Faculty Senate honors six graduating seniors with 2025 John W. White Fellowships

UNIVERSITY PARK — The Faculty Senate Committee on Student Life recently awarded six graduating Penn State seniors who will be pursuing graduate-level education with the John W. White Graduate Fellowship.   

The purpose of this fellowship, considered one of the oldest continuing fellowships at the University, is to recognize and support outstanding students enrolled or planning to enroll in graduate degree programs. Students considered for this award are full-time seniors who have exhibited academic excellence, are graduating summa cum laude and intend to engage in graduate study.   

The students were each recognized during the April 29 meeting of the University Faculty Senate.   

“Not only do these students demonstrate excellence in academics, but they also have deeply rooted and multifaceted stories on how they have reached their graduate study goals,” said Heather Parizek, chair of the Senate Committee on Student Life, while introducing the students. “Saying these stories are inspirational barely does them justice.” 

Members of the Student Life committee, including Michelle Yarwood, Namiko Yamamoto, Khytam Dawood and Parizek, reviewed the 49 applicants and selected the finalists. The rubric the committee used to select the six recipients emphasized post-graduation plans, strength in leadership, service to discipline or community, and effective communication.  

The 2025 award recipients are: 

Billal Gomaa 

Billal Gomaa is a Schreyer Honors College student majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology, who is planning to attend Penn State’s College of Medicine this fall to pursue a career in medicine. During his time at Penn State, Gomaa was active in undergraduate research, worked as a teaching assistant in chemistry, studied abroad in New Zealand, completed several internships, and served as the president of the Biochemistry Society and the Egyptian Student Association. Out of all of his activities, Gomaa said he is most proud of his work with Penn State’s Student Red Cross and THON, the University’s student-run dance marathon that raises millions of dollars each year to fund pediatric cancer research.  

While volunteering for the Red Cross by helping to organize numerous blood drives on campus, Gomaa said he discovered that cancer patients are the No. 1 recipient of blood donations. With that information, he worked to establish Penn State’s Student Red Cross Club as an official THON organization, engaging the club’s 140 members in fundraising efforts that totaled over $20,000. Gomaa said he hopes to continue his advocacy for public health by building similar partnerships in the future and developing holistic patient care practices to develop positivity-centered communities and enhance global health. 

“I just want to say thank you,” Gomaa said. “I really enjoyed my four years at Penn State, and I can't wait to be a Penn Stater for another four years.” 

Rida Hamid 

Rida Hamid is a Schreyer Honors College student majoring in biobehavioral health with minors in biology and global health, who plans to attend medical school this fall. Hamid’s academic and extracurricular endeavors during her time at Penn State were driven by her passion for global and women’s health, she said. She studied abroad in Italy, Mexico and Peru, examining social determinants of health. She paired these experiences with research on how racial and ethnic disparities impact cognitive outcomes of traumatic brain injuries. 

Hamid also served as advocacy chair for the Penn State chapter of Day for Girls International. In that role she led efforts to promote menstrual health equity on campus and abroad by managing a grant to install free menstrual-product dispensers in all restrooms at University Park and worked to produce and distribute reusable menstrual products to refugees in Jordan, Yemen and Palestine. She also completed an internship at a clinic for eating disorders that has led her, she said, to advocate for policies to support people affected by those disorders. Following her passion, Hamid said she hopes to build a career focusing on women’s health that integrates global health with clinical practice, advancing equitable health care solutions on a broad scale. 

“Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity,” Hamid said. “I really enjoyed my four years here at Penn State, and it's bittersweet that it's coming to an end. I’m looking forward to medical school and still staying connected to Penn State.” 

Vy Le

Vy Le is a Schreyer Honors College student majoring in chemistry with a minor in physics and certificate in Spanish health care, who plans to attend the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University this fall to study dermatology or pediatrics. During his time at Penn State, Le was active in undergraduate research, studying nanoparticles with Benjamin Lear, professor of chemistry. He said he hopes to build upon this work in medical school to develop novel methods for drug delivery, using biological nanoparticles. 

Le was also an active participant in THON, holding several leadership positions. He also served as the lead tournament director and president for Science Olympiad and worked as a learning assistant in chemistry. Le said he hopes to combine the skills he cultivated from these experiences in the medical education scholarly inquiry track at Thomas Jefferson to develop better ways to present complicated medical concepts to patients of different demographics, empowering them to be better able to understand and confront their medical conditions. 

“Thank you for providing me with this fellowship; I am really honored,” Le said. “I also enjoyed my four years at Penn State, being able to work with so many different communities and working to integrate them into my future career. I hope that the experiences I collected here will serve me well in medical school.” 

Bailey McLaughlin 

Bailey McLaughlin is a Schreyer Honors College student majoring in biobehavioral health with a minor in biology, who plans to continue her studies at Penn State’s College of Medicine this fall. During her time at Penn State, McLaughlin was involved in undergraduate research, served as THON family relations chair for the Pre-Health Honors Society and worked as a teaching assistant. Her most rewarding accomplishment, she said, was her work with the Lively Tunes Project at the Penn State College of Medicine. The research initiative pairs musicians with patients who suffer from chronic loneliness in order to study the healing potential of music. McLaughlin first got involved in the project as a musician, playing guitar and singing for patients, before becoming a research coordinator. 

She said she hopes to continue this work in medical school and eventually enter the clinician educator pathway to pursue her medical and master's degrees in adult education for medical and health progressions.  

“I am so blessed to have had all of the opportunities and experiences I have had at Penn State and to have met so many other incredible students and friends,” McLaughlin said. “I am so excited to go to Penn State College of Medicine.” 

Kareena Pandya 

Kareena Pandya is a Schreyer Honors College student majoring in pharmacology and toxicology with a minor in biology, who will begin a Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition degree program at Columbia University this fall. During her time at Penn State, Pandya has been active in undergraduate research and internships and held leadership roles in the Pre-Med Honors Society and the Serve State Student Philanthropy. Through volunteer work, coordinating free food clinics with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Pediatric Healthy Weight Program, Pandya said she learned about how socioeconomic barriers can impact health. She paired this experience with research in the gut microbiome lab, where she learned about how diet can shape overall health.  

Through her graduate work, Pandya said she hopes to bridge the gap between nutritional science and patient care in the practice of medicine. After earning her master's degree, she plans to attend medical school and become a physician who incorporates nutrition-focused, patient-centered care into her treatment plans.   

“I am grateful to have received this fellowship,” Pandya said. “I also had an amazing time at Penn State these past four years and collected really great experiences that I am excited to take with me into the future.”  

Sophia Vicenzino 

Sophia Vicenzino is an integrative science major with a Smeal College of Business certificate, who will begin her studies at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine this fall. While at Penn State, Vicenzino has been involved in undergraduate research, worked as a biology learning assistant, was active in the Pre-Dental Society, volunteered many hours with Serve State and was a mentor in the Paw Pals program, introducing children interested in STEM fields to hands-on learning. She was also very involved in THON, both as a dancer and in leadership roles through her sorority.  

Following her passion for dentistry, Vicenzino said she began shadowing in dental practices four years ago and has been preparing for a career in the field ever since. She most recently worked as a dental assistant at an orthodontic and pediatrist dental practice. While there, she was part of a team that treated a special-needs patient who had been denied care at other practices. Inspired by the dentist’s compassion and medical expertise, Vicenzino said she hopes to eventually open her own practice that combines cutting-edge medical techniques with genuine care for patients.