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Martin Babak

Ukraine

  Computer Science

Involvement: Intramural Soccer, IESS Website, Holloway Competition

  Martin, a scholarship recipient, had the opportunity to move from Ukraine to the United States, motivated by his passion for cultural exchange and software development. He is determined to make a positive impact on both the community and the field of technology by merging these interests. For an IESS presentation, Martin expresses interest in exploring three topics: "Education in Ukraine," "His experience playing soccer in Ukraine," and "Ukrainian Christmas."

Mekan Annayev

Turkmenistan

  Mechanical Engineering

Involvement: International Cafe, ARPA project, SEDS

 Mekan is a modern-day visionary who enjoys talking to people. He would love to give presentations about DAC (Dashoguz American Corner), the place where he volunteered. Additionally, Mekan is eager to share information about the local Ahalteke Horse races in Turkmenistan.

Viktorie Vágnerová

Czech Republic

  Mechanical Engineering

Involvement: Idea & SEDS - ��ʤ������ rocketry club (propulsion team), ��ʤ������ Idea & Innovation Society, Shaw Explorers Program, WarChild ��ʤ������ (co-founder with Daryna and Caroline)

 Viktorie comes from a historic spa town Teplice in the north of Czechia, where she grew up with her three brothers. During high school, her hobbies were languages (German, Japanese), flying with gliders, and Nordic skiing. In her first year at ��ʤ������, Viktorie was on the Nordic ski team as a D1 athlete and competed against other universities on the East Coast. Besides sports, she is very passionate about space and technology and plans to pursue a career in the aerospace industry. Additionally, Viktorie is very interested in engaging with the ��ʤ������ international community, learning about different cultures, meeting interesting people with amazing stories, and making ��ʤ������ more inclusive for students from various backgrounds and cultures!

Md Jonayet Hossain

Bangladesh

  Electrical Engineering

Involvement: ��ʤ������-IOL| IEEE-��ʤ������| BSA-��ʤ������ | E-CENTER | Hackathon 2023 | GLE | IESS

As the first person from Jonayet’s family to ever travel abroad for studies and land in the United States to complete his undergraduate degree, he feels delighted to share some of the distinguishing aspects that set his family apart from most South Asians. Despite Bangladesh’s small size as a country, Jonayet would love to highlight the rich diversity of cultures within this tiny nation, which might come as a surprise to many.

Caroline Anjos

Brazil

  Electrical engineering

Involvement: Warchild (awaiting club approval, co-founder with friends), MOSAICO (Latinx club).

 Caroline Anjos came from São Paulo, Brazil. No words can describe how grateful she is for the opportunity to do her bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at ��ʤ������. Her ultimate dream is to work in the biomedical area and be able to help people with medical instruments. She is driven by her ultimate inspiration, her grandfather, and her goal - to be able to stimulate an inquisitive and embracing community everywhere she goes. For an IESS presentation, she would be interested in talking about diversity/multiculturalism in Brazil, the backstory of Brazil's colonization, and how passionate Brazilians can be about soccer.

Sujosh Nag

Bangladesh

  Computer Science & IT

Involvement: Idea & Innovation Society

 Sujosh is from the vibrant Dhaka city, Bangladesh, and is now embarking on a transformative voyage to the United States. Fueled by an unwavering passion for Mathematics, International Relations, and the ever-evolving realm of technology, Sujosh's drive is to ignite the flames of positive change within communities, foster innovation, and make a lasting impact. For an IESS presentation, Sujosh would be interested in the following topics: 1) Microfinance in Bangladesh: Transforming Lives and Alleviating Poverty, 2) Bangladesh's Garment Industry: From Labor Force to Global Fashion Hub, 3) The Rise of Quantum Computing: A New Frontier in Computing Power.

Elana Khan

Pakistan

  Mechanical Engineering

Involvement: IESS

 As an IESS scholarship recipient, Elana will be representing Pakistan whilst she pursues her interest in mechatronics and AI design. She strives to engage the technological and cultural community in an inspiring space for innovation. Similar to her major, she would like to explore both the past and future in her cultural presentations on topics such as, “Literature and Poetry of Pakistan,” “The 5 Provinces and their Contributions,” and “The Sound of Pakistani Hip Hop.”

Alisa Ivantsova

Russia

  Biomedical science: Medical laboratory science

Involvement: IESS, ��ʤ������ Tennis team, Research lab (cancer mechanisms), Presenter at ��ʤ������ Spring 2023 Undergraduate Research Conference.

  Alisa is excited to be part of IESS, creating an intercultural community of people driven by the goal to make an impact in their world and at ��ʤ������. As a student in Biomedical Science, Alisa is passionate about creating new medical solutions that would benefit people and change their quality of life. She would be interested in presenting about her experience playing tennis and about doing psychology research in high school.

Dhiraj S Naidu

India

  Biochemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology

Involvement: Dhiraj is involved in ��ʤ������ Idea and Innovation Society

 Biology, the study of life, has always fascinated Dhiraj, which brought him here to ��ʤ������. The IESS scholarship supported him in pursuing his dreams, and he's glad to be a part of such a diverse and vibrant community. During his time here at ��ʤ������, he hopes to be as resourceful as possible for his peers while making the best of the opportunities provided to him. Some topics that he would love to present on include 'The Roads in India' and 'The Festivals of India'.

Daryna Serediuk 

Ukraine

Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology 

Involvement: WarChild ��ʤ������ club. Assistant in the Kovach lab led by Professor Adrienne Kovach. ��ʤ������ Club Tennis Team.

I come from Lutsk, a city located in the northwest region of Ukraine. Growing up around beautiful landscapes in my country I started hiking and skiing when I was a child finding out that mountains are my happy place. My passion for molecular biology started from a young age as well. Participating in biology competitions in Ukraine and developing bioengineering innovations in US boarding school I became particularly interested in genetic engineering as my future career path. Beyond science, I love doing visual art and photography. Making a lot of friends all around the world I discovered a new passion for me - traveling. In my IESS presentation, I want to tell my story about how the Ukrainian spirit and strength of my people changed my path in volunteering.

 Ahilya Kadba

India

Biology 

Involvement: Resident Assistant Peterson Hall, Undergraduate Researcher Elsawa Lab, Intramural Basketball

Ahilya comes from Pune, India, and has always been passionate about Biology. She aspires to obtain her PhD upon graduating from ��ʤ������ and is working towards that goal by doing research in Dr. Elsawa’s immunology and cancer biology lab. Apart from classes and research, Ahilya likes to run and is in the process of getting approval to start a running club at ��ʤ������. As an IESS scholar, Ahilya is very invested in cultural education and integration and hopes to fuel cross-cultural conversations at ��ʤ������ and in Durham. She hopes to give presentations on the colonial history of India, community living in India, the festivals she celebrated growing up, the education system and particularly her experiences in school. Ahilya is very grateful to have the opportunity to represent and speak about India, which is a beautiful and diverse country.