2020 Public Health Students

Abigail (Abby) Aita '20

Hasan Alqutri '20

Hasan Alqutri is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Finance. He was born in Laurel, MD and finished high school in Fairfax, VA. At W&M, he is involved in the Muslim Student Association, Building Tomorrow, and other volunteer work. After undergrad, he plans on going to medical school. He is excited to network with professionals and gain insight into the world of Public Health through the Study in DC Program.

Elise Brickhouse '20

Danielle (Dani) Brown '20

is a senior W&M Scholar pursuing a major in neuroscience with a pre-medical concentration. On campus, she is president of Syndicate Hip-Hop Dance Team; co-founder, mentor, and head of public relations committee for Minorities in Medicine; and a senior fellow and head of public relations for WMSURE. She is also involved in PSYC/NCSI research focusing on social cognition, more specifically the effects of bias and prejudice against out-groups by in-groups, and works at Riverside Walter Reed Emergency Room as a scribe. After graduation, she is taking a gap year while she applies to medical school. In her future career, she hopes to connect her knowledge pertaining to what makes our bodies function on a microscale to how we as a society define health on a macroscale, what is considered to be healthy, and by whom this standard is determined.  

Peter Brown '21

Peter is currently a junior at W&M majoring in chemistry with a possible minor in biochemistry. He is currently living in Stafford, VA, about an hour south of Washington, DC. After undergrad he hopes to go to medical school to pursue my dream of being a doctor. I've spent time shadowing doctors at Mary Washington Hospital and the Mayo Clinic and he worked as a scribe in the ED last summer. In his free time he likes going to the gym, playing hockey, playing tennis, playing frisbee, volunteering at animal shelters, and hiking. He is really looking forward to this program and staying in DC.

Andrew Bui '21

David Caccese '21

Melina Cienski '21

Kelsey Davenport '20

Kelsey Davenport is currently a senior at the W&M. She is majoring in Kinesiology and Health Sciences with a concentration in Allied Health. Her career goal is to become a Physician Assistant; however, she is strongly interested in working in the field of Public Health. Current and emerging diseases fascinate her, and she would love to be involved in disease research with the CDC one day. After graduation she plans on going to graduate school, either to EVMS for Physician Assistant school or for their Master’s in Public Health. At William & Mary she is involved in Club Volleyball and the Kinesiology Major’s Club. She is from the Hampton Roads area, but is eager to venture out of the 757 to study Public Health in the heart of our wonderful nation.

Codi Elliott '21

Evan French '20

Evan French is a senior at W&M, pursuing a major in Kinesiology with a concentration in Public Health and a minor in Management and Organizational Leadership. He spent the last summer as an intern within the government affairs department of Magellan Health, a managed health care company.   His interest in public health developed while interning at Managed Care Physician Executives and through health outreach trips to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, where he built homes and taught children English along with healthy life practices. For the past two years he has served as a counselor at Camp Kesem, a free camp for children whose lives have been affected by a parent suffering from cancer. Evan hopes to make an impact in eliminating this nation’s opioid epidemic.

Federico (Fede) Garcia-Palou '20

Raquel Geddes '22

Raquel Geddes is a sophomore at W&M.  She is a chemistry major and a public health minor intending to follow the pre-med track.  She is fluent in Spanish and lived in Latin America for the first 9 years of her life.

Anukriti Goel '20

Prateek Govindaraj '21

Prateek is a junior at W&M from Northern Virginia. He is majoring in Neuroscience, minoring in Chemistry, and wants to pursue medical school after college. He is a tutor for Literacy for Life at the W&M School of Education and enjoys scientific research. He also is interested in audio production, has done live sound at local concert venues, and plays guitar, bass, drums, and clarinet. He wants to learn more about public health and apply this knowledge with lawmakers in D.C. This makes the winter W&M Study in DC program on public health a perfect fit!

Annika Hackfeld '20

Angelica Johnson '21

Angelica Johnson is a junior majoring in Biology at W&M. She is passionate about healthcare and expresses this interest through regularly volunteering off-campus at the Capital Caring Hospice Center, as well as at various free healthcare clinics in the Northern Virginia Area.  On-campus, Angelica is a Wren Scholar, a part of Best Best Buddies, where she serves on the PR Committee, and is an active member of Campus Kitchens. In the future, Angelica hopes to continue pursuing her passion for healthcare by attending medical school and eventually working in the field as a physician. 

Saloni Kapila '21

Saloni Kapila is a junior at W&M studying Computational Applied Math and Statistics, the Mathematical Biology track. She has, however, a strong interest in healthcare and public health. Outside of her classwork, she does research in computational neuroscience and is beginning research in data science as well. In her free time, she is a part of salsa club and she loves cooking, reading, and traveling. 

