Katherine Armstrong

I grew up in Greenwood, South Carolina, home of the Greenwood Genetic Center. I graduated from Carson-Newman college in east Tennessee with a degree in Biology and Chemistry. During college, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Life Outreach Center as a crisis pregnancy counselor, the Victory Junction Gang Camp for children with chronic medical conditions, and with Young Life. Also, I had numerous experiences shadowing genetic counselors in South Carolina and Tennessee. After graduation, I accepted a job with Young Life to work with high school and college students. During these two years, I have also become a volunteer member of the Jefferson County Foster Care Review Board where we advocate on behalf of every child placed in foster care in the county to ensure their overall safety and health.

Meron Azage

I was born in Ethiopia and have lived in Baltimore Maryland since 2001. I finished my undergraduate studies at Towson University with a BS in Biology. After graduation, I worked at the DNA Diagnostic Laboratory at Johns Hopkins Hospital as a Molecular Technician. I shadowed genetic counselors at the Hypotonia clinic at Hopkins as well as a prenatal clinic at Howard University Hospital in Washington DC. I volunteered at the House of Ruth, MD and Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma.

Stephanie Byers

I was born and raised in Richmond Virginia. In 2007, I graduated with a BS in Biology from the College of William and Mary. As an undergrad I volunteered at a domestic violence shelter and completed an undergraduate honors thesis examining the role of the Notch signaling pathway in neurotransmitter phenotype development. After graduating, I moved to Nashville Tennessee to work at Vanderbilt University in a lab researching neural crest migration and differentiation in the enteric nervous system and the lower urogenital tract. While in Nashville, I volunteered with the youth group at Belmont United Methodist Church. In addition, I have shadowed genetic counselors at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In my spare time, I enjoy hanging out with my two cats, Bailey and Pippin, and my wonderful fiancé, Adam.

Ashley Collier

I have lived my whole life in Newfoundland, Canada. I recently completed my BSc (Honours) in Biology at Memorial University of Newfoundland. My honours project involved examining the mitochondrial DNA haplotype diversity of members of the Miawpukek First Nation, a Mi’kmaq band centered on the south coast of Newfoundland. For the past two years, I have been volunteering with the local Planned Parenthood branch and shadowing genetic counsellors at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s. Additionally, I worked as a research assistant in a genetics lab at Memorial. I love trying new restaurants and new recipes. I also really enjoy being outdoors and I will always have a soft spot in my heart for animals.

Laura Fairbrother

I grew up in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida which is just outside of Jacksonville. I received my Bachelor's of Science degree in Microbiology with minors in Education and Business Administration from the University of Florida. (Go Gators!) While at UF, I spent a lot of time volunteering at the Alachua Country Crisis Center as both a phone and emergency face-to-face counselor. As an undergraduate, I was very active in my sorority serving as both the service and philanthropy chair during my junior and senior years. I also shadowed a cancer genetic counselor at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. In my spare time I enjoy the outdoors and line-dancing to country music.

Leslie Gress

I grew up in Parma Ohio, just south of Cleveland. I received my BS in Psychology with a minor in Biology from the University of Dayton. In my time at UC, Im interested in studying cardiomyopathies or neurodegenerative disorders. During my undergraduate career, I volunteered as a Victim Advocate through a Rape Crisis Program, was very active in service organizations, and staffed leadership camps each summer. I also shadowed genetic counselors at the Cleveland Clinic and Dayton Children's Hospital. Even though I'm relocating to Cincinnati, I will always be a die-hard Cleveland fan - Go Browns!

Lauren Grote

I was born in Cincinnati Ohio and graduated from The University of Dayton with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Psychology. During my undergraduate career I volunteered as a consultant for two years at Elizabeth New Life, a pregnancy resource center in Dayton. I also volunteered at United Rehabilitation Services, where I interacted with adults who have disabilities. Most of my shadowing experience was gained last summer during an internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) in the Division of Human Genetics. As an intern, I worked on a genetic counseling cultural competence toolkit. I was able to learn about a wide range of cultures and am excited to apply this knowledge to the genetic counseling field.

Chandni Khudai

Hey y’all! My name is Chandni and I am from the great state of Alabama. I was born in London England and moved to Huntsville Alabama when I was six years old. I attended the University of Alabama in Birmingham where I received my B.S. in Psychology with minors in Biology and Chemistry. I gained advocacy experience by volunteering at the Crisis Center in Birmingham. I feel that answering calls on the crisis and suicide line has helped me become a better listener and caretaker. At UAB, I had the opportunity to shadow genetic counselors in pediatrics, prenatal, and cancer clinics. During the last two years of my undergraduate studies, I volunteered as a research assistant in a lab conducting fMRI research on the relationship between obesity and impulsivity. In my free time I enjoy being outdoors, playing sports (even though I am not very good), and spending time with family and friends. I love to travel to new places and manage to go overseas almost every year. I recently took a trip to Thailand, where I volunteered in the small coastal village of Khlong Khian. I am now a big fan of voluntourism; it has changed the way I perceive new cultures and environments. I also love animals of all sorts and hope to have my own farm one day.

Kim Lewis

I am from a city just north of Cincinnati called Hamilton, Ohio. I attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and received my Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science. After graduation in 2008, I accepted a position to work as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in the Division of General and Community Pediatrics. I worked on a nationwide Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study and I am currently working on a Bone Mineral Density in Childhood GWAS Study until the end of August. While working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, I attended night classes at Xavier University for my Masters in Secondary Education with a concentration in Life Science and Chemistry. While taking a Special Education course in this program, I learned about and fell in love with the career of Genetic Counseling. I then had the opportunity to complete several classes in the genetics program and shadow Genetic Counselors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. In my spare time I enjoy playing both indoor and outdoor soccer.

Sarah Polly

I grew up in the township of Chatham, Ohio, about an hour southwest of Cleveland and about ten minutes away from the closest small town. I graduated from Hiram College in May of 2010, and received a B.A. in Biomedical Humanities with a concentration in Theatre Arts. I have shadowed an assortment of healthcare professionals, including genetic counselors, and I volunteer on a crisis hotline. My job is in Visitor Experience at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, which means I get to talk to people and perform fun science demonstrations like exploding watermelons.

Rebecca Sisson

I was born and raised in Cincinnati. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in microbiology with a chemistry minor from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. As a student at Ohio Wesleyan I participated in a research project in a microbiology lab and worked as a campus tour guide. During the past two summers I was fortunate to have been a part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. My project involved the role of microRNA in prostate cancer metastasis. I also shadowed genetic counselors at Columbus Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Nicki Smith

I grew up in Williamsburg, Ohio and attended Otterbein College, near Columbus, OH. I graduated with a B.S. in Molecular Biology in 2007. After graduation I began working at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in a group specializing in the development and production of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) as a method of gene therapy delivery. While at Children’s I was able to gain experience shadowing several different genetic counselors. I’ve also worked as an advocate for sexual assault victims. In my free time I love to read, run and play with Rosco, my 2 year old Rat Terrier.