04/28/09 For those of you who cannot attend the APS meeting tonight
and still wish to vote in the officer elections, here are
the names and bios of the candidates.
Please email me (hannahflory@gmail.com) by 9PM with your
votes. You need not vote for those officers who are running
unopposed.
PRESIDENT
Shana King: My name is Shana King and I am a Junior
Biology/UTeach major with a BDP in Social Inequality, Health
and Policy. I grew up in Crosby, a small town just outside
of Houston. This was my third year in APS and second as an
officer, where I served as the Vice President and as
Advertising Director the year before. In addition to APS and
the UTeach program, I am also a FIG mentor, an Ambassador
for the newly formed School of Undergraduate Studies, an
intern at Crockett High School, and a coach for the Newport
Torpedoes Swim Team in Houston (hence the sunburn…) I’m
looking forward to a great summer in the Austin sun taking
classes, Doctor Shadowing, and prepping for the MCAT! These
past few years in APS have been awesome and I look forward
to strengthening our organization to make it the best it can
be! Hook ‘em!
VICE PRESIDENT
Stefen Barton: Hey there!!! My name is Stefen Barton and I
was the volunteer coordinator of APS this past year. I am a
Human Biology major, a soon-to-be junior and have been in
APS for two years now. I was born in the wacky town of Waco,
Texas and raised by my awesome grandparents. Besides being
involved with APS, I am also a member of the Joint
Admissions Medical Program (JAMP), a Sexual Health Peer
Educator, a Friday night volunteer at Doug’s House (an AIDS
Hospice), and an undergraduate lab assistant (UGLA) for the
BIO205L lab. I am really hoping to getting involved with Big
Brothers Big Sisters next year. Outside of school and
related activities, I love to play tennis, go out to eat,
watch TV (LOST is AWESOME!!!!), and compulsively buy DVDs (I
swear my collections is well over 600 now). I love APS and I
hope to play a major role as vice-president in making APS
the best that it can be.
Alyona Shnulina: Hi! My name is Alyona Shnulina and I have
been your advertising director this year. I have spent a
wonderful 3 years in APS and the OC program and would like
to finish off my experience by serving as the Vice President
my senior year. I know a lot about this organization and
will try my hardest to keep it the best pre-med organization
on campus. This year I made the APS member and GHAW
t-shirts, flyers, and cups, and fulfilled all of APS’s
advertising needs. Aside from being in APS, I am also a part
of the Student Health Advisory Committee and the Texas Exes
Student Chapter. I love art, photography, volunteering, good
food, and new experiences. I would love to be your VP next
year, so please vote for me! You won’t regret it… ; )
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Alison Garner: I’m currently a freshman majoring in
Biochemistry from Austin, Texas. I joined APS and completed
the OC program last semester. This semester, I was on the
Keynote Speaker committee for GHAW, where we arranged for
Dr. Heidi Schwarzwald to speak at the APS mandatory meeting.
Some other activities I am involved in at UT are the
Biobricks Freshman Research Initiative Lab and the Texas
Exes Student Chapter, and a part-time coaching position with
the Capital of Texas Aquatics Swim Team. My hobbies include
being a huge nerd at school, swimming, running, working out
in general, getting my tan on, reading cheesy romance
novels, and meeting new friends. My future academic plans
include hopefully going to med school at one of the UT med
schools, and perhaps pursuing a career in Anesthesiology. I
am very approachable and outgoing, so I get along well with
everyone.
Kaitlin Whelan: I am a freshman nutrition major from Sugar
Land, Texas. I love boating, baking, and watching way too
much tv. I have been a part of APS and the Officer Candidate
Program for the both my semesters here at UT. Along with
APS, I am involved in the FRI program and NSC. I am no
stranger to taking on leadership roles. In high school, I
was captain of my dance team, junior class treasure, a
co-chair in charge of freshman orientation, and a PAL. This
semester, I was a part of the GHAW advertising committee
that the Advertising Director heads up. During GHAW, I
worked hard to come up with ideas for my committee, helped
perfect the t-shirt, fundraised, painted two of the
advertising event banners, attended the Trudy’s dinner, and
worked the Health fair. If elected your Advertising
director, I will design awesome t-shirts and flyers and work
hard to get our club’s name out while keep you informed
about all our meetings and events. Vote Kaitlin for your
09-10 Adverti!
sing Director.
