LEAP Scholars
2024-2025 LEAP Cohort
Helen Vallejos Castro (she/her)
Helen Vallejos Castro is a second-year undergraduate student studying Public Health and minoring in Public Policy and Health Equity from Northern Virginia. Helen is passionate about maternal mental health and reproductive health for Latina youth. She is interested in learning more about postpartum depression and post-natal care. In the future, Helen plans to attend graduate school to obtain her MPH, specifically maternal health or health policy.
Thanh Tran (she/her)
Thanh Tran is currently pursuing Neuroscience and Health Equity on a pre-med track. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting, and journaling. She is passionate about promoting equitable healthcare in underserved communities, and is planning on focusing on this to pursue during her gap years after undergrad before entering medical school. Specifically, she plans to work in low- income areas and bridge the barriers women face in accessing quality healthcare. Aspiring to become an obstetrician-gynecologist, she is committed to advancing reproductive health and improving outcomes for women.
Holly Akati (she/her)
Holly Akati is a sophomore from Bethesda, Maryland, studying Health Data Science on the pre-med track. She is hoping to go into medicine and bioinformatics research. She is originally from Benin and has always been interested in child and maternal health in Africa, specifically with malnutrition and how it can be improved. She is hoping to find new ways and opportunities to do so through the LEAP into MCH program.
Maja Hawthorne (she/her)
Maja Hawthorne is a second-year undergraduate student from Greenville, South Carolina. She is currently pursuing a double major in Public Health and Interaction Design. She is also passionate about addressing disparities in maternal and child health and raising awareness about nutritional health in underserved communities. Maja plans to utilize the intersectionality of public health and interaction design by developing innovative products and implementing campaigns to comprehensively address health challenges and establish initiatives that resonate with people. Looking ahead, Maja envisions attending graduate school to obtain her MPH to further contribute to the field.
Hunmae McCollum (she/her)
Hunmae McCollum is a second-year undergraduate student at GW. She is from New Haven, Connecticut, majoring in Public Health with a Health Law concentration and a double minor in Human Services and Social Justice and Spanish. She is currently the Service Day Chair of the Black Heritage Celebration Club. She is interested in the maternal health disparities in marginalized groups and learning how to dismantle and rebuild the systems perpetuating these disparities to create a more equitable, safe healthcare system for all women and their children. After graduation, she plans to go to law school to become a Public Health Attorney to assist these groups in obtaining the adequate amount of care they need holistically, regardless of their background.
Miriam Titiloye (she/her)
Miriam Titiloye is a second year undergraduate student majoring in Public Health on the pre-med track. She was born in the Unites States, but raised in Nigeria. She is interested in gaining clinical experience and exposure to Maternal and Child Health. After graduating, she hopes to attend medical school and work in the Maternal Health field. In the future, she wants to help develop efficient maternal and child health programs in Nigeria. She also hopes to improve emergency operation systems in Nigeria, as she just completed her EMT training and will shortly start working in emergency operations.
Kiandra White (she/her)
Kiandra White is a third-year undergraduate at GW, originally from El Paso, Texas. She is a Public Health and Korean Language and Literature double major. For her future career goals, she hopes to combine her love of Public Health and Korean to translate medical information, become a physician, and create policies that make healthcare, maternal and child care, and sexual health education more accessible to underrepresented minorities. Outside of her studies, she is a part of Delta Epsilon Mu, the GW Sirens, Capital Peers, and Program Board on GW's campus.
Meshat Abebe (she/her)
Meshat Abebe is a fourth-year student from North Carolina majoring in Psychological Brain Sciences with a minor in Biological Sciences. She is passionate about promoting Health Equity, especially for people of color and non- English speakers. Her interests focus on maternal mental health, disease prevention, and treatment. As a pre-med student, her goal is to become a physician dedicated to reducing health disparities and improving healthcare accessibility for underserved communities.
Gabriela Diaz-Guzman (she/her)
Gabriela Diaz is a second-year undergrad majoring in Exercise Science and Public Health. She is currently on the pre-med track and very eager to learn more about the MCH field and apply it on her journey. She is very passionate about giving back to the community, and serving the Latin and Black community in her career is very dear to her. She loves to travel and hopes to one day volunteer and perform research in hospitals and clinics all around Latin America. She also hopes to expand her knowledge on the differences in healthcare around the world. After graduation, her goals are to pursue a MPH or MHA and then go on to medical school. As a first-gen Hispanic, she hopes to become an advocate and help promote diversity in the medical field.
Sydney Boyd (she/her)
Sydney Boyd is a second-year undergraduate student from Charleston, South Carolina. She is on the pre-law track, double majoring in International Affairs and Public Health with a micro-minor in Health Equity. With these intersecting degrees, she aspires to pursue a career in health policy law, contributing to the shaping and implementation of legal frameworks that address public health challenges and promote the well-being of vulnerable communities. After serving as an intern with the Center for Reproductive Rights, Sydney has developed a passion for ensuring all individuals have the right to and access to reproductive care, with a particular focus on reducing the maternal mortality rate, especially for Black women. Post-graduation, Sydney plans to pursue a Master of Public Health and a Juris Doctorate degree, aiming to create a meaningful impact at the intersection of health and law. With a specific focus on maternal and child health, Sydney aspires to address critical issues related to reproductive rights and access, aiming to establish innovative health policies that enhance the well-being of women and children.
