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IB STUDENT ALUMNI PANEL

 

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Nikhil Patel
The image shows a smiling man wearing a navy blue suit and a striped tie against a plain gray background.

He graduated from the University of Florida Honors program with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physiology & Kinesiology. I am currently applying to Medical School with an ambition of becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon. Further, I would like to obtain an MBA to enter a position as a Chief Executive or Medical Officer for a Hospital. 

During my time at the University of Florida I was involved in various organizations including health related volunteering at UF Health, free healthcare clinics where I also performed clinical research, and non-health related organizations like tutoring and playing sports with children, raising money and collecting shoes for the underserved, and starting my own fraternity. I was also inducted into the state’s most prestigious leadership honor society, Florida Blue Key, with key leaders like Florida’s secretary of state Laurel Lee or Senator Marco Rubio and other notable famous UF alum like Tim Tebow and Steve Spurrier.

 

Romero, Kyle
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Attended University of Miami.
Biochemistry Major.

Zeena Khazendar
The image shows a smiling young woman with long dark hair standing in a lush, green garden setting with trees and foliage in the background.

Zeena Khazendar graduated from PHU IB in 2019 and is currently a pre-med sophomore on the varsity beach volleyball team at Stanford majoring in Human Biology and minoring in Human Rights.

She grew up in Jordan and her grandparents were Palestinian refugees, which led her to develop a fierce passion for serving underrepresented populations. Pursuing this passion, Zeena became the Associate Director of BeAGoodDoctor, a nonprofit that serves the ED at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center by providing interpretation and volunteer services, largely for marginalized groups.

As her interest in medicine grew, she began clinical research with the Biobehavioral Pediatric Pain Lab, investigating treatments for and the experiences of youth with chronic pain.

After significant exposure to emergency medicine and pediatrics, Zeena plans to become a pediatric emergency medicine doctor and incorporate her love for global health to regularly volunteer at medical clinics in refugee camps and impoverished countries.

In her free time, Zeena enjoys going to the beach, going on hikes, and spending time with friends and family.

Morgan Hanna Ghattas
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Morgan (PHU IB '17) is a senior at Yale studying Political Science and Modern Middle East Studies. Her studies have centered around postcolonial studies and critical race theory particularly as it relates to the Middle East and North Africa.

Apart from studies, Morgan works as a student Recruitment Coordinator at the Office of Admissions, a teaching assistant in the Arabic department, and has worked as a research assistant.

At Yale, Morgan has been a part of Christian fellowship and Middle Eastern student communities, as well as an organization that engages with the refugee population in New Haven. Morgan looks forward to working in the field of social justice and community organizing after graduation.

Rachel D’Cunha
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Rachel D’Cunha is a third-year undergraduate student from Tampa, Florida studying at Emory University in Atlanta. She is currently on the pre-med track majoring in Anthropology and Human Biology and minoring in Religion.

Aside from her classes, you can find her volunteering at the children’s hospital of Atlanta or conducting cancer immunology research creating personalized vaccines at the Woodruff Memorial Research building.

She is very passionate about giving back to the community and has volunteered at Winship Cancer institute, an organization known as Camp Kesem and attended an Emory Global brigades trip to Honduras to help patients in a low-income area. She is currently participating in a project with COVID to help elderly patients use Telemedicine.

Rachel loves dancing and is part of the competitive dance team on campus known as Emory Karma Bhangra serving as the personal relations chair. She is also a student ambassador for incoming students and actively involved in Residence Life as a Resident Advisor for upperclassman students. Outside of school, Rachel loves exploring Atlanta and trying new restaurants.

She is currently studying to take her MCAT and feel free to ask her any questions about the pre-med track along with her liberal arts undergraduate experience. 

Grace Gaynor-2025
A young woman with long brown hair stands in front of a large metal sculpture in an outdoor setting with brick buildings in the background.

My name is Grace Gaynor, and I am currently in my senior year at the University of Florida. At the beginning of my junior year, I was accepted into a Combined degree Master's program in which I will graduate this May with my Master's in Economics, with specializations in Econometrics and Data Analytics.

I (technically) graduated last Spring with my B.A. in Economics, with dual minors in Mathematics and Business Administration, but–with a special thanks to Bright Futures and the seemingly countless IB/AP credits from high school–I was able to MacGyver a degree to stay around campus for four full years.

Recently, I have been applying my interests in merger policy to researching strategic firm behavior, particularly competition policy and geographic market definition. Alongside my academic work at UF, I remain active on campus and am involved in several organizations, including a sorority and pre-professional clubs that promote leadership development and professional networking. I am excited to be back at PHUHS, and I am deeply grateful to the teachers and mentors who supported my ambitions and helped shape the student I am today. Go Gators!

Eliza Lane 2025
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Eliza Lane is a pre-law student in the Honors program at the University of Florida. She is a political science major with minors in Spanish Language and European Union studies.

Outside of school, she competes on UF's travel mock trial team (the LitiGators) serves on the board of the EU Club, and is starting research on democratic institutions within the EU in the spring!