Award Recipients
Mohamed Shaaban Humanitarian Award
Annmarie Gendy
Catherine Nelson
Zuhayre Shaikh
Sravya Uppalapati
Even in her freshman year, Sravya Uppalapati began volunteering at the VCU Medical Center and the Richmond Center for Healthy Hearts. Her observations of disparities in treatment of uninsured patients inspired her to investigate health care practices in inner cities and rural communities and present her findings at a VCU symposium. This example illustrates her persistent diligence in discovering needs, seeking solutions and making a real difference. In addition to numerous leadership activities at VCU and volunteering with the Richmond Volunteer Rescue Squad, Circle K services for the homeless, SciKids services for inner-city children, and going on an Alternative Spring Break’s trip to serve terminally ill children, Sravya played an enormous role for RamPantry. She trained approximately 200 volunteers during the year, helped organize food insecurity education, and collaborated efforts for food donations and drives. Sravya Uppalapati graduated from VCU with a B.S. in biology and psychology and a minor in chemistry. She will enter the VCU School of Medicine in Fall 2018.
Ryan Sameen Meshkin
In addition to his outstanding leadership and service at VCU as student representative to the Board of Visitors and president of the College of Humanities and Sciences Student Leadership Council, Sameen implemented the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program, a Baha’i-inspired educational program engaging a community’s young people in a process that develops their powers of expression and fosters a love for service to humanity. As these youth groups take on increasingly more complex acts of service, their work becomes a significant source of positive change at the neighborhood level. Sameen worked with several counties in Virginia to implement the program, and in the summer of 2014, he supported its development in Manzini, Swaziland. Today, the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program is strengthening communities in localities across the world. Sameen graduated from VCU with a B.S. in biology, minors in music and chemistry, and is pursuing his M.D. degree at Harvard Medical School.
Sahil Aggarwal
Sahil Aggarwal was a co-founder of PENdulum Global, a nonprofit organization that works to empower vulnerable adolescents to become leaders through mentorship, education, and service projects. Sahil is now a medical student at the University of California at Irvine, and he continues to work with PENdulum Global.
Sahil was awarded the Mohamed Shaaban Humanitarian Award at the 2016 spring commencement ceremony as an alum. He was unable to attend the ceremony due to the work he has been doing in Tanzania on HIV stigma research.
Kevin Ghaffari
Kevin Ghaffari co-founded I RISE, an organization that seeks to increase student awareness of the issues facing our homeless community and to develop a model that helps these individuals in a holistic and long-lasting way.
Kevin was presented with the Mohamed Shaaban Humanitarian Award at the 2016 spring commencement ceremony as a current graduate student.
Outstanding Student Awards
Name | Award |
---|---|
Gabriella Daire | Black History in the Making Award (Undergraduate) |
Tiffany Brackett | Black History in the Making Award (Graduate Student) |
Cameron Toler | Outstanding Biology Senior Award |
Kaia Woodard | Outstanding Biology Undergraduate Student in Cellular/Molecular Biology |
Sara Tenda | Outstanding M.S. Student - Evolution and Ecological Processes and Applications |
Isaiah Klimek | Outstanding M.S. Student- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology |
Lisa Haber | Outstanding Ph.D. Student - Evolution and Ecological Processes and Applications |
Mary Coughter | Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant |
Gavin Attaway | Outstanding Undergraduate in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology |
Aditya Kotha | Outstanding Undergraduate Student |
Vineeth Vaidyula | Outstanding Senior |
Nathaniel-David Dizon | Outstanding Teaching Assistant |
Laura Hickey | Outstanding MS Student |
Kerstin Niefermaier | Outstanding Teaching Assistant |
Kayla Mathes | Outstanding PhD Student |
Hala Idris | Outstanding Senior |
Name | Award |
---|---|
Laura Hickey | Outstanding Master's Student |
Emelia Kusi | Outstanding Master's Student |
Kayla Mathes | Outstanding Ph.D. Student |
Lisa Haber | Outstanding ILS Ph.D. Student |
Hala Idris | Outstanding Biology Senior Award |
Xavier Moore | Outstanding Biology Senior Award |
Katherine Hylton | Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in Biology |
Kirsten Niedermaer | Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in Biology |
Nathaniel-David Dizon | Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in Biology |
Rebecca Alemu | Outstanding Biology Undergraduate Student |
Jordan Matamoro-Mejias | Black History in the Making |
Malika Afrifa | Black History In the Making |
Jordan Young | Black History In the Making |
Nanda Nada | Black History In the Making |
Hamid Hamze | Black History In the Making |
Rebecca Alemu | CHS Rising Star Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Award |
Name | Award |
---|---|
Joon Seog Kim | Outstanding I.L.S. Ph.D in Evolution Award |
Maxim Grigri | Outstanding Biology Masters Student in Ecology |
Dalton Huey | Outstanding Biology Senior Award |
Anirban Mahanty | Outstanding Biology Undergraduate Student in Cellular/Molecular Biology |
Sanyam 'Sam' Patel | Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Biology |
Rebecca Alemu | Black History in the Making |
Theodore Evans | Black History in the Making |
Name | Award |
---|---|
Laura Hickey | Outstanding Biology Undergraduate Student in Ecology |
Michael Sinclair | Outstanding Biology Masters Student in Ecology |
Drashty Mody | Outstanding Biology Senior Award |
Ravindra Krishna | Outstanding Biology Undergraduate Student in Cellular/Molecular Biology |
April Boyd | Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Biology |
La'Tila Abbott | Black History in the Making |
Alexis Branch | Black History in the Making |
Ashlee Greenlee | Black History in the Making |
Imaan Muhammad | Black History in the Making |
Name | Award |
---|---|
Sarah Ingram | Outstanding Biology Graduate Teaching Assistant Award |
Benjamin Nettleton | Outstanding Biology Masters Student in Ecology |
Farahnoz Khojayori | Outstanding Biology Masters Student in Evolution |
Joseph Brown | Outstanding Biology PhD Student in Ecology |
Rohan Kankaria | Outstanding Biology Senior Award |
Nitika Gupta | Outstanding Biology Undergraduate Student in Cellular and Molecular Biology |
Emma Davis | Outstanding Biology Undergraduate Student in Ecology |
Heather Caslin | Outstanding PhD Student in Cellular and Molecular Biology |