Dasha Yegorova: I was born in Kharkov, Ukraine. I moved to
San Francisco, California when I was nine, and I moved to
Austin, TX when I was in 8th grade. Currently I am a Junior
in UT, majoring in Psychology BS, and completing my pre-med
requirements. I have been in APS for 1 year so far. In
addition to APS and schoolwork, I work in a psychology lab
with Professor Cohen and Ashley Brock. We are studying
infant perception of spatial motion and sound. I volunteer
in the ER at Heart Hospital of Austin and I work with the
Son Rise program for autistic children. For this program
every weekend I play with a 6 year-old boy Morgan,
encouraging him to speak and make eye contact. My hobbies
include drawing, painting, photography, theater, writing,
and dancing. I am fluent in Russian and learning French.
Sheila Yu: I will be a sophomore biology major next year,
and I\\\'m excited to be part of APS again. I enjoyed
participating in APS events, especially GHAW - I worked with
Sadaf to accommodate our keynote speaker. Not only did we
have bonding time baking for our bake sale, we also worked
together efficiently to plan out the room, etc. I want to
design and advertise for APS so that other students can also
experience the friendships and awesome pre-med
opportunities. I believe I am qualified for the position
because I am familiar with using Photoshop, coming up with
graphics to accompany catchy slogans, and creating
interesting flyers and ads that will promote APS activities.
I am also organized and complete assignments in a timely
manner. If chosen, I would love input from everyone about
what they would like to see on shirts, etc. Thank you!
GHAW COORDINATOR
Victor Bui: I represent the Inner Loop…Houston. I am a
fourth year senior and next year I will be a fifth year
senior. I major in Biology B.A. and Biology B.S.- Ecology,
Evolution, Behavior. I am pre-medicine/pre-physician
assistant (Pre-PA). I would like to pursue a career as an
orthopedic surgeon, MD/PhD or within a university clinic
like UHS. I am an active volunteer. Currently, I am involved
in the Student Health Advisory Committee, American Lung
Association, University Health Services Clinic Volunteers,
Sexual Peer Educators, Queer People of Color and
Undergraduate Research Assistant with Dr. Sata. I love
playing volleyball, softball and IM sports. I love baking. I
am interested in botany and etymology. I listen to really
loud music with really big headphones. If you wave to me and
I don’t respond my apologies… loud music. I love watching
movies and getting dressed up.
Kaveeta Marwaha: I am currently a freshman majoring in
Biology/Business Foundations. I was born in Houston, Texas
and lived there all my life until moving to the beautiful,
fun city of Austin. I was unexpectedly born from my mother
13 minutes after she had my twin sister, Natasha. I am one
of four children, if you count my beautiful German shepherd,
Pepper. I graduated from Kingwood High School in 2008 and
was ranked 4 out of 1000 people. I am an extremely hard
worker and can’t stand a job not done well. Also, I’m a fun,
outgoing person, who loves playing sports, staying active,
watching movies, listening to music and of course shopping.
I had the opportunity to play in a national and
international soccer tournament with my club team and won
both. Additionally, I enjoy helping people and obviously
aspire to be a doctor one day. I am an avid volunteer who
loves contributing back to the community and have
volunteered at many different places. Working at the
Kingwood Hospit!
al through my high school years was an opportunity that I
will never forget. I hope to continue to leave my mark on
the Austin community too.