Jasmine Valencia (she/her)
Jasmine Valencia is a sophomore majoring in Public Health, minoring in Spanish, and on the pre-pa track. She loves music, books, fashion, and good food. She is super excited to be part of this year's LEAP cohort!
2023-2024 LEAP Cohort
Nana Asamoah-Pratt
Nana Asamoah-Pratt is a third year undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Psychological Sciences and Chemistry. She strives to learn ways to combat disparities in healthcare. After graduation, Nana hopes to visit Ghana as a volunteer to aid families who suffer from the effects of maternal mortality.
Maru Ayala
Maru Ayala is a first-year undergraduate student from Puerto Rico majoring in Public Health. She is interested in reproductive and sexual health education among underserved youth populations, as well as promoting holistic pregnancy care and studying postpartum depression. In the future, she hopes to work back home in non-profit work centered around community health and natural disaster relief.
Molayo Ifebajo
Molayo Ifebajo is a third year undergraduate student from Long Island, NY. She is majoring in Public Health with a minor in Data Science. She is passionate about eliminating the disparities in maternal health outcomes in the Black community. She desires a future where childbirth ends in joy for Black moms and their families, rather a process leading to sorrow. She hopes to merge her skills in Data Science with her knowledge of public health to produce health programs that are tailored to the needs of Black mothers.
Calistine Feger
Cal Feger is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Public Health from Rochester, New York. Cal is passionate about reproductive health and researching public health inequities within populations that are disproportionately affected. She plans to apply to graduate school to obtain an MPH with a concentration in child and maternal health as well as apply to physician assistant school in the future.
Orlando Gonzalez-Merino
Orlando Gonzalez is a second-year undergraduate student from Monmouth County, New Jersey. He is in the University Honors Program majoring in Public Health and minoring in Psychology. He is interested in learning different ways to increase access to health care for vulnerable and underserved MCH populations globally and breaking barriers that prevent them from receiving this care. In addition to his passion for maternal and child health, he is interested in public policy, pediatrics, and health equity, as well as the different psychological and biological aspects that affect the health of children. In the future, Orlando plans to attend graduate school and receive his MPH, in addition to exploring different careers in the healthcare field.
Nasteho Ibrahim
Nasteho Ibrahim is a third year undergraduate student from Djibouti. Public Health and minoring in data science and Sociology. Nasteho is interested in maternal health, especially global health and female genital mutilation. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a master's in public health.
Melissa Davies-Cole
Melissa is a third year undergraduate student majoring in Public Health with a micro-minor in Health Equity on the Pre- Medical track. She is from Maryland and is interested in learning more about medical-provider and patient relationships and its role and impact on health, especially as it relates to maternal and child health. She is also interested in advocating and promoting sustainable development and ethical healthcare access and research. Currently, Melissa is in the BS/MPH program with a concentration in Epidemiology. Upon graduation, she plans to continue her MPH education and after further plans to attend medical school to become a pediatrician. She is also interested in maternal/child health research in Sierra Leone and hopes to support local clinics and hospitals to improve access to healthcare in Sierra Leone after her graduation years.
Simar Kaur
Simar Kaur is a second year student from Queens, New York majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Sociology. She wants to focus her education on people, and what makes them fundamentally human, both biologically and socially, and learn to understand them on an individualized level. Currently, Simar volunteers with One Tent Health to raise HIV awareness, is a research publication editor for the GW Undergraduate Review, and a member of the Sikh Student Association on campus. After graduating, Simar hopes to pursue a MS in Biology and continue her education into medical school, specifically Family Medicine, learning more about the intersectionality of personal identity and healthcare, and provide lasting and individualized care to overlooked minority patients.
Salma Heram
Salma Heram is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in peace studies and minoring in public health. As she hopes to attend medical school after graduation, she is also on the pre-med track and is pursuing a micro-minor in health equity. She is originally from Egypt and was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. At GW, she is an alum of the Women’s Leadership Program and continues to mentor freshmen members of the WLP. She is a student in the University Honors Program, where she also sits on the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. After serving as secretary of the Arab Student Association last year, she is now the organization’s elected President. Outside of academics, Salma is an outspoken advocate for human rights and refugee rights. Having lived through the Arab Spring and the Egyptian Crisis as a child, Salma has grown to be vocal against armed conflict and human rights violations. In the future, Salma hopes to pursue a career in refugee aid work and humanitarian medicine, focusing on the health of women and children affected by conflict.
Anika Sharma
Anika Sharma is a second year undergraduate from Ashburn, Virginia. She is majoring in Public Health and is on the Pre-Medicine track. Anika is passionate about the quality of healthcare in maternal child health as well as nutrition sciences. She hopes to gain clinical experience within the field of maternal child health as well as work with communities that are impacted by health disparities. She plans to receive an MPH and attend medical school later to pursue a career in maternal child health. With her degree, she hopes to open an all-encompassing practice where both prenatal and postpartum care are met for women of different minorities