2021 SPARKlers
Meron Lemma

Meron Lemma

University of Kentucky
College: Arts & Sciences and Public Health
Major: Environmental Sustainability Studies and Public Health
Year: Junior

Meron is a junior in the College of Public Health and the College of Arts and Sciences, double majoring in Public Health and Environmental Sustainability Studies. After graduating, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in Global Health. She hopes to work on projects that apply principles from her main areas of interest: global health and environmental sustainability. She believes that having an interdisciplinary background will prepare her to best serve her community by implementing strategies to achieve health equity and environmental justice.

 

Michael McLeod

Michael McLeod

Kentucky State University
College: Agriculture, Community and the Sciences
Major: Biology 
Year: Junior

Michael is a junior at Kentucky State University where he majors in Biology. He also volunteers with Circle K International and worked with Kentucky State University faculty to re-establish the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students chapter on campus, where he serves as Vice President. He aspires to be an anesthesiologist and for fun he enjoys reading, playing video games, and being with friends.

 

Princess

Princess Magor Agbozo

University of Kentucky
College: Public Health
Major: Public Health
Year: Sophomore

Princess is an international student from Ghana. She is a sophomore in the College of Public Health. She is pursuing a Public Health major and is on the pre-medical track. Her goals include earning MD and MPH degrees and work in the global health field to improve healthcare accessibility for impoverished and underserved communities. 

 

Riya Patel

Riya Patel

University of Kentucky
College: Arts & Sciences
Major: Biology and Neuroscience
Year: Freshman

Riya is freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences where she is double majoring in Biology and Neuroscience. She is interested in a career in the medical field, specifically in the neurosurgery specialty; however, she is also interested in being a Primary Care Physician. Having a CNA Certification and volunteer experience at hospitals has allowed her to strengthen her wish to further a medical career.

 

Sairakshitha "Sai" Yalla

Sairakshitha "Sai" Yalla

University of Kentucky
College: Arts & Sciences
Major: Biology and Mathematics
Year: Sophomore

Sairakshitha Yalla is a first-generation immigrant from India who graduated from the MSTC program at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky. Sai aspires to be a physician-scientist who translates fundamental research into clinical interventions that drive effective and impactful healthcare outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys reading comics, lifting weights, running after her nieces, and mentoring high schoolers.