Executive Board 2022-2023
Exemplary Excellence
With a passion for leadership and a desire to make a difference during their time at Phi Delta Epsilon, our Executive Board is fully dedicated to making the right decisions, as well as actively looking for philanthropic and volunteering opportunities for members to thrive and grow. Additionally, our committee chairs have stepped up to assist our Executive Board in their roles and responsibilities while enriching our fraternity with their ideas and passion through their individual work. Learn more about each of them below!
Cynthia Hinderscheid
Chapter President
Year: Junior
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Anthropology
Minor: Women's Studies
Cynthia aspires to be a doctor to provide the gift of healing to the human experience, in both the artistic and scientific interests of medicine. She is also involved in Friends For Life, Gators For Refugee Medical Relief and volunteers through Child Life at Shands Hospital and Helping Hands Clinic. In her free time, Cynthia likes to stay active and go roller skating or to the gym. Her favorite slam poets are Rudy Francisco and Olivia Gatwood. She has yet to see snow as she is a Florida native, but Cynthia is hopeful 2023 will be the year to change that.
Emma Helgeson
Vice President of Programming
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Potomac, Maryland
Major: Biology and Spanish
Minor: Health Disparities
Emma is especially passionate about working with pediatric populations, and volunteers with Child Life at Shands and the Child Advocacy Center. She is also involved with ALS research, Dance Marathon, and is a certified swim coach for young kids. In her free time, you can find her running, lifting, going to concerts, traveling, and spending time with friends. After finishing medical school, she hopes to go into pediatric primary care.
Mack Whalen
Vice President of Recruitment
Year: Junior
Hometown: Land O Lakes, FL
Major: Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
Minor: Neuroscience
Mack is a third-year Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience major, and she hopes to specialize in neurosurgery. Outside of PhiDE, she volunteers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Shands Hospital and is an active member of Pi Beta Phi. Her hobbies include painting, reading, and knitting.
Tanay Parwal
Vice President of Finance
Year: Junior
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Major: Chemistry
Minor: Public Health
Tanay is also involved in oxidative DNA damage research at UFCOM, volunteers at Al'z Place, is a TA for first responder gator, and a member of the Student Admissions Officers. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, reading, and watching TV shows where Gordon Ramsay yells at the contestants. He aspires to one day be a cardiothoracic or orthopedic surgeon, after finishing medical school and further training.
Jeremy Kleberg
Secretary & Risk Management Officer
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Crystal Lake, IL
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Minor: Education Studies
Jeremy has been interested in a career in medicine since a very young age. At the University of Florida, he has volunteered at the local hospital, done research in cancer immunology, and currently works in the UF Health Shands North Tower Operation Room. Furthermore, he is involved with the Brown Center for Leadership and Service, UF Office of Admissions, and worked as an orientation leader this past summer. He is excited for the future and can't wait for everything to come!
Committee Chairs 2022-2023
Ariyana Aboutaleb-Kermani
Diversity & Inclusivity Committee Outreach Chair
Year: Junior
Hometown: Melbourne, FL
Major: Microbiology and Cell Science and Classical Studies
Minor: Anthropology
In addition to her position in the Florida Eta chapter of PhiDE, Ari is involved with UF's student chapter of the American Society for Microbiology, Phi Beta Kappa, and Eta Sigma Phi. She currently works as an undergraduate teaching assistant for STA2023 and has a nursing assistant license as well as a certification in basic life support. When Ari isn't studying or working, she loves traveling, baking, reading, and hanging out with friends. She hopes to specialize in oncology or pathology after earning her MD.
Cole Emerine
Programming Committee Chair
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Major: Microbiology and Cell Sciences
Minor: Spanish
Cole is the philanthropy director for Sigma Phi Epsilon and wants to include Spanish in his studies in order to provide health care to lower income countries/areas where English isn’t the native language. He also wants to go into medical research following an MD/PhD program and focus his research on cancer.
Katelyn Kossow
Volunteering Chair
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Hollywood, Florida
Major: Biology
Katelyn is Sophomore majoring in Biology. She is a volunteer at North Florida Hospital and a chair member of Just For Kids. She loves working with kids and hopes to become a pediatrician.
Anita Beijer
Educational Chair
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Pembroke Pines, FL
Major: Public Health and Women’s Studies
Minor: Health Disparities in Society
Anita is is extremely passionate about the intersections between medicine and humanities and how that gap can be bridged! She is currently a research assistant at UF’s surgery lab and hopes to go into a surgical specialty in the future. Anita is involved with the Disability Ambassadors and Days for Girls in Alachua! In her free time, you can find her writing for Her Campus UFL, teaching cycle classes, going to concerts, reading, and getting coffee with friends!
Destyni Weiss
Social Chair
Year: Senior
Hometown: Crestview, FL
Majors: Biology & Anthropology
Minor: Leadership
Destyni strives to become a physician because of her passion for medicine and the values of the profession she strongly identifies with: compassion, dedication, and service. She especially has a great interest in emergency medicine. Outside of classes, she spends her time with loved ones, at the gym, reading, or binge watching Netflix shows. She also loves trying new coffee and boba places! In addition to PhiDE, Destyni is also involved with UF’s Circle K International - a community service organization.
