debt (tabled and advertised for FSU Saves). SAIL High School (volunteered at practices and served as unofficial assistant coach for Ultimate Frisbee team). FSU Campus Recreation (attended and tabled at Special Olympics kickball tournament, teaching attendees how to throw a frisbee and cheering on their football games). Visit Tallahassee (volunteered at cross country championship event, volunteered at high school football championships, and volunteered and tabled at City of Tallahassee movie event in Cascades park).  
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy
Favorite Meal: An Ethiopian platter

Jordan Singletary

Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Major: International Affairs and Environmental Science
Minor:
Career Goals: Marine biologist conducting environmental research 
Research_interests: I am volunteering with the FSU Coastal and Marine lab with the hope of working on one of their research projects to gain hands-on experience in the marine biology field.      
Community Involvement: Undergraduate Research Ambassador; Delta Zeta Sorority; Delta Zeta Academic Executive position; Honors Representative for NextGen Climate                
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Emma by Jane Austen
Favorite Meal: A GIANT flan

Leah Singleton

Hometown: Winter Springs, Florida
Major: International Affairs and Religion
Minor: Spanish, Economics, and SAS Data Analysis, Psychology
Career Goals: Lawyer specializing in international and human rights law
Research_interests: My research interests include topics relating to nonprofits, social justice (particularly human trafficking), gender roles, and influential court cases.
Community Involvement: Residential Conduct Board; Honors Legal Scholars; The Navigators; FSU Eventing Team (Equestrian); Academic Recruitment Organization; Director of Advocacy, United Nations Association; Phi Beta Kappa
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Doing Good Better by William MacAskill
Favorite Meal: Chili with salt and vinegar chips and a chocolate chip cookie

Martha Sizemore

Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
Major: History and Editing, Writing, & Media
Minor:
Career Goals: Museum Curator or Historical Researcher
Research_interests: 20th Century History, Sociology, Art, Film, Literature
Community Involvement: Club Downunder, Habitat for Humanity, Cat Family Records, UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee
Favorite Meal: Steamed shrimp and mixed vegetables

Carolyn Sizemore

Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
Major: Editing, Writing, and Media & Information Communication Technology
Minor:
Career Goals: To create content that's accessible, thoughtful and makes people smile
Research_interests: Human rights, intersectional feminism, ecology
Community Involvement: Amnesty International, NOW, Club Downunder
Last Book, Show, or Movie: A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Favorite Meal: Sushi

Maegan Smarkusky

Hometown: New Port Richey, FL
Major: Political Science
Minor: Philosophy of Law
Career Goals: To to attend law school and work in labor law.
Research_interests: Second-order thinking, subconscious, and constitutional interpretation.  Maegan worked as a research assistant for FSU PhD candidate Mrs. Marli Dunietz in understanding second-order thinking in the political science field.
Community Involvement: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio's Tampa Office, The Triangle Factory Memorial Coalition, Public Defender (2nd Circuit), State Attorney's (2nd Circuit) Office, the Center for Health Advocacy and Wellness, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The World Behind the World
Favorite Meal: Philadelphia rolls!

Sasha Smith she/her

Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Major: Hospitality & Tourism Management
Minor: Entrepreneurship
Career Goals: Sasha hopes to get involved in consulting for the hospitality industry, specifically on ways that supply chains for lodging and food & beverage establishments can become more sustainable. After getting a master's degree in Hospitality Entrepreneurship during her fourth year at FSU, Sasha aims to work at a the corporate level for a large hotel, like Marriott, regarding corporate strategy, supply chain, or human resources. Within these departments, Sasha feels as though she can use her knack for problem-solving and love for psychology to improve the lives of employees in the hospitality industry and alleviate the impact that the industry has on our environment. Down the line, Sasha also hopes to participate in some sort of research regarding sustainable supply chains, and hopefully publish a book or make speeches about it. As a passion project towards the middle/end of her career, Sasha also hopes to open up her own bed & breakfast abroad and interact with travelers and people from all over the world.
Research_interests: Sasha is very interested in researching sustainable supply chain management, but has yet to get involved on a project.
Community Involvement: Peggy Adams Animal Rescue foster/volunteer, fundraising for my school's publication, participated in several beach clean-ups and summer camp counseling.  Sasha has also been involved with Unconquered by Debt and FSU Saves, assisting with the setup and takedown of booths, helping advertise the UBD and FSU Saves organizations, and aiding in disseminating information regarding financial wellness.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
Favorite Meal: Sushi, all day, everyday.

