The Biology Peer Advisors are your go-to mentors for all-things related to BIOSC majors, courses, extra-curriculars, and work-life balance. These third and fourth year students across most of the BIOSC majors are here to share their experiences: how they survived their first year on campus, how they chose their major, how to get on a waitlist, how to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation, but also important extracurricular questions and gen-eds that are must-haves! Our Peer Advisors have weekly office hours for drop-in questions, and can also answer your questions at BIOPEER@PITT.EDU.
Meet your 2024- 2025 Peer Advising Team!
Bio Peer Advisors 2024-2025
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Suraj Balanagu he/him |
Suraj grew up in Parsippany, NJ; he's majoring in Microbiology with minors in chemistry and sociology. After graduation, he plans to take a gap year and apply to medical schools. Apart from academia he also does research at the Stallaert lab where they focus on cell cycle plasticity and biological trajectories of tumor cells. Outside classes, he is a Resident Assistant at Brackenridge Hall and actively participates in nonprofit organizations, Oakland Cares and the Pitt Pantry. Lastly, in his free time, he loves watching Indian and Japanese media, playing sports, and trying new foods! | |
| Janani Balasubramanian | Janani is from California and is majoring in Computational Biology with a certificate in conceptual foundations of medicine. After graduation, she hopes to go to medical school and become a doctor. She is currently doing research in a pharmacology and chemical biology lab, a mentor in SWSG, and a volunteer in the HELP program at Allegheny General Hospital. In her free time, she loves to dance, paint, and bake. A fun fact about Janani is her favorite animal is a Tyrannosaurus rex. | |
| Diana Benford she/her | Diana is a Biological Sciences major with Chemistry and Applied Statistics minors. She is also in the Frederick Honors College and is completing a Conceptual Foundations of Medicine certificate. She hopes to go on to dental school after finishing up her undergraduate studies. Outside of classes, she volunteers at UPMC Presbyterian in the inpatient and outpatient pharmacies, shadows/assists a dentist, plays intramural soccer, and is a member of Dental Science Club and Pitt Ski & Snowboard Club. She also enjoys reading, working out, crocheting, music, and hanging out with friends. | |
| Grace Bua she/her | Grace is from New Jersey (Morris County represent!) and is majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry and a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. She is also a student of Frederick Honors College. After graduation, Grace hopes to attend dental school and earn her DMD. She is a member of the pre-health fraternity DEM, dances with Pitt Dance Ensemble, and volunteers at UPMC Shadyside. Grace loves listening to music, cooking with her roommates, and exploring Pittsburgh! | |
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Amanda Chen
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Amanda was born and raised in California. She is majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Chemistry and Sociology. After graduation, she hopes to take a gap year before applying to medical school. She volunteers at UPMC Shadyside, does research in an ovarian cancer lab, and works as a Pitt Pantry Student Coordinator. Amanda enjoys reading and dancing outside of class. She has studied abroad in South Africa and hopes to study abroad again before graduating. |
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Vincent Chen he/him |
Vincent is a senior majoring in Biolgical Sciences, with minors in chemistry and economics, and a certificate in global health. He plans on attending medical school after graduation. On campus, he is involved with Phi Chi, HOSA, SEMS, and the Computational Health Sciences Club. Additionally, Vincent volunteers with the Do Crew at UPMC Shadyside and researches at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center about triple-negative breast cancer. Outside of school, he loves eating out, playing football, and playing tennis. |
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| Sarah Feng she/her | Sarah grew up in Guangzhou, China and is majoring in Molecular Biology and minoring in Chemistry and Studio Arts. After graduation, she plans to pursue a PhD in Cancer Biology. She currently works in a lab in Pharmacy School about the role of EST in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. She is also an anime-and kpop-lover. | |
| Mercedes Foster she/her | Mercedes is a junior at Pitt, majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry and a certificate in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine, on the pre-med track. She's a patient care technician at Allegheny General Hospital, an undergraduate research assistant at the UPMC Thomas Starzl Transplant Center, and a volunteer with UPMC Shadyside's Hospital Elder Life Program. She's also a member of Phi Delta Epsilon. In her free time, Mercedes enjoys playing guitar, reading, and spending time with her dogs and friends. | |
| Matthew Hannan he/him | Matthew is a junior majoring in Molecular Biology, with a minor in Chemistry, and a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. After graduation, he hopes to attend dental school. Back home, Matthew works as a pharmacy technician and dental assistant. At Pitt, Matthew volunteers with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and at UPMC. Outside of class, Matthew enjoys hanging out with friends and playing soccer. | |
| Alic Hutson | Alic grew up in New Jersey and is majoring in Microbiology with minors in Chemistry and Neuroscience while pursuing the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine certificate. He hopes to pursue his studies further in medical school, but is unsure what specialty at the moment. In his free time, Alic likes to play tennis and is always down to try new foods and restaurants whenever possible. Some random fun facts is that outside of school he is a Barista that doesn't drink coffee and he also happens to not like guacamole. | |
