Category: Health Equity Ambassadors

My name is Hyunseung “David” Lee. I’m currently a freshman at Wake Forest University. I came here all the way from Ames, Iowa. My family moved to the U.S. from South Korea in 1998. I like performing and listening to music. I am involved with the Clarinet Choir and Mock Trial Team at Wake Forest University. Other than studying and extracurricular, in my spare time, I like trying to learn how to play the guitar, origami, and hanging out with my friends. I’m planning on studying Pre-medical here at Wake Forest, in order to become a doctor but I’m not sure what specialization within medicine I’ll take.

Alexis McClellan is a senior Biology major at Salem College. Two of her greatest accomplishments during her college career have been becoming EMT-Basic certified in the state of North Carolina and becoming a member of the Tri Beta Biological Honor Society. Her future goal is to become a physician and potentially specialize in endocrinology, rheumatology, or epidemiology. Alexis intends on using her knowledge from specializing in one of the three areas mentioned before, to work on community initiatives that educate the public on preventative health care and treatment options for patients in low socioeconomic communities. She hopes as a physician she will be able to do research, treat patients and teach patients about their health using the most up to date research and techniques.

Aline Souza is a senior at Wake Forest University majoring in Health and Exercise Science and double-minoring in Spanish and Chemistry. Originally from Norwalk, CT, Aline is currently the president of the WFU Allied Health Student Associates. She is also an enthusiastic leader and co-chair of Hit the Brick for Brian Piccolo, which raises money for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund. Furthermore, Aline is an Ambassador in Admissions, a member of the Club Field Hockey team, a President’s Aide, an active member of Kappa Beta Gamma Sorority, and an interpreter at the Community Care Center. Upon graduation, Aline hopes to spend a gap year doing clinical research and then purse a dual degree with a Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies and a Master’s in Public Health. As a new intern at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Aline hopes to directly influence the Winston Salem community through research and outreach programs, further her knowledge of data analysis, and learn more about health disparities.

Ashley Jackson is a senior attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Her interests include public health research, biomath, biological modeling, MATLAB, bioinformatics and, simply, research in general. As an iBLEND student working under, and in collaboration with, Dr. Gregory Goins, an associate professor at NCATSU since 2009, Ashley has been developing biological modeling skills in order to advance her knowledge outside of textbook biology. It is her opinion that “biology and mathematics (along with other disciplines) rely upon each other to solve the biggest and most complex problems of our time.” With that in mind, Ashley has developed an interest in not only performing the experiments in a lab, but also possessing the ability to analyze the data that she gathers. In the summer of 2010, she participated in an internship at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. During this time, Ashley worked very closely with Drs. Steven Wise and Sharon Bewick and two mathematics colleagues Ngoc Thai (Truman State Univ.) and John Collins (UT-Knoxville). Their specific project involved the effects of climate change on ant foraging. They developed a model that showed how ant foraging and discovery may be influenced by the recent threats of dramatic climate change. With that being said, the take-home message is this: Ants are an indicator species that can be highly representative of the long term, major effects of climatic change. That’s why they’re important. She was really excited to be able to work together with people who are specifically trained in modeling and to be able to learn more about MATLAB and other programming languages. Ashley is now a Lab Assistant at Solstas Lab Partners in Greensboro, NC. She hopes that this will help further her career and hands-on experience in biology and public health.

Micha Myers, a native of New Bern, North Carolina, is a senior Psychology and Healthcare Management double major at Winston Salem State University. She is a scholar with the MARC U*STAR program, the class secretary for the Healthcare Management Professional Club, a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Psi Chi. Upon graduation in May 2013, Micha desires to enter a Post-baccalaureate Research Experience (PREP) Program before entering a PhD program in Clinical Psychology. Currently, she honored to be engaged in research with Dr. David Mount at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, where she is gaining experience in health-based research, which she intends on continuing throughout her academic career. She desires to explore health disparities and psychopharmacology, and ultimately establish a Total Wellness Center that will provide multiple medical specialties to patients all under one roof.

My name is Da’Lauren Mouzon-Smith, I am a Winston-Salem State University sophomore psychology major from various parts of the United States. As a military brat it is nearly impossible for me to claim any one place as home, yet trotting around the United States has opened my eyes up to many different people from very different walks of life. People and the welfare of them in numerous ways pertaining to the health of the brain are the inspiration for my aspirations. My major areas of interests include cognitive psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and neuropharmacology; it is my aspiration to obtain a Ph.D. and specialization in one of the three areas.

Madeleine Langr is currently a freshman studying at Wake Forest University. She was originally born in Charleston, West Virginia but moved to Salt Lake City, Utah when she was nine years old. During high school she was the president of the West High Debate team and has continued debating in college. Madeleine has expressed interest in the medical field by being a member and the president of her high school’s Health Occupation Students of America club and competing in various medical knowledge related events at the state conference. Additionally, Best Buddies was a club that was very important to her in high school. Best Buddies pairs up high school students with students from the special learning program so that they can create a friendship and spend time getting to know each other. Some of her other hobbies include playing piano and soccer. She doesn’t have concrete career goals yet, but is interested in going into the medical field. Madeleine is currently taking the classes necessary to fulfill the pre-medical requirements while also exploring possible majors such as psychology.

Chrissy Sherrill is an undergraduate student at Salem College and a Forsyth County native. She is slated for graduation in May 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in both Biology and Chemistry. Her leadership skills, which were developed in the workplace, have carried over to her role as President of the Beta Alpha Chapter of Tri Beta. Chrissy enthusiastically joined Dr. Mount’s team of Health Equity Ambassadors in August 2011 and is particularly looking forward to the Diabetes and Chronic Diseases Support Group sessions run by Dr. Mount at the Downtown Health Plaza. Chrissy is proud to be a part of Dr. Mount’s initiatives to shine a spotlight on the importance of patient education and the mental & physical health wellbeing of everyday people.

Rebecca Boone is currently a freshman at Wake Forest University with a plan to major in Biology. She is originally from Dayton, Ohio and enjoys being part of the Reynolda Film Festival and the Habitat for Humanity at Wake.