Meet Our Order of Pegasus Honorees

Lauren Abbitt is a leader with the Pediatric Association of Caring Knights (PACK) at UCF and coordinated a service partnership with Bears Who Care, a local nonprofit that donates books and teddy bears to children facing hardship. That experience inspired her to volunteer with more organizations including Give Kids the World and Orlando Health. A biochemistry teaching assistant, she has worked with Knights Pantry and organized a group that crocheted hats for babies at local hospitals. As an undergraduate researcher she is investigating parainfluenza viruses and the use of viruses to battle cancer.

Francesca Allegrini is a UCF ambassador for President Alexander Cartwright, the UCF Board of Trustees and students new to the university. She also serves as chief of staff for the Pre-Med American Medical Student Association. A native of Italy, she is a leader of the Refugee and Immigrant Education Initiative, creating connections, networking and mentorship programs with high schools in Orange and Seminole counties to encourage young immigrants to further their education and explore career options.  She is an undergraduate research assistant focused on domestic violence research with the Institute of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Brandon Cohen has focused his research on the issues facing society, including domestic violence, food insecurity among university students, and the effects of HIV medication on patients’ weight and cardiovascular health. In addition to this, he is an active, honored volunteer. He was named Volunteer of the Year for the Pre-Med American Medical Student Association. He volunteered with Hearts for the Homeless and Salt Outreach, providing basic medical screenings, showers, hygiene kits and referrals to people experiencing homelessness and also with Second Harvest Food Bank and Grace Medical Home.

Sanjeev Gurshaney has made a strong impact in research and in the lives of young people with autism. During the pandemic, he conducted studies on COVID’s impact on patients with metabolic disorders including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition to being a published researcher, he received two prestigious national awards – the Astronaut and Goldwater scholarships. He is president of UCF Knight PALS for Autism, volunteers with Special Olympics and helps lead UCF’s Be the Match bone marrow registry. He teaches tennis, pickleball, and soccer to children ages 4-17 with autism.

Marie Hamel’s focus is the care of premature infants and their families after her own experience of being born 10 weeks premature. She advocates for prematurity awareness as the chair of the March of Dimes National Collegiate Leadership Council and has published research her findings in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. That research is also being used as an educational tool by hospice agencies in Canada. She is community outreach director for Hearts for the Homeless, a wellness instructor at Shepherd’s Hope clinic a crisis counselor and a virtual companion for nursing home residents.

Christopher Ngo was one of the first UCF students selected for NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MSTAR) fellowship and his research focused on keeping astronauts healthy during space flight. A masters degree student, he served as a liaison between the MSTAR program and Johnson Space Center to establish future research opportunities for UCF students. He was also a grand finalist in the Global Sustainability Space Challenge 2022, a competition for students from around the world to propose research projects that integrate space sciences into global solutions for earth and humankind.

Sarah Noureddine earned her Ph.D., masters and undergraduate degrees at UCF and her research into potential anti-aging therapies was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world’s most-prestigious multidisciplinary scientific journals. That work was recognized by the American Aging Association, which invited her to speak at their national conference. She has earned multiple research grants, and provided health and wellness lectures at the Islamic Education Center of Orlando, and served as a volunteer discharge coordinator at the Shepherd’s Hope clinic.

Jordan Sammarco as combined a love for neurobiology, writing and working with others during her UCF undergraduate career. As a member of the Burnett Honors College, we served multiple leadership roles there, helping first-year students acclimate and attain professional development. She was a research assistant at the UCF Psychology IMMERSE and Classification and Decision Labs, where she did research on using virtual reality-administered meditation to mitigate pain. She volunteered with various organizations, including Page 15 and Planned Parenthood and was a staff writer for “Her Campus UCF.”

Angela Shar combines a passion for research with service to her university and community. She hopes to become an M.D./Ph.D. and as an undergraduate has already made national research presentations, published research scholarship and received research funding. Her most recent published work: using ultrasound responsive nanobubbles to treat osteoporosis. A UCF resident assistant, she co-founded the Society for Asian Scientists and Engineers and the Medical Bioethics Society. She also has volunteered to provide needed care to the community’s medically underserved, including patients experiencing homelessness.