The Luminaries are the official student ambassadors for the UF Honors Program and assist Honors leadership with info sessions and outreach. If you're a prospective student, feel free to reach out to a Luminary with your question(s).

Meet the Luminaries by college:

Business

Erik Ruszkowski, erik.ruszkowski@ufl.edu

  • Major: Finance
  • Involvement: Undergraduate Consulting Club, Student Investment Club, Association of Latino Professionals for America, Florida Ski & Snowboard Club, Fellow for the Hamilton Center of Classical and Civic Education; Honors Athletics 

James Walter, walterj@ufl.edu

  • Major: Accounting
  • Minor: Sustainability Studies
  • Involvement: Florida Students of Accounting Council, Florida Leadership Academy, Florida Running Club, Honors Athletics, Student for New Urbanism, Epsilon Tau Pi Eagle Scout Fraternity

Claire Wong, claire.wong@ufl.edu 

  • Major: Information Systems and Operations Management
  • Minor: Economics
  • Involvement: Undergraduate Consulting Club, Association for Information Systems, Special Olympics, Sigma Kappa

Design, Construction, and Planning

Hana Checketts, hchecketts@ufl.edu

  • Major: Architecture
  • Minor: Sustainability and the Built Environment
  • Involvement: URSP, American Institute of Architecture Students, Honors Gators for Gainesville, Freedom by Design, Teaching Assistant, Rock Climbing

Engineering, Herbert Wertheim College

Camille Grimaldi, camille.grimaldi@ufl.edu

  • Major: Chemical Engineering
  • Minor: Nutritional Sciences
  • Involvement: Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), ChemE Car, Argentine Student Association, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Previous Internships: ExxonMobil (Fall 2024) and Fairlife (Summer 2024)

Kaylie Martling, kmartling@ufl.edu

  • Major: Environmental Engineering
  • Involvement: Society of Women Engineers, Summer Internships: USDA - NRCS (2023) and ExxonMobil (2024), Westside Baptist Church College Ministry, Honors Professional Development for Engineers Peer Mentor, Resident Assistant, Freshmen Leadership Engineering Group (FLEG), URSP

Phoebe Barron, barronp@ufl.edu

  • Major: Environmental Engineering
  • Involvement: University College Democrats, Honors Theatre Appreciation, Society of Environmental Engineers, The Oh Lab, URSP

Public Health and Health Professions

Daisy Jones, daisyjones@ufl.edu 

  • Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders
  • Involvement: French Club, Kappa Kappa Gamma, AI in Education research, ELI conversation partner

Caleb Moncrief, cmoncrief@ufl.edu

  • Major: Applied Physiology and Kinesiology
  • Involvement: Phi Delta Epsilon Pre-Medical Fraternity, University of Florida Cheerleading

Lucy Pellenbarg, lucypellenbarg@ufl.edu 

  • Major: Public Health
  • Involvement: URSP, iGEM Competition Team, Dinglasan Lab for Malaria Transmission Biology, Florida's Future Leadership Program, Chi Omega, Study Abroad (Tanzania)

Casi Ramirez, cramirez3@ufl.edu

  • Major: Applied Physiology and Kinesiology
  • Minor: Geography
  • Involvement: The Salt Company student leader, H-Camp/H-Day SOFA (2022) and Exec (2023), Medigators, Orthopedics and Athletic Medicine Club, Gator Emergency Medical Response Unit (GEMRU), Integrative Cardiovascular Physiology Lab assistant, Fire Rescue EMT

Journalism and Communications

Marinna Stopa, marinnastopa@ufl.edu

  • Majors: Journalism and Geography
  • Certificate: Meteorology & Climatology
  • Involvement: Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus UFL, PRISM Honors Magazine, American Meteorological Society, Geography Department Ambassador, WUFT-Weather, National Science Foundation SOARS 2024 Protégé