Chrisleigh Pentecost: Born and raised in Houston, TX, I grew
up living in a city with a nicely sized medical center (it?s
awesome). I interned at Memorial Hermann Hospital, as well
as other various private practice for 2 years in High
School. I fell in love with surgery and have continued to
shadow surgeons throughout my college career. I am a 3rd
year Option I: Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior major here
at the fabulous University of Texas. I love animals and
learning about them is fascinating to me. I have enjoyed my
years here in Austin and I have had a lot of fun in APS
because the members/ officers are so awesome! This semester
I have been preparing to take my MCAT, as I am applying to
Medical School this semester. I will apply all over Texas,
because I love Texas and I want to stay here where the
people are friendly, and the food is good! I am running for
GHAW Coordinator because throughout my 2 years in APS I have
developed some new ideas to try to make the week long !
event more successful for the charity and more fun for APS
members.
OC COORDINATOR
Kristin Minei: I’m a junior Early Childhood Development
major and Biology minor. I’m currently applying to medical
school and I take the MCAT in June. I’ve been in APS for
three years and I’ve been in the OC program for three years
also. I was born in NYC, but I come from McKinney, Texas
(props if you know where that is!) When I’m not sitting at
my favorite table in the PCL I like to try new restaurants,
watch TV (especially The Office and LOST), and hang out with
my friends. I enjoy volunteering at the Children’s Hospital,
the occasional afternoon nap, and I am a research assistant
for a Child Development program on campus as well as an
active member of the Wonders and Worries non-profit
organization. So vote for me for OC coordinator because I
want to use my time and skills to make the program the
greatest it has ever been.
PROGRAMMING COORDINATOR
Sadaf Zendehdel: I am currently Alpha Phi Sigma’s
Programming Director. I was born and raised in Galveston,
TX. I have an older sister and incredible family and
friends. I graduated a year early from high school and
joined APS my first semester at UT. I am a second year
Junior and a Human Biology major with a minor in Global
Healthcare Policy. As an active member and officer of APS I
enjoy helping other and am very dedicated to my position. I
hope to go into pediatrics and give back to my community
that has given so much to me. “Laugh as much as you breathe
and love as long as you live.”
SECRETARY
Mohamed Abdalla: I am a second year Biology/Pre-Med major
from Amarillo, Texas. Last semester I started mentoring a
7th grade boy at a local middle school through the Austin
Partners in Education program. I also volunteer on Saturdays
at Dell Children’s Hospital. When I\\\'m not in class I spend
most of my time volunteering in Dr. Duvauchelle’s research
lab. We are studying the effects of cocaine and MDMA on male
albino rats. I’ve learned a lot from my experience in the
lab and look forward to learning even more. Outside of
school I enjoy hanging out with my friends, watching movies,
playing video games, and driving. I absolutely love coffee
and live music.
SOCIAL COORDINATOR
Johnathon Martinez: I’m from a small town close to Houston
called Anahuac, TX. It is so small in fact that there are
three times as many alligators there as people. I am a
sophomore majoring in Neurobiology. My interests include,
but are not limited to, watching movies, wasting time on
Facebook, listening to music, playing my Xbox as well as
Nintendo Wii, and playing tennis. I can be kind of shy
sometimes, but I am overcoming that in college. Last, but
most definitely not least, I am a HUGE UT fanatic. I bleed
burnt orange, and school pride is definitely something I
feel strongly about. Sometimes, I can get into heated
arguments when someone “disses” my school. Other than that,
I am a really easy going person with an agreeable personality.
Christopher Riccetto: Originally born in Canada, and moved
to Plano, Texas close to three years ago. I am currently 20
and in my sophomore year for a Cell and Molecular Biology
degree. Joined APS this year after transferring from the
University of North Texas, which I attended my freshman
year. I enjoy hanging out with group of friends doing pretty
much anything, but usually see movies, go to parties, bowl,
or do something completely random. Also read, play
billiards, and love cooking in my spare time.
TEST BANK/SCHOLARSHIP COORDINATOR
Amar Bhat: I am currently a sophomore Neurobiology major
with Business Foundations. My goal in life is to become a
doctor, then travel to third world countries with the World
Health Organization to help people that truly have no
doctors or family to treat them. My devotion to the health
care field is boundless. Two members of my immediate family
have had their lives threatened greatly by medical problems,
and health care returned them to normal lives. Because of
their trials, I began volunteering in Northeast Hospital in
Humble, Texas to serve the industry as a high-schooler. I
am extremely hard-working and diligent, but I always manage
to stay stress-free, calm, and content through the most
tiresome times. I enjoy a multitude of sports and games, and
I being around other people. I am rather silly, but that is
what most people enjoy about me. I love to dance, but I
refrain from singing, because the only song I can actually
sing is “I’m Too Sexy,” by Right Said Fred. I!
also love to write and cook, and these are my two closet
talents.
