Graduate Student Association

Drithi Patel
President
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Drithi grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and earned her BS in Biological Sciences with a minor in Science, Technology, and Society from Drexel University in March 2024. She began her PhD in the Genetics, Genomics & Cancer Biology program at Thomas Jefferson University in August 2024, where she is now a third-year student studying treatment-induced signaling responses in non-small cell lung cancer in Dr. Erik Blomain's lab.

What is your favorite activity to do in Philly, and why?
I'm a big Phillies and Eagles fan, so watching the games is one of my favorite things to do in Philly. Whether I'm down at the stadiums or just somewhere in the city, there's something special about how the whole city gets into it!

Emma (Frennborn) Evens
Vice President, Internal Affairs
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Emma has lived in Virginia, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. She got her BS in Biology from York College of Pennsylvania. After graduating, she worked at Eurofins, a contract research organization (CRO) for two years before graduate school. She is currently a third-year PhD student in the Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine program, and is in Dr. Marco Tigano's lab in MitoCare.

What is your favorite activity to do in Philly, and why?
My favorite thing to do in Philly is try new coffee shops. My go-to order is a cappuccino, but occasionally I will try something different if I'm feeling spontaneous. The best part of getting coffee in Philly is having the excuse to meet up with a friend and catch up on life.

Kayla Hammond
Secretary
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Kayla grew up in Newark, Delaware where she earned an MS in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware. After graduating, she joined Incyte Corporation as Research Scientist where she found her interest in oncology research. Kayla is now a second-year Genetics, Genomics, and Cancer Biology PhD student continuing her research in oncology in the Dang laboratory.

If you had a full day without responsibilities (no work, no school, no commitments), how would you choose to spend the day?
If I had a day with no responsibilities and the weather was nice, I would like to spend the day outside under the shade of a tall tree with a big glass of iced tea and a good book.

Makenna Higgins
Vice President, Community and Cultural Affairs
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Makenna grew up in Newark, Delaware and attended Villanova University where she received a BS in Biochemistry and Spanish with a minor in Gender and Women's Studies. After graduating, she spent a year at Hologic, Inc. in San Diego developing diagnostic qPCR assays for parasitic infections. For the next two and a half year, she worked at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, researching new CAR-T cell targets for pediatric cancers. She is currently a second-year Genetics, Genomics and Cancer Biology PhD student in Dr. Andrew Aplin's lab investigating the role of ninjurin-1 in immunogenic cell death in melanoma.

What is your favorite activity to do in Philly, and why?
I am a huge foodie and love trying all of the amazing new restaurants that pop up in the city. We have everything from small pizza shops to Michelin star restaurants and every type of cuisine you could imagine. Some of my favorites are Zahav, The Breakfast Den, and Butcher and Singer.

Cassandra (Cassie) Mikkelson
Communications Coordinator
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Cassandra grew up in Jackson, New Jersey, before moving to Philadelphia, where she got her BS in Custom-Design Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology at Drexel University. As an undergraduate student, Cassie worked as a research assistant at Thomas Jefferson University, University of Pennsylvania, and Century Therapeutics. Upon graduating in 2024, she started her PhD in Neuroscience at Thomas Jefferson University, studying autophagy in microglia in Dr. Juliet Goldsmith's lab.

If you had a full day without responsibilities (no work, no school, no commitments), how would you choose to spend the day?
I would spend the day cozy in my own home with my three cats, playing games on my PC or watching K-dramas.

Francis (Frank) Picone
Vice President, Academic Affairs 
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Frank grew up in southern New Jersey and received his BS in Biological Sciences from Rowan University. He then worked as a research assistant in the Gardini Lab at the Wistar Institute where he found his passion for epigenetics. Frank is now a third-year student in the Genetics, Genomics, and Cancer Biology program investigating the role of transcriptional reprograming of immune visibility mechanisms in acute myeloid leukemia in Dr. Sara Meyer's lab.

Who is someone you admire?
I admire Carl Sagan. He was a great scientific communicator with a passion for research and jump-started my love for science when I was a kid. I enjoy reading his books, as they have expanded my worldview and really makes me feel as if I'm floating through space and time.

Khalil Rust
Treasurer
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Khalil grew up in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. He earned his BS in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. After graduation, he joined the lab of Nicholas Maragakis at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he studied the role of Astrocytes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He is now a third-year Neuroscience PhD student, co-mentored in the labs of Dr. Juliet Goldsmith and Dr. Nancy Philp, studying the effects of APOE variants on Astrocytes and Retinal Pigment Epithelium cells to better understand Alzheimer's Disease and Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

If you had a full day without responsibilities (no work, no school, no commitments), how would you choose to spend the day?
I would invite all of my closest friends over for a day of cooking delicious food (that is most certainly bad for you), sharing our newest music finds, watching all the newest episodes of our favorite anime show, and playing some video games, and in no specific order of preference.

Arden Weilheimer
Vice President, Social Affairs
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Arden grew up in Montgomery Country, Pennsylvania. She earned her BA in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with a Biophysics minor from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. After graduation, she worked as a research associate and lab manager in the Mullen lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Arden is now a second-year PhD student in the Biochemistry, Structural, and Molecular Biology program, where she investigates eosinophil ribonucleases in the Deshpande lab.

If you had a full day without responsibilities (no work, no school, no commitments), how would you choose to spend the day?
I would spend the day exploring local farmer's markets, craft fairs, and vintage shops. I like to live as sustainably as I can, and I love meeting and supporting local vendors and artists. It's a bit like a treasure hunt for me - I never know what interesting things I'm going to find!

Jenna Severa
President Emeritus
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Jenna grew up in northeast Philadelphia. She earned her BS in Neuroscience and Biology from Ursinus College. After graduation, she joined the lab of Dr. Timothy Stalker as a Research Technician and discovered a love for platelet biology. Jenna is now a fifth-year Molecular Physiology and Translational Medicine PhD candidate continuing her research on platelet-leukocyte interactions in the Stalker Lab.

If you had a day without responsibilities (no work, no school, no commitments), how would you choose to spend the day?
I would spend the day at the American Museum of Natural History in New York to see the dinosaur fossils. After exploring, I would come back to Philly and go to a new restaurant.