| Belle Jenkins she/her | Belle a Microbiology major with minors in Chemistry and Economics and a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. After graduation, she hopes to become a physician. Belle is in a co-ed pre-health fraternity, Delta Epsilon Mu, and a co-ed volunteer fraternity, Epsilon Sigma Alpha. She loves walking around Pittsburgh and doing research in a microbiology lab. Outside of school, you will find Belle either watching sports (most likely American football, lacrosse, or ice hockey) or participating in intramural sports. Fun fact, Belle named her dog Kuzie after a professional ice hockey player Evgeny Kuznetsov! | |
| Faith Joy she/her | Faith is a senior majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry on the pre-veterinary track. After graduation, she hopes to take a gap year before applying to vet school. Outside of classes, she is a member of the Pre-Vet Club here at Pitt and works as a veterinary assistant. Faith enjoys spending time with friends and family as well as being around her pets at home. | |
| Sandra Milanovic | Hailing for Pittsburgh, Sandra is a senior majoring in Computational Biology, with minors in Theatre and Secondary Education, as well as a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. After graduation, she hopes to attend either medical school or PA school. She currently works at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. In her free time, Sandra enjoys playing her guitar, reading, playing video games, and watching both Pittsburgh and Philly sports teams. | |
| Quinn Morrin she/her | Quinn grew up in Downingtown, PA, and is majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Chemistry, with a Conceptual Foundations of Medicine Certificate. After graduation, I plan to earn a master’s in anesthesia. Currently, Quinn works as a medical assistant and previously served as a research assistant. Outside of class, she enjoys spending time with friends, running, and exploring Pittsburgh. | |
| Tümay Onat she/her | Tümay is a junior majoring in Biological Sciences with minors in Chemistry and Turkish and a Certificate in the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. After graduating, she hopes to attend dental school. Tümay is involved with Ballet Club, Health-Link Society, Pathfinders, and Dental Science Club. She also is an Ecology UTA, volunteers at UPMC Presbyterian, and works as a dental assistant during summer breaks. Outside of class, Tümay enjoys dancing, reading, and pilates. She is a huge coffee lover, and you will never see her without a coffee in hand. | |
| Lelanie Rivera she/her | Leilanie grew up in Puerto Rico and is majoring in Biological Sciences with minors in Music and Chemistry. She is also pursuing the Conceptual Foundations of Medicine certificate. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school. She volunteers at Birmingham Free Clinic as a Spanish Interpreter and has done a medical internship in Peru with Pitt VAW Medical. Outside of class, she likes to play the violin, paint canvases, and go surfing whenever she’s back home. | |
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Ella Shannon she/her |
Ella is a senior Biological Sciences major (graduating in December 2024) with minors in Chemistry, Political Science, and Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies and a Certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. After graduation, she hopes to achieve her near life-long dream of attending medical school and acquiring her M.D. For fun, Ella loves to dance and is a part of Pitt's Ballet Club. She also enjoys spending her time with the Pitt Strong Women Strong Girls chapter. A fun fact about Ella is she has 4 cats- one of which is 18 years old! | |
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Abhay Sheeri
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Abhay is a senior majoring in Molecular Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Applied Statistics, and a certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. He is hoping to pursue medicine after undergrad. Abhay works in the Department of Radiation Oncology, studying a novel treatment for poorly immunogenic tumors in mice During spring breaks, Abhay travels to Latin America with Pitt MEDLIFE, to volunteer in week-long mobile clinics in communities without adequate access to healthcare. Outside of academics, Abhay enjoys aerial photography and karting professionally. | |
| Cosette Swan-Rancatore she/her | Cosette grew up in Pittsburgh and is majoring in Biological Sciences. She is also working towards the Public Communication of Science and Technology certificate. Currently, she is a chemistry tutor for highschoolers, a nanny, and has been a teaching assistant for the SEA-Phages bio lab. She is also a part of the Outdoors Club. After graduation, she hopes to go for her PharmD degree. She currently works at the Drug Discovery Institute at the University of Pittsburgh where she participated in a research project over the summer. Outside of class, she likes to go hiking, biking, reading, and playing video games. | |
| Jason Zheng he/him | Jason, a Pennsylvania native, is majoring in Biological Sciences with aspirations of attending dental school after graduation. He is actively involved as the National Liaison for the professional all-inclusive pre-health fraternity Delta Epsilon Mu and works in a dental clinic. Additionally, Jason is a dedicated undergraduate teaching assistant for Organic Chemistry I and Human Physiology. Outside of academics, Jason enjoys experimenting with new recipes, exploring the vibrant city of Pittsburgh, and playing tennis at Schenley Park. |