Melanie Amador
Recruitment/Rush Committee Chair
Year: Junior
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Major: Biology
Minor: Classical Studies
When Melanie is not in class she is buzzing around campus! Melanie is the Rush Chair for Phi Delta Epsilon and a member of Footprints where she volunteers in the pediatric oncology unit of Shands Hospital. She also volunteers around the community with various organizations. She just completed some shadowing and PICU research at Shands Hospital as well. In her free time, Melanie enjoys running, cooking, traveling, and listening to podcasts and stand-up comedy. In the future she hopes to work in pediatrics, possibly as a pediatric pulmonologist.
Gopika Pillai
Bid Day Chair
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Major: Psychology
Minor: Spanish
Gopika is a second year Psychology major working towards becoming a Pediatric Psychiatrist. Along with being Bid Day Chair for the FL Eta chapter, she is also a Medi-Gators Ambassadors and is working on campus at the Fisher School of Accounting. She enjoys listening to music and doing henna in her free time and finding new recipes of food from all over the world.
Lucy Rieger
Revelation Chair
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
Major: Microbiology and Cell Sciences
Minor: Sociology and Deaf and Hearing Sciences
Lucy’s original plan was to attend film school but after her experiences with physicians and patient care in high school, she decided to pursue medicine. She currently hopes to become an Ob/Gyn and specialize in high-risk pregnancies. In her free time, she can be found volunteering in the NICU, working at Starbucks as a barista, watching her favorite movies, or updating her Spotify playlists.
Mack Whalen
Recruitment Pairing Chair
Year: Junior
Hometown: Land O Lakes, FL
Major: Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience
Mack is a third year Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience major, and she hopes to specialize in neurosurgery. Outside of PhiDE, she volunteers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Shands Hospital and is an active member of Pi Beta Phi. Her hobbies include painting, reading, and knitting.
Emery Perrin
New Member Ambassador
Year: Junior
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Major: Biology
Minor: Spanish
In addition to PhiDE, Emery is involved in the UF club rowing team, volunteering at North Florida Regional Hospital, and Chi Omega. She has dreamt of being a doctor for as long as she can remember but is mainly inspired by her dad and grandpa to pursue a career in healthcare. Emery is passionate about women’s health specifically and hopes to work as an OBGYN. In her free time, she enjoys reading, working out, drawing, and exploring Gainesville.
Sonal Mohan
Recruitment PR/Marketing Chair
Year: Sophormore
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Biology
Minor: Health Disparities in Society
Sonal Mohan is a sophomore Biology major with a passion for learning and the arts. She is involved in research at the McKnight Brain Institute, exploring how Cannabinoid Receptor 2 mediates inflammation in aging and neurodegeneration. She enjoys giving back to the community, volunteering at the HCF hospital and the Reichert House. She balances with dancing Bharatanatyam and painting in her free time.
Christian Wilder
Historian
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Hazlet, New Jersey
Major: Entomology and Nematology
Minor: Health Disparities in Society
Christian is a 2nd Year Entomology Major. Other than PhiDE, he is involved in undergraduate research studying auto dissemination in aedes aegypti mosquitos. He is a TA for ENY1001. Christian also volunteers his time
doing educational outreach for the Entomology Department. In his free time, Christian enjoys cooking, thrifting, and scrapbooking. His dream is to become a Forensic Pathologist
Mason Bui
Philanthropy Chair
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Major: Microbiology & Cell Science
Mason wants to become a doctor because it is the only profession that allows him to help others on both a physical and emotional level. Appreciating spontaneity, he loves the fact that no two days as a physician are the same. Mason is looking to become the first doctor in his family. In addition to being a member of Phi Delta Epsilon, Mason is a student in the University Research Scholars Program and plays for UF Club Tennis. When he has free time, Mason enjoys watching movies and going to art exhibitions.
Ali Davidov
Chapter Fundraising Chair
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Palm Harbor, FL
Major: Microbiology and Cell Science
Minors: Russian & Bioinformatics
Ali’s love for medicine first started in high school through the Biomedical program offered at her school. After being exposed to numerous aspects of the medical field she was drawn to being a physician because of the creativity and problem solving involved while also being able to connect with the stories of humanity. In addition to to Phi Delta Epsilon, Ali is on the board of the UF Balkan Student Association. In her free time she loves to read and dance.
The Chapter
Since our very first class, we’ve been proud to attract and welcome smart, caring, and passionate leaders who are dedicated to giving back to the community and creating meaningful bonds with each other.
Founding Class
Alexandra Stefanovici
Amir Zafaranian
Camille Strackbein
Christina Grannie
Christine Tran
Danielle Springer
Elizabeth Aleong
Gabriela Canel
Jimena Inchaustegui
Joy Budiman
Julia Cofino
Katharine Jones
Laura "Katie" Chappell
Lauren Sankey
Maiya-Mari Messina
Milin Kurup
Olivia Estevez
Peyton Popard
Rick Baumgartner
Rishi Kondapaneni
Rob Campbell
Shana Manoj
Sophie Jacquemin
Stav Sharoni
Stefanie Mullins
Taylor Steiner
William Daniel
Youssef Sadek
Zachary Shally
Cassandra Funk
Gizelle Godinez
Katrina Fernandez