 Saumya Kapila '21

Margretta (Maggie) Kruger '20

Margretta Kruger is a junior from New Providence, NJ majoring in biology and minoring in public health. On campus, she is involved with the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, Campus Buddies, an organization that holds art and baseball classes for special needs individuals in the Williamsburg area, and the W&M Celtic Dance club. Margretta is looking forward to spending winter break in DC and learning more about public health.

Christian Longo '22

Christian Longo is a sophomore at W&M. He is a CAMS applied statistics major, while also minoring in biochemistry and being on a pre-medical track. He is originally from New Jersey and has never actually visited Washington D.C. before.

Matthew (Matt) Lowrie '22

Alison (Aly) Luckett '20

Aly is a senior at W&M studying Government and Public Health and is interested in health policy. She is from the DC area and is excited to explore the city through the lens of public health. At W&M, Aly is the Recruitment Chair of the Student Conduct Council, a national representative to her social sorority's Executive Office, and a Confidential Advocate at The Haven (W&M's peer-based resource for survivors of sexual violence). 

Elizabeth Maneval '21

Elizabeth is a junior from Waynesboro, Virginia. She is pursuing a double major in Linguistics and a self-designed major that combines Biology with Public Health. On campus, she is involved with Canterbury, Intergenerational Insights, Branch Out, and research with the Linguistics department. She enjoys volunteering with the COFM Winter Shelter, Latisha's House, and One Child's Center for Autism Kids' Night. Elizabeth hopes to become a Physician's Assistant and potentially serve a geriatric community in a rural area. She is looking forward to learning everything she can about public health and access to healthcare during the DC seminar so that she can better serve the people she meets in the future.

Sophia Messinger '21

Sophie Messinger is a sophomore at the college from Montvale, NJ. She is pursuing a major in Chemistry and a minor in Public Health on a pre-med track. On campus, Sophie is part of a social sorority, club swim, and chemistry research. She hopes to eventually attend medical school with aspirations of becoming an Infectious Disease doctor. She is very excited to expand her knowledge and understanding of public health while studying in D.C

Elizabeth Minife '22

Tatiana Prioleau '21

Tatiana is a junior majoring in biology and minoring in biochemistry. On campus, she is the Corresponding Secretary for Minorities in Medicine and she works in a biochemistry research lab. She wishes to pursue a career in medical research.  She is interested in caring for patients as well as improving treatments for diseases that affect her patients. She is excited to participate in the Public Health Seminar because she will be able to further understand the issues of health policy and equity.

Spencer Rice '20

Spencer is a junior Kinesiology and Health Sciences major with a Pre-med Concentration and a minor in Biochemistry with the hopes of going to Medical School. He is from Williamsburg, Virginia, which is why he is involved a lot around the local community through opportunities such as volunteering at a free clinic. Around campus, he is involved in his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and is on the executive board of Red Cross Club and Health Careers Club. He is very excited to participate in this program to learn more about the US healthcare system and to spend time in Washington DC!

Avery Torres '20

Avery is a senior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Public Health. On campus, she is involved in Tribetones A Cappella and teaches group fitness classes at the campus recreation center. She is also a Prevention Intern at Bacon Street Youth and Family Services, a non-profit which empowers the community to live free of substance use challenges. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career that combines her passions of promoting mental health, physical health, and wellness. She is excited to be apart of the D.C. Winter Seminar and looks forward to broadening her knowledge on health equity while learning from professionals in the field.

Nelson Villeges '21

Catherine (Cat) Weber '21

Catharine (Cat) Weber is a junior at W&M, from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, majoring in Finance with a potential minor in Kinesiology and Health Sciences. On campus, Catharine is a leader of Young Life at Jamestown High School, a member of the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, a volunteer in the English Conversation Partners Program and is a part-time nanny. After graduation, Catharine plans to pursue a career in wealth management where she can combine her interests in finance and business with her passion for helping others. She also has a passion for health and wellness and is excited to apply the valuable knowledge gained to initiate wellness incentives in the workplace.

Mya White '21

Mya White is a junior at W&M from Smithfield, Virginia. She is an English major with a minor in Public Health. She is the President of the W&M Chapter of NAACP, a volunteer with the Lemon Project Society, and a member of Alma Mater Productions’ Committee on Cultural and Contemporary Issues. Moreover, Mya serves as a consultant at the W&M Writing Resources Center and a student employee with the Office of Student Leadership and Development. Mya aims – through the course of her education – to build a full, diverse picture of the world around her and to affect change at its many necessary intersections. She is using this experience as an opportunity to engage with the world of Public Health and to build upon her skill sets. From this experience, she hopes to be able to better promote health equity and combat the issues affecting underserved communities.

Riley Wilson '21