2023 Awardees
The Pooja Way Champions
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Sylvia Lin
3rd Year Genetic Counseling Student
Johns Hopkins/NHGRI Program
Home Country: China
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Saneela Ashraf Khan
2nd Year Genetic Counseling Student
University of Minnesota
Home Country: Pakistan
Our Pooja Way Champions stood out among our applicants and received the highest award of $1,500. They found a way to exude many of Pooja’s traits including her humor, resiliency, and optimism. They have a strong vision for Genetic Counseling and impressively illustrated how training in the U.S. will help them achieve that vision. They told a compelling personal journey about the challenges they have faced to train here in the U.S. Most importantly they have a strong connection to what Pooja stood for and we believe they understand the uniqueness and importance of “The Pooja Way.”
“I have been mentoring some international students applying to GC schools and I am passionate about continuing that and contributing my part in the future to the GC field, in general, and to the International GC community.”
— Sylvia
“Pooja, to me, represents a role model and symbolizes the spirit of individuals like myself who have chosen to leave their homes to pursue their passions.”
— Saneela
The Pooja Way Honorees
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Alanis Quinones
1st Year Genetic Counseling Student
University of Washington
Home Country: Puerto Rico
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Nadezda Ivanova
1st Year Genetic Counseling Student
Sarah Lawrence College
Home Country: Russia
Our Pooja Way Honorees also had a strong applications with compelling personal stories and a strong personal vision for Genetic Counseling. We felt compelled to honor their dedication to the process and share some of Pooja’s love and encouragement with them as well. Therefore, these awardees received a smaller award amount of $500.
“I aspire to build a future with increased awareness of the profession, where Puerto Rican students face fewer barriers to entering the field.”
- Sylvia
“Working alongside colleagues, using humor as a balm, in the face of adversity, and celebrating every small victory along the way became my source of strength.”
— Nadezda
The Pooja Way Crew
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Mallika Venkatramani
2nd Year Genetic Counseling Student
University of Michigan
Home Countries: Singapore & India
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Rajeshwari Koti
2nd Year Genetic Counseling Student
University of Arkansas
Home Country: India
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Sofia Marrufo
1st Year Genetic Counseling Student
Northwestern University
Home Country: Venezuela
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Srinka Arora
1st Year Genetic Counseling Student
University of Rochester
Home Country: India