2017 UG Commencement Program

30 F arquhar H onors C ollege Lauren B. Garcia , a legal studies major with a minor in English, is from Miami, Florida. She has been a student in the Farquhar Honors College since 2013 and acts as a peer mentor. Garcia served as a member and president of the Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity and a member of the Mock Trial Team since 2015. In the summer of 2015, she interned with the Hachar Law Firm in Miami Lakes, Florida. Garcia has volunteered for seven years in her church’s children’s ministry and also tutors middle and high school students in math. She has been on the Dean’s List for seven consecutive semesters, and in 2017 she received the Outstanding Witness Award from the American Mock Trial Association during the regional tournament. She plans to attend law school in the fall. Chitra Gotluru , a biology major with a minor in chemistry, is from Miramar, Florida. She was a dual admission student for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program and has been a member of the TriBeta Biological Honor Society since 2016. She made the Dean’s List for the last three years. Gotluru had the opportunity to work on a sociology project titled “Factors Associated with Osteopathic Medical Students’ Intent to Provide Care to Medically Underserved Populations: Implications for Medical Educators,” which was presented in a poster format at the 2015 Consortium for Excellence in Medical Education. During the summer of 2016, she participated in a program, Research Experience for Undergraduates, at the University of Miami under the guidance of Amy Scott, Ph.D., and Sapna Deo, Ph.D. They presented their research at the American Chemical Society Conference in fall 2016. Under the guidance of Dimitrios Giarikos, Ph.D., and Amy Hirons, Ph.D., Gotluru worked on heavy metal analysis and presented this research at the American Chemical Society Conference in spring 2017 under the title “Heavy Metal Analysis of Alaskan Subsistence-Harvested Pinniped Vibrissae.” She also presented her research orally at the NSU Student Symposium. While a student at NSU, Gotluru has been associated with the Indian Student Association from 2014 to 2017; Make A Meal also from 2014 to 2017, serving as president from 2016 to 2017; MedEd from 2015 to 2017, serving as treasurer from 2015 to 2017; MedLIFE from 2014 to 2017, doing public relations from 2016 to 2017; the Chemistry Club from 2014 to 2017, doing public relations from 2016 to 2017; and the Maasti Dance Team from 2016 to 2017. Additionally, she has volunteered with the Science Alive, Broward Outreach, and Hope South Florida programs since 2014. Gotluru was the head lab assistant since 2016 for Organic Chemistry I and worked as an SAT/ACT head tutor of JLB Education from 2014 to 2016. She is a certified scuba diver and is on track to earn her black belt in taekwondo. Gotluru plans to attend medical school in the future.