Jacob Spainhour

Hometown: Tallahassee, Florida
Major: Pure Mathematics & Computer Science
Minor: Applied Mathematics & Scientific Computing
Career Goals: University professor and researcher
Research_interests: Applied mathematics: Computational geometry, numerical analysis, partial differential equations
Community Involvement: Mathematics tutoring through FSU Academic Center for Excellence
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Long Walk by Stephen King
Favorite Meal: Pancakes and Eggs

Michael Spiro

Hometown: Boca Raton, Florida
Major: Entrepreneurship and Marketing
Minor:
Career Goals: Start a business focused on social entrepreneurship, be successful, be happy
Research_interests: Self-sustainable farms, ways to effectively and sustainably assist others in need
Community Involvement: CEO (entrepreneurship club)
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Business of the 21st Century by Robert Kiyosaki
Favorite Meal: Pad Thai and dried mango slices

Hannah Squier

Hometown: Stuart, Florida
Major: Biological Sciences, Economics
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Business, STEM commercialization.
Research_interests: Genome assembly, speciation, behavioral genetics, computational science.  Under the mentorship of Dr. Alan and Dr. Emily Lemmon in the Lemmon Lab at FSU, Hannah has been helping to develop a new genome assembly method. Current genome assembly methods are not efficient enough to assemble large, repetitive genomes such as the chorus frog genome, so a new method is needed. Her group's method uses selected, single-copy sequences to connect reads before the rest of the sequencing data is overlaid to form the assembly. Future directions include optimizing this process and testing their methods on actual data instead of simulated data. If this new genome assembly method works as predicted, large genomes will be able to be assembled overnight, instead of the current months-long process.
Community Involvement: FSU International Programs, Torch Society, Presidential Scholars Outreach Board, Lemmon Lab, FSU Climbing Club, Honors program, IM sports, Seminole Organic Garden, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: The Agony and The Ecstasy
Favorite Meal: Poke Bowl

Samyuktha Sridhar

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Major: Political Science
Minor: Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Career Goals: Constitutional Lawyer
Research_interests: Juvenile Justice and governmental processes.   Samy worked as a research assistant for Dr. Alexandra Cockerham through UROP. In collaboration with the North Carolina Juvenile Justice Department, the team sought to assess the effects of North Carolina Teen Court on recidivism. She will be continuing this research into the summer.
Community Involvement: UROP, Noles Engaged in Politics, FSView Newspaper, Office of Representative Jessica Baker, Honors Legal Scholars, APPLE program, Surge Executive Board, and the Committee of the Academic Honor Policy, as well as Unconquered by Debt and Habitat for Humanity.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Dune
Favorite Meal: There's too many; I can't decide!

Alexis Staveski

Hometown: New Port Richey, Florida
Major: Computational Science and Economics
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Professor of Computational Social Science
Research_interests: Computational Social Science. 
Community Involvement: Alexis was involved in the Student Senate, Programming Allocation Committee, Women's Student Union, ForwardFSU, and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement.  Alexis volunteered with Unconquered By Debt at their tabling initiatives to educate students on the resources of the organization. In the area of financial wellness, she also volunteered at the Presidential Scholar's Financial Wellness Fair, helping to coordinate the event and ensure it ran smoothly. She volunteered in financial wellness for a total of 5 hours. Alexis also volunteered with the Women's Student Union in her capacity on the Women's History Month Committee. She planned the organization's Women's History Month Leadership Panel, designing questions centered around women's experiences in leadership, imposter syndrome, and allyship. She also co-moderated this panel. A sentiment from this panel that struck her was "oftentimes, taking on larger leadership roles is not about yourself or your work, it is about handing the microphone to other people." She also tabled at the organization's intersectional kickoff event to educate students on the mission of WSU and the events of the month. Furthermore, the second part of this event included a tour of the other identify-based agencies on our campus where attendees assembled a bouquet of flowers by collecting flowers at different agency spaces. She volunteered with this organization for a total of 8 hours in the spring semester.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Modern Family
Favorite Meal: My favorite meal is a chicken tender wrap from Publix.