Payton Reiter: My overall goal is to be a helpful officer by
contributing in all possible ways to APS. As the Test Bank
Coordinator I wish to provide an easily accessible and
advantageous test bank for all members. As the Scholarship
Director my goal is to serve as a useful contact between
members and MCAT preparatory businesses. On top of being a
contact, I hope to use my persuasive and communicative
skills to provide more scholarships to members. I would be a
great officer for this position because I am motivated,
organized, and efficient. I also get along easily with all
people and enjoy leading groups of people and planning
events. These qualities will allow me to efficiently lead
the Kickoff Committee, which I was a member of this year. As
a previous member of the Kickoff Committee I have already
overseen the whole process and hope to better the event and
raise more money. I have been a member of the OC program for
a year and look forward to being a part of it as an off!
icer next year.
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Allie Elko: I am from Houston, Texas and am currently a
sophomore majoring in Human Biology. I have been involved in
APS and the OC program since freshmen year of my spring
semester. My hobbies include reading, dancing, singing,
spending time with family and friends, shopping, watching my
favorite movies and of course rooting for Texas football and
basketball. I am currently an Alcohol and Drug Peer Educator
for the University Health Services and I am also the service
officer for the female spirit organization, Texas Spirits. I
have also been involved in other organizations here at UT
such as Women in Medicine, Freshmen Research Initiative, the
Emerging Scholars Program in Chemistry, ALD/PES, and
volunteering at St. David’s hospital here in Austin. Some
interesting things about me include that I am a huge
Steelers fan, love Sushi, and am obsessed with the Twilight
series!
Samantha Sales: I am a second year Biochemistry major from
Spring, TX. I currently volunteer four hours a week at the
Brackenridge ER and Austin State Hospital, and I consider
volunteering one of my hobbies. I am employed at the Kumon
Math and Reading Center as a tutor and grader. When I am not
studying, volunteering, or working, I enjoy mountain biking,
having dinner nights with my roommate, exploring Austin’s
unique businesses, taking epic naps, and taking it easy with
close friends.
WEBMASTER/HISTORIAN
Ben Elsbernd: I’m a 3rd year cellular and molecular biology
major and I’ve just finished my MCAT and will be applying to
medical schools over the summer. Some of my hobbies include
guitar, golf, and photography. I’ve been in APS for since
the spring semester of my first year when a friend
encouraged me to join. I was immediately thrown into the
social committee for GHAW and helped to organize the casino
night. APS has been a part of my college life and next year
I would like to give back more of my time by being an officer.
Alyssa Nardone: I am running for Webmaster/Historian for
APS. I was born in El Paso and raised in The Woodlands, Tx.
I have a passion for dance since I was young and am
continuing to take dance classes here at UT. I am a second
year junior with a major in Biology and Government with
minors in Sociology and Spanish and am a part of the
Bridging Disciplines Programs with a certificate in Social
Inequality, Health and Policy. I am an active member of APS
and involved in the OC Program. I love helping others and
would love to be even more involved in APS. I plan to pursue
a dual MD/MPH degree.
Anjali Patwari: I\\\'m from Houston and graduated from Langham
Creek High School. I\\\'m a second year Biology and Spanish
major. I\\\'m very easy going and easy to make friends with. I
love to play my saxophone. My favorite exercise is swimming.
This summer I am going to study abroad in San Sebastian,
Spain!! APS and its officers have helped me to become more
familiar with medical school and all of the steps that it
takes to reach that point. At first I was very lost and kind
of embarrassed about not really knowing much about it, but
everyone has been so nice and helpful and I now feel much
better about it and I want to be able to help someone out
and guide them in the same way. |