Liberal Arts and Sciences

Abhi Bommineni, abommineni@ufl.edu

  • Majors: Economics and Mathematics
  • Involvement: Florida Fixed Income Group, Finance Professional Development Program, URSP

Gabriella Berardi, gabriellaberardi@ufl.edu

  • Majors: Psychology (Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience)
  • Minor: Italian Studies
  • Involvement: URSP, Nueroscience Club, Psychology Club, Italian Student Association, Spoon University, Phi Alpha Delta Mock Trial, Study Abroad (Florence)

Miriam Girgis, miriamgirgis@ufl.edu 

  • Major: Biology (Pre-professional)
  • Minor: Business Administration
  • Involvement: URSP; Dream Team; H-Day; Undergraduate research in pediatric neuro-oncology; CURBS Peer Advisor; Regenegators; First Responder Gator; UF Girls in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (GEMS)

Peyton Harris, peyton.harris@ufl.edu

  • Major: English
  • Minor: Religion
  • Involvement: The Independent Florida Alligator, Undergraduate research (USP and URSP), Teach for America Ignite Fellowship, Writing Center Tutoring, CURBS Ambassador, Student Legal Services Research Intern, UnCommon Peer Instructor

Michele Hirn, mhirn@ufl.edu 

  • Major: Data Science
  • Minor and Certificate: African Studies and Artificial Intelligence
  • Involvement: Black Student Union, Data Science and Informatics Club, Students Taking Action Against Racism (STAAR), Center for African Studies Ambassador

Jacob Roman, jjonathan.roman@ufl.edu

  • Majors: Anthropology, Political Sciences (Pre-Med)
  • Certificates: Medical Anthropology and International Relations
  • Involvement: H-Camp/H-Day SOFA, Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Honors Organization, NSF-funded Research in Medical Anthropology and Feminist Comparative Politics, Study Abroad (London), UnCommon Peer Instructor

Marinna Stopa, marinnastopa@ufl.edu

  • Majors: Journalism and Geography
  • Certificate: Meteorology & Climatology
  • Involvement: Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus UFL, PRISM Honors Magazine, American Meteorological Society, Geography Department Ambassador, WUFT-Weather, National Science Foundation SOARS 2024 Protégé

Primrose Tanachaiwiwat, ptanachaiwiwat@ufl.edu 

  • Major: Microbiology
  • Minors: Entomology, Bioinformatics
  • Involvement: Research in the UF College of Medicine; USDA Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology; Florida Medical Entomology Lap, PRISM Honors Literary Magazine Creative Section Editor; Thai-Laos Student Association

Avery Teman, averyteman@ufl.edu

  • Major: Economics
  • Involvement: President and Founder of AI Club, AI Scholars Program, University Scholars Program, URSP, Research at Shands Hospital, Alpha Kappa Psi Co-ed Business Fraternity, Alpha Chi Omega

Liz Thomason, ethomason@ufl.edu 

  • Majors: Political Science and French and Francophone Studies
  • Involvement: Hamilton Center Society of Fellows, Preview Staff, U.S. Prix Goncourt Committee Member, Student Legal Services Research Intern, Honors Mindfulness Peer Leader, Child & Youth Intern at Peaceful Paths

CJ Volpe, c.volpe@ufl.edu

  • Major: Biology and Spanish
  • Involvement: UF Center for Undergraduate Research Board of Students, Gator Muscular Dystrophy Association, laboratory assistant, Research Experiences for Undergraduates, UF Mesa de Español

Sam Waterston, swaterston@ufl.edu 

  • Majors: Economics and Statistics
  • Involvement: Undergraduate research, UF Writing Center tutor, TEA Literary Magazine, Women in Economics

Jake Wooley, jake.wooley@ufl.edu 

  • Major: Psychology (Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience)
  • Minor: Health Disparities in Society
  • Involvement: URSP and advisory board, Preview Coordinator, UF Shands Health Volunteer, Medigators; Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Fraternity
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