Lindsey Stawowy

Hometown: Cedar Park, Texas
Major: Biology and Environmental Chemistry
Minor: Mathematics
Career Goals: Pursue a career in environmental chemistry or biology
Research_interests: My research interest is in ecology.                
Community Involvement: Alpha Chi Sigma fraternity; 2016 Global Scholars Ambassador; 2016 Honors Colloquium Leader; Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society; intramural sports
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
Favorite Meal: Chicken and waffles

Jackie Steinhauer

Hometown: Jupiter, Florida
Major: Psychology and Pre-Med
Minor:
Career Goals: I either want to be a neurosurgeon or perform neuroscience research
Research_interests: Neuroscience, ADHD, psychology
Community Involvement: Member of Alpha Phi Sorority
Last Book, Show, or Movie: "Hallucinations" by Oliver Sacks
Favorite Meal: Salmon sashimi

Marcel Suarez

Hometown: Cape Coral, FL
Major: History (Pre-Law)
Minor: Philosophy
Career Goals: I am excited to become a lawyer although I do not yet know what area of law I want to practice.
Research_interests: I am passionate about history, especially within the Spanish speaking world. UROP has been the perfect opportunity for me as I am currently researching the history of bandits in Spain!
Community Involvement: Currently, I am involved in the Hispanic/Latinx Student Union’s Mentorship Program, P-Schol Service Board, Catholic Student Union, Honors Legal Scholars and Cuban American Student Union.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky and I watched 500 Days of Summer
Favorite Meal: Sushi and Buffalo Wings!

Tristny Ta

Hometown: Yulee, FL
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Chemistry, STEM Entrepreneurship
Career Goals: Medical school: Surgery
Research_interests: Neuroscience, Cardiovascular disorders
Community Involvement: Alpha Phi Sorority, Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-Medical Fraternity, Light the Night, Orientation Leaders, Faith Presbyterian Church, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Legally Blonde
Favorite Meal: Acai bowls

Carson Tappan

Hometown: Louisburg, Kansas
Major: Film Production
Minor: Film Studies
Career Goals: Filmmaker
Research_interests: Non-Profits
Community Involvement: UROP, Filmmaking
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favorite Meal: Chicken Strips

Legion Taylor

Hometown: Crawfordville, FL
Major: Undeclared
Minor:
Career Goals: I want to write professionally
Research_interests: I am currently doing research
Community Involvement: UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Over the Garden Wall
Favorite Meal: Lasagna

Gracie Thaxton

Hometown: St. Augustine, Florida
Major: Behavioral Neuroscience, Mathematics
Minor: Chemistry
Career Goals: Pediatric Neurologist
Research_interests: Autism, Neuroscience, Psychology
Community Involvement: Autism Speaks, Nu Rho Psi Honor Society, Neuroscience Undergraduate Student Association, Equestrian Team, Garnet and Gold Scholar Society, Academic Recruitment Organization, UROP
Last Book, Show, or Movie: Misery by Stephen King
Favorite Meal: Any of my mom's cooking

Ryan The he/him

Hometown: Canton, MI
Major: Cell/Molecular Neuroscience and Public Health
Minor:
Career Goals: Physician
Research_interests: Biochem and music cognition research
Community Involvement: Beaumont Hospital Student Volunteer, Northridge Church Worship Leader
Last Book, Show, or Movie: "Atomic Habits," James Clear
Favorite Meal: Mom's cooking :)

Haley Thomasson she/her

Hometown: Iverness, FL
Major: Psychology & Advertising
Minor:
Career Goals: To work as a strategist at an advertising agency.
Research_interests: Interpersonal Relationships and Decision Making.  Haley completed an FSU Speed Dating Project for UROP.
Community Involvement: Arrowhead Advertising Team, Food for Thought Pantry, Unconquered by Debt.
Last Book, Show, or Movie: When Harry Met Sally
Favorite Meal: Anything breakfast or anything with bacon.